mcafee endpoint encryption decrypt hard drive software

While I was able to bypass the rolling Authentication Code by adjusting the system’s date to a specific day years back and using a code I found posted on an online forum, the built-in tools and even a SafeBoot Admin CD I located weren’t helpful in resolving the issue. Unfortunately, they only make these tools available directly to clients… meaning that us independent techs are completely out of luck, even if we have the decryption key (which the customer provided me). Fortunately, McAfee provides a method for decrypting volumes offline using a special boot CD (called SafeTech/ WinTech, depending on your version) and a rolling Authorization Code which changes daily. Since SafeBoot/EE is a boot sector encryption (“pre-boot authentication” it’s called) which applies to the entire storage volume, any problems relating to its boot partition information can completely break the entire system until either the information is repaired or the volume is manually decrypted. This is a great strategy for protecting against data theft in the event that the machine is stolen, but like all data encryption, any sort of problem whatsoever with regard to either data integrity or the encryption/decryption process can be potentially disastrous.

The client was an employee of a large company whose laptop hard drives (like many) are encrypted using McAfee Safeboot (Endpoint Encryption). Here’s a rare example of a situation where I was actually very close to contemplating a reformat before finally stumbling across an idea which led to its resolution.

Mcafee endpoint encryption decrypt hard drive software