[TriLUG] best way to hack root...

[John Vaughters]

A razor sharp knife makes you more efficient in the kitchen, but it can also cut you deep. Depends on the skill of the user I guess.
 
John Vaughters


________________________________
From: Alan Porter <porter at trilug.org>
To: Triangle Linux Users Group General Discussion <trilug at trilug.org> 
Sent: Friday, February 22, 2013 9:57 AM
Subject: Re: [TriLUG] best way to hack root...


> Ecrypted files systems are great until you forget the passphrase. Then you have NO options.

On the two systems that I use full-disk encryption, I have multiple keys and I store the "backup" one in a "safe place".

On my Linux laptop, I use LUKS, which supports up to 8 passphrases for a single volume.  I assign two passphrases -- one to use every day, and a second that is harder to remember (I think I just did "$(date | md5sum)" and cut-pasted it in).  I printed the second passphrase on a small piece of paper and filed it in a "safe place" -- think "geocache in the woods"*.

On my Macbook, I use their built in "File Vault".  It has the same setup, using both my user password and a secondary backup passphrase.  I took a photo of the generated backup passphrase, printed it out, and then went for a hike in the woods.*  Apple also offers an optional service of storing your disk passphrase on their servers -- I declined that.

* OK, really, I did not hide those papers in the woods.  But that sure does appeal to the über-paranoid side of me.  Apparently, that side likes to go hiking.

-- # Alan Porter