Same model PCB board swap, remove the encryption?

WD External Drives WD Portable Drives
1

I have 2 units of WD My Passport Ultra (Backup) 2TB with the same PCB board model.
I have encrypted both of them with WD software (HARDWARE ENCRYPTION) and they work ok.
but I have important question: if someone have the same PCB board model from none encrypted drive and he replace my PCB with his own PCB,
will he get access to my files? or that the encryption is set on the magnetic plate and not on the PCB board?
Does PCB board swap to the same model will remove the drive encryption and give free access to the data?

2

Hi,

You could refer to the following link: External Drive: Hardware Encryption Compatibility Matrix

1 Like
3

First of all, thank you for the answer and for the link you provided.
According to the table, I can’t find my model: WD My Passport Ultra (Backup)
But there is a similar model in the table: WD My Passport:

“Hardware encryption and password protection are separate, independent features. Setting or removing a password on a device does not enable or disable encryption on that device.”

  1. Hardware Encryption - Yes.
  2. Password Protection - Yes The ability to set a user defined password on the device with WD Security software.
  3. Data Recovery - Possible If the drive is not physically damaged beyond recovery and the password is known or not set.

But unfortunately I still can’t figure out the answer to my question:

  • If someone (donate) have the same PCB model from none encrypted drive
    and he replace it with my (Patient) PCB encrypted drive,
    will it remove the hardware encryption and he get access to my files and data?
    or that the encryption is set on the magnetic plate and not on the PCB board?

From my WD My Passport Ultra (Backup) page:

  1. “You can set an optional password to activate 256-bit hardware encryption and add a extra layer of security for your private files. Because it’s hardware-based encryption”

  2. “When you create a password, the WD Security software saves your password in firmware on the My Passport drive and displays the WD Unlocker utility virtual CD (VCD) as a device in your computer’s file management utility listing”