The problem
1. I had an encrypted Time Machine backup which was not used for months2. This backup was not on an official Apple Time Capsule or on a USB HDD, but on a WD MyCloud NAS
3. I needed files from this backup
4. After running out of time I only had SSH access to the macOS, no GUI
The struggle
By default, Time Machine is one of the best and easiest backup solution I have seen. As long as you stick to the default use case, where you have one active backup disk, life is pink and happy. But this was not my case.As always, I started to Google what shall I do. One of the first options recommended that I add the backup disk to Time Machine, and it will automagically show the backup snapshots from the old backup. Instead of this, it did not show the old snapshots but started to create a new backup. Panic button has been pressed, backup canceled, back to Google.
Other tutorials recommend to click on the Time Machine icon and pressing alt (Option) key, where I can choose "Browse other backup disks". But this did not list the old Time Machine backup. It did list the backup when selecting disks in Time Machine preferences, but I already tried and failed that way.
YAT (yet another tutorial) recommended to SSH into the NAS, and browse the backup disk, as it is just a simple directory where I can see all the files. But all the files inside where just a bunch of nonsense, no real directory structure.
YAT (yet another tutorial) recommended that I can just easily browse the content of the backup from the Finder by double-clicking on the sparse bundle file. After clicking on it, I can see the disk image on the left part of the Finder, attached as a new disk.
Well, this is true, but because of some bug, when you connect to the Time Capsule, you don't see the sparse bundle file. And I got inconsistent results, for the WD NAS, double-clicking on the sparse bundle did nothing. For the Time Capsule, it did work.
At this point, I had to leave the location where the backup was present, and I only had remote SSH access. You know, if you can't solve a problem, let's complicate things by restrict yourself in solutions.
Finally, I tried to check out some data forensics blogs, and besides some expensive tools, I could find the solution.
The solution
Finally, a blog post provided the real solution - hdiutil.The best part of hdiutil is that you can provide the read-only flag to it. This can be very awesome when it comes to forensics acquisition.
To mount any NAS via SMB:
mount_smbfs afp://<username>@<NAS_IP>/<Share_for_backup> /<mountpoint>
To mount a Time Capsule share via AFP:
mount_afp afp://any_username:password@<Time_Capsule_IP>/<Share_for_backup> /<mountpoint>
And finally this command should do the job:
hdiutil attach test.sparsebundle -readonly
It is nice that you can provide read-only parameter.
If the backup was encrypted and you don't want to provide the password in a password prompt, use the following:
printf '%s' 'CorrectHorseBatteryStaple' | hdiutil attach test.sparsebundle -stdinpass -readonly
Note: if you receive the error "resource temporarily unavailable", probably another machine is backing up to the device
And now, you can find your backup disk under /Volumes. Happy restoring!
Probably it would have been quicker to either enable the remote GUI, or to physically travel to the system and login locally, but that would spoil the fun.
Read more
- New Hack Tools
- Bluetooth Hacking Tools Kali
- Pentest Tools Website
- Hacking Tools Name
- Pentest Tools Website Vulnerability
- Hack Tools
- Tools 4 Hack
- Pentest Reporting Tools
- Pentest Tools Download
- Hacker Tools For Mac
- Tools For Hacker
- Pentest Tools
- Best Hacking Tools 2019
- Hacker
- What Are Hacking Tools
- Hackers Toolbox
- Hacking Tools For Pc
- Black Hat Hacker Tools
- Pentest Tools Website
- Hacker Tools Apk Download
- Hacking Apps
- Hack Tools Download
- Pentest Reporting Tools
- Hacker Tools For Mac
- Hacker Hardware Tools
- Hacker Tools
- Pentest Tools Website Vulnerability
- Pentest Box Tools Download
- Hacking Tools Software
- Hacker Tools Apk Download
- Pentest Tools For Mac
- Pentest Tools Framework
- Growth Hacker Tools
- Computer Hacker
- Hacker Security Tools
- Hack Tools Download
- Hacking Tools For Mac
- Hacker Tools Online
- Pentest Tools For Mac
- Hacking Tools
- Hack App
- Hacker Security Tools
- Hacking Tools Windows
- Hacking App
- Game Hacking
- Hacking Tools Usb
- Hacker Tools Online
- Hack Tools Github
- Kik Hack Tools
- Tools For Hacker
- Hacking Tools Online
- Pentest Tools Online
- Hack Tools For Pc
- Tools For Hacker
- Hack Tools Pc
- Hacker Tools Hardware
- Best Pentesting Tools 2018
- What Are Hacking Tools
- Computer Hacker
- Pentest Tools Framework
- Hack And Tools
- Hacking Tools Usb
- Hacker Tools Github
- Game Hacking
- Hacks And Tools
- New Hacker Tools
- Pentest Tools Android
- Hack Tools For Ubuntu
- Hack Tools For Mac
- Pentest Tools Port Scanner
- Hacking Tools For Beginners
- Hacking Tools
- Hacker Tools Linux
- Hackers Toolbox
- Hacker Search Tools
- Blackhat Hacker Tools
- Hack Tools For Ubuntu
- Hacking Tools For Windows
- Pentest Tools Kali Linux
- Easy Hack Tools
- Pentest Tools Find Subdomains
- Hacks And Tools
- Hack Apps
- Hacking Tools Pc
- Pentest Tools Framework
- Ethical Hacker Tools
- Hacker Tools Apk
- Game Hacking
- Best Hacking Tools 2020
- Hacking Tools Usb
- Easy Hack Tools
- Hack And Tools
- Easy Hack Tools
- Pentest Tools Url Fuzzer
- Pentest Tools For Ubuntu
- Pentest Box Tools Download
- Hacking Tools Hardware
- Hack App
- Ethical Hacker Tools
- Hacker Tools For Pc
- Hacking Tools Windows
- What Is Hacking Tools
- Hack Tools
- Bluetooth Hacking Tools Kali
- Pentest Tools Github
- Nsa Hacker Tools
- Hack Apps
- Hacker Tools Mac
- Hacker Tools
- Pentest Tools Website Vulnerability
- Hacking Tools For Games
- Hacker Security Tools
- Pentest Tools Website Vulnerability
- Nsa Hack Tools
- Pentest Tools Kali Linux
- Hacker Tools
- Nsa Hack Tools
- Pentest Tools List
- Best Pentesting Tools 2018
- What Is Hacking Tools
- Pentest Tools Nmap
- Hack Tools
- Hack Tools For Ubuntu
- Hacking Tools For Windows
- Pentest Tools Free
- Bluetooth Hacking Tools Kali
- Pentest Tools Framework
- Pentest Tools Find Subdomains
- Hacks And Tools
- Pentest Tools Download
- World No 1 Hacker Software
- Hacker Tools Apk Download
- Hacking Tools Name
- Nsa Hacker Tools
- Hack Apps
- Pentest Tools Download
- Pentest Tools For Mac
- Pentest Tools Download
- Hacking App
- Hacking Tools Download
- Hack Tools For Ubuntu
- Hack Tools Github
- Pentest Tools Windows
- Pentest Tools Tcp Port Scanner
- Hack Tools For Mac
- Pentest Tools Port Scanner
- Wifi Hacker Tools For Windows
- Hacker Tools For Ios
- Hack App
- Hacking Tools Github
- Hack Tools Online
- Pentest Tools Download
- Pentest Reporting Tools
- How To Install Pentest Tools In Ubuntu
- Hack Rom Tools
- Hacker Tools Apk
- Pentest Tools Bluekeep
- Pentest Tools Free
- Growth Hacker Tools
- Pentest Tools
- Hacking Tools Github
- Hacker Tools Linux
- Usb Pentest Tools
- Hack Tools Online
- Hacks And Tools
- Hacking Apps