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#1 2025-08-23 13:25:53

flatmoll
Member
Registered: 2024-12-01
Posts: 71

Encrypted Linux before Windows advice

Greetings! My uni requires me to install a Windows/Mac-only virtualization-aware app, and I am considering dual-booting.
The problem I have is that - I encrypted my root partition (see output below), and replaced MS keys with my own using sbctl to use secure boot (but kept MS CA, though).

https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Dual_b … re_Windows suggests to allocate a partition, but wouldn't it corrupt encryption? Wouldn't Windows installer treat my root partition as ciphertext junk and try to manipulate it? How to reacquire the space back when I no longer need this app, (making it back btrfs and extending (?) previously shrunk encryption)?

Thank you for your attention to this issue!

[moll@f ~]$ lsblk -f
NAME        FSTYPE      FSVER LABEL UUID                                 FSAVAIL FSUSE% MOUNTPOINTS
zram0       swap        1     zram0 c9d2949a-8208-456e-9d4f-c83d18b0709c                [SWAP]
nvme0n1                                                                                 
├─nvme0n1p1 vfat        FAT32       9B87-6460                             843.9M    17% /boot
└─nvme0n1p2 crypto_LUKS 2           2dd81ed0-4d3e-4346-b9af-f522f9a9ecbe                
  └─root    btrfs                   bfb66708-e907-4fc8-8b10-0058006b4073    833G    12% /var/log
                                                                                        /var/cache/pacman/pkg
                                                                                        /home
                                                                                        /
[moll@f ~]$ sudo cryptsetup status root
/dev/mapper/root is active and is in use.
  type:    LUKS2
  cipher:  aes-xts-plain64
  keysize: 512 [bits]
  key location: keyring
  device:  /dev/nvme0n1p2
  sector size:  512 [bytes]
  offset:  32768 [512-byte units] (16777216 [bytes])
  size:    1998274560 [512-byte units] (1023116574720 [bytes])
  mode:    read/write

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#2 2025-08-23 14:18:33

cryptearth
Member
Registered: 2024-02-03
Posts: 2,104

Re: Encrypted Linux before Windows advice

had to re-read it several times but I'm still not sure
the application you're required to install can detect it's run in a virtualized OS and hence a vm isn't an option?
if so: what the crap is this supposed to be/do? and why is it vm-aware and what would be the penalty to just don't give a crap and run it in a vm anyway?

to put it this way: unless you live in some "type" of country I doubt the university has the power to enforce this on yor personal device - and likely doesn't have the power to kick you out - otherwise I would request a device supplied by them because they can't enforce you to spent for a windows licence either

there's so much so fishy with this I question the overall "requirement" by lack of power of enforcement

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#3 2025-08-24 00:37:47

flatmoll
Member
Registered: 2024-12-01
Posts: 71

Re: Encrypted Linux before Windows advice

@cryptearth Yes, other students have tried to run this app with Wine and then inside a VM (QEMU and Virtualbox), but unsuccessfully.

Context (a little digressive though):

I am a first year student in a big state university, which began to use a "lockdown browser" during coronavirus to prevent cheating during exams for lower level classes. Some classes still continue to do it for some reason, despite exams now being in-person. Happily, I have heard that upper level classes are better in terms of software compatibility with free operating systems.

I see your point, it discards privacy and (as you can see) causes significant headaches right in the beginning of semester, but still, I have to find a way to get through this.

N.B. They do loan out laptops, but It is not guaranteed that a laptop will be available before every test (they only give it for a week), and the program will close permanently in the end of this semester.

Last edited by flatmoll (2025-08-24 00:42:29)

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