The encryption key is stored in a block near the end of the raw disk raw not in the enclosure. The high storage capacity makes it ideal for storing large photo and music collections. The data on the drives with hardware encryption is always encrypted by a chip and cannot be turned off. Hi i have a wd my book essential edition 320gb external hdd that i use to back peronal files on my windows xp home.
Disk drive format your my book drive is formatted as a single exfat partition for compatibility with all updated windows and mac operating systems. I verified via my other drives that the usb cord and ac adapter are working fine the drive does not power up at all. Be sure to never unplug the usb cable when files are being transferred or when the device is still in contact with an operating system windowsmac. Someone who gains access to your mac, removes your hard drive, and attempts to view your files wont be able to see anything without your encryption key. Western digitals encrypted hard drives come under fire. Hi i have a wd my book essential edition 320gb external hdd that i. The wd my book 8tb external hard drive in black, is suitable to store massive amounts of photos, videos, music and documents. I have received some requests for my image decryption tool. Nov 23, 2015 wd external hdd is corrupted and unreadable posted in external hardware. It allows for the encryption of a pcs entire hard drive or individual partitions including the ability to encrypt the partition and disk on which the os is installed. Right click my computer then go to disk managment and right click the drive name and format the drive in half number wise. I connected it up to my pc via sata and used test disk to fix the partition to get my data off which went fine. Heres a list of the current wd external drives that feature hard ware encryption which cannot be turned off and it is on by default.
This of course works only as long as the encryption key is known, because the key must be passed. Drive not seen via disc management on any of my windows 7 64 bit computers i assume some power related part in the enclosure has failed. So i picked up a 750gb wd my passport at bb a couple days ago, oblivious to the added drive locksmart bu crap on the label i was going to format it anyway. The my book desktop hard drive also works great with acronis true image wd edition software to schedule full system backups. How i rescued my data from a 3tb wd my book external hard drive.
Password protection with hardware encryption with builtin 256bit aes hardware encryption with wd security software, you can set your own personalized password to help keep your content private and safe. This small program is able to decrypt encrypted images from a wd my passport or wd my book hard drive. Hi, i own several western digital mybook external harddrives. Thought the usb pcb went bad, so i bought an identical to replace and still wouldnt show its face to disk management. Some makers provide software on the drive to enable encryption for protecting your data from prying eyes. The kek 8 is hardcoded into the firmware of every drive. Western digital my passport 2 terabyte portable black external hard drive. Jan 11, 2016 wd my book and wd my passport drives have the hardware encryption feature while other products such as the wd elements dont. Security researchers have found severe flaws in the encryption methods used in certain hard drives from western digital.
Under file system, choose the file system you want to use. When you enable filevault, your files are stored on your hard drive in an encrypted, seemingly scrambled format. The wd 6tb my book desktop contains a wd60ezrz drive a western digital blue, 3. Hardware encryption is generally considered to be superior to softwarebased encryption but in either case an uptodate backup is vital as a hardware failure can prevent access to. Oct 20, 2015 the encryption systems used in western digitals portable hard drives are pretty pointless, according to new research. This is ok for security, but horrible for data recovery. The western digital external hard drive comes with usb 2. Our latest edition features visual, easytouse, automatic, continuous backup software and drive lock security protection. Western digital in particular has its own form of hardwarebased full disk encryption that makes a hard drive removed from its casing turn into a raw hard drive. This western digital my book external hard drive offers easy plug and play installation and includes wd backup software which makes it easy to back up important files. We will describe the security model of these devices and show several security weaknesses like ram leakage, weak key attacks and even backdoors on some of these. Wd my passport decryption tool hard disk drive repair and. The 8tb capacity easily accommodates the largest files and the built in 256 bit aes hardware encryption keeps your data safe from unauthorized users. That key is encrypted, based on your password, or if none is used, on a factoryset key.
So my drive recently crapped out on me a month ago, not sure why but it wasnt found in windows and i kept getting usb errors, device removed. If, on the other hand they steal the whole external hard drive, they will have the encryption chip too and can just plug it into their usb and read everything of mine. Wd my passport decryption tool hard disk drive repair. Wd my book and wd my passport drives have the hardware encryption feature while other products such as the wd elements dont. I bought this external hard drive to extend the storage of my 500gb xbox one, it was super easy to setup and quite a relief because my xbox one drive was close to be full, i just plugged in and the console told me the step by step process, was very easy, now i have a lot of space to download all the digital games i own, the unit runs smooth with no lag while playing, at 1 month of use i have.
Western digital mybook drive lock encryption failure and. My book essential user manual about your wd drive 1 about your wd drive welcome to your my book essential external hard drive, an elegant, highcapacity storage solution for all the chapters of your di gital life. Diskcryptor was originally designed to replace commercial disk encryption systems such as drivecrypt plus pack and pgp. Wd drive utilities allows the user to register the drive, set drive timer, run diagnostics, and perform a drive erase. It is impossible to access decrypt the drive if the enclosure circuit board fails, even if the drive itself is fine. The power connector, interface port, and a security slot on the back usb 3. My book 4tb desktop hard drive with password protection and. After youre done, dont forget to remove the external hard. Then, format your wd red drive, transfer your files back to this same wd red drive in your new 3rd party enclosure. The vcd contains the wd smartware installation software, the encryption and password protection application, user manuals, and other resource files. Shop staples for wd my book wdbbgb0080hbknesn 8tb usb 3. Wd external hdd is corrupted and unreadable external. Feb 07, 2017 recently my 3tb wd my book gave up and would not power on, this is how i managed to rescue all of my 2.
Wd smartware is a form of hardwarebased full disk encryption. Password protection the my book drives builtin 256bit aes hardware encryption with wd security tools helps keep your content private and safe. This includes not only the 3 terabyte drives, but all of the wd my passports, and 4 terabyte drives. Bought this for my xbox one because some smart guy thought it was great to put 500gb of space on a console where you have to download 30gb to 65gb a game not including updates this hard drive worked great i plugged it up to the xbox it recognized it asked if i wanted to format it and if i wanted all future games to be sent to the hard drive.
Recently i read that all the mybook disks utilize a special usb to sata chip with encryption so that the internal disk cannot be read on a computer if the disk is taken out of the mybook enclosure and connected to the internal sata port of the computer. Store and backup documents and photos quickly with this wd my passport 2tb external hard drive. It also features password protection and hardware encryption. The encryption systems used in western digitals portable hard drives are pretty pointless, according to new research. Read speeds up to 2000mbs to decrease load times and get you into the game faster. Western digital mybook elite external hard drives use hardwarebased encryption chips to optionally encrypt drives using 256bit encryption.
Likewise, loss of the password can prevent future access. Hardware encryption is generally considered to be superior to softwarebased encryption but beware that in either case an uptodate backup is vital as a hardware failure can prevent access to all your data. Selfencrypting western digital hard drives easy to crack. Store thousands of files and documents on this western digital my book external hard drive. Best external hard drive wd 10tb my book external hd. Oct 02, 2018 right click my computer then go to disk managment and right click the drive name and format the drive in half number wise. Wd external hdd is corrupted and unreadable external hardware. Western digital my book and my passport hard drives have a feature called smartware. How i rescued my data from a 3tb wd my book external hard. It is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. If your product is not listed above, please visit the product page. Jul 05, 2019 the my book desktop hard drive also works great with acronis true imagetm wd edition software to schedule full system backups. Mybook 4tb not found in disk management win 10 wd community. Im guessing if you find yourself in possession of a my book like i have and want to feel your files are safe in the future.
Buy wd 4tb my book desktop external hard drive usb 3. Password protection with hardware encryption the my book devices builtin 256bit aes hardware encryption with wd security software helps. Equipped with wd backup software for windows and apple time machine compatibility for mac, the my book desktop hard drive can back up your photos, videos, music, and documents. This portable hard drive slides easily into a briefcase or backpack, while security features include password protection and data encryption in the event of a theft. How to encrypt your macs system drive, removable devices. It appears anyone getting hold of the vulnerable devices can easily decrypt them. This was discovered as part of an investigation by a group of security researchers into the levels of security on portable hard drives like western digitals my passport and my book series. Oct 15, 2015 i have several my book essential 3tb external drives one suddenly died on me. Password protection with builtin 256bit aes hardware encryption with wd security software, just set your own personalized password to. In open air, spin and seek noise seems to be better than a nowneighbouring seagate drive, appearing to be very similar to some of my older wd green drives which i think these newer blue drives have largely. Wd my book drives and encryption automatically enabled. Wd external hard drive also show up as cd drive microsoft.
Wd external hdd is corrupted and unreadable posted in external hardware. So if someone steals the hard drive out of my external drive they wont be able to read my data. A small portion of drive space on your new my passport or my book hard drive has been used to create a virtual cd vcd. You are responsible for the contents of your comments and any consequences that may arise as a result of them. When i highlight all the files and folders, it shows about 8. The filevault feature allows you to encrypt your macs entire hard disk. Quoting the abstract should be enough to show how dire the situation is.
Diskcryptor is a free and opensource full disk encryption system for microsoft windows. Recently my 3tb wd my book gave up and would not power on, this is how i managed to rescue all of my 2. Some makers provide hardwarebased encryption to protect your data from prying eyes. Erasing the drive permanently deletes all of the data on the drive. To download wd drive utilities, select wd drive utilities for windows or wd drive utilities for mac. Choosing the right format for your external hard drive b. If what i am seeing is to be expected, i am sorry for taking up your time. Password protection with hardware encryption the my book devices builtin 256bit aes hardware encryption with wd security software helps keep your content private and safe. My wd my book external drive, i can access it, and only a few files are visible, most of the folders which used to have files in them show 0 bytes and are empty.
Our comments box is a great way for you to view other peoples feedback about products on, and add your own. This western digital my book external hard drive offers easy plug and play installation and includes wd backup software which makes it easy to back up. Western digital encryption recovery dti data recovery. Password protection with builtin 256bit aes hardware encryption with wd security software, just set your own personalized password to help keep your content private and safe. Western digital hard drive data recovery definitive guide. Portable drives such as wd elements are available in a variety of speeds and storage capacities.