Testing the strength of a cryptographic algorithm isn't like testing the tensile strength of metal. The need for public review is one of the reasons why NIST has sought public review of algorithm candidates for when selecting algorithms.There is no security benefit in relying on the secrecy of the algorithm, known as Kerckhoff's principle or Shannon's maxim.
Crypto algorithms will weaken over time due to advances in cryptanalysis and computing power. Creating weak crypto is easy and creating strong crypto is hard. Smail asked why I said that, and I pointed out a few things. Sorry, you lost me at proprietary, and I blurted out "It isn't secure," which completely derailed the conversation. I was eavesdropping on the conversation while scanning email and I heard Smail say the product uses a proprietary polymorphic algorithm. Encryptstick is in the same boat, though Mark Smail, VP of IT said central management is on the roadmap. What was often missing from many of these devices was a centralized management system so that IT could perform key management and remote unlocking functions. As the size of USB drives grew, they became more useful for everyday IT.
In most cases, when the storage was on the USB device, a successful authentication would decrypt and mount a hidden partition used to store the data. Some included a finger print reader to grant access, others a password. Over the years, there have been many USB secure storage devices on the market. There is no way to trust that the product will keep data safe. They had a nice little demo and the product seemed like it might be one way to carry encrypted information around with you, but it has a fundamental problem. That was the case with Encryptstick, a product that installs on a USB or other mobile media device and provides encrypted storage for data. One of the things about trade shows is that there are always those who have a new idea that they want to tell the world, and they expect the world to simply accept their claims.
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