Bulk data transfers by directly accessing a persistent and secured area on
the data storage device, e.g., a disk drive having a magnetic storage
medium, without relying on the system operating system to execute its
read/write operations. For a disk drive, the Protected Area Run Time
Interface Extension (PARTIES) technology is applied to create and
organize a secured sub-area within a secured storage area. The secured
sub-area is a data buffer to and from which large data file transfers can
be made with data authenticity and confidentiality. Since this new
secured sub-area is not organized and protected by the operating system,
it is inherently protected from attack by viruses or Trojan horse
software whose effectiveness depends on their ability to maliciously
direct the operating system. In addition, the read/write operations
bypass command payload limits while reducing data and command validation
costs.