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Date:      Tue, 7 Sep 2004 13:54:43 -0700 (PDT)
From:      ctodd@chrismiller.com
To:        Steve Watt <steve@Watt.COM>
Cc:        hackers@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: Booting encrypted
Message-ID:  <Pine.BSI.4.58L.0409071341060.19821@vp4.netgate.net>
In-Reply-To: <200409072022.i87KM7Kf049770@wattres.Watt.COM>
References:  <200409072022.i87KM7Kf049770@wattres.Watt.COM>

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> Having the password compiled in to something that's necessarily clear-text
> on the same media?

If the authorization mechanism is limited to plain text, then yes. I know
that "strings" can be used to attempt to find the passphrase in the load,
but there may be ways to prevent the passphrase from being retrieved in
this manner.

> You're not adding anything resembling a challenge for someone who's really
> interested in reverse-engineering your system.  Any user (I won't call such
> a person *acker) incapable of getting around such a thing probably won't
> be trying to reverse-engineer it anyhow.

Well the point is to have a system where the entire filesystem (except the
loader of coarse) is encrypted. Runtime access to the system via the shell
would be removed or locked down.

I wasn't able to find any info about booting encrypted filesystems, but I
can't believe I'm the only one that has raised the question.

Chris



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