The second question would be, what make of drive is in these. If your product is not listed above, please visit the product page. With aes 256bit hardware encryption, its built to keep. 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 without restrictions. The latest generation of the western digital my passport ultra range of external hard drives is here, coming in sizes from 1tb to 4tb, and theyre among the best external hard drives out there. But i still cannot find where wd clearly identifies their drives as selfencrypting drives as specified by the trusted computing group standardsand that they are qualified to the nist fips 1402 standard. Just in my testing theres a significant performance hit read and write speeds when utilizing software encryption in my case an afc encrypted volume on a mac. Perfectly paired with wd backup software and password protection, the my.
Is this a selfencrypting drive feature activated by the wd security software or an ata password set on the drive. Aes encryption is supported either by the usb bridges or by the. Aug 18, 2017 to this end, the my passport ultra offers what we normally see with portable drives. 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. Jul 21, 2017 the my passport ssd is a wellrounded external ssd with onpoint performance, fine software, and a tiny design. Oct 23, 2019 theres no mention of hardware encryption. Perfectly paired with wd backup software and password protection, the my passport drive helps keep your digital lifes. 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. When it comes to external hard drives, many users choose wd my passport because of the rapid transfer rates and compact appearance design.
I feel like thats a pretty standard feature these days. The wd security software uses the set password to electronically lock and unlock the drive. Oct 20, 2015 now, a trio of infosec folks gunnar alendal, christian kison and modg have tried out six models in the wd my passport family, and found blunders in the software designs. Enables encryption on usb hard drives by western digital. Western digitals passport external hard drives come with preinstalled software that enables you to monitor drive health and password protect the entire disk. Included wd discovery software 2 makes it easy to back up your photos, videos, and documents to the my passport ultra drive. My passport portable storage stunning storage, built for whatever you create. Both the wd my passport and wd easystore can be connected via usb 2. Mar 09, 2017 wd my passport external drives data recovery from encrypted disks. Im really dissappointed about this, should be not toooooo difficult to. I plan to store on the external disk some sensitive data and i would like to ask a suggestion. Oct 21, 2015 passport drives that use the usb bridge for encryption rely on either aes128 or aes256 to create an encryption key. To download wd drive utilities, select wd drive utilities for windows or wd drive utilities for mac. How to erase wd my passport external hard drive in windows.
The security of the drive is locked with the help of a password. The wd my passport data recovery from encrypted disks disktuna. Because im having a wd elements 1tb extranal hdd and whenever i plug into my pc the software shows attach a wd supported drive thanks. How to setup western digital passport password encryption. Auto backup with included wd backup software password protection with hardware encryption included wd discovery software for. The new wd passports come bundled with wds backup software, giving users a versatile way to manage their files via an easytouse, yet powerful interface. Sep 29, 20 how to setup western digital passport password encryption duration. Wds my passport boxes automatically encrypt data as it is written to. Wd security allows password protection and hardware encryption to be set to protect the drive from unauthorized use or access. Without the password, the drive cant be opened to view files. Reviewing the wd my passport 2tb which comes with hardware. Wd discovery wd backup wd security wd drive utilities figure 3. Connecting the my passport drive getting started with the wd software 1.
Nov 12, 2019 some hard drives come with software for enhanced user experience. Wd security, wd drive utilities, wd backup, wd discovery. 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. Please note in order to use the software, your computer must be able to run. Encryption on passport ultra drives wd portable drives. If specialized hardware can process data rather than a piece of software, then generally this is faster. Perfectly paired with wd backup software and password protection, the my passport drive helps keep your files safe. Erasing the drive permanently deletes all of the data on the drive. This hard drive doesnt have any additional software. Now, a trio of infosec folks gunnar alendal, christian kison and modg have tried out six models in the wd my passport family, and found blunders in the software designs. 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.
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. Its combination of solid performance, hardware encryption, and useful utilities makes the 5tb wd my passport a strong contender for everyday backup of sensitive data or storing a massive. Passport drives that use the usb bridge for encryption rely on either aes128 or aes256 to create an encryption key. The my passport drive offers wd discovery software which lets you secure your data, it has password protection and builtin 256bit aes hardware encryption to help keep your data secure. Connect your external drive to your pc via the usb cable. Now the first thing that bothers me is, that there is no support for linux. How to password protect external hard drive usb drives 2017 without any software duration. So i recently bought a wd my passport ultra 2tb primarly because it supported hardware encryption. Users can also set a password to activate hardware encryption and data protection. Its about 23 years old now and has been 100% reliable with respectable performance. The my passport drive is trusted, portable storage that gives you the confidence and freedom to drive forward in life. Encryption on passport ultra drives wd portable drives wd. After a longtime use, you may want to erase a wd passport external hard drive for.
Whenever the wd unlocker software registers 10 invalid password attempts it gives you the option to erase your my passport. Stay up to date with latest software releases, news, software discounts, deals and more. Wd includes some software on the drive itself wd discovery on the drive itself, as well as wd backup and wd drive utilities which you can download. 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. Besides, wd my passport hard drives are built in with backup and encryption software which helps to ensure your data safety. You can set a schedule to do this so its one less thing to. Wd security is useful if you have western digital drives and want to add password protection to them. Wd my passport uses 256bit hardware disk encryption encrypted with a key. Oct, 2016 like all wd storage solutions, the my passport pc leverages automatic backup with the included wd backup software, while the mac version is time machine ready.
It features cloud storage and 256aes encryption, along with wds own software suite. Windows vista windows 7 windows 8 windows 10 windows vista64 windows 7 64 windows 8 64 windows 10 64. Its combination of solid performance, hardware encryption, and useful utilities makes the 5tb wd my passport a strong contender for everyday backup of sensitive data or storing a. Wd my passport portable hard drive and auto backup software the my passport portable hard drive is trusted to store the massive amounts of photos, videos and music you love. It would seem to be an sed, but there is not really any documentation i have found on this. Its not the handsdown fastest, but its plenty speedy enough for general use. Just activate password protection and set your own personalized password using wd discovery. How secure is wd mypassport lock information security stack. How to set password for wd my passport ultra download and install the wd security software. The wd my passport data recovery from encrypted disks. Its all very user friendly and the base software is included on the drive or you can download the software from western digital directly.
How to password protect a western digital wd my passport. Examples would be a cleanup tool, data recovery, andor hard disk repair software. To download wd security, select wd security for windows or wd security for mac. Removing the password simply makes the encryption transparent to the user.
So, for people worrying their data getting stolen, a wd my passport is a good thing. Wd drive utilities allows the user to register the drive, set drive timer, run diagnostics, and perform a drive erase. This includes the companys built in 256bit aes hardware encryption as well as the wd security software to help add further protection to content. Western digitals encrypted hard drives come under fire. The new big feature with this passport is the aes256 hardware encryption. I own a 1tb western digital external passport series 2. The researchers refer to this as the dek data encryption key. 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. So it appears that the passport ultra is an sed of sorts and the wd secure software handles the password management on the drive. Apr 19, 2020 the wd security software uses the set password to electronically lock and unlock the drive. This wd my passport 2tb external hard drive works with most windows operating systems for efficient data transfers. Wd security download 2020 latest for windows 10, 8, 7.
Wd passport ultra drives are supposed to provide optional 256bit aes hardware encryption. Western digitals encrypted hard drives come under fire from. My passport password protection and builtin 256bit aes hardware encryption. With a new, stylish design that fits in the palm of your hand, theres space to store, organize, and share your photos, videos, music, and documents. This hints at a security feature done on the drive itself, not in software on the host. Wd my passport drives feature hardware disk encryption.