Can Disk Encryption encrypt ext3 drives?

[Guest]

[psych1610]

Hi, just wondering if Comodo Disk Encryption can encrypt ext3 drives. In the tools -> key tools menu I have options to encrypt drives C, F, G, and H. These are all partitions of the same hard drive. F, G, and H are formatted using ext3. F is a shared drive for data while the other two contain a Linux OS.

I can successfully add disk C (NTFS) to the USB Key, however trying to add disk F-H doesn't work properly under some encryption algorithms it seems. It also seems to get the partition numbering all wrong. It calls drive F which it does create the key for encryption algorithm XOR partition 4 when it is actually 2. Additionally, under some algorithms it gets the size of drive F wrong, calling it 25 GB when it is actually 91 GB.

Another example: When Drive C is added to the key list it appears correctly. Disk Encryption product calls it 25 GB using Blowfish Algorithm.

When Drive F is done afterwards Disk Encryption also calls in 25 GB using XOR algorithm. I suspect the results will be the same regardless of algorithm used as long as Drive C is done first and drive F done second the size is duplicated rather than reported correctly.

When I try to add partition G the size of 91 GB (the actual size of partition F) is reported to me. Additionally it is reported as partition 4 when it is actually 3.

When I try to add partition H the size of 8 GB (the actual size of partition G) is reported to me.  Additionally it is reported as partition 2 when it is actually 4.

Furthermore, the disks that have problems in numbering and the reporting of size also appear as if they are able to be added again, while drive C does not. This leads me to believe ext3 can not be encrypted, however, I'm not actually trying to encrypt so much as trying to add data to the USB key to unlock it in the future. The two methods must be tied in though?

It seems like its a bug and if it is actually viewed as one from developers I'll move this there.



Also a note, perhaps a "default" encryption algorithm and hash algorithm can be selected for the majority of people who have no idea what the actual encryption algorithms do or how they work (like me) and just want their disk protected? Having to choose from the options without knowing anything about the choices is a bit daunting and may cause a user to randomly pick one like I did.


Dave

[Ionut Manolache]

Hello,

Comodo Disk Encryption Beta 1 can not encrypt ext3 volumes.

To encrypt a drive, you need to initialize the usb drive as a CDE Key by pressing Create New USB Key button from the Key tools dialog. After that just go to the Drives Tab page and right click on a drive and chose "Encrypt" option. Type there your encryption settings. The encryption settings will be added to the usb key automatically by CDE and you will see its after the encryption process will be finished in the key tools dialog, so do not remove the usb key, or close the application during encryption process.

That option "Add Entry" from "Key tools" menu is not for encrypting a drive. That option is for Usb key recovery.
Example: Your drive d:\ is encrypted but you don't have the usb key. So if you remember the encryption settings you can create an empty usb key and after that just add drive d:\ as a encrypted partition by typing the encryption settings (the password, hash algorithm, cipher algorithm).

[psych1610]

I think I get it, or at least I'm trying to. Thanks for the quick response here!

Can you explain the weird sizes being presented for the drives or the numbering scheme for them? This was way off and I'm not sure it was explained by your post there? If it was, please tell me. It's entirely possible I'm not seeing it.

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