Disk Encryption and PGP

http://live.pirillo.com - PGP's "Whole Disc Encryption" sounds like a good idea. Everything is protected! But, what about the drawbacks of that? What about the fact that it's considered a 'feature'... one that can be disabled anytime a user chooses?

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[TheAmericanLinguist]

TrueCrypt is a great product but if you don't have full system encryption, temporary files are deleted insecurely by the OS and then can easily be recovered. Also keys can be found in the virtual memory up to 5 minutes after the computer is shut down, problems faced by all encryption utilities. There are, however, tools that overwrite unused disk space (one included on PGP) . The bottom line is PGP is fine unless you're hiding stuff from NSA and in that case, you're screwed anyway.

[b1naryd1g1t5]

@tonyrueb

If you think a supercomputer can find the two primes, you do not understand the size of the numbers we're talking about here. It would take longer than the age of the universe to factor a 2048 bit RSA modulus using ALL the computing power on earth. It simply ain't happening based on our current knowledge of factoring algorithms.

So, even though there is a fixed number of possibilities for a key, the possibilities are so numerous as to be essentially infinite to an attacker.

[tonyrueb]

@b1naryd1g1t5 - i also wish to add, it is done all the time people, PGP is not safe from people why have the money to buy super computers that can crack the code. on my personal PC, yes your primes are safe, but if i had access to more powerful computing, it wouldn't be

[tonyrueb]

@b1naryd1g1t5 - you are correct, there are an infinite amount of primes. however you need to read better. i said "there is a large but finite amount of numbers that = the key" not there is a large but finite amount of numbers that could be the key, but that is = to the key.

plus we can eliminate primes that are to large, for example, chances are PGP does not use primes that are million digits long. thus making it finite.

i do understand number theory, and cryptography quite well infact

[b1naryd1g1t5]

@tonyrueb

BS. There are an infinite number of primes (go read up on number theory). We will never run out of primes and the probability of someone guessing the two primes used to generate keys is infinitesimal

[TLucretiusCarus]

You know, I have to disagree with the guests on this show. I highly doubt that the strength of whole disk encryption is based on whether or not it's opened source. Listen to the way they talk, e.g. The only solution is an OpenSource solution.* To me that's a bit biased but I can understand where they're coming from. - How many users really download these applications with their source code, compare hashes, and fully understand what's going on? Encryption is based on so many mathematical factors.

[necro1234yahoo]

So to make it clearer,you the owner of the drive who has the symmetric password needs to activate the feature yourself via cmd line with your password to get this done in the first place,so if someone who has the rights to do it, does it, so what?.....whos fault is it if you then dumb enough not to ensure the machine boots so its deactivated automatically,these pll on this call dont have a clue about the function what so ever.

[necro1234yahoo]

Yes by default its not on,this is all FUD,the bypass is activated by cmd line by a user who has authentication to the disk in question and will deactivate itself after the 1st reboot,its in place for admins doing upgrades that require a reboots so that they can RDP to the machine in question.

[WolfSilentheart]

Can't you just......not turn it on?