- This case is about a Padlock 3 USB-stick which has an encryption feature :
- It has a password to store protected data :
- We have received this case with a broken usb Stick.
- Normally , with this type of cases we do chip-off.
- But with data was hardware encrypted with password, so we could have done that and chances of recovery were almost not possible (we will keep spare for our future research for chip-off option also, but we couldn’t take that risk with original).
- So there was only an option to repair the broken PCB and its small tracks. But it was time consuming and needed time to analyze the tracks, as removing the glue was also difficult, because it could have damaged the component inside.
- Please see the below mentioned picture of our spare:
click on pictures to zoom!
- So, we put this case on R&D instead of chip-off and/or recovery not possible.
- We have made thin wired tracks manually on the PCB and tried to repair. With many attempts we could get access in the data area. ( diameter of the wires and tracks was similar to human hair and was under the glue) Have to give support with cardboard to make it stable and to access the password keyboard from the other side.
- Clone done without error.
- Recovery done.
Problem statement:
- The client needed to recover the entire 400 GB data from the unbootable and encrypted drive which also didn’t have a backup.
- Further, data recovery was needed without removing the SSD from the MacBook, as that would void the OEM warranty.
Author : Dinesh Kumawat
Dinesh Kumawat has been Data Recovery Lab Manager of Stellar® Data Recovery Europe since 2011. As manager of the data recovery laboratory, Dinesh is responsible for the management and investigation of recovery cases, research and development
of new technical solutions and leading the technical team in the Netherlands. Dinesh studied Electronics and Communications Engineering at the Arya College of Engineering and IT in Jaipur, India, and completed his MBA at Nyenrode Business
University in the Netherlands. 
