[LINK] Re: Stolen Laptop [was Re: Consumer computer security]

[Rick Welykochy]

Marghanita da Cruz wrote:
> Rick Welykochy wrote:
> <snip>
>> One option on Win/XP would be to ensure all data is read/written
>> from/to an encrypted memory stick, which BTW also uses AES.
> <snip>
> Physically separating [and securing] your data from the computer sounds 
> like a useful idea even on Linux.
> 
> The problem would be to ensure you have configured your software 
> correctly and to take good care of the memory stick.
> 
> You need to do a risk assessment.

Risk: you have the encrypted USB stick but have no PC. Will
   a "locum" PC have the correct software to do the decryption
   functions in order to read the stick or does the stick
   itself provide such software

Risk: you lose the stick - is the encryption strong enough
   to protect the data; a weak password can compromise the stick

Risk: you yank the stick out of the PC before properly
   unmounting it; this can corrupt the data format and ruin the data

*IF* you can encrypt your home directory and then keep all
your data in that home directory, I think that you are quite
safe travelling with a PC.

Here is one example that got me: I stored encrypted data on my
iPod and went traveling. When I plugged the iPod into a friend's
PC in Germany, the data could not be read. I forgot that the file
system used  on the iPod was HFS for the Mac and that Windows
cannot read such a file system. In this case there is no good
solution since the Mac forces you to use the HFS file system
when the iPod is connected to a Mac.

The same problem does not occur with memory sticks since they all
use the FAT32 file system, even Macs.

cheers
rickw



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Rick Welykochy || Praxis Services

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