Locking a hard Disk for security

[JJMoon]

I want to be able to security lock a hard disk in a desktop machine in
the same way laptop HDD can be locked so that even if the HDD is put in
another computer it will not work without the password.

Could this be done by putting a laptop HDD in the desktop (using an
adaptor) or is it a function of the bios?

Is there a software program that will do this?

 

[Folkert Rienstra]

I want to be able to security lock a hard disk in a desktop machine in
the same way laptop HDD can be locked so that even if the HDD is put in
another computer it will not work without the password.

Could this be done by putting a laptop HDD in the desktop (using an
adaptor) or is it a function of the bios?
Bios.


Is there a software program that will do this?

Yes, but not on your bootdrive unless you can find something that
runs from FDD or USB key that inline boots your harddrive.

http://rockbox.haxx.se/atapwd.zip or
http://www.upsystems.com.ua/support/alexmina/

 

[Leo]

Could this be done by putting a laptop HDD in the desktop (using an
adaptor) or is it a function of the bios?

Desktop drives can be locked too. This ability is at all modern HDD.
But should warn - it is not so reliable protection.
If you want to protect really confidential data, use encrypting like
PGP.

Leonid

 

[Mark: csiphs]

Yes, but not on your bootdrive unless you can find something
that runs from FDD or USB key that inline boots your
harddrive.

http://rockbox.haxx.se/atapwd.zip or
http://www.upsystems.com.ua/support/alexmina/

The second URL doesn't work.

The text file in the zip doesn't render properly.

Do you have any other links?

 

[Folkert Rienstra]

Your newsclient behaves weird.

The second URL doesn't work.

I know. It has happened before and eventually it worked again.
All I can say is that in 2003 it was still the same distribution
so I don't think that there is a big chance of changes there.

The text file in the zip doesn't render properly.

The program should be self explanatory:

SET MASTER PASSWORD
Set / change master password. This will not activate locked mode.
SET USER PASSWORD
Set / change user password. Drive will enter locked mode after reset.
UNLOCK WITH MASTER PASSWORD
Remove locked mode using master password.
UNLOCK WITH USER PASSWORD
Remove locked mode using user password.
DISABLE WITH MASTER PASSWORD
Remove user password using master password.
Works only in high security mode.
DISABLE WITH USER PASSWORD
Remove user password using user password.
FREEZE LOCK
After this all security related commands will be rejected by drive.
Used to prevent accidental or malicious setting of password.
ERASE PREPARE
Prepare for disk erase/user password removal. Does nothing but enable erase unit command.
ERASE UNIT
Errase disk and disable user password using master password.
Used when user password is lost and security mode is maximum.

For more info download the ATA spec.

There is also an OpenBSD document describing ATACTL that may be at
http://resin.csoft.net/cgi-bin/man.cgi?section=8&topic=ATACTL
that has some pretty good descriptions.

Do you have any other links?

Nope.