SanDisk SSD PLUS 480 GB with firmware issue – HelpDisc data recovery

We received a 2.5’’ SATA SSD – SanDisk Plus SSD (SDSSDA-480G) with a capacity of 480 GB for data recovery. The client was unable to access any of the data. Diagnostics revealed that the problem with this SSD was a faulty firmware.
Since the PC-3000 Portable tool, which we most commonly use to resolve SSD firmware issues, did not support this model, it was necessary to apply the chip-off method. (image 1)

(image 1: SSD PCB with removed memory chips)

This method involves removing the memory chips (NANDs) from the PCB, directly reading their contents, and finally reconstructing the data using a specialized tool – in this case, the Rusolut VNR system. (image 2)

(image 2: Rusolut system interface)

The process is time-consuming because this method is rarely used on modern SSDs, which usually have encryption between the controller and memory chips, making the data inaccessible. However, this was not the case with this SSD, as demonstrated in this example. The controller managing this device is a SanDisk 20-82-00469-2, and the PCB also contains four SanDisk BGA-132 memory chips with ID 45489AB3, each with a capacity of 120 GB. To reach the final solution, it is first necessary to read the contents of all the chips, then identify the appropriate ECC and perform ECC correction – the first step in fixing errors that occurred during the reading process. After that, additional reads are performed to ensure the content is as completely retrieved as possible and the result is of the highest quality. This part of the process is precisely the most time-consuming.
The next step is identifying the appropriate XOR, which represents the main form of content encryption in almost all modern devices of this type. Without the correct XOR, the read content would be unreadable – just a collection of random data. After this, several additional steps are performed within the software, and finally, the processed contents of all four memory chips are combined into a single unit, yielding the final solution. Due to the complexity, the entire process took more than two months. We would like to thank Rusolut technical support for their assistance throughout the process and their collaboration, which contributed to the successful data recovery from this SSD.
Using this method, we were able to reconstruct the structure and successfully recover most of the important data. (image 3)

(image 3: file structure from the memory chips)

The entire complex process took more than two months. We are grateful to Rusolut technical support for their assistance throughout the process and for their collaboration, which contributed to the successful data recovery from this SSD.

Uroš Živković

Flash & Solid State Drive data recovery specialist