One of the major features that, at least in Microsoft’s perspective, recommend Windows 7 Ultimate and Enterprise to customers is the ability to encrypt the hard drives via BitLocker, in order to safeguard data in the eventuality of computer theft, or access from unauthorized persons. Just a little over a month since the latest iteration of the Windows client has been made available for download, a third-party company revealed that it had produced the first commercially available crack for BitLocker Hard Drive Encryption. Passware indicates that customers in need of decrypting BitLocker Hard Drives in Windows 7, and with $795 to spare can turn to Passware Kit Forensic 9.5.

According to Passware, version 9.5 of its password recovery, decryption, and evidence discovery software can “recover encryption keys for hard drives protected with BitLocker; recover passwords for PGP archives, virtual disks, and keyring files; and instantly resets Administrator passwords for Windows 7.”

Passware Kit Forensic 9.5 is designed to scan the physical memory image file on a target computer. Following the scan, the solution is capable of extracting BitLocker disk encryption keys. In addition to the Ultimate and Enterprise SKUs of Windows 7, Passware Kit Forensic 9.5 is designed to work with the BitLocker capable editions of Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Server 2008 R2.

“Full-disk encryption was a major problem for investigators,” noted Dmitry Sumin, Passware president. “We have been able to provide police, law enforcement, and private investigators with a tool that allows bypassing BitLocker encryption for seized computers.”

Passware notes that the decryption and password recovery algorithms in their solution are capable of cracking BitLocker in a matter of minutes. The company is also offering a portable variant of Passware Kit Forensic 9.5 set up to run from a USB drive. The portable version of the decryption software not only identifies encrypted items and performs recovery of files and website passwords, but also leaves absolutely no trace on the machine that is scanned. Available for $ 795, Passware Kit Forensic 9.5 comes with support for in excess of 180 file types and is also capable of recovering PGP archives passwords, as well as virtual disks passwords.

Passware Kit Forensic 9.5 is available for download here.