eCryptfs

can I specify that some files are unencrypted inside an encrypted mount?

Asked by Anders Aagaard

I have an encrypted $HOME, and on this home I want everything encrypted by default. However, it'd be great to be able to specify on some big data files/directories that I want them unencrypted. For example using xattr/metadata.

This would allow me to by default keep everything encrypted, but to keep high performance on the files I know I don't need encrypted. Without doing stuff like symlinking in some files into big directory structures.

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Dustin Kirkland 
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Dustin Kirkland  (kirkland) said : 		#1

Just use a symlink to a file or directory outside of your encrypted home!

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Anders Aagaard (aagaande) said : 		#2

I can do that, but it plays havoc with my backup scripts, that's why I was looking for a solution without symlinking.

If it's not technically possible then that's fine, but I somehow have gotten it into my mind that encryptfs could solve this with some extended attributes or something.

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Best Dustin Kirkland  (kirkland) said : 		#3

Well, there is a "passthrough" option, but I don't think it works terribly well.

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Anders Aagaard (aagaande) said : 		#4

Hm, looks like it might work, but with filename encryption it's extremely hard to know where I'd put the files in the unencrypted directory :P

Oh well, seems there's no quick and easy way to do this, I'll stick with my symlinks, thanks!

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Anders Aagaard (aagaande) said : 		#5

Thanks Dustin Kirkland, that solved my question.