Secure Virtual Disk

CryptoMill has developed Virtual Disk technology to provide user-private storage in its SEAhawk line of data security products. SEAhawk Virtual Disks provide users with a data storage format that is secure, transparent, fast, resource-efficient and applicable to all types of data.

When actively operating, the SEAhawk Virtual Disk appears to the operating system as just another hard disk in the system; in much the same way as a USB-connected removable drive appears. However, all information on the Virtual Disk is encrypted, automatically and transparently, requiring no extra user interaction. When the user shuts down the PC or logs off, the SEAhawk Virtual Disk is closed. It disappears from the operating system, as if it has been "unplugged". All that remains behind is a secure "backing file", the contents of which are always fully encrypted.

In the closed state, the SEAhawk Virtual Disk is simply a file located on the host drive. This file can then be moved around, copied, transferred by e-mail, and backed-up in any way that is deemed useful. The file itself does not need to be secured because it is already encrypted.

Key Features

SEAhawk Virtual Disks essentially portable, secure containers which behave like hard disks when they are open, and like files when they are closed. They can be used to move data securely between machines, mobile devices, and backup servers.

The disk resources consumed by a SEAhawk Virtual Disk depend on the amount of information actually stored in it. As more information is added to the virtual disk, storage is allocated from the underlying host drive for the secure backing file.

SEAhawk Virtual Disks complement other Full Disk Encryption (FDE) solutions by providing userspecific security on top the base-level protection. As an example, consider a business executive turning over her PC to the IT group for servicing. IT personnel can log into the PC to perform whatever upgrades and installations they need to. However, even with their elevated operating system privileges, the IT staff will not be able access the information in the executive’s (closed) SEAhawk Virtual Disk.