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Mathew Chateau
Asked: 2020-06-16 09:08:53 +0800 CST

How to encrypt existing HOME folder on Kubuntu 20.04

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I am using Kubuntu 20.04 and would like to encrypt the home folder to protect my data if the hard disk / laptop is stolen. Can anybody help me how to do it? Which tool is recommended for it?

encryption kubuntu

1 Answers

  1. Best Answer

    There is not a guided installation option that will encrypt only your /home folder:

    This is likely due to the false sense of security it offers, since your unencrypted OS and swap can expose data kept this way.

    Trying to install Kubuntu 20.04 using "Manual" partitioning to encrypt only /home isn't an option either:

    Setting up partitions manually results in a broken installation. Processes need to access files stored in ~/ immediately after authentication, but it's locked.

    There exists a utility to relocate your /home: ecryptfs-utils:

    It will attempt to migrate your current /home to an encrypted location.

    Check out hhlp's answer on Encrypt home drive after installation for more info on using ecryptfs-utils.

    I have concerns using this method because these kinds of relocations can sometimes be messy, since it's hard to account for all variables. Also, This utility doesn't seem to address the part of your disk where your /home is currently located. Without securely erasing this data, it could still be recovered without a password.

    My suggestion is that you use the guided installation to encrypt Ubuntu entirely. This is the only way to ensure that if someone gains physical access to your PC, they won't be able to access data without your decryption key.

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