Minimally-Invasive Disk Access System

Law enforcement and intelligence organizations require an evidence-collection device that can attach to a computer, remove any password protection, access data without corrupting it, and reset the password so that the computer's owner will not know that any data has been accessed. However, there is no way of obviating the password, because the password is built into the drive itself. Also, because the password information is stored in different ways and in different locations depending on hard disk manufacturer, the evidence-collection device needs to recognize the drive model before it extracts the password. Infoscitex (IST) is pleased to propose Minimally-Invasive Disk Access System (MIDAS), which will unlock and relock variety of hard disk drives for covert data access operations. MIDAS uses a database to keep track of password locations and other usable exploits in a variety of hard disks. At the end of Phase I, we will demonstrate the feasibility of our hardware and software solution, with a comprehensive risk-mitigation plan for further developing our technology. At the end of Phase II, we will deliver three pre-production MIDAS prototype units for field testing and use in selected DHS applications.