Toshiba Launches Wipe Technology in Self-Encrypting 2.5-Type Hard Disk Drives

New technology improves data security and reduces the risk of leaks of sensitive information stored on copiers and printer systems and IT devices

TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Toshiba Corporation (TOKYO:6502) today announced the launch of the world's first^[1] series of Self-Encrypting Drives (SED) equipped with Wipe Technology, Toshiba's proprietary suite of security functions that bring an unsurpassed level of data protection to IT equipment. Wipe Technology allows users to determine a range of security settings, including invalidation of encryption keys and data invalidation when a drive is removed from its housing or connected to an unauthorized host system.

The five models in the 2.5-type MK6461GSYG family range from 160 gigabytes (GB) to 640GB and are designed for use in copiers, printers, POS systems, PCs and other IT devices. Sampling will start from the end of April with mass production following at the end of June.

IT departments must contend with various security risks, from lost and stolen PC through to compliance with increasingly strict privacy laws and regulations governing data security. These concerns also go beyond PCs. Today, most office copier and printing systems utilize HDD capacity and performance to support productivity and the security of recorded document image data that must be maintained. Furthermore, data invalidation required overwriting for hours or physically disrupting until now.

Wipe Technology directly addresses these concerns. In August 2010, Toshiba announced development of the Wipe Technology that offered users two levels of control, which achieved great interest from the IT industry. Reflecting voice of customers to meet varying using conditions, MK6461GSYG family drives not only offer the latest version of Wipe Technology adding the third level of control, but also configure areas for invalidation and encryption, achieving an optimized solution for data security.

1. Invalidation of all data by the system.
This invalidates all data. This feature is designed for use prior to system disposal or re-purposing to ensure that private data never leaves the control of the responsible business unit or the IT department

2. Invalidation of data on powering down
The HDD encryption key is automatically invalidated when the drive's power supply is turned off. If a Wipe Technology SED drive is removed from a system, it can be set to invalidate all data on the drive.

3. Invalidation of data when the equipment is connected to an unauthorized system (The new technology which was added this time)
When an SED HDD is inserted into a system it triggers "challenge response^[2]" authentication to confirm the system is known to the HDD. If the authentication fails, the HDD automatically deletes the encryption key. This level counteracts attempts to read a drive by physically removing it from a secure host system and installing it in another system.

Wipe Technology HDD can be incorporated into existing system architectures and integrated into various IT equipments where users demand a high level of data security, including multifunction printers, POS systems and PCs. Toshiba is now studying future integration of the technology into solid state drives (SSD).

Toshiba Group will adopt Wipe Technology SED HDD into enterprise use such as its own brand PCs, multifunction printers, and POS system, as a further advance in enhanced information security for information and communications technology.

Outline of the products
Product Number	Capacity ^[3]	Key Feature
MK6461GSYG	640GB	Automatic data invalidation when it is connected to unauthorized host system
MK5061GSYG	500GB
MK3261GSYG	320GB
MK2561GSYG	250GB
MK1661GSYG	160GB

Environmental Aspects
(1) RoHS compliant
The new drives comply with the European Union's RoHS Directive on the restriction of the use of six hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment.

(2) Recycling storage products
The new drives lead to less electrical power, laborsaving, and enable re-purposing storage products, by shortening time by immediate invalidation of the data, compared to overwriting for hours or physically disrupting, which was required until now.

About Toshiba Group Environmental Vision
Environmental Vision 2050 guides Toshiba Group in achieving a ten-fold increase in overall eco-efficiency by 2050, compared to 2000, in order to contribute to the future of a sustainable Earth as a "corporate citizen of planet Earth". Toward this goal, we promote initiatives aimed at realizing a world where people lead affluent lives in harmony with the Earth, based on the concept of three "Greens": Greening of Process (environmentally conscious manufacturing process), Greening of Products (environmentally conscious products), and Greening by Technology (contributing through environmental technology).
Toshiba Group promotes its environmental initiatives under the global brand "Toshiba eco style."
For more details, please visit:
http://www.toshiba.co.jp/env/en/management/vision2050.htm

[1] As of April 13, 2011; source Toshiba

[2] Challenge-response authentication is a family of protocols that uses the random number for every authentication to prevent the wire-tap attack.

Product Specifications
Model Number		MK6461GSYG	MK5061GSYG	MK3261GSYG	MK2561GSYG	MK1661GSYG
Capacity ^[3]		640GB	500GB	320GB	250GB	160GB
Number of platters		2		1
Average seek time		12msec
Interface		Serial ATA
Interface speed		3.0Gbps
Rotational speed		7,200rpm
Buffer memory^[3]		16MB
External dimensions		（W）69.85mm×（D）100.0mm×（H）9.5mm
Weight		115g（max.）		98g（max.）
Energy consumption efficiency		0.0013	0.0016	0.0025	0.0032	0.0050
Category name^[4]		I		F
Power Consumption	Seek	2.3W （typ.）
	Read/ Write	2.1W （typ.）
Encryption Algorithm		AES 256^[5]
Wipe technology		Available

[3]One Gigabyte (1 GB) means 10⁹ =1,000,000,000 bytes using powers of 10. A computer operating system, however, reports storage capacity using powers of 2 for the definition of 1 GB = 2³⁰= 1,073,741,824 bytes, and therefore shows less storage capacity.
One Megabyte (1 MB) means 10⁶ =1,000,000 bytes using powers of 10. A computer operating system, however, reports storage capacity using powers of 2 for the definition of 1 MB = 2²⁰= 1,048,576 bytes, and therefore shows less storage capacity.
Available storage capacity (including examples of various media files) will vary based on file size, formatting, settings, software and operating system.

[4]Category names defined by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry are applied in the Japanese market.

[5]AES 256 (256-bit Advanced Encryption Standard) is the selected encryption algorithm by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology. This is the standard form of encryption used by the U.S. government. AES defines three possible key lengths: 128, 192, and 256 bits. The longer the key, the stronger the encryption.

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