How do I hide files and folders? (two questions in one post)

[James_Smith]

1. I know how to view hidden files and folders, but I need to know how to hide them. How do I do this?

2. Ok, so question number 1 deals with just hiding folders or files so I don't have to look at them (for example, a folder called .comments or $RECYCLE.BIN). Question number 2 deals with something slightly shady. Well, not too shady. First, let me give you some background before I ask it:

I am an American working in the Middle East. My religious beliefs are not the same as the national religion in the country I work in (or the countries I visit from time-to-time). The governments of these countries, as you probably have heard, are quite authoritarian. Legally, they could come into my room, take my laptop, and look at everything on it without a warrant, and they could arrest me for some of the things I have on my hard drive and in my internet history.

That said, they've never done it and I have never heard of them doing it to anyone. None of the locals have ever heard of them doing it to a Westerner and it's even rare for them to do it to an Arab.

So, the question is (and you've probably guessed): how do I super-hide things? How do I hide things so that a superficial perusal won't reveal anything suspicious?

[catweazel]

So, the question is (and you've probably guessed): how do I super-hide things? How do I hide things so that a superficial perusal won't reveal anything suspicious?

VeraCrypt. Don't use the default extension and name the file something innocuous.

[absque fenestris]

Since 6 pm on 22 October 4004 BC there is an excellent device to store data... unfortunately still version 1.0

[Cosmo.]

Take a look at gnome-encfs-manager; you need this PPA: ppa:gencfsm/ppa

encfs allows you to encrypt single folders, where you can store sensible data.

[Faust]

VeraCrypt. Don't use the default extension and name the file something innocuous.

And for additional " plausible deniability " , create a hidden volume .

[jglen490]

These are all useful ideas, but remember this: a sufficiently motivated cyber forensics investigator will be able to find anything.

You already know this, but stay respectful of your host. That's all they want from you, and that's all you want from them.

[catweazel]

These are all useful ideas, but remember this: a sufficiently motivated cyber forensics investigator will be able to find anything.

Please read the OP's requirements.

How do I hide things so that a superficial perusal won't reveal anything suspicious?

[Anoep]

Hello,

I don't know if this can done on Linux but when i am using Windows and i have files or maps i want to hide, i do a cut/pate of the file and maps i want to hide and pasting it in the windows system map (c:\Windows) making it look like it is a windows system map. i found this tip many years ago on internet. i did this with important files to me so nobody see them. can this also be done in linux? cuase when people try to look on your computer they always look at familiar places not in system maps.

[Cosmo.]

A bad attempt. Alone the fact, that you are able in Windows to write in a system folder (folder = map) reveals, that your usage of Windows is wrong and its security has big holes.

Besides that: Security by obscurity is only an illusion.

[jglen490]

These are all useful ideas, but remember this: a sufficiently motivated cyber forensics investigator will be able to find anything.

Please read the OP's requirements.

How do I hide things so that a superficial perusal won't reveal anything suspicious?

I have no problem with his requirements - he needs to keep certain things from casual view. Also, in his situation, he could be subject to deeper inspection. And, again, as I said all the previous suggestion were useful.

[Joe2Shoe]

Personally, I use LUKS with an encrypted container (hidden volume) on a separate partition, with a 24-digit password, then that volume is encrypted within yet another LUKS container, with a different 24-digit password. Out of sight, out of mind. Motivated forensic sleuths may be able to find it, but breaking those two 24-digit passwords will take a devastating toll on their great grandchildren's grandchildren's sanity. All that is done on a laptop that is NEVER connected to the internet via wifi or lan.

New 25-GPU Monster Devours Strong Passwords In Minutes
https://it.slashdot.org/story/12/12/05/ ... in-minutes

[Mattyboy]

When I go abroad I 'hide' personal files, banking details, travel documents etc, in 'plain sight' There's nothing more suspicious than a double encrypted hard drive containing a bunch of hidden folders containing a bunch of encrypted files... the more you try to hide the more determined 'they' will be the find it AND question what it is you're hiding.

Some countries can legally lock you up for not handing over passwords anyway, under obstruction laws.

I simply place a veracrypt file on my walkman, change the extension to MP3 or FLAC, give it an actual consistent track name and drop it in with an album. Of course I consider the size... a 3GB mp3 is gonna look a bit iffy ain't it.

Obviously I wouldn't have veracrypt installed on any devices, oh? whats that for? but its freeware and not OS agnostic so its a simple download if I need it. ( consider the format of the file container... can't read ext4 on a Windows machine )

Banking and personal details is one thing, not respecting the laws and customs of another country is another thing entirely, maybe you should just leave these things at home, one suspects you'll only have yourself to blame.

[Joe2Shoe]

In my case, the hard drive is not double-encrypted, or encrypted at all. All you see is the partition that contains the encrypted data and several folders within, but you do not see the LUKS-encrypted hidden folders beyond that.
I used TrueCrypt before the NSA backdoored it. Since VeraCrypt is a knock-off of TrueCrypt, is the NSA backdoor applicable to it, also? Who knows.
I don't trust ANY free or retail encryption software, as it probably has complied with the NSA's wishes. IMO, only LUKS gives you total control and privacy.
I think it's a good policy to encrypt data with one encryption program with an insane 24-digit password, then encrypt that encrypted data again with another encryption program with a different insane 24-digit password, and then stored in a hidden LUKS folder on a separate partition or drive.
And anyone who travels abroad with encrypted data...well, good luck.

[Flemur]

...and in my internet history.

Browser set to delete the history when you exit?

There might be more places they hide information about you, but doing the below doesn't hurt anything.
This is for firefox, obviously, but I'd expect google's product to be even sneakier:

Code: Select all

rm -rf ~/.macromedia
rm -rf ~/.cache/mozilla/*
rm -rf ~/.mozilla/firefox/cache/firefox/*
rm -rf ~/.mozilla/firefox/profile-name/datareporting/*
rm -rf ~/.mozilla/firefox/profile-name/saved-telemetry-pings
rm -rf ~/.mozilla/firefox/profile-name/storage/default
rm -rf ~/.mozilla/firefox/profile-name/storage/temporary

Edit: an easy way to sorta-hide other files is put them in a password-ed zip file and start it's name with a ".".

[Mattyboy]

I don't trust ANY free or retail encryption software, as it probably has complied with the NSA's wishes. IMO, only LUKS gives you total control and privacy.

A while back I read an 'official.gov' GCHQ ( British NSA ) website ( which was taken down just after 'snoopers charter' Mrs May was elected ) which spoke about 'government recommended' methods of securing your private/business data. It covered Windows, Mac and Linux. Forget the exact wording but the gist of it regarding LUKS was that it 'wasn't recommended' because there was no way its reliability and privacy could be confirmed, it was 'better' to use propriety methods.

Guessing because propriety vendors can be 'coerced' into building back doors and handing over passwords.

The very fact that one of the worlds most intrusive governments were recommending against it probably suggests LUKS is probably one of the most secure methods of encrypting data there is.

[trytip]

first of all CHANGE your DNS servers to something that doesn't log you. if you are using the ISP DNS then they can see all your traffic and searches. i like using https://dns.watch/index because it will not keep any logs and is based in Germany. it is slow at times, but fearing for your religion status it will help hide things from country ISPs. https://welcome.opendns.com/ openDNS is also good it will log your DNS traffic but you have the option to DELETE it when you make an account with openDNS.

so first change your DNS
rightclick on network tray Edit Connections
select your LAN or WIFI connection and open it
click IPv4 Settings Tab
in Method dropdown select Automatic (DHCP) addresses only
and in DNS Servers paste 84.200.69.80, 84.200.70.40
hit save at bottom right then you have to restart your connection
on network tray and UNcheck Enable Networking, this will turn off lan or wifi, then enable it back

go to https://ipleak.net/ and check to see what you have in DNS Address

[Joe2Shoe]

Flemur, most people forget about those. I include those in a bash script and run it before I shutdown.
DNS servers that do not log traffic is the only way to fly.