The SSD Review The Worlds Dedicated SSD Education and Review Resource | 
This report is rather special. Just under ten years ago, we did a report on an Apricorn Aegis Secure Key 3.0 (ASK3) external SSD which is my longest standing product still in use today. Ten years. Most recently, Apricorn reached out asking if I might like to report on their newer updated version of the ASK3 and I couldn’t resist. I certainly never expected their top capacity 2TB version to arrive days later. Check this out!
Can you tell the difference between the old and the new one, aside from the obvious wear and tear accumulated over ten years? This is also the only product I’ve ever had in my hands that has remained, for the most part, unchanged over an entire decade, aside from updates to the internal components. Oh, and the top one is brand new. It has a 2TB capacity, while the bottom one is a 480GB model, which was also the highest-capacity version available back then. But wait… there’s one more difference.
Ten years ago, when we reviewed the ASK3, I was serving as a police detective, and it quickly became my go-to storage device for countless files, large and small, spanning a wide range of cases and security levels. Since then, I have retired, but I can say with confidence that the original ASK3 has been entrusted with everything from criminal investigations and cybercrime cases to highly sensitive covert files that, even today, remain undisclosed. That level of trust says a great deal about the value and confidence one places in a storage device.
The Apricorn ASK3 is a USB 3.2 bus-powered secure SSD, meaning it draws power directly from the host device and requires no external power source. It features a rugged, IP68-rated solid aluminum enclosure, providing strong resistance against dust and prolonged water immersion. The drive is available in capacities ranging from 16GB up to 2TB, with the 2TB model being reviewed here. Designed for broad compatibility, the ASK3 operates like a standard flash drive once the correct password is entered and the device is unlocked. When disconnected, it automatically reverts to a locked state, ensuring data remains protected.
Security is a key focus of the ASK3. It is FIPS 140-2 Level 3 validated and uses 256-bit AES XTS hardware encryption. It also incorporates a Variable Time Circuit (VTC), a hardware-based mechanism designed to mitigate timing attacks. All encryption is handled in hardware and is embedded within a tamper-resistant epoxy filled aluminum enclosure that prevents physical access to internal components. The device is software-free and includes advanced security features such as separate admin and user authentication modes, a built-in hardware keypad for setup and access control, and configurable security options like self-destruct PINs or limited failed access attempts to further protect sensitive data.
When you first get the ASK3 in hand, simply plugging into a PC will charge it. 60-80 minutes is all it takes to charge the ASK3 so one can enter the password and open before plugging into a device. There are three LEDS above the keypad for lock (red), unlock (green) and admin mode (blue). Your password must be 8-16 digits in length and manual and data sheets can be found here. The ASK3 comes with a limited 3-year warranty, but we can attest to the fact that our original device is still going strong ten years later.
The Apricorn ASK3 has a listed performence spec of 195MB/s read and 162MB/s write but we can confirm that its performance exceeds that significantly. This performance may pale compared to SSDs today which are breaking records at over 14GB/s, but please understand, this device is intended for secure documents and not ones music and movies. Do you need a device for storage of your crypto currency information? Nothing beats the ASK3. Check out Apricorn ASK3 pricing on Amazon.
Let’s check out the performance…