Veracrypt alternative (needs hidden volume / partition)

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Veracrypt alternative (needs hidden volume / partition)

Postby darkskinnedneighboor » Sun Jul 22, 2018 11:53 am

Veracrypt doesn't exist on the archlinuxarm repo and can't be compiled through github. So my question is: is there any program that can create a hidden volume / partition and encrypt it like veracrypt? I'm not merely looking for a program that creates an encrypted volume or partition but it also need the ability to have a hidden part as well!
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Re: Veracrypt alternative (needs hidden volume / partition)

Postby graysky » Sun Jul 22, 2018 1:24 pm

Why use a 3rd party alternative to cryptsetup?!
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Re: Veracrypt alternative (needs hidden volume / partition)

Postby darkskinnedneighboor » Sun Jul 22, 2018 5:21 pm

because veracrypt allows me to create a hidden volume. Does cryptsetup allow me to create a hidden volume that looks like random data and NOTHING else? No "encrypted partition flag / format"?
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Re: Veracrypt alternative (needs hidden volume / partition)

Postby graysky » Sun Jul 22, 2018 8:01 pm

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Re: Veracrypt alternative (needs hidden volume / partition)

Postby darkskinnedneighboor » Sun Jul 22, 2018 9:03 pm

When I press CTRL + F and search for "hidden", literally nothing about hidden volumes comes up. Yes you can create a fs that looks like a bunch of random data of nothingness, just like the hidden partition is on veracrypt. The question is, why would there be a "random" partition that is filled with random data from nowhere? Veracrypt solves this because it actually allocates this random part and has by default a segment which is just random data. This random data can be used as a disguise, which cryptsetup cannot do since it will literally be a, for example, luks formated partition with no context, which is susp.
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Re: Veracrypt alternative (needs hidden volume / partition)

Postby graysky » Sun Jul 22, 2018 11:06 pm

Bah, write out random data to the partition before encrypting. I do it with all my removable media.

$this->bbcode_second_pass_code('', '
cryptsetup open --type plain /dev/sdb1 partb --key-file /dev/random

dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/mapper/partb status=progress
16006193664 bytes (16 GB, 15 GiB) copied, 2807 s, 5.7 MB/s
dd: writing to '/dev/mapper/partb': No space left on device
31264736+0 records in
31264735+0 records out

cryptsetup close partb

cryptsetup -v --use-random luksFormat /dev/sdb1
cryptsetup luksOpen /dev/sdb1 mobile')
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Re: Veracrypt alternative (needs hidden volume / partition)

Postby darkskinnedneighboor » Mon Jul 23, 2018 7:17 am

The cryptsetup method enables me to give the key to the encrypted partition and when the encrypted partition is opened there is just sample files that aren't actually serious? Yes I can write the whole disk with random data but if, for example, if the police comes here then they have the right to see whats in the encrypted partition. What's neat about Veracrypt is it, by default, allocates a part of random data when you create an encrypted partition. Now this random data can be used as a legitimate space, hence hidden, and cannot be proven by anyone that it's an encrypted partition. Now if I encrypt a partition with cryptsetup then anyone with a badge have the right to see what's in there. In the case of veracrypt I can give them a passwd and they open the whole partition, let's say 30 GB, with this key but there will just be 15 GB worth of files in there. The file system will be shown as 30 GB but it's actually only displaying the 15 GB I've put in there and not the other 15 GB that is hidden. However if I enter the OTHER key then a 15 GB partition gets unlocked, the hidden one, where the real 15 GB worth of files are. Does cryptsetup have the ability to render 30GB as 2 encrypted partitions where the other one is disguised within the whole part and cannot be proven to be anything other than random data? No, hence why I'm asking.
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Re: Veracrypt alternative (needs hidden volume / partition)

Postby ufo6000 » Mon Jul 23, 2018 4:05 pm

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('graysky', 'B')ah, write out random data to the partition before encrypting. I do it with all my removable media.

This has nothing to do with the veracrypt feature "Hidden volumes" - seems there is a misunderstanding!

@ darkskinnedneighboor:
If verycrypt does not build under archarm, is (the older) truecrypt an option for you ? Package truecrypt is still available in archarm repo...
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Re: Veracrypt alternative (needs hidden volume / partition)

Postby ufo6000 » Mon Jul 23, 2018 5:08 pm

@ darkskinnedneighboor

There is another idea, maybe it has to be checked and proven:

- download or create a big video file - a real one, working
- setup as loopdevice
- use cryptsetup, type plain, not luks (with headers),
- use --offset=SECTORS and overwrite the video at offset xyz with your cryptdevice

Someone who looks at the filesystem finds a video, were the beginning is playable, but somewhere later it's broken - who will care ?

Not as good as "Hidden volumes", but maybe it works for you ?
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Re: Veracrypt alternative (needs hidden volume / partition)

Postby darkskinnedneighboor » Tue Jul 24, 2018 9:38 am

It could probably work but it's too messy for my taste...
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