I would like to transport several gigabytes (apx. 250 GB) worth of sensitive data from one location in the US to another. It seems at the moment the easiest way to do this is to ship an encrypted hard drive containing the data. What options are there for doing this? Security is the number one prioirty.
Security – a secure way to transport hard drives
hard drivephysical-securitySecurity
Best Answer
Well, encrypting the data is the most important bit, assuming that you're keeping copies locally until you're sure that the data has arrived (so if the drives go missing, you haven't lost the data, and nobody else can get at it because it's encrypted). It's best to use an asymmetric algorithm, create the key at the destination and only ship the public key to the source, to ensure the security of the key.
Beyond that, just make sure that the drive is securely and properly packaged to prevent damage in transit, and if it's important that the data arrives in good order, perhaps ship two drives (in separate shipments), as a RAIS (Redundant Array of Inexpensive Shipments) -- that way, if one drives gets lost or damaged, you're still OK.
Finally, if you want the maximum security and speed, consider putting the drive in someone's carry-on and flying the person to the destination. Domestic flights (around the US, especially) aren't stupendously expensive.