Re: Crypto FS

[Dale Amon <amon@vnl.com>]

On Thu, Feb 08, 2001 at 03:53:29PM -0600, Dustin Reyes wrote:
> Re: Integrate existing publicly available file cryptography
> with file mandatory controls 
> 
> Will the SE Linux team (NAI Labs, NSA, etc.) be conducting
> an extensive security audit of current Linux disk encryption?
> 

I doubt they could step into that area. I also doubt they would
want to take on the grief because no one would believe them
anyway.

> Finally, I'm not a professional coder or cryptologist, so this question
> may be completely invalidated by encrypted filesystems are
> already implemented... if so, I apologize in advance.
> 

The linux crypt tree is managed by a lot of very fine people
spread all over the world and anyone who found a hole would
gain instant fame in their esoteric coterie. If you were a 
young math wizard, what better way to gain notoriety that to 
find a backdoor in a popular cipher? I'd say that
there are probably more people pounding on codes outside
government circles now than the total of all the ones who
were ever *inside*. Some people even think its fun. :-)

In any case, there are also standards like AES that are
well trusted. And everyone knows you shouldn't trust DES
for anything more serious than a teen love letter.

In short, I think the people doing the hard work here
should make sure they don't break the international
patches, but it is perhaps not wise for them to step into
quicksand.

And I would in fact be happy to test the interoperability of
the two sets of patches and report any problems. At the
end of the day, its' my customers data that I need to 
protect, and that means a full systemic approach.

-- 
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Use Linux: A computer        Dale Amon, CEO/MD
is a terrible thing          Village Networking Ltd
to waste.                    Belfast, Northern Ireland
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