VIA Unveils Strong box software for mobile notebook Computing Security

VIA Unveils Strong box software for mobile notebook Computing Security

New Delhi , September 28, 2005 – Chip maker VIA Technologies today made available VIA StrongBox, a secure virtual drive software application that utilizes the VIA PadLock Security Engine in VIA C7 and VIA C7-M processors used in laptops and other mobile devices to enable real-time encryption and security of data saved on local storage devices in computers and notebooks.

‘Strongbox’ software has been launched keeping in mind Viruses, worms, hacking and identity theft have become an everyday part of computing, with the result that the security of our personal and confidential business information is emerging as the single biggest issue in computing today. Notebook PCs are especially vulnerable, with their easy portability creating a much higher risk of theft and loss – reports show that a staggering 10% of notebooks are stolen annually.

According to a company press release the company has offered a prize money of US $ 5000 for the hackers at a Open hack competition held in Malaysia recently .

VIA StrongBox empowers users to safely store as much as 40 gigabytes of their personal documents, photos, and files in up to ten virtual ‘strongbox’ drives, with a stylish, intuitive interface for easy configuration and management. Information can be saved and retrieved on unlocked StrongBox drives just like any other storage device, but when locked or when the computer is shut down, VIA StrongBox encrypts all the contents in real time, rendering them 100% unreadable and inaccessible to unauthorized users.
Using a combination of the military-grade secure hash algorithm SHA-1 and the unbreakable AES 256-bit algorithm to secure drive contents, VIA StrongBox employs the powerful hardware security features of the VIA PadLock Security Engine built into every VIA C7-M processor to provide lightning-fast encryption with no impact on system performance.

“VIA StrongBox is an excellent example of the proactive approach VIA is taking to enable pervasive mobile security by taking full advantage of the unbeatable strength and speed of the VIA PadLock Security Engine,” commented Richard Brown, Vice President of Corporate Marketing, VIA Technologies, Inc. “As notebooks are increasingly favoured over desktops, applications like VIA StrongBox combined with the VIA C7-M processor are enabling a new breed of ultra secure functionality that is of paramount importance for mobile device users.”

For more details on hacking http://conference.hackinthebox.org/.