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.
OC by @lunatique@lemmy.ml
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I’d even recommend encryption for non-laptops, it’s less about IF they get stolen and more about WHEN the hard disk fails, you don’t need to worry about all of your personal data being immediately available to anyone who plugs in your failed disk (whether RMA’d or electronics disposal). Before diaposal, if you can, run
cryptserup eraseto scrub the encryption keys.The OG poster (lemmy.ml so whatever) forgot to mention that backups and system recovery are a nightmare if anything goes wrong with the kernel, bootloader or both. Encrypt your home partition and swap, it’s easier and who cares about what packages you have installed system-wide. If you got NSA on your ass you’re cooked anyway. Encrypting non-system drives is more bearable
What makes recovery and backup a nightmare to you?
I’ve been running full-disk encryption for many years at this point, and recovery in case of problems with the kernel, bootloader, or anything else that renders my system inoperable, is the same as before I started using full-disk encryption:
I boot up a live-CD and then fix the problem. The only added step is unlocking my encrypted drive(s), but these days that typically just involves clicking on the drive in the file manager, and then entering my password. I don’t even have to drop into console for that.
I am also not sure why backups would be any different. Are you using something that images entire devices?
Read about btrfs issues people had on kernel version 6.15.4 - you’d be amazed. Some found a fix, some gave up. I don’t think it’s worth the risk
That bug does sound bad, but it is not clear to me how a BTRFS specific bug relates to it supposedly being more difficult to recover (or backup) when using whole-disk encryption with LUKS. It seems like an entirely orthogonal issue to me
i’d assume most people will be on ext4. if you choose a different filesystem on a server, you should be prepared to deal with its quirks.
