Encrypted File Systems

**Incubii** · 04-26-2003, 01:21 AM

Currently i can encrypt my floppies, but what i would like to do is install knoppix onto my spare 4gb hdd with an encrypted swap and root. i kno u can do this with gentoo, using knoppix for help but is there anyway to just be able to do this with knoppix? ive been using AES so its built into knoppix.

thank you for any help

**garyng** · 04-26-2003, 02:31 AM

having the swap encrypted is not a big issue, something like the following

losetup -e AES128 /dev/loop0 /dev/hdax(your swap)
swapon /dev/loop0

This may not be the exact sequence but I read it some where

As for the root, I am curious as it is on CD so how can it be encrypted ? Or if you mean not booting from CD, I believe a scheme like the above would work, however you need at least 2 partition(not counting the swap), one is used to store the kernel image and initrd and in your linuxrc script, do something similar as the above for the root partition.

I haven't figured out a way to properly protected kernel image and initrd, just in case NSA slip in my door to replace those two which would break all encryption

**pau1knopp** · 07-14-2003, 02:50 PM

I plan on booting from CD and trying this. However, with regards to a hard drive install, couldn't you put the kernel image and initrd on a CD and boot from that? That could keep someone from altering / replacing them. Still ties up a cd drive. A large enough thumb drive could work as well, if you could ensure that it is only mounted as read only through initrd.

Anybody have any thoughts about this? It would be nice to build a secure workstation in this manner...

**garyng** · 07-14-2003, 05:47 PM

putting the kernel and initrd on a CD/floppy/thumb drive should do the trick as I can carry it with me to reduce the chance of altered looback driver.

For those who want even more security, have the kernel and initrd encrypted with a secondary password and decrypt them before using so even if somone replace the CD while I am sleeping, I would notice that at the first gate entrance without handing out the main password

BTW, the CD-ROM won't be tied up as the kernel and initrd are into memory and the device would be freed.

**Incubii** · 07-16-2003, 08:04 AM

any possibility of scripts being made here for this solution ? i have no clues about the boot process as such but would be nice to have some working version