This makes a world of difference. I know many people may know of it but may not actually do it. It Protects your files in case your computer is ever stolen and prevents alphabet agencies from just brute forcing into your Laptop or whatever.
I found that Limine (bootloader) has the fastest decryption when paired with LUKS at least for my laptop.
If your computer isn’t encrypted I could make a live USB of a distro, plug it into your computer, boot, and view your files on your hard drive. Completely bypassing your Login manager. If your computer is encrypted I could not. Use a strong password and different from your login
Benefits of Using LUKS with GRUB Enhanced Security
- Data Protection: LUKS (Linux Unified Key Setup) encrypts disk partitions, ensuring that data remains secure even if the physical device is stolen.
- Full Disk Encryption: It can encrypt the entire disk, including sensitive files and swap space, preventing unauthorized access to confidential information.
Compatibility with GRUB
- Unlocking from Bootloader: GRUB can unlock LUKS-encrypted partitions using the cryptomount command, allowing the system to boot securely without exposing sensitive data.
- Support for LVM: When combined with Logical Volume Management (LVM), LUKS allows for flexible partition management while maintaining encryption.
I like to keep a key on a USB so the computer boots either with a ridiculously strong backup password or a key on a USB drive. I like tiny little USB drives. So, if you find yourself in an airport or wherever and you just “lose” the USB then the device is automatically locked down.
I built a small set of scripts to decrypt when the initrd starts and can load from a file in the initrd (from separate volume), EFI, or various combinations of passphrase in GRUB. The main intent isn’t to keep out somebody with physical access to the machine and sufficient time but rather makes it a lot easier to make the data unrecoverable when the drive is disposed of.
It took me several attempts to get this right, but it’s a game changer.
Yep, I made sooooo many notes and tried a bunch of different options. In the end I was able to get it working well with Grub,l and Arch.
Last time I had LUKS setup on my main laptop, there was a surprizingly sharp hit in performance.
I’m glad I have the option, but is it really the most appropriate thing for me to use right now? It just doesn’t make sense to talk about security and privacy without a clear threat model first.
Sigh. It doesn’t impact performance. That had a had a higher chance of being the type of partition you created. Also, in the PRIVACY group are you really confused about why you want privacy?
The type of partition I created was Debian’s default settings at the time.
This is where the threat modeling comes in. The laptop in question is not currently likely to be physically searched - nor does it contain any data that is likely to put me at any risk if it is searched, and the more prudent things I can be doing to protect my privacy have more to do with getting away from Android/Play Store, and being less dependent on other surveillance-capitalism services like YouTube, Google Maps, etc.
I will likely use LUKS again in the future, but there are broader overhauls I need to make to my digital life first.
Look you don’t need to be searched or expecting a search. If someone steals your laptop you are covered SIGNIFICANTLY more if it’s encrypted which gives you privacy because they wouldn’t be able to see your data. Doesn’t matter if it’s a risk to you. It’s for the privacy. It’s the mindset not just the random act
Currently I have fragments of my data stored on at least half a dozen devices that I’ve accumulated over the years. My digital life is as messy as my adhd brain. I plan on setting up a NAS at some point, and will likely both consolidate all my data there and use LUKS. But until then encrypting one drive is the least of my problems.
Although anti-theft tech in my laptop might be kind of neat.
And don’t forget folks: if this drive contains your whole digital identity, make sure your next ones do have the keys. If something happens to you, it is impossible to retrieve logins, photos, whatever your kin/whomever might need from that drive.
Same goes for e.g. homeservers, VPSs or anything your family relies on: tell them where they find the relevant logins and who could possibly help them, if they’re not capable. Grieving is hard enough, if they figure they also lost all memories of the beloved one, that’s terrible.
This makes a world of difference
Yep. Can’t recover /home if you fuck around.
Keep it simple and stupid it is for me. I prefer to encrypt only my sensible files. And the browser runs in volatile memory.
I found it better to just encrypt one folder with all my sensitive info (I use gocryptfs). i saw no reason to have my zshrc and init.lua encrypted 🙂 and I just encrypt data I don’t want in the hands of others…
Do both
Browsing history, Downloads folder, cache, etc. That’s good to have encrypted.
Also I am pretty sure I have at least some secrets in my shell history
Just encrypt your home then.
Don’t forget /tmp, and maybe logs too. Theres docker storage and kvm image locations if you use that. Maybe others. FDE also makes an evil maid attack much less trivial too.
I don’t know, I don’t see a lot of damage or unpleasantness stemming from someone getting into my /tmp, but I don’t want any llm being fed contents of my /home. I am less afraid of an attack, as I am irked by corpos putting fingers into my shit
You act like encrypting the whole drive makes it take more power or something
so the issue with whole drive encryption is that all the data is decrypted 100% of the time I’m using the device. even when I sleep the device …
with one folder, I ensure it’s unmounted and encrypted before my computer sleeps.
But when your Computer is on and the drive is mounted, its also decrypted and available? What’s the attack vector here? Someone coming into my house yoinking my computer while its asleep without interrupting the power?
I have seen the use of such a device by gov’t agencies; basically a large UPS that clips onto the AC plug’s prongs so that a running server or desktop PC can be confiscated without power being interrupted.
usually I sleep my laptop and take it with me. with full disk encryption, if my bag gets stolen my files are all decrypted if the attacker gets past the lock screen.
getting past a lock screen is much easier than breaking encryption ofc
more importantly my desktop is online 24/7 with a static IP. if I get hacked they get all my data (bank passwords etc). but with the one folder encryption, if I get hacked they get my zshrc and init.lua 🙂
And what is the advantage of that?
Files are encrypted at rest, if they are not actively interfacing with the encrypted mount it is secure. If you encrypt your entire system it’s safe from attacks when powered off, but as soon as you’re booted in the machine is fully accessible.
and prevents alphabet agencies from just brute forcing into your Laptop or whatever
Inserting relevant XKCD as is required by internet law: https://xkcd.com/538/
What would actually happen is a bios level rootkit that installs a nearly invisible tiny rootkit on your device everytime it starts, but this is only if you are an important target. Most police departments can also just pay a private hacking company to steal your keys by using undisclosed exploits. Encryption can work well for other things but anything you wouldn’t want state or corporations seeing, you are better off just not ever putting it on your machine.
You can be private somewhat through obscurity. Using free software that doesn’t log you, not using any machine that’s in anyway tied to you to do stuff, setting up your own point to point connection to use someone else machine as your access point. Never having a microphone or camera anywhere near your hacking machine. I’m not really that type of hacker, more of a programmer/hardware person, but it can be done somewhat safely if you take every effort to protect your identity.
This is what I would do if I want ed to do something on the internet that might actually really piss off the FBI and NSA. Something like releasing the Epstein files to dozens of independent journalists around the world or something.
I’d get cash, and leave my phone at home, go to a thrift store and buy an old laptop. Wait a couple of months, and never power it on. I download dozens of Linux distros a year before this, something as small as possible, and lightweight as possible. Nothing network, maybe even tails.
Then I’d have it sitting on a thumb drive for many months before I dropped the files. One day before a lot of rain was coming in, I’d walk, not drive or anything, without my cell phone, using the tree cover to avoid spy satellite rewind surveillance, to a location where there is open wifi or an Ethernet jack.
Then I’d use several layers of proxying and VPNs, although this would be slow as shit. All on fresh accounts. Using nested VMs, each carrying an additional layer of VPNs. I’d use this as my set up my own network, by exploiting some random machines in the wild to get my last couple layers of VPNs.
Being careful to only type one word per second and not misspelling anything or in anyway aiding in any type of correlation attack, I’d first upload it in an encrypted format to a web host to speed up the next part, then I’d copy it to many places. I would then send it to as many people as possible, probably using a script to hit many emails addresses at once. As soon as the files hit the drive, I would assume I had about 5 minutes before the black helicopters showed up. At 5 mines I’d take a super strong magnet and start destroying the laptop, then I’d run away, find another safe spot, and then incinerate it.
Then I’d never tell anyone, go home, take a nap, wake up, talk to chatGPT about my amazing nap that I overslept on, and carve out some hidden spaces at abandoned houses and stuff to stash the actual drives with the info.
If you do anything less then this, you will probably get caught. Legal evidence is one thing, but you should never underestimate the numerous surveillance technologies they employ for unconstitutional surveillance. You n leed to be mindful of fingerprinting, (using only a throw away device and destroying it afterwards in a way that it’s not obvious that it was you) nothing that has ever touched your network or any files that that came from your PC or anything. It needs to exist in a totally separate universe. No connection whatsoever) you need to be mindful of cameras, license plate scanners, cellular modem surveillance, spy satellites which can see back in time to follow someone’s footsteps back through time. Correlation attacks, common word usage that can denote your region, common misspellings that you do, the particular way you type, root kits, assume every device is compromised and if you buy a device with a camera, don’t even open it until it’s been sitting for months and then remove the cameras and microphones, and never power it up anywhere near your house.
Another thing to be mindful of is fingerprinting your downloads, don’t download something on your PC and use it on your device.
Be wary of your footprints, this is why I said you would want to do this before a storm but perhaps maybe you would even tie wood to your shoes.
If you did this you could leak something like the Epstein files and probably get away with it, but if you are one of the few people who live in a neighborhood who is a hacker, I would expect that you’d have dozens of FBI agents watching every move you do and combing through your past to find any infraction that they could try to blackmail you with.
Never ever, trust an electronic device is better advice.
idk man, but I’d still much rather have encryption, even if I’m up against the alphabet boys:
- They’ll be up a creek if I escape, die, or vanish into the woods first
- If I hid a disk somewhere, I’d rather know they found it when they come to torture me, than have it inspected without hearing a word
- If all else fails, they’ll at least have to expend a modicum of effort and resources to fight me
You know you’re fucked if they use a wrench. That means you don’t have to be seen publicly ever again. There’s a chance for you if they’re using a rubber hose…
Not much good if they only have your laptop and not you.
Removed by mod
Encrypting your drives is a very sensible step to take, and it’s so low effort that it’s a no brainer in most cases. It’ll stop casual thieves stealing you machine and reading your files, and combining your password with a TPM encrypted one will mean your data isn’t readable on any machine except yours, even if the attacker has your password, which adds a little extra protection.
Unfortunately, none of that protects you against an adversary who is willing to kidnap and torture you to get your files. At that point you have to make a choice, which is more important; your files or your life/not being tortured. Fortunately, most people will never be in that situation, so should encrypt their drives and accept they’ll reveal their encryption passphrase if taken hostage/arrested.
If they are willing to torture you to get the data. Then there is also a very real chance that you would still get the same treatment or just killed even if you give the password.
That’s absolutely possible, but there’s not much you can do about that really. My point was simply in response to OP’s assertion about encryption protecting your data from ‘alphabet agencies’. It wont because it is very unlikely you consider keeping your data confidential more important than your life.
A more common case I’ve heard of is law enforcement using face id without permission. They can also compel people to give up passwords too which is why duress passwords and panic buttons exist to wipe everything
You want to think very carefully before giving a duress password, or using a destructive panic button when dealing with law enforcement. If you do, you will be charged with, at least, destruction of evidence. You have to decide if your data is worth that. A duress password that only decrypts part of your data is probably safer if twinned with deniable encryption, although you still risk legal trouble.
This is in the US, in a lot of countries, even in EU ones, refusing to reveal your password is used as part of the case against you (not as proof but as a suspicious attitude that can, combined with other facts, bring a certainty of culpability).
So be careful and check out your local laws before following US laws concerning this.
Yeah thanks pal. It helps you from someone who doesn’t know your password. You all give the most extreme examples. That example applies to biometrics, normal passwords without encryption, bank pins, etc. What was the point of saying it? What technology would help you from that
I was actually largely agreeing with you, but responding to the bit where you said:
It Protects your files in case your computer is ever stolen and prevents alphabet agencies from just brute forcing into your Laptop or whatever.
It’ll stop alphabet agencies from brute forcing it, sure, but that’s not how they would approach extracting the information.
I see ~
you’ve~ the mod has deleted this comment thread though, so it’s unlikely anyone else will see it.As to your question about what technology would stop it, I think you may need to think differently as no technology will stop a determined enough opponent torturing you for a password, but they’re much more likely to attempt a malware style attack against you to skip all that bother. So countermeasures would involve a well locked down system (think about things like SELinux with MLS enabled and using VMs to isolate processes) and good information hygiene practices to reduce the risk of infection and the risk of it spreading if you are infected.
the thread is visible here, just a single comment was deleted
I know this. Was never confused about it. You just came out of no where telling me. I don’t delete comments, look at how many people try to debate me, those comments are still up and still stupid lol. Also luckily the FBI or CIA or whatever demon inspired agency won’t just torture you as an everyday citizen doesn’t matter what they want on your top. If it was that bad the USA would be JUST like North Korea. Here they have some rules still they are just burning them away as the years go by.
I edited my comment, it was the mod who deleted your comment.
I don’t see many people debating you, but I do see a number of comments, including my own, that are pointing out things that need to be considered, or expanding on what you’d said. I don’t see much that could be called ‘stupid’, but you seem to be carrying a lot of pent up frustration and anger. You’ll probably find you have much more productiv£ and pleasant exchanges if you dump that on other people though.
One need only read or watch the news to know that a disturbingly large number of people are being abducted, predominantly under the umbrealla of ICE, but also for political reasons. It seems likely that if an agency has interest in the data of someone like that, presure of various sorts will be brought to bear on them. Most people will hand over their passwords long before the threat of physical violence is manifested, but the threat is there none-the-less. As you say, this won’t apply to most everyday citizens, for now at least.
Ultimately, it’s a case of setting up your security posture to match your own threat models. Encryption is an excellent step, but only addresses some threats, online attacks being the most obvious set that it does not help with.
Dang, if those agencies ever see my Civilization 4 save games, I’ll be so royally embarrassed that I spent so much time on it that they could blackmail me to anything.
They should, because Civ5 is way better xD
obligatory SMAC is best comment
Seems a lot of distros put it under an advanced section in the installer, but I think the “advanced” option should be not enabling full-disk encryption, meaning you know what you’re doing and have assessed the risk.
Ideally, yes. The problem is that the non-advanced users then get prompted for their encryption key and then it’s “What are you talking about, I never set that up, what do you mean you can’t recover the photos of my grandkids!”
Yeah but then you need to type in two passwords. A little annoying
That’s what TPM is supposed to solve. As long as nothing changes on the PC you don’t have to input a decryption password and access is protected by your usual user password.
On one of my computers I have LUKS and requires me to type in two passwords. Not sure if it has TPM
Could be a misconfiguration. Can happen when you have more than one partition that is encrypted. Grub would decrypt only root and fail to pass through the passphrase to decrypt the others. Can be fixed by putting a decryption key somewhere on the root partition and adding that to the other partitions.
That’s definitely not how it should be, unless you have two different passphrases.
Sarcasm?
It’s quite possible to set up LUKS with a USB key instead.
What if they get your laptop and your USB key then
Obviously that would be a total compromise. However this all depends on your threat model and how you usually use your laptop, and if someone were to steal it, would they also mug you for your flashdrive?
In my case, I just type the passphrase I have into the laptop, although my homelab server uses a USB so that it can unattended reboot, and I can put the USB in a secure location if it doesn’t need to reboot unattended.
Otherwise, in my case I usually go out with a laptop that if stolen, is only worth about $150 AUD so not a big financial hit. While I have LUKS as a passphrase, I’m not likely to be a target of any individual or entity that, if they really wanted my data, would also mug me for a USB key, so I could live with either.
I wanna encrypt my BTRFS system, but not the FAT32 boot part. Only the Linux kernels are on FAT32 anyway, and I don’t care about encrypting those — they’re public stuff, not private files. I just let limine-entry-tool hash them to make sure they’re clean for booting, that’s totally fine for me.
I don’t like putting kernels on the Linux filesystem for GRUB — it just makes booting slower and causes random issues.
Setting up full-disk encryption on a Steam Deck with an on-screen keyboard should definitely be an option during SteamOS installation, but it’s a pain as it stands. It’s my only Linux device not using LUKS.
That’s one of the reasons why I installed OpenSUSE Tumbleweed on my Deck. I used unl0kr to put in my passphrase on boot. Unfortunately OpenSUSE removed the framebuffer device and the DRM backend doesn’t work correctly at the moment.
Pointless for gaming devices, nothing to hide on them, there will also be a small overhead for nothing.
your gaming account may be able to do some damage
I use mine as a computer often. When I travel it stores notes, has my email accounts, and is a productive tool.
So yeah I would like to encrypt it. As it is I use vaults and back up encrypted to my own cloud. But it would be nice to simply do the whole thing.
Ok fair. But most of those tools are cloud based? Then wouldnt have to worry about an overhead lr encryption when the drive fails.
Encryption really is not much overhead with a modern processor.
I do believe the steam deck uses a modern processor with hardware cryptology.
1-3% overhead, last i check couple years ago. No clue now.
Correct, nothing to hide because nobody gets their games from the high seas.
Set up full backups you can reliably recover with before doing this.
With Luks there are several situations you can end up in where you can’t just pop your disk out and pull files from it, removing a first response to many common hardware failures.
Pretty much all beginner friendly distros have this thing (Fedora Debian Ubuntu Mint). You just have to enable it. Also make sure if you are using secure boot - remove Microsoft keys and generate your own. Also its nice to have bios password setup too.
Watch out about removing Microsoft’s keys! Some video drivers (nvidia) will only work with Microsoft’s keys and you might brick your system. Only remove Microsoft’s keys if you know what you’re doing.
I did not know this about secure boot, I always just disabled it.
It’s easy-- if you install on a single drive. If you want home on a separate drive, encryption is not so easy, and you have to learn about cryptsetup, crypttab, etc. Quite a steep learning curve compared to the installer. I do hope distros provide better coverage of this in the future. Having home on a separate drive and encrypted is just good practice.
Also: back in the day, you could wipe a drive with GNU Shred or just “dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/hda”. SSDs and NVMe drives have logic about where and what to overwrite that makes this less effective, leading to the possibility of data recovery from old drives. If the data is always encrypted at rest and the key is elsewhere (not on the drive, in a yubikey or TPM chip or your head), then the data is not recoverable.
From what I understand, some modern drives effectively encrypt everything at rest, but have the key on file internally so it decrypts transparently. This allows for a fast “wipe” where it just destroys the key instead of having to overwrite terabytes.
that presumes trust in the drive manufacturer and their firmware
I found that Limine (bootloader) has the fastest decryption when paired with LUKS at least for my laptop.
Limine does not have decryption, that’s just the linux kernel.
