14 DAY TRIAL // Do you feel safe when you use the computer? Well, if you do, you'd better think again as all that browsing is definitely stored somewhere on the computer and experienced prying eyes can easily find your trace. In fact, every step you take on the computer is stored in some log file of some sort somewhere on the computer.
Your only chance at privacy is to erase your traces each time you use the computer. Of course, if we're talking about your PC which is all bolted up and admission is password-based, then there is little to worry about. But, if you're a portable software fan, then some extra protection measures won't hurt at all, as I am sure that you do not want everyone to learn about that ace up your sleeve. Oh, by the way? not all portable software is fully portable and some of them still leave traces behind.
However, as for every problem there is at least one solution, Mighty Key software together with their USB stick come to the rescue by offering complete stealth and protection of your data, no matter what. The software is integrated in the memory stick, but you can use it without the physical device as well.
The price for complete invisible browsing around and protection of your data? $4.95/per month. It may seem expensive at the beginning and to tell you the truth I do not like subscription based softwares one bit. But this one comes with something special. Plus, you are allowed a 60 days trial period for evaluating the product.
It is built to offer you three different types of benefits when working on a computer: Internet security and privacy, secure data storage and remote backup. Also, I guess you are aware of the fact that using Mighty Key on a specially designed USB stick would keep your browsing around completely safe and untraceable. The result consists in less threats and less spam for you. Paying up the subscription will entitle you to an USB stick with Mighty Key installed, on the house.
After the application is installed on your computer, or the USB key inserted, you will have to create an account for using the software. Once this is accomplished, the version of Mighty Key installed on your computer will not be unlocked unless your specific details are entered. That is no other account can be activated, leaving you the sole user of the software.
The interface is simple enough for a monkey to handle and there are no hidden options. In fact, there are no options at all. We tested the application without a USB key and although there aren't too many differences, there is one important feature that comes in very handy if you are a U3 fan: you can plug the stick into any computer, browse all you want and not leave a trace.
Main application window provides the three defining features of the application: secure data storage, secure web surfing and remote databank. Secure storage option permits the user vaulting up the data in protected containers, away from prying eyes. All sensitive files can be placed in a user-created vault with a maximum size of 2000MB. The difference of the vaults created with Mighty Key consists in the fact that the moment you log off from the application all traces disappear, including the vaults.
Also, to make sure all the data remains accessible should something happen to the computer, the company developing Mighty Key will automatically back them up to a safe online location. The downside is that depending on the amount of data to be backed up, you will have to wait for the process to complete before attending to some other job.
Vault management window provides the necessary information regarding the available and used space so that you know at all times if information can be added or another vault is required. All vaults can be named according to user's desire and deleted at whim, together with all the information in it and online backup.
Secure Surfing is the second major benefit of Mighty Key. The system is simple enough as it uses Mozilla Firefox to carry out the job without leaving any trace on the computer. But before the actual browsing takes place you will have to give the application a moment to make all necessary preparations (encryption, ensuring privacy and the fact that the computer will remain clean after the session). This may take a while, but it is all worth it as your IP will not be divulged on the network and all connections are encrypted.
The advantage consists in that you will no longer be a cyber crime victim as your identity will be anonymous. We did some testing and indeed the IP on the test computer was no longer transparent. In our case the IP address was changed to one from a different country.
The specially modified Firefox browser contains Mighty Key logo, for making the difference and some minor changes in the interface. Other than this everything is absolutely normal and your handling of it will not be hindered in any way.
Remote Databank is a complete online backup solution, easy to manage and comfortable. You can store any of your files online and they will always be encrypted. If the files change, the databank will be automatically updated. More than this, you can have a look at all the data directly from the application and choose the files you want restored (they can be placed in the original location or a user-defined one). Generally, the process does not take long and the operation is swift but in the case of larger files, you should expect latency.
Truth of the matter is that Mighty Key works very well without a USB thumb drive but it would just not be the same. You would miss on the greatest advantage: mobility. With a Mighty Key USB (which the company will provide for free) you can roam from computer to computer and browse with your identity 100% protected. Plus it can create data vaults right on your USB and the moment you unplug the key these will automatically disappear with no additional effort from your part.
However excellent the offer sounds there are some downsides. One of them is that shipment of USB keys is restricted to US and Canada. Another one is that the size of the key is of only 256MB (according to information on their website).
The Good
With Mighty Key your web browsing sessions are totally anonymous and your identity will not be divulged.
All the vaults turn invisible the moment you log off from the application. Needless to say, your effort into managing the application is minimum as the interface is extremely intuitive and easy to use.
The Bad
Vaults are automatically backed up the moment you log off and depending on the amount of data and the speed of your Internet, the operation may require some time to complete.
The size of the key is not what you would have expected. 256MB used to be a lot of storage space but now even a 2GB thumb drive seems small for many users.
The subscription money includes online storage of 5GB. That is not too much if you think that there are services providing 2GB of online space for free (true that Mighty Key protects all your backed up data).
There is no support for Vista yet.
The Truth
The application does a wonderful job hiding your IP while web surfing and behaves excellently but there are some mischiefs that could have been avoided and the user would have had greater advantages with using the application.
Automatic backup of vaults is not too good of an idea considering the 5GB of space provided. A better idea would have been to let the user choose what files and folders go to online backup and which should only be stored in a secure vault.
But I have to admit that the security provided by the application is impressive. You will no longer be the target of cyber crime as there will be no address for the attacks to target. Also, the idea of making all vaults invisible the moment you log off or eject the USB key is fantastic.
You have 60 days to try the application and convince yourselves. There is plenty of time to fully test it and decide about getting a subscription from them. Although the idea of having to pay a monthly/annual fee for these services is not quite appealing. You are actually paying for online storage of the files which, hopefully in time will expand to larger sizes.
Here are some snapshots of the application in action:
