Is encrypting a /home directory suggested?

[Ric Moore]

On 12/20/2011 01:47 AM, LinuxIsOne wrote:
> On Tue, Dec 20, 2011 at 7:58 AM, Ric Moore<wayward4now at gmail.com>  wrote:
>
>> Depends on what you have on your computer. I don't have a blessed thing that
>> I would care one way or the other if someone got my machine. I don't have
>> banking data or credit card info stored. I don't trust the net, so I use my
>> machine with that in mind. Someone would have to break into the house to
>> grab it and lug it away causing a probable groin injury.
>
>> But, if I was using a laptop, and traveled with it while carrying
>> personal/business financial files or official state secrets, then I would go
>> for the overhead of encryption. So, it all depends on your particular use
>> case. There must be some sort of system penalty, performance-wise, with all
>> that encryption/decryption going on all the time. Since I don't use it, I
>> can't say one way or the other. But, I suspect there would be some. Ric
>
> In fact I do have - important office documents which are used on daily
> basis, important email which are sent on daily basis and daily chating
> with the clients of the company. At times, bank transactions are made
> weekly, some utility bills are paid online and traveling tickets are
> too made online. Some crucial data too exists and a file keeping
> important office notices. Apart from it - movies, songs, pictures,
> collection of rare things found here and there on the internet. Seeing
> all these I would try to encrypt then in the next LTS. However, I have
> installed 'gufw' and enabled it so that I can be more secured.

I can see your documents, bank stuff, etc being worthy of encryption. 
But videos? I haven't a clue, but I can imagine zipping and unzipping 
megabytes worth of just one video and it seems that would some large 
system overhead... so hopefully those that know will chime in. I would 
like to know for myself, just how much system overhead would be 
incurred. Or what should be avoided. The upsides and downsides.

We'll both learn something new. :) Ric



-- 
My father, Victor Moore (Vic) used to say:
"There are two Great Sins in the world...
..the Sin of Ignorance, and the Sin of Stupidity.
Only the former may be overcome." R.I.P. Dad.
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