Viasat‘s DARC-ssd 600 data-at-rest encrypted solid state drive has been approved by the NATO Military Committee for securing classified data up to NATO SECRET.
According to Viasat, NATO’s approval confirms the drive meets stringent security requirements for protecting sensitive information. It is now listed on the NATO Information Assurance Product Catalogue, making it available for procurement by member nations.
The DARC-ssd 600 advanced DAR solution, manufactured in the U.K., uses an M.2 form factor and standard Non-Volatile Memory Express interface to allow integration into current commercial and tactical devices such as laptops and tablets. Viasat said the drive offers enhanced protection compared to older solutions by using a hardware-based, military-grade full disk encryption. Using the device involves a mandatory two-factor authentication upon boot-up, with the data immediately encrypted when powered off within the tamper-evident drive.
Todd McDonell, president of Viasat’s international government unit, noted the increasing challenge of securing sensitive data across numerous devices. “DARC-ssd 600 is designed with the flexibility to address this challenge … continuing Viasat’s legacy of innovating to provide hardware encryption solutions at the highest levels to protect classified and sensitive information,” the executive said.
The NATO approval follows the U.K. National Cyber Security Centre’s evaluation in 2023, which approved the drive for protecting national data classified as TOP SECRET.
In February, Viasat marked a major milestone in its high-assurance cryptography portfolio, delivering its 100,000th Type 1 encryption device to government clients. In a press release, the satellite-based services provider shared its ongoing commitment to innovation, particularly in exploring technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning to further enhance data protection for its government customers.