An apparatus, system, and method by which, if hard disk drives used within disk array systems are removed and installed in another disk array system or attempted to be accessed by another device, data in the hard disk drives cannot be accessed. In one embodiment, a disk array system sets a password onto each hard disk drive. The hard disk drives reject access from disk array systems or computer systems until a correct password is input. In alternative embodiments, hard disk drives memorize one or more World Wide Names (WWNs) of the disk array system. After memorizing a WWN, the hard disk drives allow access only from the disk array system having the same WWN as the one that the hard disk drives memorized. Thus, the hard disk drives are normally inaccessible after they are removed from a disk array system.