Q: Those USB thumb drives seem to be popping up everywhere lately. I think they’re really cool, but I’m a little concerned about the security aspect of things. Come on, if someone steals it from my key chain, they have access to all of my important data! Are there any thumb drives that have security features built in?

A: USB thumb drives are truly fantastic. They’re small and efficient, and because of this, they can travel with you anywhere that you go. Whenever you need to access your files, just pop it into a USB port. Of course, a thief can also just pop it into a USB port, and this means that all of your data could be compromised. Security is vital, and some drives contain features such as password protection and fingerprint technology that will make viewing your files a little more like breaking into Fort Knox.

PC Magazine did a roundup of secure USB drives last year. Although there are new versions of these drives available, the information is still helpful in tracking down a solution. You can view the reviews here.

If you have one of these drives dangling from your key chain like a hanging chad, you may wish to think about how secure it really is.

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