Messages in this thread | | | From | (H. Peter Anvin) | Subject | Re: Userland encrypted filesystem that root cannot access. | Date | 18 Feb 2000 12:13:24 -0800 |
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Followup to: <Pine.LNX.4.10.10002172022040.736-100000@asdf.capslock.lan> By author: "Mike A. Harris" <mharris@meteng.on.ca> In newsgroup: linux.dev.kernel > > Are there any patches for the kernel, or userland solutions which > allow a user to mount an encrypted filesystem (perhaps through > loopback) which while mounted, root cannot read? Or is this > concept beyond Linux currently? > > I'm thinking of the case where the superuser can admin the > machine but due to confidentiality, the data must not be readable > by root under any circumstance. Possible? >
While mounted? No. Root has access to the entire machine and everything running on it. While unmounted? Easy, since the user would have to enter the key to unlock the volume.
Using capabilities, one could set up a restricted "sort-of-root" account for which it may be feasible, but for the "real" root who can install kernel modules and read /dev/mem, /dev/kmem and /proc/kcore there is no hope.
-hpa -- <hpa@transmeta.com> at work, <hpa@zytor.com> in private! "Unix gives you enough rope to shoot yourself in the foot."
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