I was recently intrigued to learn that only half of the respondents to a survey said that they used disk encryption. Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows have been increasingly using encryption by default. On the other hand, while most Linux installers I’ve encountered include the option to encrypt, it is not selected by default.

Whether it’s a test bench, beater laptop, NAS, or daily driver, I encrypt for peace of mind. Whatever I end up doing on my machines, I can be pretty confident my data won’t end up in the wrong hands if the drive is stolen or lost and can be erased by simply overwriting the LUKS header. Recovering from an unbootable state or copying files out from an encrypted boot drive only takes a couple more commands compared to an unencrypted setup.

But that’s just me and I’m curious to hear what other reasons to encrypt or not to encrypt are out there.

  • @scholar
    link
    910 hours ago

    1 torx screwdriver 1 hammer

    not the hardest thing to scratch up the platters and then fold them into abstract art

    • @[email protected]
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      fedilink
      English
      39 hours ago

      I don’t bother to take out the screws. I just drill handful of holes trough the whole thing. Or if you’re really paranoid a MAP torch is enough to melt the whole thing (don’t breath the smoke).

    • @mholiv
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      29 hours ago

      True. This does work. But it is less secure and much harder than just tossing an encrypted HDD into an e-waste bin. It probably is more fun though. 🤔