Last technical review: September 29, 2026 by PC-Doctor Engineering

A PSID revert erases a TCG Opal self-encrypting drive without the owner’s credentials. The 32-character Physical Security ID printed on the drive’s label authorizes a Revert command that destroys the media encryption key and returns the drive to its manufacturing state. Every block becomes unreadable, the drive unlocks, and it can be reimaged and reused. The operator needs physical possession of the drive and nothing else.

That last clause is the whole security model, and it is worth understanding before relying on it.