LXDE and encrypting your home folder

[xmichielx]

Hello,

I don't see the possibility to encrypt my /home folder in Linux mint 9.
I know it is causing performance issues but that is the reason that I use LXDE mixed with ecryptfs.
Is there also a Linux Mint 10 LXDE (with ecryptfs /home) expected?
Love the distro, missing my favorite security feature: /home encryption under one of the lightweight desktops (lxde).

Michiel

ps..sorry for the cross posting in desktops/other :/

[xmichielx]

Anyone? I really like/love Mint in favor lubuntu/ubuntu but I am just missing this option that has been taken out of the ubiquity installer.
Is it easy to put it back? Can I do it myself?

[willie42]

well you can go to their Repos and get the app you need. I am not sure if it will work with Mint but theres a good chance it will because mint is built off Ubuntu

[xmichielx]

Hi WIllie,

My problem is that it isn't included in the installer, off course I can do some tricks with moving my home dir around, using fstab, using keyutils and pam mount to fix this.
But I rather would use to like the installer for that (saves me like 2-3 hours work and perhaps a mistake and data loss).
I think it is a simple settings disabled in the Mint installer for LXDE and Fluxbox as it is default asked in the normal Mint installation.

[willie42]

well you should be able to go to the PPA for Unbuntu and get it.

http://community.linuxmint.com/tutorial/view/240
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=8707875

[xmichielx]

Willie,

I am talking about the installation not about afterwards adding software and then manually change and fix your ecryptfs mount...
Are your links talking about how to change it when installing from usb or after you've installed your box and manually have to change things?

[willie42]

So you are saying your Mint Installer is hosed?? correct? I was thinking you were talking about getting the package from Ubuntu. I will keeping looking at what to do about the installer maybe someone will chime in that already knows. Sorry I miss understood

[xmichielx]

Hi Willie,

My installer, well actually the Mint Linux 9 LXDE installer does not allow you to create an encrypted home folder (I think it is step 5 in the installer).
This is actually a default action/question asked in step 5 of the installer when creating an user for the system. (you can see it in Ubuntu 9.04-10.10 and Mint 9 and 10.)
I think the reason it is not in the installer is because of the lightweight desktop and not to slow things down by encrypting home folder contents.
I think the user Kendall can shed his light on this? (as he already posted something similar in the Linux Peppermint forum).

I am just saying it would be more then nice to choose/have this option in the installer as it is an really good/nice feature for improving security.

Think about all those system engineers who want to have an encrypted /home folder but also a lightweight desktop? (and dont want to worry about all the fuss for encrypting your home afterwards by hand taking some hours)

[xmichielx]

Anyone ? Perhaps a developer from Mint knows how to fix this/make it work?

[xmichielx]

Small bump ^^ please anyone?
How can I install Linux Mint LXDE with an encrypted home using ecryptfs or / using LUKS ?

[xmichielx]

Are the Mint developers on vacation? (which they deserve very much!)
It would be nice if there is someone who can shed some light on this matter, I think it is easy to build / change the ubiquity installer youself to use the encrypted /home but I am not certain.

[chenda0331]

You may use Bing or Google to have a try.

[xmichielx]

I already did that one and I don't want to encrypt my home folder afterwards.
I think if the feature is disabled and the default is to be enabled, it wouldn't be much a hassle to tell us how we can enable it or build a new version with the option enabled.
And giving Google or Bing (yack) as a support answer isn't really you want to tell your fans (the reason they joined the forum is to get support and they can not find it anywhere else for example).

I just wait and see..perhaps one day it is possible and I can run Linux Mint on my boxes

[sjonesy]

imho, lxde is meant to be lightweight and not weighed down non with non essentials. If you're not concerned with that, perhaps xfce?

[xmichielx]

lxde is still blazing fast with encryption of your home dir and as an option with the installer it does not make it mandatory (as the default install option gives you a possibility to do so)

[kalimerox]

hej there! are there some news about easy encryption on install?

i m using linux mint lxde for a view month and i was really happy with it, but linux without enrypted home i almost feel like a Windows user

and i think i will abandon the great distro out of that reason again...

personally, i had enrypted home on the same laptop before, i could hardly feel a difference in speed....

[kalimerox]

hej there! are there some news about easy encryption on install?

i m using linux mint lxde for a view month and i was really happy with it, but linux without enrypted home i almost feel like a Windows user

and i think i will abandon the great distro out of that reason again...

personally, i had enrypted home on the same laptop before, i could hardly feel a difference in speed....

[DrHu]

Love the distro, missing my favorite security feature: /home encryption under one of the lightweight desktops (lxde).

I would probably just use truecrypt, it is available for all OS (Linux, Microsoft and Apple)
http://www.truecrypt.org/
http://www.truecrypt.org/docs/
http://mygeekopinions.blogspot.com/2011 ... natty.html
--I saw some problems with grub2 (fedora 64bit and other desktops..) with truecrypt, but still worth a checkout, if that encryption software appeals..

Whether an encryption exists at install time or I have to do it myself immediately after an installation doesn't matter to me, as long as I can get an encryption of /home accomplished
--also don't really care about whole disk encryption, despite dropping some data into various system directories or partitions, such as /temp or the swap partition (although it hardly ever gets used in modern Linuxes with enough computer resources in play..