are there any hardware level encrypted ssd/flash drives

[aqarwaen29]

so if i understand some companies like ironkey sell hardware encrypted usb drives and ssd.

but my question is ,is there any flash memory already made with hardware level?like silcon level desgin instead ,as I understand correct ironkey etc use somekind special and actually dont use hardware levrlel.

[Eigenvektor]

Not sure what the point of that would be. To encrypt data, you need an encryption key. The data is only as secure as the key is.

 

Where do you store that key? If it is on the chip and the chip transparently encrypts/decrypts, what's the point?

[Lurick]

Yes, it's know as SED (Self Encrypting Drives)

They key is managed by a local co-processor and is transparent to the end user and not viewable at all. You can reset the encryption key by generating a new one but again it's still kept secret from the user. The user will establish a password or authentication key to trigger the encryption so once the system is powered down the drive is locked.

 

@Eigenvektor Because they use a dedicated processor on each drive the decryption key isn't stored in RAM so it's more secure in that manner.

[Eigenvektor]

23 minutes ago, Lurick said:

@Eigenvektor Because they use a dedicated processor on each drive the decryption key isn't stored in RAM so it's more secure in that manner.

Maybe I misunderstood what OP is asking, but I thought they were asking about encryption baked into the individual flash chips

[Lurick]

3 minutes ago, Eigenvektor said:

Maybe I misunderstood what OP is asking, but I thought they were asking about encryption baked into the individual flash chips

Ah good point, yah reading back through the original topic I missed the "silicon level" part so perhaps they were asking about flash chips.

[kokosnh]

define hardware level encryption...  and we can start talking. 

As for SED SSD/pen drives, well industri learn the hard way, that it's as good as implemented, and everyone was like nope, since then.  
The same with hardware acceleration, that one was disabled years ago, in every supported encryption software, after some discoveries...

Only rerently (couple months back) it started to come back, with microsoft "encrypted hard drives" feature for bitlocker hardware acceleration.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/operating-system-security/data-protection/encrypted-hard-drive 
But very few device actually support it.