James Delahunty
17 Nov 2007 15:36
We have added a new article to our Guide section in the past few days, coving SecurDisc, a data protection technology for optical media developed by Nero AG and Hitachi-LG Data Storage. For the article we used Nero 7 with a LG GSA-H55N Super Multi drive, one of the first to support SecurDisc's features. Here is what SecurDisc offers...
Data Reliability
SecurDisc improves your chances of recovering data from damaged or worn discs. When you create and burn a disc using SecurDisc features, it will utilize the free space left on the disc to store information that will help with the recovery process. Data reliability is very important now that blank DVD and CD media costs a lot less than it used to, but some cheaper discs are very poor in quality.
Password Protection
SecurDisc can protect your entire discs' contents with a password. It uses AES-128 encryption to protect the files against prying eyes. The password given by the user is passed securely to the drive for confirmation. Any access attempt to password protected content will load up a prompt to enter the password. Once the password has been confirmed, the drive will permit access to the unencrypted content.
Data Integrity Check
SecurDisc already stores information that may help in recovery if a disc is damaged, but what about CD or DVD media decaying over time? By using a checksum feature, SecurDisc regularly checks the integrity of the data and can warn you if your data is in danger of decay and will recommend backing up the data. This feature cannot be disabled.
Digital Signature
If sending sensitive data to another person, SecurDisc allows you to digitally sign the entire disc so the recipient can check that the data has not been manipulated. The key needed to check the contents of the disc can be distributed to anyone through some other method. InCD or InCD Reader is required to use this feature.
Copy Protection for PDF Documents
SecurDisc can protect sensitive PDF documents against duplication. The copy protection feature allows for PDF documents to be read but not copied or edited at all. SecurDisc will encrypt files and store a key in a copy protected part of the media. A special reader application is needed to read the PDF files. For now, only PDF documents are supported but it seems more formats and file types are in plans for protection
The article is structured as an example of how an end-user can use the SecurDisc features and what it looks like in action, but it also reviews the technology as well. We hope you enjoy reading it.
Using SecurDisc to protect important data on recordable media:
https://www.afterdawn.com/guides/archive/using_securdisc_to_protect_important_data_on_recordable_media.cfm
Also visit: http://www.securdisc.net