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wegface
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Post subject: [HOW-TO] Creating an encrypted folder using EncFS
 Posted: Feb 02, 2008 - 09:41 PM
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Joined: Dec 02, 2006
Posts: 409
Status: Offline
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Ive been wondering how to create a sneaky encrypted folder within /home, and today i learned an easy way in sidux, thought id share.
Code:
(as root) apt-get install encfs
You also need fuse, but on sidux it should already be installed. We do however need to load the module: (edit: this step can be skipped it seems)
Code:
(as root) modprobe fuse
Then we create a directory in /home that we want to encrypt, along with a second hidden dir.
All commands from now on can be done as user.
Code:
mkdir .mychosenname
mkdir mychosenname
Now we mount the directories with encfs, and it will ask us a few questions to create the encrytped filesystem, including password,simply typing ENTER will do a standard configuration which should suit most people- or use ya grey matter and choose what you want.
Code:
encfs /home/myuser/.mychosenname /home/myuser/mychosenname
Now our folder is ready to add our sensitive data. add a few files as a test. We can then "unmount" our encrypted system:
Code:
fusermount -u /home/myuser/mychosenname
Now if u check the contents of /home/myuser/mychosenname it should be empty. The contents are now hidden in /home/myuser/.mychosenname , encrypted, unreadable and safe from preying eyes. The filenames are unreadable also.
We then remount with the command:
Code:
encfs /home/myuser/.mychosenname /home/myuser/mychosenname
After entering the password, our contents again appear.
Remember: Your password is everything here, make it a good one, and dont forget it! |
_________________
Linux user 403389 and Herbaholic Trichopath
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ / 2GB ram
Acer Aspire One 1.5g ram
Last edited by wegface on Feb 05, 2008 - 07:55 AM; edited 1 time in total
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hubi
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Post subject: Re: [HOW-TO] Creating an encrypted folder using EncFS
Posted: Feb 02, 2008 - 11:11 PM
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Joined: Nov 30, 2006
Wien
Posts: 4354
Status: Offline
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wegface wrote:
Remember: Your password is everything here, make it a good one, and dont forget it!
Especially when THEY start waterboarding you after a year of coercive detention, it is nice to remember the password 
Great HOW-TO, thanks!
hubi |
_________________
Bonitas stultitiaque sodales sunt.
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EvNu
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Post subject: RE: Re: [HOW-TO] Creating an encrypted folder using EncFS
Posted: Feb 03, 2008 - 11:32 AM
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Joined: Dec 16, 2006
Posts: 135
Status: Offline
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Danke für das Howto wegface! Ist wirklich sehr leicht einzurichten.  Wie sicher ist denn encfs?
[EDIT]
Oh, i realised i wrote my comment in german So, again in english: Thanks for the howto. How secure is encfs?
Gruß, EvNu |
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Post subject: RE: Re: [HOW-TO] Creating an encrypted folder using EncFS
Posted: Feb 03, 2008 - 02:14 PM
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Joined: Nov 30, 2006
Posts: 357
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| What do you see when you look at the hidden file /home/myuser/.mychosenname , nothing or a file that won't open without a password. |
_________________
Titan aka Τιτάν - it's all Greek to me
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Lynx_jsl
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Post subject: RE: Re: [HOW-TO] Creating an encrypted folder using EncFS
Posted: Feb 03, 2008 - 06:17 PM
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Joined: Dec 03, 2006
Posts: 110
Status: Offline
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You see files with (almost) random names, no clear names or extensions. Never tried to open those directly...
Cheers,
S. |
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wegface
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Post subject: RE: Re: [HOW-TO] Creating an encrypted folder using EncFS
Posted: Feb 03, 2008 - 07:42 PM
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Joined: Dec 02, 2006
Posts: 409
Status: Offline
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You can try and open the files, but you wont succeed  only way to open is remount and enter the pass.
Biggest givaway is the size of files is still visible if i remember rightly. |
_________________
Linux user 403389 and Herbaholic Trichopath
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ / 2GB ram
Acer Aspire One 1.5g ram
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wegface
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Post subject: RE: Re: [HOW-TO] Creating an encrypted folder using EncFS
Posted: Feb 04, 2008 - 04:34 PM
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Joined: Dec 02, 2006
Posts: 409
Status: Offline
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| EvNu: its as secure as the encryption cypher you select. Default setting is blowfish, but it does loadsa kinds. |
_________________
Linux user 403389 and Herbaholic Trichopath
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ / 2GB ram
Acer Aspire One 1.5g ram
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DeepDayze
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Post subject: RE: Re: [HOW-TO] Creating an encrypted folder using EncFS
Posted: Feb 04, 2008 - 05:34 PM
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Joined: Dec 02, 2006
Posts: 2462
Status: Offline
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| Blowfish is a pretty good encryption method IMO |
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damentz
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Post subject: RE: Re: [HOW-TO] Creating an encrypted folder using EncFS
Posted: Feb 04, 2008 - 11:40 PM
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Joined: Dec 01, 2006
Posts: 906
Status: Offline
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| Hey, I don't think you need to do modprobe fuse. It should be loaded on demand in sidux. |
_________________
"Cool was never cool until the cool guys at Cool industries developed a cool new product: Cool."
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@lienX
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Post subject: encfs maybe good but better encrypt whole partitions
Posted: Feb 05, 2008 - 01:31 AM
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Joined: Feb 26, 2007
Posts: 41
Status: Offline
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Thanks for sharing your How-to!
But i would recommend encrypting your WHOLE harddisk.
Why?
1.ALL your data is secure.
-No forgotten email that has passwords in it (should not be anyway but some sites just send you cleartext passwords...)
-Your stored Iceweasel passwords are safe
-social computer attacks are much more likly to succed if someone can get even a little of /home/"user"
-....
2.You don't have the problem that you can see the single files.
I have a full secured server at home with dm-crypt and LUKS and it is really cool!
It asks for the password after Grub starts loading the kernel and thats it! My server at home runs Debian Etch and my Desktop runs sidux.
Etch has the advantage that the installer supports it Out-of-the-box.
So there i have even my / partition on a LVM encrypted.
Under sidux "only" /home . |
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wegface
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Post subject: RE: encfs maybe good but better encrypt whole partitions
Posted: Feb 05, 2008 - 07:54 AM
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Joined: Dec 02, 2006
Posts: 409
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damentz: your correct
@lienX: Yes LVM on the debian installer is very good, and i have used that in the past. For this instance i was deliberatly looking or a way to encrypt a folder only, rather that a whole partition or just a single file. Btw is it easy to set up LVM on sidux after install? |
_________________
Linux user 403389 and Herbaholic Trichopath
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ / 2GB ram
Acer Aspire One 1.5g ram
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@lienX
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Post subject: RE: encfs maybe good but better encrypt whole partitions
Posted: Feb 05, 2008 - 02:40 PM
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Joined: Feb 26, 2007
Posts: 41
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zulu9
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Post subject: RE: encfs maybe good but better encrypt whole partitions
Posted: Feb 05, 2008 - 11:53 PM
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Joined: Nov 30, 2006
Posts: 883
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dpdt1
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Post subject: RE: encfs maybe good but better encrypt whole partitions
Posted: Feb 06, 2008 - 10:19 AM
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Joined: Dec 05, 2006
Posts: 29
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hsp
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Post subject: Re: RE: encfs maybe good but better encrypt whole partitions
Posted: Feb 06, 2008 - 10:26 AM
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Joined: Sep 28, 2007
Posts: 279
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