Patent ID: 7865743

Claim:
A method for accessing a secure user area of a portable storage device, the method comprising: performing, by a portable storage device that has a storage medium including a clear user area and a secure user area, wherein the portable storage device is operative to allow access to the clear user area without requiring a user password and to allow access to the secure user area only upon receiving the user password: receiving the user password from a host device in communication with the portable storage device; and performing at least one of (a) and (b): (a) receiving data from the host device, performing on-the-fly encryption of the data, and storing the encrypted data in the secure user area; and (b) reading encrypted data from the secure user area, performing on-the-fly decryption of the encrypted data, and sending the decrypted data to the host device; wherein the portable storage device stores a key used for at least one of on-the-fly encryption and on-the-fly decryption, and wherein the key is encrypted.