Hi! I want to try out fedora workstation in the near future (once 39 is out) and was wondering if systemd-homed is ready for everyday use yet.
I’m a bit paranoid and really need my private data encrypted. However, I don’t think that full disk encryption is practical for my daily use. Therefore I was really looking forward to the encryption possibilities of systemd-homed.
However, after reading up on it, I was a bit discouraged. AFAIK, there’s no option to setup systemd-homed at installation (of fedora). I was an Arch then Manjaro, then Endeavour user for years but don’t have the time/patience anymore to configure major parrts of my system anymore. Also, the documentation doesn’t seem too noob-friendly to me, which also plays into the time/patience argument.
Is it ready? Can anyone seriously recommend it for a lazy ex-Arch user who doesn’t want to break another linux installation?
Thank you in advance. :)
I don’t think so. There’s a high likelihood of both laptop and key ending in the same hands if the laptop is stolen.
The concept of hardware key is precisely to be removed as soon as you are not in front of the device.
In my case, I’m using one this way. It is tethered to myself with a metal chain, so as soon as I’m not in front of my computer, they are separated and my sensitive data protected. Of course it won’t prevent someone from threatening to harm me in order to get access to said key, but he might as well do the same to get access to any kind of password.
Keys can be confiscated. But in most juristicions you can’t legally be forced to give up a password.
Please take the threat modelling of other people seriously without second guessing it. If people explain openly why they have a certain threat model, I might already give them away to potential attackers.
Unfortunately I’m in one of those jurisdiction where you have to give password if asked by a competent authority (France). If confiscation during transit is a threat in any place I go, my FIDO2 key take another route than I do.
That wouldn’t help if they search your home.
I’m appalled that France is already so anti-privacy. But unfortunately, I can’t say that I’m surprised.