WD My Passport Not Encrypted

[lcoughey]

Encryption is made internally so it is irrelevant which interface it is read through as the bridge is not responsible for it. The model in this case is Shrek LT and should a secure format be made via Smartware utility it will render all current data unrecoverable because of change in key. Passports that do not encrypt but accessible over SATA are Elements models.

I thought this too, until I saw it with my own eyes, multiple times.

 

[hddguy]

I always assumed they would offer encryption by default, even more so since I never saw one that had absolutely no encryption present.

I always aim to learn something new everyday, I guess this counts

 

[lcoughey]

Just to follow up on this thread, yesterday was another unusual day with WD.

1. Shrek USB 3 drive with SATA donor, reads fine, no encryption
2. Two FBLite USB 3 drives with SATA donor, reads fine, no encryption
3. One 3TB MyBook, imaging directly without USB 3 bridge, no encryption

It is weird to be prepared to handle encryption on these drives, as we do most of the time, and then find that we don't even need to bother with the extra step.

 

[pcn]

Might be these drives came from a batch that should be sold in countries that have laws prohibiting data encryption but reached the international market instead. There is also a "gray market" where drives with limited warranty / no warranty / OEM are sold and so on. We also see these not encrypted drives a lot.

 

[Bankole Oladoja]

And the funny thing is that, you ain't gonna get anything if it wasn't encrypted and you try decrypting it.