151–155 of 155 posts
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Whats this guest access enableD you speak of? Sounds useful
System Preferences > Users & Groups > Guest User > Allow guests to log onto this computer "If FileVault is turned on guest users can only access Safari."
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The 8 char password does not decrypt the key; it unlocks/retrieves it. The drive will only allow a fixed number of attempts. Once past the 10 or whatever allowed attempts, an attacker needs to brute force the full encryption key. It should be a very similar scheme to what you get with a modern smartphone, such as a new iPhone. (Not one of the older iphones the FBI cracked recently, a new one with a Secure Enclave.)
What stops the attacker from just imaging the drive in its encrypted state and continuing to run attacks on the 8 char password well in excess of 10 attempts?
This can be implemented in secure hardware (and without getting into attacks against that), you can make a password attempt, but can't modify the counter which tracks how many incorrect attempts have been made. Sufficient incorrect attempts will see the key material destroyed.
I don't. I don't even have an account password for my windows machine. I want whoever has my laptop to have access to my PC so he can use it - in the hope that I will gather enough information about him and I will track him down to recover my laptop. If the pc is fully encrypted, they'll have to erase the HDD and the programs I installed will be gone along with my chances of ever recovering it. On the other hand, I a…
Give the people a chrome/firefox icon on the desktop, and they'll use linux without knowing the difference.
Ubuntu 16.04 with full disk encryption. It's trivial to set, you can do it in installation phase.
or can you somehow still mount, unlock and retrieve the files that weren't affected?
I use Mac OS X FileVault2, with a firmware password. It's incredibly easy to set up and should be good enough to protect my data from the majority of thieves. Coupled with encrypted Time Machine backups and Arq[0] I feel relatively ok about losing my machine. [0] https://www.arqbackup.com
Just so you're aware, the firmware password on a Mac can easily be bypassed by anyone with an SPI writer. [1] Using a teensy and a chip clip, someone can clear the password or bypass the password check completely. So, it will keep the honest out, but for someone who knows what they're doing, it will only prove a mild inconvenience. This obviously doesn't help them bypass FDE, but in case they want to steal the laptop…