
What is External Hard Drive Encryption?Īn external drive or USB drive encryption is a fairly simple process.

Despite lesser hard disks being shipped in 2020, hard drives remain critical to storing business data. In 2020, 260.3 million hard disks were shipped globally, compared to 316.3 million units in 2019. With more businesses becoming data-driven, the use of external hard drives has increased significantly. Protecting data stored in an external hard drive, including a USB flash drive and any other external storage device, is as essential as securing information stored in the cloud or a computer’s internal hard drive. However, numerous organizations overlook securing one of the most used yet highly vulnerable information storage and backup methods – external hard drives. As a result, they usually channel most resources towards securing the network perimeter by implementing firewalls, endpoint detection and response systems, antimalware products, and intelligent threat hunting capabilities.Īll these and many others are vital to protecting customer and company data from increasing cyber threats. As many businesses are concerned, data breaches are complicated hacks where hackers exploit system security flaws to access networks and databases. A data breach is an unwanted or unauthorized access to sensitive or personal information. Understanding how to encrypt an external hard drive is crucial because the current average cost of a data breach increased by 10% to $4.24 million.
