First year of medical school notes encrypted; begging for help
#1
Question 
Weird scenario and at the mercies of intellectual and technological beings surpassing myself in this arena:

I am a first year medical student. I decided to buck the system and make a 12” iPad Pro my main note taking device for school instead of a laptop (love me some Apple Pencil). I collected documents, lectures, and all my notes on the device most of which are irreplaceable and represent 1000+ of hours of work.

When I pre-ordered this 500gb model from Apple I felt like my destiny wasn’t to include the particular type of despair I am encountering. I got the device and immediately noticed alot of input problems with it. Still, and once the semester had begun, the thought of sending my only means of studying aside from paper and pencil off for several weeks for Apple to check it out, didn’t seem feasible. So I waited until the first year was over to pursue getting the device repaired or replaced under warranty. I obviously was advised to back the device up in iTunes and factory reset it prior to shipping, which I did. I did not choose to encrypt it by assigning a password on it. I performed the steps and sent it in. I received a total device replacement within the same week, to my surprise, and approached the backup to restore my new device and my data.

This is where my recently onset depression began. I click to restore it, and iTunes asks for the password for the backup. I scratch my head, and once I realized this situation was for real, I start punching in every password I can recall using for anything in my digital life. Not a single one works. Not my Mac login password, my Apple ID, my unlock code for the first defective iPad.. etc. So I call Apple, and to my dismay, the rep tells me there is literally nothing they can do. They were kind enough to suggest a few software titles that she felt might help my new quest, but concluded in telling me good luck. From what I gathered, and which was part of my initial argument as to why Apple should consider helping me, is the fact that password/encryption interfacing with iTunes, is actually not in iTunes but in the device to be backed up’s kernel. Where this device was so defunct the warrant a new replacement, it doesn’t surprise me that it glitched an encryption password in making the back up, but scares the hell out of me as it could be a string of all character’s/digits/caps; similar to the “safari suggested password” format for all I know (potentially replete with dashes and all other curious wonders that make this adventure so great to be facing). As I have spent a week learning the world of hacking (which I knew nothing about prior) I have seen the dire circumstances of being in a realm of “hashcatting” with no confidences or information to select a decent mask that could shave off the millions of years I have garnered from my most recent purchase, passware, which reported such upon buying a second GTX 970, seeing ~131,500 p/s and feeling boss clicking “GO” on a straight 1-18 brute force of UC/LC/SC/ + space. Jaw drops when I see millions of years ETA. I do have a hash generated using the hash script for IOS >=10 found hereabouts on the site, and do report my iPad had IOS version 11.3.1 at the time f backup. My backup is 270gb. Other random hardware notes = MSI x99-A Raider mobo, 5820K 6 core processor, 16gb ddr4, 2 GTX 970 GPUS. (I know it’s weak; I just thought maybe buying a second might render my solution a handful of weeks away, now millions of years). I know my current hardware is unfeasible, but if there was a hypothetical hardware configuration that could be purchased for even 10 grand, I would love to have the context on what would be needed. I am trying to deduce if there be a solution SOMEWHERE; whether it be an OP entity who might show pity on me, a 3rd party service that wouldn’t make me sell them my soul, or if building a system of 4 TITANp GPUs might make this possible. I have no clue here pros.

I am seeing that my important and irreplaceable information may be stolen and destroyed forever, but seek the hashcat community to chime in with anything you all might suggest; in terms of what you might do in my situation, what hardware configuration might be able to handle such a horrible request, or services by anyone with methods and technologies that could help me for a price I could somehow afford.

Please help my dear gentlemen of the mask. Alms; alms for the poor.


Messages In This Thread
First year of medical school notes encrypted; begging for help - by OsteoMan - 05-30-2018, 03:18 AM