Server encryption

[David Karapetyan]

Yes, having to enter the password in after reboot is a bit of a pain.  
That is not all; the encrypted drive must be fsck'd as well, which is a 
bit annoying. At present, I encrypt secure documents on my laptop, and 
leave my server unencrypted; thanks to your input, I will continue to do 
so. Thank you. 

On Tue, Mar 03, 2009 at 03:18:57PM -0500, Bill Moran wrote:
> In response to David Karapetyan <dkarapet at nd.edu>:
> 
> > Hello, I was wondering if it was a worthwhile endeavor to encrypt a 
> > backup hard drive on a server that I currently have in my office at 
> > school (I am a graduate student). I do have sensitive data on it 
> > (backups of my mail, as well as an msmtprc file that contains the 
> > password to a gmail account of mine). I am not particularly worried 
> > about theft of my server, but you never know. Am I simply being 
> > paranoid, or is there a considerable risk when one does not encrypt?
> 
> If you don't encrypt the data and the server is stolen, the thief
> has your data if he wants it.
> 
> If you do encrypt it, the thief has to go to considerable length to
> steal the system without powering it down, and even then it's difficult
> to get the actual data.
> 
> Most thieves don't care about your data.  The value of the hardware is
> enough, and they'll probably reformat the HDD with a bootleg Windows
> Vista install anyway.
> 
> You have to decide for yourself whether you feel the risk justifies
> the effort.  Keep in mind that if you encrypt the drive, you'll have
> to enter the password any time the system is rebooted (such as after
> a power outage).
> 
> Hope this helps.
> 
> -- 
> Bill Moran
> http://www.potentialtech.com
> http://people.collaborativefusion.com/~wmoran/

-- 
--
Best,
David Karapetyan
http://davidkarapetyan.com
University of Notre Dame
Department of Mathematics
255 Hurley Hall
Notre Dame, IN 46556-4618
Phone: 574-631-5706
Cell:  202-460-5173
Fax:   574-631-6579