Quoting the abstract should be enough to show how dire the situation is. A wd securityencrypted disk drive will allow itself to be unlocked on any modern windowsbased system even if wd security is not installed. Just activate password protection and set your own personalized. We will describe the security model of these devices and show sever. Western digital security is a free drive protection for encrypt files developed by western digital. Wd security allows password protection and hardware encryption to be set to protect the drive from unauthorized use or access.
Wd security on 32bit and 64bit pcs this download is licensed as freeware for the windows 32bit and 64bit operating system on a laptop or desktop pc from data encryption software. Password protection the my book drives builtin 256bit aes hardware encryption with wd security tools helps keep your content private and safe. Passport drives that use the usb bridge for encryption rely on either. Is this just software password, hardware encryption, what type of encryption, strength, how does it compare with bitlocker. Import files directly from online platforms with this social mediafriendly wd my passport 4tb hard drive. External hard drives free delivery possible on eligible purchases. How to password protect western digital external hard drive. Dec 31, 2019 wd security is a freeware drive protection software app filed under data encryption software and made available by western digital for windows. Secure personal data with this western digital my passport ultra drive. You can help protect yourself from scammers by verifying that the contact is a microsoft agent or microsoft employee and that the phone number is an official microsoft global customer service number. Western digital manufacturers a line of supposedly secure hard drives meant to. How to setup western digital passport password encryption. The download is available as a zip file and the latest version is 2. If you forget your password you will lose access to your data.
It comes with software wd smartware that apparently. Wd security latest version download free offline installer setup exe file for all windows 32 adnd 64 bit. Oct 20, 2015 the encryption systems used in western digitals portable hard drives are pretty pointless, according to new research. Password protection with hardware encryption helps keep your content secure. Easy to use, its shockresistant, compact storage in a cool, durable design. So i recently bought a wd my passport ultra 2tb primarly because it supported hardware encryption. Tech support scams are an industrywide issue where scammers trick you into paying for unnecessary technical support services. As time passed i felt even more secure as there were no reports or urgent updates from wd to patch defects in their security lock. Wds my passport boxes automatically encrypt data as it is written to disk and decrypt the data as it is read back to the computer.
Western digitals encrypted hard drives come under fire from. With aes 256bit hardware encryption, its built to keep. That way, you dont have to worry about unauthorized access to your wd drives. I bought one of the wd passport drives, but i immediately decided that i didnt want to rely on a harddisk manufacturer for security and encryption or deal with potentially very crappy software. We would like to show you a description here but the site wont allow us. May 19, 2017 where to buy bookmark this link and shop on amazon to help support this channel.
Oct 21, 2015 western digitals method of updating the firmware on the drives is also vulnerable to attack. Wd my book drives and encryption automatically enabled. Find low everyday prices and buy online for delivery or instore pickup. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that youve provided to them or that theyve collected from your use of their services.
This tool helps to prevent unauthorized access to important documents, media files and content on your disk. Data is always encrypted on passport drive, using a master key k which is probably sitting on a server somewhere at wd in case the courts need to subpoena your data. Buy wd 5tb my passport portable external hard drive, black wdbpkj0050bbkwesn. Wds my passport boxes automatically encrypt data as it is written to disk. A password can be used to lock and unlock your drive. Setting up and using wd security and wd drive utilities. For quick, convenient access, you can set wd security tools to automatically unlock the drive on your computer, saving you the hassle of keying. Dont buy a passport for security if you want a secure hard drive, dont buy a wd passport. Remember, if you choose the passport go, it doesnt come with the hardware encryption. This drive protection software download is currently available as version 2.
Gain peace of mind with password protection and 256bit hardwarebased data encryption technology. It has a very simple interface to encrypt and decrypt files on the fly. This western digital my passport ultra drive supports usb 3. Western digital security is a free software from western digital. Please note in order to use the software, your computer must be able to run. The my book devices builtin 256bit aes hardware encryption with wd security tools helps keep your content private and safe. The security of the drive is locked with the help of a password. It allows you total privacy and security without changing the way you work.
I plan to store on the external disk some sensitive data and i would like to ask a suggestion. At the end of the day however, security and encryption preferences are userdefined. The wd security app allows you to set a drive password with an option to autounlock it when the drive is connected to a trusted computer. You can easily secure data on these drives with wd security. It supports most of cloud platforms security encryption is really helpful in keeping confidential data safe. Getting started with open broadcaster software obs duration. Now the first thing that bothers me is, that there is no support for linux. In this video ill show you how simple it is to setup the password encryption for your western digital passport harddrive link to hard drive. Disk encryption software hard disk data encryption software. Cryptainer disk encryption software is the easiest way to encrypt your data. Should i remove wd security by western digital technologies. With wd discovery software you can connect to your social media accounts and cloud storage.
Auto backup with included wd backup software and time machine compatibility password protection with hardware encryption wd discovery software for wd security, social media and cloud storage import and wd drive utilities usb 3. Wd discovery software for wd security, social media and cloud storage import and wd drive utilities. The my passport for mac drives builtin 256bit aes hardware encryption with wd security software helps keep your content private and safe. The wd security software uses the set password to electronically lock and unlock the drive. To take advantage of the encryption, you simply install and launch the wd security app that comes on the drive, enter a password, and optionally add a password hint. There are many other encryption packages available, so this answer will focus on the things that are particularly special about bitlocker. List of all wd firmware and software available for download. Wd security includes password protection and 255bit afs hardware encryption. I use windows 10 on all my pcs and i just purchased a wd mypassport 1tb with aes encryption can be enabled via wd security software. How to set password for wd my passport ultra pcnexus.
How secure is wd mypassport lock information security stack. Wd security download 2020 latest for windows 10, 8, 7. The vcd looks like an actual cd volume and appears on the screen each time you connect your wd drive to the computer. Enables encryption on usb hard drives by western digital. The security software offers password protection and lets you create a returniffound message. Where to buy bookmark this link and shop on amazon to help support this channel. Im really dissappointed about this, should be not toooooo difficult to. It appears anyone getting hold of the vulnerable devices can easily decrypt them. Without the password, the drive cant be opened to view files. Encryption on passport ultra drives wd portable drives. The vcd contains the wd smartware installation software, the encryption and password protection application, user manuals, and other resource files. Oct 26, 2017 there are many other encryption packages available, so this answer will focus on the things that are particularly special about bitlocker.
Backups can be automated to run at specific times, and backups can be. I will be using the drive between more than one pc. Drive security data protection solutions seagate us. Enables encryption on usb hard drives by western digital wd security allows password protection and hardware encryption to be set to protect the drive from unauthorized use or access. This page contains a listing of free software downloads that are available from western digital. Depending on your location, using a password may encrypt your data. Wd smartware pro software offers options for how and when to back up files. We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. Mar 26, 2020 built for those on the go, wds latest my passport features a slimmer design and is available in capacities up to 5tb and three colors. Does the wd security software use hardware encryption. This hints at a security feature done on the drive itself, not in software on the host. They may be shareware or freeware titles and are available for immediate download.
Selfencrypting western digital hard drives easy to crack. Bitlocker is full disk encryption, which means it encrypts the entire hard drive, not just specific files. If i use the wd security software to lock the drive do i need to have software installed on whatever machine i am attaching the drive to in order to access it. Wd security has been tested for viruses, please refer to the tests on the virus tests page. The hardwarebased encryption built into popular western digital external hard disk drives has flaws that could allow attackers to recover data without knowing the user password. In addition to this, other security threats are discovered, such as easy. How to password protect western digital external hard drive howtopasswordprotectwesterndigitalexternalharddrive. Featuring tcg encryption for data center and personal computing drives with seagate instant secure erase features and the worlds only fips 1402 validated storage solution. Is this a selfencrypting drive feature activated by the wd security software or an ata passwo wd passport ultra drives are supposed to provide optional 256bit aes hardware encryption. Hello folks, first off all im new here but i registered because iam a bit worried about how strong the wd hardware encryption really is. Along with the screenshots of this software is a free download link and virus tests. So i just created a truecrypt partition and now sometimes deal with the very slight inconvenience of having to mount it and with the risk that tc. Storage management, security encryption and cloud backup settings can be accessed using this software.
Security researchers have found severe flaws in the encryption methods used in certain hard drives from western digital. For quick, convenient access, you can set wd security to automatically unlock the drive on your computer, saving you the hassle of keying in your password every time. Password protection the wd security software helps keep your content private and safe. I recently purchased a my passport external drive for my mac. 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. 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. Wd security is useful if you have western digital drives and want to add password protection to them. What advantages does wd security software have over bitlocker. Quite a few software out there to password protect or encrypt external hard. There is no second layer of encryption, just the one done by the chip in the case. This wd my passport 2tb external hard drive works with most windows operating systems for efficient data transfers.
This wd my passport 4tb hard drive has auto backup capability, letting you select the. Wd security is a freeware drive protection application. My passport ssd is portable storage with blazingfast transfers. Wd security by western digital technologies should i. Wd rolls out secure my cloud drive, media hub computerworld.
Which is better bitlocker or wd security software wd. Just activate password protection and set your own personalized password. How to dismantle a western digital my passport external usb 3. Wd my passport uses 256bit hardware disk encryption encrypted with a key. The 2tb capacity provides massive storage space for photos, videos and work documents, and the wd security software offers password protection and aes encryption. Featuring screenshots of the free download of wd security. The wd backup app, as its name suggests, is used to backup and restore your data. Password protection with hardware encryption the my book devices builtin 256bit aes hardware encryption with wd security tools helps keep your content private and safe. Compatibility may vary, but generally runs on a microsoft windows 10, windows 8 or windows 7 desktop and laptop pc. This is because a special partition with an executable passwordprompt will become available and mount the unit is locked. Secure your data with the seagate portfolio of selfencrypting drives sed. Wd security by western digital technologies should i remove it.
I would add that wd disk security seems to have serious flaws, according to multiple sources. With the power of wd backup, time machine compatibility and acronis true image wd edition software, youve got complete backup routine options to help recover data in the event of a computer virus, computer failure, or if you accidentally press delete. Whenever the wd unlocker software registers 10 invalid password attempts it gives you the option to erase your my passport. Jan 22, 2020 wd security lets you set password protection and hardware encryption and protect your files from unauthorized use or access. When you have the wd security on the drive you will be asked for this password every time you plug the drive in your system or any other system. From the onset i have used the western digital security lock assuming it was effective as wd is a big company with a reputation to maintain.
Wd drive utilities and wd security, are contained within the wd drive utilities and the wd security zip files and installs custom western digital software for wd usb and firewire enabled external hard drives. Securing external drives information security stack exchange. Removing the password simply makes the encryption transparent to the user. The my book drives builtin 256bit aes hardware encryption with wd security tools helps keep your content private and safe.
556 1478 357 869 1160 441 219 1005 342 900 1163 1206 328 1162 705 182 671 472 1428 669 1252 412 1224 815 270 167 1100 657 81 790 1099 1494 264 587 912 1484 802 851 991 324 399 650 399 246 1354 1110