lkml.org 
[lkml]   [2000]   [Feb]   [19]   [last100]   RSS Feed
Views: [wrap][no wrap]   [headers]  [forward] 
 
Messages in this thread
/
Date
From
SubjectRe: Userland encrypted filesystem that root cannot access.
On Sat, 19 Feb 2000, Grendel wrote:

> ** On Feb 18, H. Peter Anvin scribbled:
>
> > > 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
> Why not? Just never decrypt data on fs read. Feed the client with encrypted
> data and leave it to them to decrypt it.

root will still be able to do inconvenient things like truss the process
thats dealing with the fs, snoop the tty that output is being fed to etc.

I could envision a system which stored encrypted fs's as files on an nfs
server, where only the client machines would deal with the encrypted fs,
but you should be able to do that already with available code.

joelja

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joel Jaeggli joelja@darkwing.uoregon.edu
Academic User Services consult@gladstone.uoregon.edu
PGP Key Fingerprint: 1DE9 8FCA 51FB 4195 B42A 9C32 A30D 121E
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
It is clear that the arm of criticism cannot replace the criticism of
arms. Karl Marx -- Introduction to the critique of Hegel's Philosophy of
the right, 1843.



-
To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in
the body of a message to majordomo@vger.rutgers.edu
Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/

\
 
 \ /
  Last update: 2005-03-22 13:56    [W:0.089 / U:1.512 seconds]
©2003-2020 Jasper Spaans|hosted at Digital Ocean and TransIP|Read the blog|Advertise on this site