On Mon, Mar 23, 2009 at 12:54 PM, David Brownlee <abs%netbsd.org@localhost>
wrote:
Without something like TPM, doesn't solve the unattended server
problem, though perhaps that does require a more complex solution
(such as a ramdisk or small root partition, over which / is remounted)
to allow the key to be stored in a more flexible manner.
Could you clarify how the latter would work - is the intention
to allow the system to boot up to a point where the administrator
can connect in to finish cgd configuration and remount?
No, it's much more simplistic than that -- storage of a (possibly
partial) key on a removable device so that the machine can fully start
unattended, but only with the extra media device in place. Sort of a
"poor man's TPM". This provides some of the benefits of encryption,
such as in-built resistance to media-level data forensics, and
unreadability of the physical disk outside of the machine in which it
was installed. The idea is to make a common attacker (someone who
might run off with a pulled-out drive) eventually not so common.