CORSAIR CMFPLA3B-256GB Flash Padlock 3 User Manual

CORSAIR CMFPLA3B-256GB Flash Padlock 3

Product Information

The Corsair Flash Padlock 3 is a hardware encrypted USB Flash Drive with AES 256-bit encryption. It is designed for security-minded consumers and professionals who want to protect their sensitive information. The Flash Padlock 3 comes initially unlocked and functions like any other USB Flash Drive. However, it can be secured by setting a User PIN, which serves as the key to unlock the stored information. With the Flash Padlock 3, you can prevent unauthorized access to your data even if you accidentally lose the flash drive. The Flash Padlock 3 features USB 3.0 connectivity for fast data transfer. It comes with LED indicators on the top side of the unit to provide feedback on its current state.

Product Usage Instructions

1. Setting User PIN:
   • Press the KEY button to awaken the drive. The red LED will light first, followed by the green LED indicating that the drive is unlocked.
   • Press the KEY button twice to begin entering a new user password.
   • Enter a new user password consisting of 4 to 7 digits. Note that a PIN with all the digits being the same is not permitted (indicated by the blinking blue LED).
   • Press the KEY button twice to end the entry of the new password.
   • Reenter the new user password.
   • Press the KEY button twice to confirm the new password. The red LED will light during the password saving process, and when complete, the green LED will light indicating successful password setting.
2. Unlocking your Flash Padlock 3 with a User PIN:
   • Press the KEY button to awaken the drive. The red LED will light first, followed by the green LED indicating that the drive is unlocked.

Introduction

Thank you for purchasing the Corsair Flash Padlock 3. Your new Flash Padlock 3 is a AES 256-bit hardware encrypted USB Flash Drive suited for security-minded consumers and professionals. Your own custom personal identification number (PIN) is the key to unlocking the information stored on your Flash Padlock. Accidentally losing your flash drive now doesn’t mean anybody can access your sensitive information; the information is protected on the Flash Padlock. Your new Flash Padlock 3 is initially unlocked and will work like any other USB Flash Drive (UFD) out of the box. To secure and protect your data, we recommend you first set a User PIN.

Overview

LED Indicators

Your Flash Padlock 3 comes with three LED indicators on the top side of the unit. Each LED indicator, whether it’s solid or flashing or appears with another LED indicator, provides feedback to you on the current state of the Flash Padlock 3. Review the chart below to view the definition of each LED display pattern.

If the module encounters a problem with a self-test it will light the LEDs in order red, green, blue, red, green, blue and then it will power down. If this occurs, retry the operation and if the error persists contact technical support. When the red LED flickers quickly it means that the drive is locked out from failed password attempts. Neither the user nor the admin password may be used to unlock the drive while it is in state. This is described in more detail in the section on Hacking Protection.

User Operation

• The steps below show how you can set, change, or clear your User PIN, and how to lock and unlock your Flash Padlock 3.

Setting User PIN

Your Flash Padlock 3 comes out of the box without any set User PIN. Until the User PIN is set, your Flash Padlock 3 is unsecure, allowing any user access to view your files on the Flash Drive. We recommend you set a custom User PIN immediately.

DIRECTIONS /EXPLANATION

1. Press the KEY button to awaken the drive. The red LED will light first and then the green LED will light. The drive is unlocked.
2. Press KEY button twice to begin entering a new user password/ Blue LED will blink.
3. Enter new user password. It must be between 4 and 7 digits long/ Padlock 3 does not permit a PIN with all of the digits the same.
4. Press KEY button twice to end entry of the new password/ Green LED will blink.
5. Reenter the new user password.
6. Press KEY button twice to end confirmation of the new password. The red LED will light while the password is being saved. When complete, the green LED will light/ Green LED will light.

Unlocking your Flash Padlock 3 a User PIN

Once a User PIN is set, all files stored on the Flash Padlock 3 are secure and not viewable. In order to read, or write to your Flash Padlock 3, you must first unlock the drive with your User PIN.

DIRECTIONS /EXPLANATION

1. Press and release the KEY button/ Red LED will continue to blink during PIN entry.
2. Enter your user PIN using the PIN keys.
3. Press and release the KEY button/ The red LED will light while the drive checks the password. When it confirms that the password is correct, the green LED will light steadily.
   • The drive will remain unlocked and ready to be connected to a USB port for up to 30 seconds.
4. Insert drive into USB port/ Green LED will remain solid and blue LED will be blinking when drive is connected.

Note your Padlock will automatically lock if the device hasn’t been inserted into a computer within 30 seconds.

Locking your Flash Padlock 3

• After you use your Flash Padlock 3, we recommend locking your Flash Padlock 3 to protect your stored files on the flash drive.

DIRECTIONS /EXPLANATION

1. Use the operating system function to eject the drive.
2. Remove your Flash Padlock 3 from the USB port/ Red LED will light and then fade out.

• Alternatively, you can also lock the Padlock 3 at any time by pressing and holding the KEY button for more than 3 seconds. The Padlock will response by lighting the red LED and then fading it out.
• Note your Padlock will automatically lock itself upon removal from the USB port.

Change User PIN

Corsair recommends regularly changing your User PIN in order to prevent unauthorized access to your Flash Padlock 3.

DIRECTIONS /EXPLANATION

1. Unlock the drive with the user password/ Green LED will light.
2. Press KEY button twice to begin entering a new user password/ Blue LED will blink.
3. Enter new user password/ It must be between 4 and 7 digits long.
4. Press KEY button twice to end entry of the new password/ Green LED will blink for 10 seconds.
5. Reenter the new user password.
6. Press KEY button twice to end confirmation of the new password.
   • The red LED will light while the password is being saved.
   • When complete, the green LED will light/ Green LED will light.

Admin Operation

Create Admin PIN – first time use only

• A second PIN can be created to unlock your Flash Padlock 3, in case you forget the primary User PIN.
• Note Admin features can be changed by Admin only once drive is unlocked by Admin. For example, if Admin set a Read-Only mode, User can not change it.

DIRECTIONS /EXPLANATION

1. Unlock the drive with the user password. Green LED will light.
2. Press and hold the ‘8|9’ button while pressing KEY twice.
   • Release the ‘8|9’ button. Red and blue LEDs will flicker quickly/ Red and blue LEDs will flicker.
3. Enter the new admin password. It must be between 4 and 7 digits long.
4. Press KEY button twice to end entry of the admin password.
   • The green LED will blink after completing the entry of the password/ Green LED will blink.
5. Reenter the new admin password.
6. Press KEY button twice to end confirmation of the admin password.
   • The red LED will remain light while the password is saved.
   • When complete, the green LED will light/ Green LED will light.

Note once Admin PIN is created, it cannot be cleared under normal usage. You can however change it and this is described in “Change Admin PIN” section.

Change Admin PIN

A second PIN can be created to unlock your Flash Padlock 3, in case you forget the primary User PIN. The same procedure is used to change the admin password as is used to create it the first time. The only difference is that when the admin password is defined, it can only be changed when the drive is unlocked with the admin password. Unlock the drive with the admin password as described below. Use the procedure for setting the admin password to change it.

DIRECTIONS /EXPLANATION

1. Drive must be unlocked and in admin mode. Go to “Unlock with Admin PIN” below to unlock drive/ Green LED will flicker.
2. Press and hold the ‘8|9’ button while pressing KEY twice.
   • Release the ‘8|9’ button. Red and blue LEDs will flicker quickly/ Red and blue LEDs will flicker.
3. Enter the new admin password. It must be between 4 and 7 digits long.
4. Press KEY button twice to end entry of the admin password.
   • The green LED will blink after completing the entry of the password/ Green LED will blink.
5. Reenter the new admin password.
6. Press KEY button twice to end confirmation of the admin password.
   • The red LED will remain light while the password is saved.
   • When complete, the green LED will flicker/ Green LED will flicker.

Unlock with Admin PIN

• Note unlocking your Flash Padlock 3 with a Admin PIN will erase the user PIN setting and the contents of the drive will not be deleted.

DIRECTIONS /EXPLANATION

1. Press and hold the 8|9 button. Press and release the KEY button. Release the 8|9 button. Red and green LEDs will flicker/ Red and green LEDs will flicker.
2. Enter the admin password.
3. Press the KEY button. The red LED will light while the drive verifies the password. When it unlocks, the green LED will flicker/ Green LED will flicker.
4. The user password and settings have been erased and the drive is unlocked. You can connect the drive to a computer to use it or you can set a new user password immediately.

Setting User Password after Unlocking Drive with Admin Password

DIRECTIONS /EXPLANATION

1. Unlock the drive with the admin password/ The green LED will flicker.
2. Use the procedure of Change User PIN to set a new user password.
3. When the procedure is complete, the drive will lock.

Setting User Read-only Mode

DIRECTIONS /EXPLANATION

1. Unlock the drive as the user/ Green LED will light.
2. Press KEY button three times/ Blue and green LEDs will blink.
3. Enter the sequence 7 5.
4. Press KEY button to make the setting/ Green LED will light.
5. When unlocked and connected to a computer, the green LED will turn off briefly every 2 seconds indicating that the drive is in read-only mode.

Setting User Read-write Mode

DIRECTIONS /EXPLANATION

1. Unlock the drive as the user/ Green LED will light.
2. Press KEY button three times/ Blue and green LEDs will blink.
3. Enter the sequence 7 9.
4. Press KEY button to make the setting/ Green LED will light.

Setting Admin Read-only Mode

DIRECTIONS /EXPLANATION

1. Unlock the drive with the admin password/ Green LED will flicker.
2. Press KEY button three times/ Blue and green LEDs will flicker.
3. Enter the sequence 7 5.
4. Press KEY button to make the setting/ Green LED will flicker.
5. When unlocked and connected to a computer, the green LED will turn off briefly every 2 seconds indicating that the drive is in read-only mode. When the drive is set to read-only with the admin password, it will override any setting made by the user. In other words, if the admin password makes the drive read-only then the drive is read-only regardless of the setting made with the user password.

Setting Admin Read-write Mode

DIRECTIONS /EXPLANATION

1. Unlock the drive with the admin password/ Green LED will flicker.
2. Press KEY butt on thr ee times/ Blue and green LEDs will flicker.
3. Enter the sequence 7 9.
4. Press KEY butt on t o mak e the setting/ Green LED will flicker.
5. Disabling admin read-only mode means that the user’s read-only setting may be changed.

Admin Delete-all

DIRECTIONS /EXPLANATION

1. Unlock the drive with the admin password. The green LED will flicker.
2. Press KEY butt on three times. Blue and green LEDs will flicker.
3. Enter the sequence 3 1.
4. Press KEY butt on to start the confirmation for Delete-all. Red and green LEDs will blink alternately.
5. Enter the admin password again.
6. Press the KEY button. The red LED will light while the encryption key is changed which erases the user data. Then the red and green LEDs will light simultaneously confirming that the drive data is erased/ Red LED will light, next both red and green LEDs will light and then green LED will flicker.

Troubleshooting

• Below are directions on how to proceed in typical troubleshooting scenarios.

Dead Battery

• Flash Padlock 3 has an internal battery. If the internal battery is fully discharged, you may still continue using your Flash Padlock 3.

DIRECTIONS /EXPLANATION

1. Connect your Flash Padlock 3 to a USB port on any computer.
2. Enter a user or admin PIN on your Flash Padlock 3 to unlock the drive, while your drive is connected to the computer.

The internal battery will automatically charge when connected to a USB port on your computer. We recommend keeping your Flash Padlock 3 connected to your computer for 1 hour to fully charge the internal battery.

Lost your User PIN? (No Admin PIN set or Admin PIN set but forgotten)

• If you lose your User PIN, you’ll need to reset the Flash Padlock 3, but all the data on the drive will be completely erased.
• If you have a Admin PIN set, then please proceed to section below to recover use of your drive without erasing your stored data. This procedure is also called a factory reset.

DIRECTIONS /EXPLANATION

1. Press and hold the 7 button. Press and release KEY button. Release 7. The red and green LEDs will blink alternately/ Red and green LEDs will blink alternatively.
2. Enter 911.
3. Press and hold the 7 button. Press and release the KEY button. Release 7 button. Red and green LEDs will light and remain steady for a few seconds while the drive is erased/ Green and red LEDs will light and remain steady for a few seconds.

The Padlock 3 will unlock without a password. Connect it to a USB port and format the drive before using it to store your data. Please set a password to secure your data.

Lost your User PIN (Admin PIN Set)

If Your Flash Padlock 3 has a admin PIN, you may recover the use of your drive and gain access to your data.

DIRECTIONS /EXPLANATION

1. Unlock the drive with the admin password/ Green LED will flicker.
2. Your drive will be unlocked and ready for use.

We recommend setting a new user PIN to secure the data on your drive.

Hacking Detection

After 5 unsuccessful User/Admin PIN entry attempts, your Flash Padlock 3 will be disabled for 2 minutes. The red LED will start blinking rapidly and continue doing so for 2 minutes to indicate the unit has been locked. User/Admin PIN entry will not be allowed at this state. Also, keep in mind that clearing your User PIN with admin PIN (if set) in that 2 minute time window is also disabled. After 2 minutes, you can attempt to unlock your Flash Padlock 3. After another 5 more unsuccessful User/Admin PIN entries (now 10 total) the drive will be disabled for 12 hours. The red LED will start blinking rapidly for 30 seconds and then your Flash Padlock 3 will enter sleep state. At that point pressing KEY button will again cause red LED to start blinking rapidly for 30 seconds followed by entering sleep state to indicate the drive has been locked.

Any subsequent attempt to press KEY button will before 12 hours is elapsed will repeat above sequence. After 12 hours, you can attempt to unlock your Flash Padlock 3. After another 5 more unsuccessful User/Admin PIN entries (now 15 total) the drive will be disabled for 2 minutes. The red LED will start blinking rapidly and continue doing so for 2 minutes to indicate the unit has been locked. After 2 minutes, you can attempt to unlock your Flash Padlock 3. After another 5 more unsuccessful User/Admin PIN entries (now 20 total) the User PIN and Admin PIN will be cleared. Your Flash Padlock 3 will now be unlocked and all data will be permanently lost.

For More Information

Visit corsair.com and click on “support.”

© 2017 Corsair Components, Inc. All rights reserved. Corsair, the sails logo, and Flash Padlock 3 are registered trademarks in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Product may vary slightly from those pictured. 49-001575 revAA
Flash Padlock is developed and produced by Corsair Components, Inc. based on the licensed DataLock® technology (patents pending) from ClevX, LLC (clevx.com)

References

• ClevX® - Your Innovation Partner
• corsair.com

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