Kaspersky in pact with Tech Titan to introduce its first USB solution

• Tech Titan T-Drive Pro comes with disinfection engine and more; compatible with existing antivirus software
• To be launched in Malaysia first before being rolled out across Asia Pacific; global availability in early 2013

SECURITY specialist Kaspersky Lab has announced a partnership with network security provider Tech Titan Limited to introduce what they said was Kaspersky’s first portable USB antivirus solution, the Tech Titan T-Drive Pro.
 
The Tech Titan T-Drive Pro comes with a disinfection engine that protects and guards against malware in the device, real-time virus detection that incorporates USB virus vaccine Antibody and virtual private disk within the password-protected drive, file synchronization and on-demand scanning.
 
The Tech Titan T-Drive Pro is compatible with existing antivirus software on laptops and desktops, Kaspersky said in a statement. It will be launched in Malaysia first before being rolled out across the Asia Pacific region in the coming months, with global availability in early 2013.
 
According to Jimmy Fong, South-East Asia channel sales director at Kaspersky Lab, unsecured USB flash drives pose considerable risks to organizations and to individuals as they are among the most common ‘carriers’ of malware.
 
“Most organizations and individuals rely heavily on USB or flash drives to move files quickly between different devices and locations as well as for the sheer portability of the medium.
 
“While it would be more secure not to use conventional flash drives, users are not changing their behavior, which makes it imperative for manufacturers to develop a more secure flash drive with a security solution, which Tech Titan in collaboration with Kaspersky Lab has done,” Fong said.
 
USB drives have been used as a malware attack mechanism in the past and will continue to be used knowingly or unknowingly to spread malware. Some experts have concluded that based on the spread of the Stuxnet malware, it initially infected a few computers and was spread via flash drive thereafter.
 
“[The] Tech Titan T-Drive Pro combines the convenience of a flash drive with the ultimate, real-time protection for highly secure detection, storage and transfer of files that takes up less time and is more convenient. What we are doing is nipping the problem in the bud before it can turn into a full-scale infection by providing an early intervention,” Fong claimed.
 
The Tech Titan T-Drive Pro is currently available for RM179 (US$57) in a 6-in-1 package which includes an 8GB USB, a one-year license for USB-KAV and Kaspersky Internet Security for three PCs each, a six-month license of Kaspersky Anti-Virus for Mac, Kaspersky Mobile Security and Kaspersky Tablet Security that can be installed in the device.
 
“With more organizations offering options to work from home and a growing mobile workforce as well as the storage of music and movies for entertainment on portable flash drives, a more secure device is required that will stop malware in its tracks before it can corrupt, compromise or steal important data,” said Tech Titan Limited’s channel sales director Eric Chow.
 
“According to Global Industry Analysts Inc, worldwide shipments of USB flash drives are forecast to hit 568 million units by 2015, and many of them are only equipped with encryption for data protection, not malware.
 
“We are introducing the first in the world USB flash drive powered by Kaspersky Lab that provides ultimate protection in the drive and the transfer of these files to other devices as well,” Chow said.