A Study on Hard Disk Drive ATA Passwords

Abstract

Hard disk passwords are commonly not well known. If the passwords are set, forensic investigators are not allowed to access data on hard disks, so they can be used to obstruct investigations. Expensive tools such as PC-3000 are necessary for unlocking such hard disk passwords. But it would be a burden on both organizations that should pay for these tools and forensic investigators that are unfamiliar with these tools. This paper discusses knowledge required for unlocking hard disk passwords and proposes methods for unlocking the passwords without high-priced tools. And with a vendor-specific method, this paper provides procedures for acquiring passwords and unlocking hard disk drives.