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Idea #14574: Full Disc Encryption from the LiveCD

bug This idea is a duplicate of Idea #6168: Manual Full Disk Encryption.
Written by Dr Small the 19 Oct 08 at 15:08. Related project: Live CD installer. Status: New
Rationale
The title basically explains it all. We need to have an option to install Ubuntu in a fully-encrypted disc, right at installation time from the LiveCD.

This would make the usage of Full Disc encryption more widespread and more user-friendly and would save a user from having to download a second ISO of Ubuntu (for the Alternate CD).

The user could opt to install a fully encrypted disc from the Ubiquity Installer and proceed with passphrase/keyfile to setup the encryption. At least have it as an option for users.

This would greatly benefit laptop users who are prone to theft and can easily choose to encrypt the disc at installation.

No solutions.

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Attachments
forum Ubuntuforums.org thread #951094


Duplicates


Comments
Eldmannen wrote on the 19 Oct 08 at 15:47
Full disk encryption ftw!

Ubun2ideas wrote on the 19 Oct 08 at 17:44
Ubuntu has been offering full disk install-time encryption as an option since Gutsy (7.10). It is available only on the Alternate Install CD -- see the checkbox marked "Check here if you need the alternate desktop CD." on the downloads page http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download

Here's a couple of guides to walk you through it:

If you want simple, just a few clicks, have the entire disk encrypted and used by Ubuntu (**which means it will erase everything you have on your disk**) then follow
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Encrypted-Ubuntu-7-10-68383.shtml

If you are more skilled and adventuresome, want more options, like being able to tell Ubuntu which partitions to use for what, which to encrypt and which to not, then follow
http://learninginlinux.wordpress.com/2008/04/23/installing-ubuntu-804-with-full -disk-encryption/

I highly suggest making backups of anything important before following either guide.

Hope that helps.

Ubun2ideas wrote on the 19 Oct 08 at 17:52
Also, you're idea of including this functionality on the live CD is a good one. Then I think more people would be aware it is an option, and use it. +1

On a related note, what if sometime in the future you need to use a liveCD to rescue your files which are now on this encrypted drive? Currently I know of no way to do this. The liveCD can only mount unencrypted partitions. I think the liveCD should also have an option to mount encrypted partitions -- so long as you can provide the correct passphrase, of course. See my idea: "Allow LiveCD to access an install-time encrypted partition on HDD."
http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/11834/

cardinals_fan wrote on the 19 Oct 08 at 22:50
@Ubun2ideas: the issue is that full disk encryption is not available on the live CD.

Ubun2ideas wrote on the 20 Oct 08 at 01:20
@cardinals_fan:
> the issue is that full disk encryption is not available on the live CD.

Yes, I am aware of this. This is why I added the second part to my comment, re: "you're idea of including this functionality on the live CD is a good one. Then I think more people would be aware it is an option, and use it. +1 "

Upon reading this idea, there was no way for me to know if Dr Small knew that he/she could accomplish full disk encryption already. My intention was simply to be helpful by also including the above information in case he/she or others might benefit from it.

Dr Small wrote on the 20 Oct 08 at 13:24
@Ubun2ideas:
> Upon reading this idea, there was no way for me to know if
> Dr Small knew that he/she could accomplish full disk
> encryption already.

Yes, I did know. In my description I wrote:

> [...] and would save a user from having to download a
> second ISO of Ubuntu (for the Alternate CD).

By the way, thanks for your comments and your support for this idea.

cardinals_fan wrote on the 21 Oct 08 at 00:06
@Ubun2ideas: Sorry about that. I thought the second post was from someone else :)

zellfaze wrote on the 1 Nov 08 at 20:32
I like this idea a lot, currently parts of my hard drive are encrypted using truecrypt. I have not bothered to do a full disk encryption (because it seemed hard to do).

Having it on the livecd would certainly make it a much easier task.

Ubun2ideas wrote on the 3 Nov 08 at 04:54
@cardinals_fan: No problem :)

@Dr Small:

> [...] and would save a user from having to download a
> second ISO of Ubuntu (for the Alternate CD).

Ooops. I guess I could've read your idea more carefully. There's just sooooo many ideas here on Brainstorm, it's hard not to just scan the titles sometimes.

> By the way, thanks for your comments and your support for this idea.

Thanks for saying that. I'm glad to help.

Dr Small wrote on the 2 Jul 09 at 13:00
I don't know who reported this as a duplicate for the other brainstorm, but they certainly never read mine. The other one has to do with the alternate CD; mine is with the LiveCD.

This should really be implemented in Ubuntu, especially for laptop users.

DouglasAWh wrote on the 6 Jan 10 at 22:43
This is not a duplicate.

Alternate Manual != Live Automatic

r3l1c wrote on the 2 Jan 11 at 13:44
Install from Ubiquity install -> Allow removable media key, full disk encryption (This gets over the HIPAA requirements in the U.S. It is possible that more medical institutions would be willing to use Ubuntu if they meet HIPAA requirements.


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