RU84614U1 - DEVICE FOR REMOTE ERASING INFORMATION STORAGE TYPE "USB FLASH DRIVE" - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model relates to information protection techniques and can be used to erase records from heterogeneous semiconductor storage media, in particular non-volatile memory devices, flash memory, etc.

The technical result is the provision of the possibility of operational remote destruction of information contained in an information medium such as "USB Flash Drive" in case of theft or unauthorized access.

The technical result is achieved by the fact that the device for remote erasing of the information carrier of the type “USB Flash Drive” contains a control panel and a storage medium unit, the control panel being made in the form of a first microcontroller, a first power supply, a first transceiver connected to the first an antenna, and the command button is connected to the first microcontroller, and the storage medium block is implemented from the second transceiver connected in series to the communication bus, in orogo microcontroller, the second power supply, high voltage generator, and media type information "USB Flash Drive", which is connected through the USB connector with a personal computer, in addition, a second antenna coupled to the second transceiver.

The technical and economic effect of the utility model is to provide protection against unauthorized access to an information medium such as "USB Flash Drive" by reliably and quickly erasing information on command from the control panel.

Description

Device for remotely erasing a USB Flash Drive storage medium

The utility model relates to information protection techniques and can be used to erase records from heterogeneous semiconductor storage media, in particular non-volatile memory devices, flash memory, etc.

The development of computer technology has almost completely replaced non-electronic sources of storage, processing and transmission of information from the market, and this development trend, on the one hand, requires a steady increase in the quality and reliability of electronic data storage systems, and on the other hand, to ensure that in case of emergency, the data did not fall into undesirable hands; for this purpose, a device is used that can destroy information from magnetic data carriers suitable for both corporate and "personal" use Ania including, as a part of a conventional personal computer (PC).

Historically, there are two types of magnetic storage media - volatile and non-volatile. Their main difference is the ability to save recorded information in the presence or absence of power supply.

In general, non-volatile magnetic storage media currently include: computer hard drives (hard drives), optical disks (CD, DVD, etc.), flash drives, memory cards for mobile devices, built-in memory of mobile devices, etc.

Information must be destroyed, accepting this fact as indisputable, especially with regard to confidential information and information constituting a company’s trade secret. Important information on magnetic media should not only be destroyed, but destroyed with guarantee, that is, without the possibility of its subsequent restoration.

Destruction of confidential information is divided into two types: planned destruction of confidential information, destruction which is planned in advance, a commission is appointed, carriers with information to be destroyed are selected, the day, place and time of destruction are determined; and the urgent destruction of confidential information, the destruction of which is carried out urgently under the influence of adverse events (in the military field - a sudden attack, when the real threat is created that the enemy would seize important documents and compromise them).

Today, there is a fairly large number of software and hardware-software implementation of the process of ensuring the guaranteed destruction of information presented on magnetic media.

All information destruction algorithms are based on multiple rewriting of information in sectors of a hard disk, from a physical point of view, on multiple remagnetization of material on a recording surface of a disk.

The algorithms proposed by national standards provide for writing in each byte of each sector of the hard disk units, random numbers, as well as numbers additional to those recorded on the previous pass. Several hard drive paths are assumed (national data destruction standards: RU, GOST R50739--95; US, DoD 5220.22-M; NAVSO P-5239-26 (RLL); NAVSO P-5239-26 (MFM); DE, VSITR .

A typical flash memory cell consists of transistors of a special architecture and does not contain capacitors, which makes it different from other types of semiconductor memory. The flash cell scales perfectly. Flash memory stores data in memory cells even when the power is off. The information recorded on flash memory can be stored for a long time and is able to withstand significant mechanical loads, due to its protection from external influences.

The main principle of operation of non-volatile memory semiconductor devices is to store the charge in an isolated gate, for example, a MOS transistor. If a charge is stored in an insulated gate, then the threshold voltage U _{t of the} transistor can vary between two different values, usually defined as "0" and "1". The threshold voltage varies with the amount of charge stored in the insulated gate at a certain distance from it (see Nonvolatile Semiconductor Memory Technology. Edited by William D. Brown, Joe E. Brewer. IEEE Press).

The information contained in the device is detected by applying a voltage to the gate, the value of which lies between two possible threshold voltages. In one state, the transistor conducts current, while in the other it is locked. In charge storage devices with an insulated gate of a transistor, there are two ways. One is based on the storage of charge in a conductive or semi-conductive layer surrounded by a dielectric, usually silicon oxide. This layer, in the device, is completely electrically isolated, so this type of device is called a floating gate device {see, D. Frohman-Bentchkowsky, A fully decoded 2048-bit electrically programmable MOS-ROM, IEEE ISSCC Dig. Tech. Pap., P.80, 1971; D. Frohman-Bentchkowsky, Memory behavior in a floating gate avalanche injection MOS (FAMOS) structure, Appl. Phys. Lett., Vol. 18, p. 323, 1971}.

Another type of devices is based on the storage of charge on discrete centers (traps) of the corresponding dielectric layer. These devices are commonly referred to as capture devices {H.A.R. Wegener, A.J. Lincoln, H.C. Pao, M.R. O ′ Connell, and R.E. Oleksiak, The variable threshold transistor, a new electrically alterable, nondestructive read-only storage device, IEEE IEDM Tech. Dig., Washington, D.C., 1967; D. Frohman-Bentchkowsky, The metal-nitride-oxide-silicon (MNOS) - transistor - Characteristics and applications, Proc. IEEE, vol. 58, p. 1207, 1970}.

To erase recorded information in the form of residual conductivity, it is necessary to restore the initial value of the potential barrier for charge carriers, the threshold voltage of which U _t is equal to the value (erased state) preceding the recording value. This means that a process must occur in which the charge Q _t stored at discrete centers or in an isolated (floating) shutter at a distance L from the shutter must at least take a value equal to "0", and the fixed values of the charge on the surface section, for example, a silicon insulator and a charge in a depleted silicon layer to take the initial value preceding the record.

For a more complete understanding of the essence of the proposed technical solution, we clarify the terms used to describe it:

USB - Universal Serial Bus - a universal serial bus designed to connect peripheral devices with a four-wire cable, while two wires (twisted pair) in differential connection are used to receive and transmit data, and two wires are used to power the peripheral device;

USB Flash Drive ("flash drive") - a type of external storage medium for the computer. In terms of functionality, flash drives are no different from all other computer drives: they are devices for long-term non-volatile storage of information with the possibility of multiple rewriting. The most important difference between them and trivial hard drives and floppy disks is the absence of any moving mechanical parts of the structure. To store information in flash disks, memory chips made using Flash technology, which was developed by Intel in the early 80s, are used. In essence, these microcircuits are ordinary electrically erasable flash reprogrammable read-only memory (ROM) devices, however they have three significant features: firstly, they can be erased and rewritten a million times, or even more - an incredible figure for an electrically erasable flash programmable ROM (EEPROM) ), which allowed at that time at the best 1000 rewrites; secondly, the capacity of these microcircuits very quickly reached a huge volume with very small dimensions; thirdly, the storage time of information recorded in such a microcircuit is almost unlimited. So, a flash drive is a compact electronic device based on memory chips that can be connected to a computer instead of a hard drive.

Advantage: firstly, unlike any hard drive, a flash drive is practically immune to vibrations, secondly, shock resistance of 1000 g is the norm for these devices, thirdly, the operating temperature range of flash drives is from 40 ° From up to + 85 ° С, which is absolutely unattainable for traditional mechanical disks.

Flash drives are currently available with USB, ISA, PC / 104, PCMCIA, CompactFlash, IDE, SCSI interfaces, in the DIP32 chip housing with contacts similar to conventional ROM chips, and as specialized controller + flash memory kits for desoldering on boards. Depending on the capacity and functionality, the disks have a different design. Flash drives with ISA and PC / 104 interfaces are made in the form of modules based on printed circuit boards and are intended for direct installation in the corresponding computer connectors.

The most common recording erasure devices are hardware, physical damage to the chip by mechanical methods (shock, puncture), illumination of the carrier with infrared light and heating to a temperature above which information is damaged, adsorption of vapor or gas onto the carrier and then desorption by applying an electric field.

A device for erasing information on a magnetic medium by magnetization and demagnetization is known (see, M.V. Gitlits, Magnetic Recording of Signals, Moscow, Radio and Communications, 1981, pp. 72-74).

Erasure by magnetization has significant drawbacks: the relative level of erasure is relatively small and after erasing, the working layer of the carrier is magnetized to saturation, as a result of which its structural noise increases significantly.

A device for erasing recordings on magnetic media is known (see, JP patent No. 10293903 IPC G11B 05/027, publication 1998.11.04), based on the creation of a magnetic field and its exposure to the magnetic medium, magnetizing it to saturation.

The known technical solution allows the erasure of information due to the magnetization of the magnetic medium to saturation using an alternating magnetic field created by the erasing system that moves along the entire medium. However, the use of this device does not allow for the rapid erasure of information and requires high energy costs due to the need to maintain an undamped field during the entire process of erasing information on the medium.

A device is known for erasing recordings on a magnetic medium containing a main circuit including a constant voltage source and a capacitor connected alternately to a constant voltage source and a solenoid through a two-position switch (see, Proceedings of VNIAZ, 1961, No. 9, Y.I. Mazo, Demagnetization magnetofilms).

The disadvantage of this device is the large size, low quality of erasure due to the fact that the vector of the magnetizing field is always directed along one axis.

Known electronic protection device USB Flash Drive (see, http://news.siona.ru/hitech/computery/id_121), containing a mechanical combination lock, to protect digital data stored in the drive on a flash key, and the lock blocks access to the data, fixing the keychain on your clothes (table or other object) using a steel cable. If the attacker "calculates" the lock code, he will encounter standard password protection.

The claimed technical solution solves the problem of improving the quality - reliability of erasing information without the possibility of its recovery, reducing erasing time and reducing energy consumption by eliminating the complex and expensive hardware-software complex, in those urgent cases when there is a threat of physical removal of the drive to prevent information leakage.

The technical result provided by the utility model is to prevent information leakage by providing the possibility of emergency destruction of information recorded on a USB Flash Drive with a minimum of energy costs and the minimum dimensions of the device.

The technical result is achieved by the fact that the device for remote erasing of the information carrier of the type “USB Flash Drive” contains a control panel and a storage medium unit, the control panel being made in the form of a first microcontroller, a first power supply, a first transceiver connected to the first an antenna, and the command button is connected to the first microcontroller, and the storage medium block is implemented from the second transceiver connected in series to the communication bus, in orogo microcontroller, the second power supply, high voltage generator, and media type information "USB Flash Drive", which is connected through the USB connector with a personal computer, in addition, a second antenna coupled to the second transceiver.

The essence of the technical solution is that the device is structurally a complex of two interconnected modules, and the deep destruction of the carrier material eliminates the possibility of recovering information by any modern methods after high-voltage exposure to non-volatile memory, which allows for the emergency destruction of information when an unauthorized access is attempted, regardless of whether whether the work with it at the time of erasing or not, the storage medium itself is working or faulty and; moreover, the erasure of information recorded on the information medium occurs without its physical destruction.

The control is carried out through a radio channel, the destruction is launched remotely, from the control panel (a key fob is an analogue of a car for signaling), and the range is from 40 to 100 m in direct line of sight.

Comparison of the proposed solution with the known technical solutions shows that it has a new set of essential features that, together with the known features, can successfully achieve the goal.

The invention is illustrated in the drawing.

The device consists of two blocks: the control panel 1 and the block of the storage medium 2.

The control panel contains:

1a - the first microcontroller;

1b is a first transceiver;

1c - the first antenna;

1d is the first power source;

1e - command button.

The storage medium block contains:

2a - the second microcontroller;

2b is a second transceiver;

2c - the second antenna;

2d is a second power source;

2e - high voltage generator;

2f-protected information carrier (flash memory);

2g - connector for connecting to a personal computer (USB-connector).

The device operates as follows:

The storage medium unit 2 is connected to a personal computer using a 2g USB connector and works like a regular USB Flash Drive storage device. The built-in second transceiver 2b is in standby mode for a command from the control panel 1. Communication between the control panel 1 and the storage medium unit 2 is carried out using the built-in first and second transceivers 2b and 1b in one of the unlicensed allowed ranges using anti-interference codes.

When the command button 1e is pressed, the control panel 1 transmits the "destroy information" command to the information carrier block 2. When a command is received, the high voltage generator 2e is turned on. High voltage is supplied to the information medium 2f, which leads to complete and irreversible destruction of the recorded data. After data destruction, the storage medium block 2 transmits a command confirmation signal to the control panel 1.

The technical and economic effect of the utility model is to provide protection against unauthorized access to an information medium such as "USB Flash Drive" by reliably and quickly erasing information on command from the control panel.

Claims (1)

A device for remotely erasing a USB flash drive-type storage medium comprising a control panel and a storage medium unit, the control panel being made in the form of a first microcontroller, a first power source, a first transceiver connected to a first antenna and connected via a communication bus, the command button being connected to the first microcontroller, and the storage medium unit is implemented from a second transceiver, a second microcontroller, a second source connected in series to the communication bus and power, a high-voltage generator and a storage medium such as "USB Flash Drive", which is connected via a USB connector to a personal computer, in addition, the second antenna is connected to the second transceiver.