How secure is the WD My Passport lock?
- Thread starter raypete
- Start date
Quarkzquarkz
Distinguished
- Sep 18, 2013
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Your passport lock is just a password that simply creates a barrier from your data, thus making it 'protected'. Only sufficient if the password is not broken.
If you think no one will guess your password, then the lock is all you need. The difference between Software and Hardware decryption is the way the data and passkeys are generated. Software uses another program which scrambles data and the key is a unique password. Hardware does this with a dedicated processor which 'off-loads' your encryption for even more protection from brute force attacks. Unless you are working on extremely sensitive, Confidential data, you really don't need Hardware Encryption. Good luck~
If you think no one will guess your password, then the lock is all you need. The difference between Software and Hardware decryption is the way the data and passkeys are generated. Software uses another program which scrambles data and the key is a unique password. Hardware does this with a dedicated processor which 'off-loads' your encryption for even more protection from brute force attacks. Unless you are working on extremely sensitive, Confidential data, you really don't need Hardware Encryption. Good luck~
Encryption is encryption.
Software encryption simply means that a general "CPU" is doing calculations based on the code in a software application. Hardware encryption is basically a dedicated bit of hardware in a CPU that has the specific calculations perminantly programmed in. Hardware encryption is generally considered "faster" and preferred as it does not put (much) load on a CPU, while software encryption can eat away at 10%, or much more, of the available processing power of a CPU.
As far as how secure it is: I have a lock on the front door of my house, is my house secure?
A: all depends on what you are trying to prevent. A simple lock is enough to keep a neighbourhood kid from walking in the house, but not enough to stop a professional thief. If you want something that will make it difficult for others to access it - that lock is good enough. If you have access to data with big value to others ($millions) - you need better encryption.
Software encryption simply means that a general "CPU" is doing calculations based on the code in a software application. Hardware encryption is basically a dedicated bit of hardware in a CPU that has the specific calculations perminantly programmed in. Hardware encryption is generally considered "faster" and preferred as it does not put (much) load on a CPU, while software encryption can eat away at 10%, or much more, of the available processing power of a CPU.
As far as how secure it is: I have a lock on the front door of my house, is my house secure?
A: all depends on what you are trying to prevent. A simple lock is enough to keep a neighbourhood kid from walking in the house, but not enough to stop a professional thief. If you want something that will make it difficult for others to access it - that lock is good enough. If you have access to data with big value to others ($millions) - you need better encryption.
So what you're basically saying is that, if I had a decent password in the lock it would be similar to the software encryption? Given the latter can be also vulnerable to brute force attacks and would also benefit from a decent password?
The password itself is not the issue. I have my doubts because the drive takes no time at all when adding or removing a password, which makes me wonder whether my data is getting encrypted at all, or it's simply a lock similar to those OS based protection softwares that become useless once you change the OS or attach the HDD to another computer, or in this case when a hardware item say the PCB is physically replaced?
Please keep in mind that I also consider the possibility of the drive being stolen and attacked externally.
So does this specific CPU explain why the password is added or removed almost instantaneously, I mean encryption takes time as far as I can tell, is my data getting encrypted at all or once that CPU (by someone with the knowhow) is physically replaced my data turns vulnerable?
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