The ABCs of securing an external USB hard drive

External hard drives offer the benefit of portability, especially when one works with huge or time-sensitive files for school or in business. They can be brought home or anywhere without having to bring the whole laptop or computer with it. The potential downside is its security can be comprised, making it important to go the extra mile to secure and protect it from intrusion.

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Password-protect it

Download and install an encryption program, such as True Crypt or Ax Crypt. Plug in the external hard drive to the computer and wait for the computer to detect it. Save data because the encryption process involves formatting the drive and wiping all data from it. Choose the password you want for access to the drive.


Afterwards, proceed with the formatting and encryption, and then select the drive letter you want to mount the external hard drive in. Type in the password one more time to access the drive and then move all files back. Know that when assigning a letter to a hard drive, it applies only to the computer that assigns the letter. When the hard drive is plugged into another computer, it will use whatever letter is appropriate for the slot, as determined by the hardware on each computer.

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Put physical precautions in place

Connect the encrypted external hard drive carefully, and do not leave the computer and the hard drive unattended. Lock the external hard drive in a secure location, such as a safe or a file cabinet. Store these gadgets, including the computer, in a private, lockable room accessible to authorized persons only.


Kati Volitich is a lover of all things tech. She is a computer engineering major at UC Berkeley, and a fan of tech giants such as Apple, Microsoft, Samsung, Amazon, and Google. Learn more on this page.