This article has been indexed from MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors – Front Page
Western Digital is advising owners of its My Book Live storage drives to disconnect them from the internet until further notice, following reports from around the world that some devices have been compromised and wiped clean by malicious software.
The WD My Book Live is the company’s network-attached storage device with the book-style design that can stand upright on a desk. The drive is typically connected to computers via USB and connects to a local network via ethernet. Meanwhile, the WD My Book Live app lets users access their stored files remotely through Western Digital’s cloud servers.
As reported by BleepingComputer, My Book Live and Live Duo device owners on Thursday began flooding Western Digital’s support forums with reports that all of their files had been mysteriously deleted and that they could no longer access the device via the offical app or a browser.
“I have a WD My Book live connected to my home LAN that’s worked fine for years,” wrote the first poster in a now-long thread. “I have just found that somehow all the data on it is gone today, while the directories seems there but empty. Previously the 2T volume was almost full but now it shows full capacity.”
When they attempted to log in using the drive’s web dashboard, the drive told them they had an invalid password. Many other owners have also confirmed that their device has been hit with the same issue. “All my data is gone too,” another user said. “I am totally screwed without that data… years of it.”
Following further reports, a pattern has gradually emerged in shared device logs that points to a remote command initiating a factory reset on affected devices beginning at around 3:00 p.m. on Thursday and continuing throughout the night.
Western Digital has advised customers in a Western Digital Asks ‘My Book Live’ Device Owners to Unplug After Reports of Remotely Wiped Drives