[dm-crypt] not a valid LUKS device

[dm-crypt] not a valid LUKS device

[Hugo]

Hi,

Recently, I was installing Ubuntu 13.10 and the installer appears to
have changed something in the first sector of my home partition as
described here:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1169611

Now, when I try to open my encrypted partition I get the following error:

# sudo cryptsetup luksOpen /dev/ubuntu/home home_crypt

Device /dev/ubuntu/home is not a valid LUKS device

I don't have a backup of my header and would like to know if I still can
have hope of recovering the luks partition or if I can re-encrypt it,
backup the header and start a new life.

What is your opinion on this?

Thanks!
Hugo

Re: [dm-crypt] not a valid LUKS device

[Arno Wagner]

On Thu, Apr 25, 2013 at 10:12:38AM -0300, Hugo wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> Recently, I was installing Ubuntu 13.10 and the installer appears to
> have changed something in the first sector of my home partition as
> described here:
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1169611
> 
> Now, when I try to open my encrypted partition I get the following error:
> 
> # sudo cryptsetup luksOpen /dev/ubuntu/home home_crypt
> 
> Device /dev/ubuntu/home is not a valid LUKS device
> 
> I don't have a backup of my header and would like to know if I still can
> have hope of recovering the luks partition or if I can re-encrypt it,
> backup the header and start a new life.
> 
> What is your opinion on this?

Well, it is difficult to see what this bug really does, but
if it really overwrites the first sector, then the salts
in the LUKS header are gone and there is no way to recover
from that without a header backup.

It seems Ubuntu still does not understand how to keep its 
fingers off existing LUKS partitions. I recommend you complain
to them.

Arno
-- 
Arno Wagner,     Dr. sc. techn., Dipl. Inform.,    Email: arno@wagner.name
GnuPG: ID: CB5D9718  FP: 12D6 C03B 1B30 33BB 13CF  B774 E35C 5FA1 CB5D 9718
----
There are two ways of constructing a software design: One way is to make it
so simple that there are obviously no deficiencies, and the other way is to
make it so complicated that there are no obvious deficiencies. The first
method is far more difficult.  --Tony Hoare

Re: [dm-crypt] not a valid LUKS device

[Hugo]

On 04/26/2013 11:14 AM, Arno Wagner wrote:
>> What is your opinion on this?
> 
> Well, it is difficult to see what this bug really does, but
> if it really overwrites the first sector, then the salts
> in the LUKS header are gone and there is no way to recover
> from that without a header backup.
Sure, as expected. I will reformat that so.. :(

> 
> It seems Ubuntu still does not understand how to keep its 
> fingers off existing LUKS partitions. I recommend you complain
> to them.

I am trying.. But as I understand, it is seen by them as low priority
and who is interested in things out of the mainstream should achieve by
themselves.

Thanks Arno!

> 
> Arno
> 

Re: [dm-crypt] not a valid LUKS device

[Arno Wagner]

On Fri, Apr 26, 2013 at 01:54:55PM -0300, Hugo wrote:
> On 04/26/2013 11:14 AM, Arno Wagner wrote:
> >> What is your opinion on this?
> > 
> > Well, it is difficult to see what this bug really does, but
> > if it really overwrites the first sector, then the salts
> > in the LUKS header are gone and there is no way to recover
> > from that without a header backup.
> Sure, as expected. I will reformat that so.. :(
> 
> > 
> > It seems Ubuntu still does not understand how to keep its 
> > fingers off existing LUKS partitions. I recommend you complain
> > to them.
> 
> I am trying.. But as I understand, it is seen by them as low priority
> and who is interested in things out of the mainstream should achieve by
> themselves.

Not nice :-/
 
> Thanks Arno!

No problem.

Arno
-- 
Arno Wagner,     Dr. sc. techn., Dipl. Inform.,    Email: arno@wagner.name
GnuPG: ID: CB5D9718  FP: 12D6 C03B 1B30 33BB 13CF  B774 E35C 5FA1 CB5D 9718
----
There are two ways of constructing a software design: One way is to make it
so simple that there are obviously no deficiencies, and the other way is to
make it so complicated that there are no obvious deficiencies. The first
method is far more difficult.  --Tony Hoare