Can I ENCRYPT the Home folder AFTER install?

[1bit]

Hi

I wanted to install Linux FEREN but it doesn't offer OS ENCRYPTION, so I settled for MINT and encrypted the OS with my 13-digit password thinking everything will be encrypted on the SSD and only have to type my 13 digit password once - i notice to get yer home folder encrypted too you have to have a 2nd password, I dont fancy typing it twice just to get onto the desktop - but if I must to have all my stuff private.. because AUTOLOGIN doesnt work with home folder encryption, i already have a password for it, just it aint encrypted

can anyone help here? :
1) do i have to reinstall with the home folder encrypted?
2) or can i do it within the current install

Im a Linux NOOB (almost) and wanting to get my Linux PC as my main internet PC, but want EVERYTHING encrypted so that if the drives pulled or scanned its gobbledegook

thanks

[Pierre]

Hi 1bit,
you do have to typically do any sort of encryption, during the actual Installation itself.


the Linux System is somewhat stricter in it's user requirements, than the Windows System,
that you would be used to using. ..

thus you will have to redo your LinuxMint Installation, if you do wish to use any encryption.

you can, however, utilise another drive, such as an usb stick, and place some encryption onto that media.
and thus keep your important data on that drive, instead of in the LinuxMint Home directory.

[1bit]

oh well - shame they cant just provide a single password that unlocks both
start my reinstall now.
thanks for your help

[djph]

If you selected the "encrypt user home directory" option at install time, it will use the same password as your login password.

If you added it after the fact, it is possible to set things up for automatic decryption at login. The Arch Wiki entry is pretty good in its description of how to deal with this.

Autologin throws everything out the window, and (IMO) causes more trouble than its worth.

[Mac to Linux]

duplicate entry removed

[t42]

Apple and Microsoft appear to have an advantage in volume encryption, which may be a concern for Linux laptop owners.

how so?
Windows BitLocker has many limitations, such as requirement of TPM modules, UEFI Secure Boot, and the devices should meet Modern Standby requirements etc. Compare it with immediately available without any limitations in Linux block-device encryption methods: Dm-crypt, LUKS1, LUKS2, LVM with many modes and features, crossplatform VeraCrypt, filesystem-level eCriptfs, cryptographic software GnuPG, OpenSSL and many more.

[Mac to Linux]

how so? ...

My experience in this area is only Mac OS X. I am not a Windows lover... I can hardly stand using Windows at work, and I avoid it like the plague everywhere else.

Turning FireVault on/off is about as foolproof as any drive encryption could be... just a flip of a switch in the OSX Security and Privacy pane. The entire drive gets encrypted or decrypted with a single button press, not instantaneously but pretty fast.

Some people experienced data loss with FileVault in the early years, when it was still a little flaky, or because they lost their password. But I share my own testimonial from 2012:

After my 17 inch PowerBook got stolen from my locked desk, which was "safely" located inside my locked office, which was "safely" inside another locked office containing confidential medical documents for thousands of patients, with a continuous security video camera "safely" located outside the office door -- I felt completely and utterly violated. Somehow the government building's security camera system got turned off for two hours the night my laptop went missing. Nobody in the fully-staffed Security office "noticed." The County Sheriff Dept Detective was "baffled" (aka too scared or lazy to ask questions, or maybe some other reason.) At least I was confident that the thieves would not destroy my financial life or kidnap my children based on photos on my laptop HD. Filevault transformed a potentially life-changing event into a merely upsetting event.

Data encryption is mandatory for desirable laptops, even when they are in "safe" situations. I am not sure if that explanation was what you were looking for?

I will look into VeraCrypt.

[Mac to Linux]

Im a Linux NOOB (almost) and wanting to get my Linux PC as my main internet PC, but want EVERYTHING encrypted so that if the drives pulled or scanned its gobbledegook

That sentence describes me perfectly.

With his permission I am quoting an expert here, AndyMH, regarding the downsides of encryption:

The problem with encryption is that the linux backup image utilities don't understand it (clonezilla, might, never looked) so they use dd to copy the whole partition, takes longer and larger image file. For known filesystems they only copy used blocks, which is a lot quicker.

viewtopic.php?f=90&t=245350&start=20

Without copy-pasting private messages, Andy recommended using Veracrypt containers for sensitive data. LUKS full disc encryption has a history of people losing their data, so he didn't recommend it.

[t42]

...

you're replying to a post which is more than a year old and OP was not seen on the forum since September 2021. If you have a specific question or help request just open your own thread.

[axrusar]

... using Veracrypt containers for sensitive data. LUKS full disc encryption has a history of people losing their data, so he didn't recommend it.

I have used Veracrypt hidden containers on an external disk, and for some unknown reason (I suspect I did not unmount it properly or some kind of data corruption), I lost one of the containers. Luckily I had the data copied somewhere else so no pain. Veracrypt is great, just be careful using it.