File encryption and hard drive passwords

[tashirosgt]

I've never slected the option to encrypt the file system when I install Fedora. When I run "Drive Fitness Test" on hard drives, I notice the drive info utility informs me of whether the hard drive has a password. (Mine don't.)

Are these the related properties? How does a user interface with an encrypted file system or a hard drive with a password? Does he have to enter a password for the drive before his account can mount a file system?

Yes you would have to enter the password to mount the drive and if you have encrypted your / partition you would have to enter it to boot.

BTW, you can also have hidden encrypted partitions inside of other partitions (steganography) with software like truecrypt.

[forkbomb]

Truecrypt is totally not steganography. Truecrypt isn't even plausibly deniable, as stenography should be (I say both of these things as a heavy Truecrypt user).

???From the main features list at http://www.truecrypt.org/

Provides plausible deniability, in case an adversary forces you to reveal the password:
Hidden volume (steganography) and hidden operating system.

[forkbomb]

Originally Posted by kyryder

???From the main features list at http://www.truecrypt.org/

They said it on the website, so it must be true?

Originally Posted by kyryder

Provides plausible deniability, in case an adversary forces you to reveal the password:

Plausible deniability is very difficult to achieve in disk encryption.

Originally Posted by kyryder

Hidden volume (steganography) and hidden operating system.

Yeah... I'm going to have to say that that's a gross misuse of the term 'steganography.' Most of what the encryption system marketers claim to be "steganogrpahy" is no such thing. "Steganography" implies that the plaintext is a) both readable and b) reasonably meaningful to a bystander, yet still contains a hidden message that couldn't be ascertained without special knowledge. As far as I know the "hidden" ("Steganographic") volumes of truecrypt are encrypted. If you've got a 20GB space of random data on your disk, it looks suspicious.


Three examples of use of truecrypt:
1) Full disk encryption, which requires a special boot loader. You provide your password at a screen that says "Truecrypt boot loader." Well, no plausible deniability there.
2) Normal volume that looks like a file to he host operating system. Say somebody has a 20GB file named whatever. I wouldn't buy the plausible deniability there. Who has 20GB files they don't know about on their system?
3) Hidden volume: same thing. Having something taking up 20GB on your machine and claiming you can't identify what it is is going to look suspicious.

I always though under steganography your files don't show up as a file they show up as free space. That is why you must first fill your drive with random bits so they are not easily detectable.

[forkbomb]

Originally Posted by kyryder

I always though under steganography your files don't show up as a file they show up as free space. That is why you must first fill your drive with random bits so they are not easily detectable.

OK. And that's fine as far as encryption methods go. But it fails to meet the definition of steganography. And we get back to the suspicion that encryption marketers are butchering the term.

Hiding one message (a) within another message (b) implies that mesage (b) appears to be sensical to any other reader, but that any third party won't be able to deduce message (a) simply by looking at message (b). "Random bits" do not appear to be sensicial.

Steganography is the art and science of writing hidden messages in such a way that no one, apart from the sender and intended recipient, suspects the existence of the message, a form of security through obscurity. The word steganography is of Greek origin and means "concealed writing".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steganography

I need more coffee.

[forkbomb]

Maybe it's a grey area.

I always thought of stenography as "hiding" miessages inside other messages that appear to be sensicle. A scrambled hard drive isn't really a message.

PS: Drinking a cup of Steep & Brew Breakfast Blend

Originally Posted by tjvanwyk

PS: Drinking a cup of Steep & Brew Breakfast Blend

I'm jealous, drinking a pot of cheap Maxwell House drip.