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#1 2022-07-26 01:12:59
- LowkeyUndergrounder
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- Registered: 2022-07-08
- Posts: 40
[SOLVED]Encrypt drive through LUKS without reformatting?
Greetings, it would have been nice to know if it is possible to actually use LUKS (or possibly any alternative) to easily encrypt already-used spaces on any disk, thanks.
Original post-name "Is it possible to encrypt drive through LUKS without reformatting?"
Last edited by LowkeyUndergrounder (2022-10-17 19:11:56)
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#2 2022-07-26 02:16:52
- HalosGhost
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- From: Twin Cities, MN
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Re: [SOLVED]Encrypt drive through LUKS without reformatting?
No. LUKS (and any encryption layer) operates by creating a container for the encrypted contents (sometimes covering a full partition, sometimes serving as a nested filesystem, etc.). So, there's no way to in-place encrypt a file unless its filetype natively supports some form of encryption (this is particularly true for LUKS which is most typically used covering a full partition rather than sitting underneath a filesystem).
You'll need to create a partition that you setup for LUKS encryption, and copy files into it. You could either do this via RAM (and a tmpfs), or another disk.
All the best,
-HG
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#3 2022-07-26 06:50:26
- nl6720
- The Evil Wiki Admin
- Registered: 2016-07-02
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Re: [SOLVED]Encrypt drive through LUKS without reformatting?
It's possible if the file system can be shrunk. See dm-crypt/Device encryption#Encrypt an existing unencrypted file system.
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#4 2022-07-26 12:58:01
- LowkeyUndergrounder
- Member
- Registered: 2022-07-08
- Posts: 40
Re: [SOLVED]Encrypt drive through LUKS without reformatting?
No. LUKS (and any encryption layer) operates by creating a container for the encrypted contents (sometimes covering a full partition, sometimes serving as a nested filesystem, etc.). So, there's no way to in-place encrypt a file unless its filetype natively supports some form of encryption (this is particularly true for LUKS which is most typically used covering a full partition rather than sitting underneath a filesystem).
You'll need to create a partition that you setup for LUKS encryption, and copy files into it. You could either do this via RAM (and a tmpfs), or another disk.
All the best,
-HG
Ahh damn, gotta change the disks the files are on a few times, thanks for the answer mate!
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