Appendix · Storage media
This chapter explains why secure storage media are central to MKD. It begins with the historical development from chip cards to modern encrypted storage devices and argues that only recent generations of portable, high-capacity hardware-encrypted media make MKD practical for one-time-pad-scale applications. The core requirement is not just secure storage, but large enough storage to transport truly substantial key volumes.
The chapter then presents a market-oriented overview of relevant products, including secure USB devices, SSDs, NVMe drives, and specialized protected storage systems. It compares them in terms of capacity, approximate price, integrated AES-256 support, access-control mechanisms such as PIN or fingerprint entry, speed, and certification. The analysis emphasizes that security features such as tamper resistance, deletion after failed authentication attempts, and environmental robustness matter in practice.
A separate section explains NVMe technology and its relevance for high-throughput operation. Overall, the chapter shows that storage-media selection is not a minor detail in MKD, but a foundational design choice that determines key volume, handling convenience, and operational performance.
- Explains why modern storage media enable MKD
- Compares secure sticks, SSDs, and NVMe devices
- Focuses on capacity, protection, and speed
- Highlights certification and tamper-related features
- Links media choice to practical OTP-scale transport