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Create and Mount an Encrypted Filesystem Using eCryptFS

In this lab you will create an encrypted directory using eCryptfs. Next, you will "mount" the directory in order to access files stored there. You are working as a System Administrator at a large financial institution and have been tasked with creating an encrypted directory using eCryptfs on a user's workstation running SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15. You will need to log into the remote workstation and complete the following tasks to accomplish this: 1. Confirm the kernel module. 2. Install ecryptfs packages. 3. Add a passphrase to kernel keyring. 4. Create directories. 5. Mount the filesystem.

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Lab Info
Level
Intermediate
Last updated
Apr 06, 2025
Duration
15m

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Table of Contents
  1. Challenge

    Confirm the Kernel Module

    Confirm the kernel module:

    sudo modprobe ecryptfs
    
  2. Challenge

    Install eCryptfs Packages

    Install eCryptfs packages using zypper command on SUSE:

    $ sudo zypper install ecryptfs-utils
    
  3. Challenge

    Add Passphrase to Kernel Keyring

    Add a passphrase to kernel keyring. Be sure to save the key signature, as it will be required when mounting the filesystem:

    $ ecryptfs-add-passphrase
    $ export KSIG=
    
  4. Challenge

    Create Directories

    For encrypted data:

    $ mkdir secret-enc 
    

    For decrypted data:

    $ mkdir secret
    
  5. Challenge

    Mount the Filesystem

    Confirm the environment variable $KSIG was properly set from ecryptfs-add-passphrase in previous step:

    $ echo $KSIG
    $ sudo mount -i -t ecryptfs secret-enc/ secret/ -o ecryptfs_sig=$KSIG,ecryptfs_fnek_sig=$KSIG,ecryptfs_cipher=aes,ecryptfs_key_bytes=32,ecryptfs_unlink_sigs
    
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