TCG OPAL

Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) 256 is a virtually impenetrable symmetric encryption algorithm that uses a 256-bit key to convert plain text or data into a cipher. AES is a symmetric block cipher that the U.S. government selects to protect classified data. It is the security standard trusted by the U.S. government and many international security agencies. It is also an efficient and highly secure way to encrypt data from hackers and other malpractices. AES-256 uses the highest-security 256-bit key size, providing virtually impenetrable security to encrypt as well as decrypt a block of messages.

AES is required for both encryption and decryption to ensure data confidentiality. The length of AES key can be 128, 192, or 256 bits. The longer the key, the harder it is for the content to be hacked. AES-256, the number of combinations of the key space is 2256, which makes it hack-proof.

The Opal Storage Specification was developed by the Trusted Computing Group (TCG), an international non-profit organization whose members work together to develop industry standards. An Opal Storage Specification is a set of security specifications for hardware-based encryption of storage devices.

TCG Opal handles the encryption/decryption of information within the device without requiring a host, enabling fast encryption/ decryption, and minimizing the risk of data leakage without undermining system performance. A storage device that complies with the TCG Opal standard has performance, security, and management advantages over software-based encryption.

With hardware-based encryption in place, the users can benefit from better performance. Because all security functions occur on the device itself, they are not burdensome to the host system and do not require additional host encryption elements. Also, the hardware-based security allows for more effective restriction of access from outside sources.