User Manual
www.apricorn.com
13
Aegis Padlock DT Brute Force Protection
What is Brute Force Attack?
A brute force attack is a method of defeating a cryptographic scheme by systematically
trying a large number of possibilities; for example, a large number of the possible
keys in a key space in order to decrypt a message. In most schemes, the theoretical
possibility of a brute force attack is recognized, but it is set up in such a way that
it would be computationally infeasible to carry out. Accordingly, one denition of
“breaking” a cryptographic scheme is to nd a method faster than a brute force attack.
1. With the drive locked and in the standby state the LOCK indicator light will be
solid RED indicating it is ready to accept the password.
2. After ve incorrect tries to enter the user or admin password the keypad will
not respond and LOCK indicator light will turn off. The drive will need to be
unplugged from the USB port and replugged.
3. If the user unsuccessfully tries to unlock the drive another 5 times then on the
10th try the keypad will not respond and the LOCK indicator light will begin
blinking quickly indicating Brute Force Protection has been triggered. Even
after unplugging and re-plugging in the unit the drive will remain locked and the
indicator light will continue to blink rapidly.
4. Here are the steps to allow the user/admin to re-enable the keypad and allow
10 more attempts to unlock the drive.
a. Turn off the power switch on the back of the drive.
b. Push and hold the number ve key while turning the power switch on.
c. The LOCK and UNLOCK indicator lights will ash rapidly between RED and GREEN.
d. Enter the code 5278879 and press .
e. The LOCK indicator light will be solid RED indicating that the drive is in the
standby state. This will allow only 10 more attempts.
After a total of 20 attempts the drive will self destruct. The LOCK indicator light will
ash RED quickly. You will now need to go through the reset process and reformat
the drive to be able to use the drive again. (see page 15)
How does the Aegis Padlock DT protect against
brute force attack?