Encrypted Volumes: Header Backup is Important!

So I’ve been reading more on cryptsetup man page and found this interesting excerpt:

If the header of a LUKS volume gets damaged, all data is permanently lost unless you have a header-backup. If a key-slot is damaged, it can only be restored from a header-backup or if another active key-slot with known passphrase is undamaged. Damaging the LUKS header is something people manage to do with surprising frequency. This risk is the result of a trade-off between security and safety, as LUKS is designed for fast and secure wiping by just overwriting header and key-slot area.

Expanding a LUKS encrypted disk image

Yesterday I wrote about How to create an encrypted LUKS disk image.

Today I wanted to experiment more with it. I wanted to try resizing a LUKS volume, and after one failed attempt I found a way. If you still have the disk image of yesterday’s example, just follow me. 🙂

How to create an encrypted LUKS disk image

This could be a great alternative if you have used TrueCrypt encrypted volumes.

I’ve been a TrueCrypt lover for a long time, even after it was allegedly killed. But now I’m starting to think that it’s not a good option for long term safekeeping of my memories. At time point in a future release of Linux if dependencies for TrueCrypt stop working that’s death to my archives.  Fortunately we have LUKS since 2004! After using LUKS for a couple of years I think it’s very reliable.