Setting up LUKS

LUKS (Linux Unified Key Setup) is a disk encryption specification for Linux. It provides a standard for encrypting entire storage devices, including hard drives and flash drives. This article will cover the setup and use of LUKS, as well as important things to keep in mind when using LUKS encryption.

Minimum Requirements

To use LUKS, you will need a Linux operating system with the following minimum requirements:

• Linux Kernel version 2.6.x or later
• A supported Linux Distro

Encrypting a Device with LUKS

To encrypt a device using LUKS:

1. Open a terminal window and enter the following command: sudo cryptsetup luksFormat /dev/sdX (where /dev/sdX is the device you wish to encrypt).
2. Follow the on-screen prompts to create a password for the encrypted device.
3. Enter the following command to open the encrypted device: sudo cryptsetup luksOpen /dev/sdX cryptname (where cryptname is the name you wish to assign to the encrypted device).
4. Create a filesystem on the encrypted device: sudo mkfs.ext4 /dev/mapper/cryptname
5. Mount the encrypted device: sudo mount /dev/mapper/cryptname /mnt/mountpoint (where /mnt/mountpoint is the mount point you wish to use).

Unlocking an Encrypted Device

To unlock an encrypted device:

1. Open a terminal window and enter the following command: sudo cryptsetup luksOpen /dev/sdX cryptname (where /dev/sdX is the encrypted device and cryptname is the name you assigned to the encrypted device).
2. Enter the password for the encrypted device.
3. Mount the encrypted device: sudo mount /dev/mapper/cryptname /mnt/mountpoint (where /mnt/mountpoint is the mount point you wish to use).

Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages

• LUKS is broadly available across Linux Distributions

Disadvantages

• No GUI (Graphical User Interface)
• Requires a certain degree of knowledge of the Linux Terminal
• No way of accessing Drives on Other Operating systems without usage of 3rd Party Software