Re: [pen] Recovering HDD Password?

["Matt Michielsen" <matt@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

The ATA spec defines locking functionality, but generally only laptop BIOSes support it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Technology_Attachment#HDD_Passwords_and_Security

The original Xbox hard drive was locked this way, but mod-chip firmwares were able to read the password and allow you to disable it.

I was working on a similar reverse engineering project a while back, but ended up giving up on that method and finding the data I was looking for online.

-mm

On Thu, Nov 6, 2008 at 8:51 PM, Alex Fernandez-gatti <chaulis@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

I agree with the PGP encryption but depending on the version it does
say if its pgp'ed, but also there is hardware level passwords thats on
the main board it self for the HDD. It locks the HDD and prevents it
from being mounted with out the password.

On Thu, Nov 6, 2008 at 8:15 PM, Chris White <gtpprix@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Yup, so far no luck :) Google was of course my first stop :(
>
> ________________________________
> From: Mike Williams <mike@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: pen@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Sent: Thursday, November 6, 2008 8:13:23 PM
> Subject: Re: [pen] Recovering HDD Password?
>
> Obvious (stupid) question, but did you do some googling on this?  I bet
> someone already tried and/or succeeded with it.
>
> .270
>
> Chris White wrote:
>> its a 2.5" IDE drive that came out of a Nav unit I'm trying (read was) to
>> reverse engineer. The same radio without the navigation option had no
>> password and loaded right up when I plugged it into my USB adapter. This one
>> I plug in and get zilch nada so finally I took a laptop and slapped this
>> thing in there and it asks for a password to access the drive. Three tries
>> and it aborts :\
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> *From:* Cameron Hanover <orange1@xxxxxxxxx>
>> *To:* pen@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> *Sent:* Thursday, November 6, 2008 8:07:02 PM
>> *Subject:* Re: [pen] Recovering HDD Password?
>>
>> locked with what?  as far as i know, there aren't any hard drives that
>> have passwords.  maybe external cases, or hard drives with certain
>> filesystems, but IDE, SATA and SCSI don't support passwords just to
>> mount them.
>>
>> On Thu, Nov 6, 2008 at 8:01 PM, Mike Williams <mike@xxxxxxxxxxxx
>> <mailto:mike@xxxxxxxxxxxx>> wrote:
>>  > Buy/build a very powerful electromagnet, put the drive next to it,
>> apply
>>  > massive current to said magnet, and don't worry about it :-D
>>  >
>>  > .270
>>  >
>>  > Chris White wrote:
>>  >>
>>  >> I've got a drive (40GB Toshiba MK4036GAC) thats locked and I have no
>> clue
>>  >> what the password is, does anyone know a way to recover the password
>> on
>>  >> these things?
>>  >>  -Chris
>>  >>
>>  >>
>>  >
>>
>>
>>
>> -- -cth
>>
>>  Chaos was the law of nature.  Order was the dream of man.
>>
>
>

--
Alex Fernandez-Gatti
(586)873-9547
http://www.chaulis.com