Gentoo Archives: gentoo-user

From: Matti Nykyri <matti.nykyri@×××.fi>
To: "gentoo-user@l.g.o" <gentoo-user@l.g.o>
Subject: Re: [gentoo-user] Demise of Truecrypt - surprised I haven't seen t his discussed here yet?
Date: Mon, 02 Jun 2014 13:23:26
Message-Id: 87B44633-4D1C-483D-AE18-834F05355A94@iki.fi
In Reply to: Re: [gentoo-user] Demise of Truecrypt - surprised I haven't seen t his discussed here yet? by "J. Roeleveld"
1 On Jun 2, 2014, at 17:52, "J. Roeleveld" <joost@××××××××.org> wrote:
2
3 > On Monday, June 02, 2014 03:23:03 PM Matti Nykyri wrote:
4 >> On Jun 2, 2014, at 16:40, "J. Roeleveld" <joost@××××××××.org> wrote:
5 >>> On Monday, June 02, 2014 07:28:53 AM Rich Freeman wrote:
6 >>>> On Mon, Jun 2, 2014 at 6:56 AM, Neil Bothwick <neil@××××××××××.uk> wrote:
7 >>>>> On Mon, 02 Jun 2014 05:27:44 -0500, Dale wrote:
8 >>>>>> The second option does sound what I am looking for. Basically, if I
9 >>>>>> log
10 >>>>>> out but leave my computer on, leave home, some crook/NSA type breaks in
11 >>>>>> and tries to access something or steals my whole puter, they would just
12 >>>>>> get garbage for data. That seems to fit the second option best.
13 >>>>>
14 >>>>> If they steal your computer they will have to power it off, unless you
15 >>>>> are kind enough to leave them a large enough UPS to steal along with it,
16 >>>>> so any encryption will be equally effective.
17 >>>>
18 >>>> If you're worried about casual thieves then just about any kind of
19 >>>> properly-implemented encryption will stop them.
20 >>>>
21 >>>> If you're worried about a government official specifically tasked with
22 >>>> retrieving your computer, my understanding is that it is SOP these
23 >>>> days to retrieve your computer without powering it off for just this
24 >>>> reason. They won't use your UPS to do it. Typically they remove the
25 >>>> plug just far enough to expose the prongs, slide in a connector that
26 >>>> connects it to a UPS, and then they pull it out the rest of the way
27 >>>> now powered by the UPS.
28 >>>>
29 >>>> See something like:
30 >>>> http://www.cru-inc.com/products/wiebetech/hotplug_field_kit/
31 >>>
32 >>> Hmm... Those are nice, but can be easily built yourself with an
33 >>> off-the-shelf UPS.
34 >>>
35 >>>> Presumably somebody who is determined will also have the means to
36 >>>> retrieve the contents of RAM once they seize your computer. Besides
37 >>>> directlly accessing the memory bus I think most motherboards are not
38 >>>> designed to be secure against attacks from PCI/firewire/etc.
39 >>>
40 >>> Hmm... add something to auto-shutdown the computer when a hotplug event
41 >>> occurs on any of the internal ports and remove support for unused ports
42 >>> from the kernel.
43 >>>
44 >>> I wonder how they'd keep a computer from initiating a shutdown procedure
45 >>> or
46 >>> causing a kernel panic when it looses (wireless) connection to another
47 >>> device that is unlikely to be moved when powered up?
48 >>
49 >> Well i have a switch in the door of the server room. It opens when you open
50 >> the door. That signals the kernel to wipe all the encryption keys from
51 >> kernel memory. Without the keys there is no access to the disks. After that
52 >> another kernel is executed which wipes the memory of the old kernel. If you
53 >> just pull the plug memory will stay in its state for an unspecified time.
54 >
55 > You don't happen to have a howto on how to set that up?
56
57 Well i have a deamon running and a self made logic device in COM-port. Very simple. It has a single serial-parallel converter to do simple IO. Currently it just controls one relay that powers the network-devices.
58
59 >> Swap uses random keys.
60 >>
61 >> network switches and routers get power only after firewall-server is up and
62 >> running.
63 >
64 > networked powersockets?
65
66 A normal logic port and a transistor and then relay that controls power to the sockets of the network-devices :)
67
68 >> There is no easy way to enter the room without wipeing the encryption keys.
69 >> Booting up the server requires that a boot disk is brought to the computer
70 >> to decrypt the boot drive. Grub2 can do this easily. This is to prevent
71 >> some one to tamper eith a boot loader.
72 >>
73 >> System is not protected against hardware tamperment. The server room is an
74 >> RF-cage.
75 >>
76 >> I consoder this setup quite secure.
77 >
78 > Makes me wonder what it is you are protecting your server from. :)
79
80 Well just a hobby. I wanted to play with electronics. The server controls my heating, locks of the house, lights, airconditioning, fire-alarm and burglar-alarm. Gentoo-powered house...
81
82 --
83 -Matti

Replies

Subject Author
Re: [gentoo-user] Demise of Truecrypt - surprised I haven't seen t his discussed here yet? "J. Roeleveld" <joost@××××××××.org>