Recently, I learned that Western Digital has decided to only partially implement the ATA Secure Erase featureset for initial price points for some storage products.
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Recently, I learned that Western Digital has decided to only partially implement the ATA Secure Erase featureset for initial price points for some storage products.
Encrypted Data Protection for Ultimate Security | Western Digital
Western Digital enterprise drives are built with security in mind, so your data can be protected from unauthorized access or theft.
Western Digital (www.westerndigital.com)
Specifically, they are withholding the near-instantaneous "Crypto Erase" option (encrypt the entire drive with a strong key, and then discard the key) from some products, offering only "Sanitize Block Erase" (overwrite everything) at the entry-level price point.
Technically, Block Erase does comply with NIST 800-88 "Purge" level for SSDs, per Table A-8. But it wastes [size-of-drive] writes.
I understand the need to stratify pricing. But making security harder is never better for the ecosystem.
And by the time most people realize they wanted the better option ... the purchases will have been made (maybe years before), and the folks making the purchasing decision will likely be far removed (in time, org structure, and technical awareness) from the personnel suffering the consequences.
Bad form.
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