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I'm trying to find a source for some basic information about BitLocker. Say I have a self-encrypting drive (SED) like a Samsung EVO, but no TPM. I enable BitLocker. There are two options:
- Password only
- Password and key on USB drive
My seemingly quite basic questions are:
With the "password only" option, is the key a hash of the password or is it stored somewhere in the pre-boot authentication environment? If it is stored, is it encrypted with the password?
With the password and key on USB drive, how is the key protected? Is it encrypted with the password?
How is the key protected while the machine is running? With SED only the drive needs the key to operate, but when you sleep the machine it forgets it and the PC has to supply it agian. Does Windows prompt you for the password/USB drive again, or does it store the key in RAM somewhere?
It's really not clear how the key is protected if you don't have a TPM. Is the password really secure? What if the USB key is stolen along with the PC?
Some info here: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/2007.06.bitlocker.aspx
– None – 2016-01-31T14:07:22.890http://windows.microsoft.com/en-in/windows-vista/bitlocker-drive-encryption-overview – None – 2016-01-31T14:07:31.513
That confirms that the startup key on USB drive is at least protected with the password. – None – 2016-01-31T14:07:47.330
I though bitlocker was software encryption, does it work with the drive's built-in SED, and how? – Xen2050 – 2016-02-02T02:22:30.873
Related: https://superuser.com/q/810270 .
– sampablokuper – 2018-03-13T17:29:16.127