FW: HDD Password

["Jeff Gercken" <JeffG () kizan com>]

Try a low level format, really zeroing the whole disk.  Regular formatting doesn't clear the boot sector and fdisk can 
make and break partitions but doesn't make any changes to the file system itself.
 
If you can't find a utility that can do this you might try using a linux boot CD (any should be fine) and use the 'dd' 
command to zero the disk.
 
primary ide hard drive, first controller =hda
secondary ide hard drive, first controller=hdb
primary ide hard drive, second controller =hdc
... you get the idea
SATA and SCSI drives are the same way but use sda,sdb,sdc,sde, etc.
 
dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/hda bs=512
 
this copies zeros (from the everlasting well) directly to the drive (not the filesystem) in 512K chunks
 
-jeff

________________________________

From: Richard [mailto:ripareto () gmail com]
Sent: Thu 12/15/2005 3:25 AM
To: security-basics () securityfocus com
Subject: HDD Password



Hi,

I have a laptop (ACER Travelmate 4100) and I´m testing the HDD
Password that my laptop has. I have to chose a good solution to
protect the data stored in the hard disk.

This password is set using the BIOS but is a different key of Master
BIOS password. It doesn´t dissapear formating the disk o doing fdisk

¿The HDD password is strong protection? ¿how can I break the _HDD
Password_ of my laptop?

¿Ideas? ¿Tools?

Thanks

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EARN A MASTER OF SCIENCE IN INFORMATION ASSURANCE - ONLINE
The Norwich University program offers unparalleled Infosec management
education and the case study affords you unmatched consulting experience.
Tailor your education to your own professional goals with degree
customizations including Emergency Management, Business Continuity Planning,
Computer Emergency Response Teams, and Digital Investigations.

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