Factory reset and encrypted SD card

[lindajm22]

I tried doing the software update yesterday on my Verizon S20 Ultra and it ended up in a never-ending boot loop. So I let the battery drain overnight while it rebooted over and over again and was then able to put it into Recovery Mode (volume up/power) which allowed me to do a factory reset, which was my only option since a regular reboot was still not working. So I factory reset it. Now the data on my SD card, which was encrypted on this phone, is not recognized. Any way to get it back? I mean, it IS the same phone, but it thinks it is not because I had to factory reset the phone.

 

[anon(10614692)]

Sad to say but when you reset the device your encryption key disappears meaning loss of access to data.

 

[lindajm22]

Sad to say but when you reset the device your encryption key disappears meaning loss of access to data.

Ugh!

 

[lindajm22]

I am going to try copying everything from the card to my computer, then format the card, then copying everything back on. No idea if that will work but I read about someone else doing that.

 

[joeldf]

I am going to try copying everything from the card to my computer, then format the card, then copying everything back on. No idea if that will work but I read about someone else doing that.

Won't work. Files are still encrypted with the original keys that are now gone.

If it were that easy, then encryption would worthless.

Honestly, unless you work for the government, or have corporate information that can't get out, encrypting the SD card for personal use is a risky matter - for the very reason you discovered.

 

[lindajm22]

Won't work. Files are still encrypted with the original keys that are now gone.

If it were that easy, then encryption would worthless.

Honestly, unless you work for the government, or have corporate information that can't get out, encrypting the SD card for personal use is a risky matter - for the very reason you discovered.

I have work email on my phone that requires card encryption. Trust me, I wouldn't do it for my photos.

 

[B. Diddy]

Oh man, that stinks!:-\ In addition to the phone potentially glitchig, the inherent unreliability of SD cards always makes storage of important/sensitive data there a little risky. In the future, if you do have to use an encrypted SD card to save important data on your phone, see if you can also back it up on a regular basis to some other secure storage.

 

[Gary02468]

unless you work for the government, or have corporate information that can't get out, encrypting the SD card for personal use is a risky matter

I think it's a good practice to encrypt everything on all your devices. But everything encrypted should also be constantly synced to remote storage (if the content isn't expendable).

 

[anon(10614692)]

If a back up had been created using Smart Switch, the encryption key would have been saved. As always, backup, backup, backup!