Kingston recently expanded its IronKey encrypted USB drive line-up with the launch of the new IronKey Locker+50 G2. We got our hands on the new secure drive, and here are our thoughts about it.
Design
The new Kingston IronKey Locker+50 G2 is the direct successor to the IronKey Locker+50, featuring a new black case made of both metal and plastic materials. On the contrary, the earlier model featured a silver casing. The dimensions of the device are 60.56mm x 18.6mm x 9.6mm, and the drive weighs 22.94 g.
The Kingston “black” engraving is seen on one side of the drive, followed by the IronKey Locker+50 G2 branding on the opposite side. The USB cap is also black in color and slightly transparent, so we can see the USB-A port. There is also a keychain hole on the opppsite end, where you can easily carry the drive with your keys.
Features
The new Kingston IronKey Locker+50 G2 is a TAA-Compliant device, and features FIPS 197 certification for enterprise-grade security-based AES 256-bit hardware encryption in XTS mode. The drive features safeguards against BadUSB and brute force password attacks. When going through the device initialization process, users will be given the interface to setup the admin and user passwords. The new version of the drive now allows you to set a password, a complex word or a passphrase that you can remember easily. 
There is also a virtual keyboard option that you can use to protect passwords from keyloggers or screenloggers. To protect from brute force attacks, the device locks out and crypto-erases the drive if the Admin password is entered ten times in a row incorrectly. As for the performance, the USB 3.2 Gen1 USB-A port on the drive, features a read and write speed of 145 MB/s, and 115 MB/s, respectively.
Verdict
For those who are looking for an encrypted drive that is easy to use, we recommend the Kingston IronKey Locker+50 G2 drive. The drive comes in a black casing, featuring both metal and plastic materials. The drive features a dimension of 60.56 mm x 18.6 mm x 9.6 mm, and weighs 22.94 g. You can also attach the drive easily with a keychain.
The drive features FIPS 197 certification for AES 256-bit hardware encryption in XTS mode, designed mainly for enterprise users and for those who want to protect their sensitive data. The device allows users to use complex passwords or passphrases for the admin and user modes. And by trying the incorrect passwords ten times in a row, the drive crypto-erases itself to protect the data.
