This makes a world of difference. I know many people may know of it but may not actually do it. It Protects your files in case your computer is ever stolen and prevents alphabet agencies from just brute forcing into your Laptop or whatever.

I found that Limine (bootloader) has the fastest decryption when paired with LUKS at least for my laptop.

If your computer isn’t encrypted I could make a live USB of a distro, plug it into your computer, boot, and view your files on your hard drive. Completely bypassing your Login manager. If your computer is encrypted I could not. Use a strong password and different from your login

Benefits of Using LUKS with GRUB Enhanced Security

  • Data Protection: LUKS (Linux Unified Key Setup) encrypts disk partitions, ensuring that data remains secure even if the physical device is stolen.
  • Full Disk Encryption: It can encrypt the entire disk, including sensitive files and swap space, preventing unauthorized access to confidential information.

Compatibility with GRUB

  • Unlocking from Bootloader: GRUB can unlock LUKS-encrypted partitions using the cryptomount command, allowing the system to boot securely without exposing sensitive data.
  • Support for LVM: When combined with Logical Volume Management (LVM), LUKS allows for flexible partition management while maintaining encryption.
    • gi1242@lemmy.world
      1·
      7 hours ago

      ur def right about this. there are a few other things (e. g. cached mail etc) that would be good to encrypt, which I don’t do right now.

      if my computer gets stolen I figure no one will bother with my data unless they stand to immediately gain financially. e.g. ransom. my data (I have backups) or access my bank info (I keep this encrypted) and steal my identity. so I protect against this as best as I can without sacrificing usability too much

      • Jason2357@lemmy.ca
        6·
        1 day ago

        Don’t forget /tmp, and maybe logs too. Theres docker storage and kvm image locations if you use that. Maybe others. FDE also makes an evil maid attack much less trivial too.

        • Nalivai@lemmy.world
          1·
          18 hours ago

          I don’t know, I don’t see a lot of damage or unpleasantness stemming from someone getting into my /tmp, but I don’t want any llm being fed contents of my /home. I am less afraid of an attack, as I am irked by corpos putting fingers into my shit

          • Pup Biru@aussie.zoneEnglish
            3·
            13 hours ago

            corpos aren’t who you’re protecting against with encrypted drives… they’re not going to gain access to anything via bypassing your OS: they get everything via software you’ve installed or things like tracking

            the main thing you’re protecting against with encryption is theft (or if you think you’re being physically targeted, it also stops them from modifying your system… eg replacing your kernel or a binary that gives them access somehow)

            • Jason2357@lemmy.ca
              1·
              2 hours ago

              Indeed. Best to think of disk encryption as protection from physical access -i.e., theft, but also accidentally recycled drives later on. It provides zero protection from somebody attacking your running system, that’s the job of the operating system and client software like web browsers. While the system is running, the drive is decrypted and unprotected.

              I just prefer fde because it’s simpler. There’s no guessing about what needs to be encrypted and what doesn’t. There isn’t any human-noticiable performance impact on modern computers, so there’s not really a downside besides having 2 password prompts whenever I actually do a full reboot.