DIGISTOR Citadel C-SEL 2.5 Inch 256GB SSD with TCG Opal Encryption User Manual
- June 9, 2024
- DIGISTOR
Table of Contents
- DIGISTOR Citadel C-SEL 2.5 Inch 256GB SSD with TCG Opal Encryption
- Introduction
- Initial Installation
- Using the Administrative Console
- Remove User
- Reinstallation of the Cigent PBA
- Re-enabling the PBA
- Logging in and Logging Out
- Product Warranty
- References
- Read User Manual Online (PDF format)
- Download This Manual (PDF format)
DIGISTOR Citadel C-SEL 2.5 Inch 256GB SSD with TCG Opal Encryption
Known Issues
Capslock and Numlock do not light up when active, however they are working
properly.
Introduction
- The Citadel C Series SSD is a FIPS-certified, self-encrypting drive (SED) protects systems against unauthorized access with pre-boot authentication (PBA), powered by Cigent.
- Before starting any operating system or virtual machine stored on the drive, users must first authenticate using a username/password, smart card, or both. Users remain authenticated until the drive is powered off.
- The following guide helps you install the Citadel C Series SSD and PBA software. It also details how to configure users and options in the PBA administrative console.
Initial Installation
Initial installation overview
Citadel C Series SSDs have been pre-installed with the Cigent PBA software
which has been disabled. After you have installed and configured your
operating system you must enable the PBA to fully protect your system.
You can always find the latest software and documentation at digistor.com/c
-series-software. It is password protected, so be sure to use the password
douglas-fir25.
In the future should the Citadel C Series SSD be erased, follow the steps in
the Reinstallation of the PBA section.
Drive installation
Install the Citadel C Series SSD into your system following your computer manufacturer’s instructions.
Configure UEFI and BIOS Settings
Each manufacturer and model have unique locations and names for settings.
PC Manufacturer | Bios Setting | Require State |
---|---|---|
Dell | SATA Operation | AHCI |
Dell | UEFI Boot Path Security | Never |
Dell, Lenovo | Secure Boot | Off |
Lenovo | Block SID Authentication | Disable |
Operating System installation
Install any operating system or virtual machines.
Create a bootable USB PBA Installer thumb drive
Before using the Citadel C Series SSD, you will first need to activate the PBA. Follow the steps below to create a bootable thumb drive with the software you need to activate the PBA or use a Citadel Activator Device (sold separately), which is a thumb drive that has the software pre-loaded.
All data on the USB thumb drive will be erased.
Note : You can use the same USB thumb drive to activate multiple Citadel C Series drives in other systems, which means you only have to create the USB drive once.
- Download the PBA installation software from digistor.com/c-series-software. The password to access the website is douglas-fir25.
- Extract the file from the provided ZIP and ensure all files remain in the same directory.
- Insert a USB thumb drive into your computer. (Remove any other thumb drives to avoid errors.)
- Start an Administrator command window and change directory to the location of loader software.(e.g. cd C:\Downloads\Cigent_PBA_v1.0.4)
- Run PBALoader_v1.2.exe -i
- Choose the number next to the correct USB thumb drive (if more than 1).
- Select 1 for Load operation.
- Select the PBA_v1.0.4.bin file (or the version you have).
- Confirm your selection by typing ‘YES’ and then press Enter.
The process can take several minutes to complete. Once successful, you may remove the USB thumb drive and proceed to the next step.
Boot to the USB thumb drive
- Ensure the power is turned off.
- Insert the bootable USB thumb drive or Citadel Activator Device into the computer with the Citadel C Series SSD.
- Turn on the computer and press the appropriate key for your computer to display the boot menu. The typical keys are F1, F2, F10, F12 or Esc.
- Choose the USB thumb drive from the menu and proceed to boot.
Enable the Pre-Installed PBA
The PBA software will boot from the USB thumb drive. Once running, it will
detect the disabled installation and prompt for administrator credentials
.
-
Enter the following default credentials then press Reinstall: Username: Administrator
Password : Administrator_1 -
Once the process is complete, press OK to shut down the computer.
Your PBA is now enabled and ready for use. -
Remove the USB thumb drive and power up the system.
-
Once the PBA starts, use the same default credentials to log into the administrative console to begin your customizations.
For details on how to log in to the administrative console, see section Using the Administrative Console.
Note : It is strongly recommended that you immediately either change the default password or add a second admin user and remove the original admin user that came pre-installed with the PBA.
Using the Administrative Console
The administrative console allows administrators to manage users, perform
maintenance tasks, and view activity logs pertaining to the PBA environment.
You can enter the administrative console from the login page by checking the
“Log in to administrative console” checkbox before clicking Log In.
Dashboard
The administrative console allows you to manage users, perform maintenance
tasks and view activity logs pertaining to the PBA environment.
The dashboard shows PBA related activity in time order with the most recent activity at the top. Administrators can see all activity while normal users can only see activity for which they are the subject of the activity. Administrators can also purge the logs as desired.
The following activities are recorded:
- Successful login
- Failed Login
- Logoff successful
- Added user
- Edited user
- User deleted
The Summary widget provides version and user login information as well as a summary of user activity for the last 7 days.
Maintenance
The maintenance page allows administrators to uninstall the PBA environment, disable the PBA, and completely erase the drive.
Uninstall PBA
You can completely uninstall the PBA software which will remove all files,
configuration and user information. Your operating system environment will be
preserved and boot as normal.
- Enter your administrator password into the Password field in the Uninstall PBA section.
- Click Uninstall PBA.
WARNING: The uninstallation of the PBA proceeds immediately after clicking Uninstall PBA.
Disable PBA
Disabling the PBA temporarily allows the system to boot directly to the
operating system without the need to authenticate. This can be useful for
administrators during update operations that require repeated restarts of the
system. All settings and configuration will be preserved while disabled. Re-
enabling the PBA will require authentication as an existing administrative
user. See section Re-enable PBA for details.
WARNING: The authentication key change proceeds immediately after clicking Disable PBA.
Erase Entire Drive
The Erase Entire Drive feature allows administrators to reset the drive back
to factory state and ensures all data on the disk is completely erased and
unrecoverable. Once complete, the drive can be safely repurposed.
The following actions are performed during the Erase Disk procedure:
- The Data Encryption Key (DEK) of the Citadel C Series SSD is changed. This is also known as Crypto Erase.
- The PBA executes a Format NVM with the sanitize option that will sanitize every block on the drive.
- The Erase Verification firmware feature is used to ensure all mapped and unmapped blocks have been erased.
Steps to Erase
-
Enter your administrator password in the Erase Entire Drive section
-
Click Erase Drive.
WARNING: The Erase Entire Drive proceeds immediately after clicking Erase Drive and cannot be stopped or canceled. -
Once complete, power off the system.
Users
The Users page allows administrators to add, modify, and delete user accounts
from the PBA environment.
Roles and Capabilities
Capability | Administrator Role | User Role |
---|---|---|
Purge Logs | Yes | No |
Uninstall PBA | Yes | No |
Disable PBA | Yes | No |
--- | --- | --- |
Reactivate (Re-enabling) PBA | Yes | No |
Erase Entire Drive | Yes | No |
Add User | Yes | No |
Edit User | Yes | Only their own |
Remove User | Yes | No |
Modify Settings | Yes | No |
Add User
The Add User page is used to add a new user using password, smartcard or both. If the “Require Two-Factor Authentication” setting is set to Yes, all newly added users must have both password and smartcard.
Username and Password Requirements
Requirement | Username | Password |
---|---|---|
Length | 1-40 | 8-128 |
Uppercase letter: A-Z | May contain | Must contain at least 1 |
Lowercase letter: a-z | May contain | Must contain at least 1 |
Number: 0-9 | May contain | Must contain at least 1 |
Special character: ~! @#$^&*()_-+=[]:<>. | May contain | Must contain at least 1 |
- Enter a unique username.
- Set the Administrator role as desired.
- Enter an email address.
- Enter and confirm a password.
- Select the smart card from the selection and enter the correct PIN.
- Click Add.
Note : To add a smart card to a user, the smart card must be inserted and the PIN correctly entered. If you do not see the smart card listed after inserting it, click the Scan button then open the selection list to find your card. Once the card shows in the selection list, enter the PIN before clicking Save.
Edit User
The Edit User page is used by administrators to make changes to any user in the system including themselves. It is also used by non-administrators to change their own password.
Administrators can change the following user attributes:
- Role
- Email Address
- User Password
- Add or Remove a Smart Card
- Select an existing user from the User Selection list.
- Change one or more user attributes.
- Click Save.
Note : To add a smart card to a user, the smart card must be inserted and the PIN correctly entered. If you do not see the smart card listed after inserting it, click the Scan button then open the selection list to find your card. Once the card shows in the selection list, enter the PIN before clicking Save
Remove User
Use the Remove User page to permanently remove a user from the PBA
environment. Users will no longer be able to authenticate to the PBA to access
the protected operating system nor the PBA administrative console
- Select an existing user from the User Selection list.
- Click Remove next to the username.
Settings
The Settings page allows administrators to customize certain behavior of the
application to match their security requirements. After changing a setting, be
sure to click Save to update the system.
Failed Logins Before Lockout
The number of consecutive failed login attempts (across all users) before a
restart is required. Only valid usernames are considered towards failures.
Min: 1 Max: 10
Failed Logins Before Erase
The number of consecutive failed login attempts before the disk is
automatically erased. Only valid usernames are considered towards failures.
Min: 0 (Disabled) Max: 999
Password History
The number of unique passwords per user before a password can be reused.
Min: 1 Max: 20
Password Minimum Length
The minimum password length required for each user. The requirement will be
enforced the next time an existing user changes their password, or a new user
is added.
Min: 8 Max: 128
Require Two-Factor Authentication
Require both password and smartcard authentication to log in. This can only be
enabled if all currently defined users have both a password and smart card
configured. If some users do not, you must require that they configure a
smartcard or delete the user first.
Reinstallation of the Cigent PBA
Reinstallation of the PBA software will be necessary if you used the Erase
Entire Drive or Uninstall PBA features from the maintenance page or erased the
drive using another utility.
The reinstallation process is like the process you followed initially to
enable the preinstalled and disabled PBA.
-
Create a bootable USB thumb drive containing the PBA software. (See section Create a bootable USB PBA Installer thumb drive)
Note : You can use the same bootable USB drive you used to enable the PBA if you still have it. -
Boot from the USB thumb drive.
-
The Secure Setup screen will be displayed.
-
If you have more than one internal drive, be sure the Citadel C Series SSD is selected.
-
Enter a username, email (optional) and password. (See Username and Password Requirements in Add User section for details.)
-
Then click Initialize.
The installation process can take 10 minutes or more. Do not interrupt or power off the computer during this time. -
Once complete, power off the computer.
-
Remove the USB thumb drive from the computer.
Initial login
The user credentials used to install the PBA software have administrative role by default. You should login at least once before entering the administrative console to test if the system successfully starts the operating system.
- Turn on the computer. The PBA will automatically load.
- On the login screen, enter the credentials you used during the PBA installation process.
- Click Log In.
Re-enabling the PBA
To re-enable PBA after temporarily disabling it from the maintenance page you will need the following:
- An installation USB drive of the same version of PBA software installed on the device. See section Create a bootable USB PBA Installer thumb drive)
- Administrator credentials to the disabled PBA environment
When you are ready to re-enable the PBA boot to the USB drive, the system will
detect that a PBA environment is already installed and present a
reinstallation login screen.
Enter valid administrator credential and click Reinstall. It should only take
a few seconds to enable the PBA.
After shutting down restart the system. The PBA environment should once more
present the normal login screen.
Logging in and Logging Out
Logging in with a username and password
- Power on the computer and wait for the PBA authentication screen to appear.
- Enter your username and password.
- Click Log in.
If the authentication is successful, your system will reboot and automatically start your operating system.
Logging in with a Smart Card
- Power on the computer and wait for the PBA authentication screen to appear.
- Click Smart Card.
- Enter your Username and PIN.
- Click Log In.
If the authentication is successful, your system will reboot and automatically start your operating system.
Logging in with Two Factor Authentication
When the “Require Two-Factor Authentication” setting is enabled, all users must authenticate with a password and smartcard. The Login page will first ask for the password then the smartcard PIN. If both factors are verified, the login will be successful.
- Power on the computer and wait for the PBA authentication screen to appear.
- Enter the username and password.
- Click Log In.
- Insert your smartcard.
- Enter the PIN.
- Click Log In.
If the authentication is successful, your system will reboot and automatically start your operating system.
Logging out of the PBA Administrative console
When you have finished using the administrative console you must Power Off using the button at the bottom left corner of the screen. There is no explicit log off capability. If you wish to enter the operating system, first power off, then power on.
For more information about Citadel C Series SSDs please visit http://www.digistor.com/citadel/c-series
©2022 CRU Data Security Group, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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Product Warranty
CDSG warrants this product to be free of significant defects in material and workmanship for a period of three (3) years from the original date of purchase. CDSG’s warranty is nontransferable and is limited to the original purchaser.
Limitation of Liability
The warranties set forth in this agreement replace all other warranties. CDSG expressly disclaims all other warranties, including but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement of third-party rights with respect to the documentation and hardware. No CDSG dealer, agent, or employee is authorized to make any modification, extension, or addition to this warranty. In no event will CDSG or its suppliers be liable for any costs of procurement of substitute products or services, lost profits, loss of information or data, computer malfunction, or any other special, indirect, consequential, or incidental damages arising in any way out of the sale of, use of, or inability to use any CDSG product or service, even if CDSG has been advised of the possibility of such damages. In no case shall CDSG’s liability exceed the actual money paid for the products at issue. CDSG reserves the right to make modifications and additions to this product without notice or taking on additional liability.
References
- Citadel C Series Software - DIGISTOR
- Digistor - Secure Data Storage Solutions for Data at Rest
- Citadel C Series SSDs - DIGISTOR