Tracy Nelson on Sun, 10 Dec 2000 14:07:50 -0500


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Re: [PLUG] Linux Crypto File Systems


----- Original Message -----
From: "Leonard Rosenthol" <leonardr@lazerware.com>
To: <plug@lists.phillylinux.org>
Sent: Saturday, December 09, 2000 19:14
Subject: Re: [PLUG] Linux Crypto File Systems


> At 8:10 AM -0500 12/8/00, Tracy Nelson wrote:
> >50%?!  Holy cow, maybe they should compress the data before they encrypt
it.
>
> Compressed file systems are HARD to do right, and are also
> covered by a number of patents in that area.  You don't want to go
> there.

Who said anything about compressed filesystems?  I said the data should be
compressed *before* it was encrypted, which is before it gets to the
filesystem.

> >Of course, the real solution is to
> >build the encryption into the HD controller, but I doubt we'll see that
> >anytime soon.
>
> No it's not!  The right thing to do, as they do it on other
> platforms, is that crypto goes into the device driver.

Fine if you've got the cycles to spare on it -- I was addressing the issue
raised in a previous message, which stated that a major problem with
encrypting filesystems was their speed degradation.

> >Any guesses as to the effectiveness of weak crypto?  I mean, seriously,
if
> >the local PD confiscates your box and you've just XORed everything, how
long
> >do you think this would delay them?
>
> About 10 minutes ;).  Weak crypto is just what the name implies...

No, seriously.  There are *lots* of ways you can do simple encryption, and
without the right tools codebreaking, you're stuck.  I'd estimate at least
three days, probably more like a week.  From all the articles I've read,
cops just don't have serious tech skills, so they'd have to get a consultant
of some sort in, and things like that take time.  What sort of PD/OS code is
available for codebreaking, anyway?  Or do security consultants generally
have their own private bag of tricks?


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