discuss: Intent to write encryption HOWTO
Subject:
Intent to write encryption HOWTO
From:
"Adam" ####@####.####
Date:
10 Aug 2003 08:01:40 -0000
Message-Id: <27833-66258@sneakemail.com>
Hi,
I joined the list to express my intent to write a HOWTO entitled "Whole
Disk Encryption HOWTO". It will instruct the reader how to encrypt a
computer hard disk (such as in a laptop) with an external key (such as
on a USB flash drive) using Linux 2.4 and the loop-AES [1] program.
I searched the existing HOWTOs and found only one that is similar:
"Loopback Encrypted Filesystem HOWTO" [2] by Ryan T. Rhea. It describes
a similar method (loopback encryption) but works on only a subset of a
hard disk and without an external key. It is also old (1999-11-29).
I'd like your advice about whether I should write a new HOWTO or whether
I should intend to replace [2]. There are two reasons I can think of to
replace Rhea's fine HOWTO. One, the program for loopback encryption in
vogue today [1] comes with a README which explains the same method as in
the HOWTO but in more detail and more up-to-date. Two, I will argue in
my HOWTO that the method of encrypting a whole disk is more secure
because one needn't worry about information leaks as much as one does
using the subset method.
What do you think?
Adam
[1] http://sourceforge.net/projects/loop-aes/
[2] http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/Loopback-Encrypted-Filesystem-HOWTO.html
