Data Security Overview
Protect Your Drive
Protect Your Data

Data Security and Encryption

Multiple points of protection from design to usage and beyond.

Built-in Security from the Inside Out

To keep your data safe, Western Digital has a holistic security process for enterprise hard drives and SSDs. By integrating security into the firmware, hardware, and manufacturing processes, we ensure your data is protected using industry-standard encryption protocols and data access control.

Development

From the early stages of product design, data security is a key consideration.

Manufacturing

Stringent processes ensure drive authenticity and protection.

Deployment

Secure firmware download and authentication make sure the device is protected.

Use

Industry-standard protocols help protect against unauthorized access to the device data.

End of Life

Our Easy Recycle program1 sustainably and securely recycles the device.

Outcomes

Purposeful security-oriented design and feature development help ensure two main outcomes.

DESIGN AND BEYOND

The drive itself is protected from unauthorized intrusion.

With a comprehensive security approach based on a secure enclave in place, your drive is protected against unwanted intrusion throughout its entire lifecycle, from design to decommission.

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USAGE AND BEYOND

User data is protected from unauthorized access.

Understand the key components of data protection, and learn about the capabilities of the four main drive security types—SE, ISE, TCG, and TCG-FIPS—to figure out which type best meets your needs.

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Anatomy of Data Security

For tamper-proof protection, security is built into the drive at various points.

Unique Identification

Unique identifiers, including, but not limited to, a serial number for every drive, allow for tracing and authentication measures.

Authorized Users Only

The drive can also offer protection for user data at rest, through encryption and access control, to ensure that the data can only be accessed by authorized users in the case of loss, theft, or remote attack.

Firmware Protection

After manufacture, drive firmware is protected with secure download and authentication procedures. These help ensure that the drive functionality cannot be maliciously tampered with during the delivery process to the customer, or thereafter.

Afterlife Security

The drive must offer protection when the drive is decommissioned, such that user data can be erased and the drive taken out of use or repurposed for another use.

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Shop By Security Type

    Learn About Security Types

    TECH BRIEF

    How to Set Up a TCG Ruby Compliant Drive with SEDutil

    Understand the basics of TCG Ruby on Western Digital SSDs.

    Read Tech Brief

    TECH BRIEF

    Protect Your Drive, Protect Your Data

    Learn more about our security approach to enterprise drives.

    Read Tech Brief

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Data encryption is a useful and strong solution for providing data security, either by use of software or hardware. Encryption scrambles data into meaningless characters that can only be made readable with an encryption key, and enables Instant Secure Erase where you can eradicate your data instantly by destroying the encryption key.

    Have a question about data security?

    Contact Us

    Disclosures

    1. Program may not be available in all regions of the world. See Easy Recycle Program for more details.
    References to certain features or services do not imply that they will be made available in all countries or an all products.

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