PortableApps.com Carbide Drive User Guide

User Guide
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PortableApps.com Carbide Drive User Guide© 2013 Rare Ideas, LLC, © 2011 iStorage Limited. All rights reserved.
Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
All other trademarks and copyrights referred to are the property of theirrespective owners.
Distribution of substantively modified versions of this document is prohibitedwithout the explicit permission of the copyright holder.
Distribution of the work or derivative work in any standard (paper) book form forcommercial purposes is prohibited unless prior permission is obtained from thecopyright holder.
DOCUMENTATION IS PROVIDED AS IS AND ALL EXPRESS OR IMPLIED CONDITIONS,REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES, INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY OFMERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR NON-INFRINGEMENT,ARE DISCLAIMED, EXCEPT TO THE EXTENT THAT SUCH DISCLAIMERS ARE HELD TO BELEGALLY INVALID
Neither PortableApps.com/Rare Ideas, LLC nor iStorage shall not be liable by virtueof this warranty, or otherwise, for any incidental, special or consequential damage
including any loss of data resulting from use or operation of the product, whether
or not iStorage or PortableApps.com were apprised of the possibility of such damages.

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PortableApps.com Carbide Drive User Guide

Table of Contents
Introduction
LED Indicators
How to change User PIN
How to create a new User Pin
How to unlock drive with User PIN
How to lock the Carbide
How to create an Admin PIN
How to unlock with Admin PIN
How to change Admin PIN
How to reset drive
Frequently asked questions

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PortableApps.com Carbide Drive User Guide

Introduction

Thank you for purchasing the PortableApps.com Carbide, a PIN activated, hardware encrypted USB flash drive.
The Carbide uses military grade AES 256-bit hardware encryption, which encrypts all data stored onthe drive in real-time. The Carbide requires no software and is OS and host independent. The Carbide
incorporates a rechargeable battery allowing the customer to enter a 7-15 digit PIN(Personal Identification Number) onto the on-board keypad before connecting the drive to the USB port.
Should the drive be lost or stolen, the user can rest assured that all data held on the Carbide is safe andcannot be accessed by any unauthorised person.
The Carbide can be created with both User and Admin PINs, making it perfect for corporate andgovernment deployment.
As the Carbide is unlocked with the on-board keypad and not with the keyboard, it is notvulnerable to software/hardware based key-loggers or brute force attacks.

The Carbide is shipped with a default User PIN of
1-1-2-2-3-3-4-4
andalthough it can be used straight out of the box with the default PIN, for security
reasons, we highly recommend that a new User PIN be created immediately byfollowing instructions under heading 2 “How to change User PIN”.

1. LED indicators
LED (LAMP) ACTIVITYACTION BEING PERFORMED

All LEDs are off
Green blink
Green solidBlue solidBlue blink
Red LED blink
Red constantly on
Red and Green LEDs blink together
Red and Green LEDs double blink
Red and Green LEDs constantly lit
Red and Green LEDs blink alternately

drive is locked and secure – all data is encrypted
drive is unlocked and ready for use
drive connected to powered USB port
drive connected to host computer and is idle
data exchange with host computer
drive is locked and secure – all data is encrypted
No User PIN createdaccepting User PIN input
accepting Admin PIN input
drive is accepting new PINError

Note: Unless otherwise noted, all INSTRUCTION steps are performed when Carbide is notconnected to a computer.

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PortableApps.com Carbide Drive User Guide

2. How to change User PIN

If you forget your User PIN and no Admin PIN exists, or you forget both PINs, all data will be inaccessible.

PIN requirements:Must be between 7-15 digits in lengthMust not contain repeating numbers/letters, e.g., (3-3-3-3-3-3-3)
Must not contain sequential numbers/letters, e.g., (1-2-3-4-5-6-7), (7-8-9-0-1-2-3-4-5-6),(7-6-5-4-3-2-1)

INSTRUCTION

LED ACTIVITY

1. Pressbutton
2. Enter user PIN to unlock drive and press
3. Press and holdbutton for 3 seconds
4. Enter new User PIN
5. Pressbutton6. Re-enter new User PIN
7. PressbuttonRed and Green LEDs blink together
Green blink
Red and Green will illuminate together
Red and Green illuminated
Red and Green blink in unison
Red and Green blink in unison
Green blink if 1st and 2nd entries match
Red and Green blink alternately if PIN entry error
If Red and Green LEDs blink alternately, restart fromstep 3

Note: If a mistake was made while defining a new PIN or the procedure was not completed, the drive
will retain the old PIN.

3. How to create a new User PIN
A new encryption key is automatically created under the following circumstances:

After hacking detection has been triggered by 10 successive failed attempts to unlock.
Drive has been manually reset (see heading 9).

When either of the above two scenarios occur, it will be necessary to set a new User PIN byfollowing the instructions below.

User PIN requirements:Must be between 7-15 digits in lengthMust not contain repeating numbers/letters, e.g., (3-3-3-3-3-3-3)
Must not contain sequential numbers/letters, e.g., (1-2-3-4-5-6-7), (7-8-9-0-1-2-3-4-5-6),(7-6-5-4-3-2-1)

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PortableApps.com Carbide Drive User Guide

INSTRUCTION

LED ACTIVITY

1. Press and holdbutton for 3 seconds
2. Enter a new User PIN
3. Pressbutton
4. Re-enter new User PINRed and Green will illuminate
Red and Green illuminated
Red and Green blink in unison
Red and Green blink in unison

5. Press

Green blink if 1st and 2nd entries match
Red and Green blink alternately if PIN entry error
If Red and Green LEDs blink alternately, restart fromstep 1button

Note: A user PIN can only be defined when the red LED is lit in a constant state or changed whenthe green LED is blinking (unlocked). Neither User nor Admin PINs can be created while drive isconnected to a host computer.

4. How to unlock drive with User PIN

Once the User PIN is created, all data stored on the Carbide is encrypted, in hardware, to the AES
256-bit CBC specification. In order to access the data stored on the drive, you must first unlock the drivewith your User PIN.

INSTRUCTION

LED ACTIVITY

1. Press thebutton
2. Enter the User PIN
3. PressbuttonRed and Green will blink together
Red and Green will continue to blink together
Green will blink if user entered correct PIN
Red will blink if incorrect PIN was entered
If Red and Green LEDs blink alternately, restart fromStep 1
Green LED will illuminate in constant stateBlue will illuminate and flicker

4. Insert the Carbide into a USB port

Note: Once unlocked, the Green LED will blink for 30 seconds, within which time the drive needs to beconnected to the USB port. If no connection is detected within 30 seconds, the drive will lock and you
will need to start the process of unlocking again.

5. How to lock the Carbide
The PortableApps.com Carbide automatically locks when unplugged from the host computer or power to theUSB port is turned off. Data is kept locked using AES 256-bit CBC encryption.

6. How to create an Admin PIN
An Admin PIN is a useful feature for corporate deployment, for example:
Page 6

Recovering data from a drive and configuring a new User PIN in the event an employee has
forgotten their PIN
Retrieving data from a drive if an employee leaves the company

PortableApps.com Carbide Drive User Guide

Entering the Admin PIN to access a locked drive will clear the User PIN. If a user forgets
their PIN, access to their drive is regained by defining a new user PIN. For security
reasons, we highly recommend that a new User PIN be created immediately once thedrive has been unlocked using the Admin PIN.

Admin PIN requirements:Must be between 7-15 digits in lengthMust not contain repeating numbers/letters, e.g., (3-3-3-3-3-3-3)
Must not contain sequential numbers/letters, e.g., (1-2-3-4-5-6-7), (7-8-9-0-1-2-3-4-5-6),(7-6-5-4-3-2-1)

If the drive has been reset or hacking detection has been triggered (i.e., no User or Admin PIN exist), theinstructions below can be followed. If a User PIN already exists, the Carbide must be unlocked first with theuser PIN by following instructions under heading 4, before an Admin PIN can be created by following
instructions below.

INSTRUCTION

LED ACTIVITY

1. Press thebutton twice holding
for 3 seconds on the 2nd press
2. Enter a new Admin PIN
3. Pressbutton4. Re-enter new Admin PIN
5. PressbuttonRed and Green will blink once then remain lit
Red and Green illuminated
Red and Green double blink
Red and Green continue to double blink
Green double blink if 1st and 2nd entries match
Red and Green blink alternately if PIN entry error
If Red and Green LEDs blink alternately, restart fromstep 1Figure 1 shows the green blinking characteristics when the drive is opened in User mode versus Adminmode.
OnOnSingle blink

OffOn

OnOnOnDouble blink
OffOffOfft

Figure 1: User Mode single blink LED output compared to Admin Mode double blink

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PortableApps.com Carbide Drive User Guide
Figure 2 shows the difference between pressing KEY button to set the User PIN vs setting the Admin PIN.

3 seconds
User

3 seconds
Administrator

1/4 sec

Figure 2: Key entry for User/Admin mode selection

7. How to unlock with ADMIN PINEntering the Admin PIN to unlock the drive will reset the User PIN. A new User PIN MUSTbe created immediately once the drive has been unlocked using the Admin PIN.

INSTRUCTION

LED ACTIVITY

1. Press thebutton twice in succession(similar to double-clicking a mouse)
2. Enter the Admin PIN
3. PressbuttonRed and Green will double blink together (figure 1, on page 7)

4. Insert the Carbide into USB port
within 30 seconds

Red and Green will continue to blink together
Green will double blink if admin entered correct PIN
Red will blink if incorrect PIN was entered
If Red and Green LEDs blink alternately, restart fromstep 1
Green LED will illuminate in constant stateBlue will illuminate and flicker

Note: Green LED will blink for 30 seconds, within which time the drive needs to be connected to the USB
port, if no connection is detected within 30 seconds, the drive will lock and you will need to start theprocess of unlocking again.

8. How to change ADMIN PIN

Changing the Admin PIN will reset the User PIN. A new User PIN MUST be createdimmediately once the Admin PIN has been changed.

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PortableApps.com Carbide Drive User Guide
PIN requirements:Must be between 7-15 digits in lengthMust not contain repeating numbers/letters, e.g., (3-3-3-3-3-3-3)
Must not contain sequential numbers/letters, e.g., (1-2-3-4-5-6-7), (7-8-9-0-1-2-3-4-5-6),(7-6-5-4-3-2-1)

Once an Admin PIN has been created, the Carbide needs to be unlocked by the administrator in orderto change the Admin PIN. The Admin PIN cannot be changed from user mode.

INSTRUCTION

LED ACTIVITY

1. Press thebutton twice in succession(similar to double-clicking a mouse)
2. Enter Admin PIN
3. PressbuttonRed and Green will double blink together (figure 2, onpage 8)
Red and Green illuminatedGreen will double blink if admin entered correct PIN
Red will blink if incorrect PIN was entered

4. Press thebutton twice holding
for 3 seconds on the 2nd press
5. Releasebutton6. Enter desired Admin PIN
7. Pressbutton8. Re-enter new Admin PIN
9. PressbuttonRed and Green will remain lit
Red and Green will blink twice then remain lit
Red and Green illuminated
Red and Green double blink
Red and Green continue to double blink
Green double blink if 1st and 2nd entries match
Red and Green blink alternately if PIN entry error
If Red and Green LEDs blink alternately, restart fromStep 4

9. How to Reset the Drive
In case both Admin and User PINs have been forgotten or if you would like to delete all data stored on thedrive and create new User and Admin PINs, follow the instructions below. The reset process will clear all PINsand encryption keys. This means a new User PIN will have to be defined in order to re-enable the drive. Also,
since this will force the creation of a new encryption key, the drive will have to be reformatted.

Resetting the Carbide will make all data on the drive inaccessible forever.

INSTRUCTION
1. Press thebutton twice with a two seconds
pause in between to wake the drive
2. Press and hold& ‘2’ buttons together
for three seconds
3. Release buttons
4. Enter 9-9-9
5. Pressbutton6. Pressbutton again

Page 9LED ACTIVITY
Red blink
Red and Green will illuminate together
Red and Green blink in unison
Red and Green blink in unison
Both LEDs will turn off
Red lit in constant state(Indicates User PIN must be set prior to use, see 3. Howto create a new User PIN)

PortableApps.com Carbide Drive User Guide

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
1. How to unlock drive if battery is deadYour PortableApps.com Carbide is supplied with a built-in rechargeable battery. If the battery is fullydischarged, you may still continue to use the product by following the instructions below:a) Connect the Carbide to a USB port on any computerb) While the Carbide is connected to the computer, enter the User or Admin PIN to unlock thedrivec) Whilst connected to the USB port, the internal battery will automatically charge. We
recommend you keep the drive connected for 1 hour to fully charge the battery.

2. Forgotten your PIN
If you forget the User and Admin PINs, there is absolutely no way of gaining access to the data stored
on the drive, there are no backdoors into the drive. You may continue to re-use the PortableApps.com
Carbide by resetting it, however by doing so all data stored on the drive will be inaccessible.
To reset the Carbide flash drive, follow instructions under heading 9. Once that is done, thefollowing occurs:





A new encryption key is created
The User and Admin PINs are deleted
All existing data is no longer accessible
A new User PIN must be set
Drive must be reformatted

3. Brute Force Hack Defence Mechanism
After 10 consecutive incorrect PIN attempts, the following occurs:





A new encryption key is created
The User and Admin PINs are deleted
All existing data is no longer accessible
A new User PIN must be set
Drive must be reformatted

The PortableApps.com Carbide, unlike other similar drives, is preloaded with an unlimited number ofrandomly generated encryption keys. Each time hacking is detected (i.e., the wrong PIN is entereda total of 10 consecutive times), the current encryption key is deleted causing the unit to randomly
generate a new encryption key. The new 256-bit encryption key is created
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PortableApps.com Carbide Drive User Guide
once a User PIN is successfully set. Because of this, the PortableAppps.com Carbide will have to beformatted after each time the defence mechanism is triggered.

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