Please discuss encrypted home - is it useful or not?

**sudodus** · April 19th, 2015

Encrypted home with cryptswap works again.

See this bug report, https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+s...ls/+bug/953875

ISO testing result for Lubuntu Vivid

http://iso.qa.ubuntu.com/qatracker/m...s/1439/results
step 1 OK: cryptswap works when rebooting after installation.
step 2 OK: no long delay when rebooting again.
step 3 OK: cryptswap works when rebooting again. I provoked using swap, and it seems to work correctly.
step 4 OK: cryptswap works when rebooting again. I provoked using swap, and it seems to work correctly.

Encrypted home with cryptswap works again. Thank you Martin Pitt

**kromaz** · April 21st, 2015

This is great news! Does this also apply to 14.04 LTS?

**sudodus** · April 21st, 2015

It should arrive there via updating and upgrading, but the released iso files are what they are. We can expect the next point release Ubuntu 14.04.3 LTS to come with an ISO file with a working system for encrypted home with cryptswap.

**HermanAB** · April 22nd, 2015

An encrypted home is not useful at all. It makes your computer useless to whoever steals it...

**sudodus** · April 23rd, 2015

@ HermanAB

Which encryption method do you consider worse for the thief?

- Encrypted home with cryptswap
- Encrypted disk (with LVM)

Do you think it is meaningful to install with both 'Encrypted disk' and 'Encrypted home'? In that case why?

**HermanAB** · April 23rd, 2015

I use AES256, CBC, with ESSIV and SHA256, which happens to be the default for LUKS.

This is also the default for government use up to the level of Secret.

**sudodus** · May 12th, 2015

Cryptswap does not work in Lubuntu Wily. I tested a system with both both encrypted disk and encrypted home according to the following test-case.

http://iso.qa.ubuntu.com/qatracker/m...s/1439/results

But cryptswap works in a system with 'only' encrypted home. See the bug report

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+s...ls/+bug/953875