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submitted 2 weeks ago by monovergent@lemmy.ml to c/linux@lemmy.ml

I was recently intrigued to learn that only half of the respondents to a survey said that they used disk encryption. Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows have been increasingly using encryption by default. On the other hand, while most Linux installers I've encountered include the option to encrypt, it is not selected by default.

Whether it's a test bench, beater laptop, NAS, or daily driver, I encrypt for peace of mind. Whatever I end up doing on my machines, I can be pretty confident my data won't end up in the wrong hands if the drive is stolen or lost and can be erased by simply overwriting the LUKS header. Recovering from an unbootable state or copying files out from an encrypted boot drive only takes a couple more commands compared to an unencrypted setup.

But that's just me and I'm curious to hear what other reasons to encrypt or not to encrypt are out there.

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[-] netvor@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago

I do, laptops and workstations.

It's just too easy not to, and there's almost no downsides to it. (I only need to reboot, once a month or two.)

Well, unless you consider the possibility of forgetting the password a downside, so for that reason I keep the password in a password manager.

In case my laptop was stolen, there would quite a couple fewer things to worry about. Especially things like client's data which could be under NDA's, etc...

[-] 9488fcea02a9@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 weeks ago

All my important files are on a NAS, so if someone steals my laptop, there's nothing of value there without being able to log in and mount the remote file systems

[-] LiamMayfair@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 2 weeks ago

Yes. Encrypting your entire hard drive has basically been a tickbox in the Fedora installer for a long time now. No reason why I wouldn't do it. It's, easy, doesn't give me any problems and improves my devices security with defence-in-depth. No brainer.

[-] data1701d@startrek.website 1 points 2 weeks ago

It’s a smidge more difficult on Debian if you want to use a non-ext4 filesystem - granted for most people, ext4’s probably still fine. I use it on my desktop, which doesn’t have encryption.

[-] SitD@lemy.lol 1 points 2 weeks ago

are you guys using the bios ssd encryption option or a software solution?

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[-] Ulrich@feddit.org 1 points 2 weeks ago

Because it requires generating, memorizing and entering a secure password. Because Linux typically doesn't support fingerprint readers or other biometrics.

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[-] Feathercrown@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago

I have no significant private data on my disks. They can be wiped whether encrypted or not if they're stolen. And I like that in theory if my pc explodes I can recover the data with only the drive.

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this post was submitted on 16 Jan 2025
163 points (100.0% liked)

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Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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