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. :)

  • Prunebutt@feddit.deOP
    41·
    1 year ago

    Simple convenience. I usually don’t have the time to wait one or two minutes until my full disk is decrypted (I am often late and the only person in a group meeting who brought a laptop for taking minutes).

    I also use a weird keyboard layout (Neo 2) and I never got grub to load with that layout. Typing a 40+ passphrase in QWRETZ is just cumbersome to me.

    Also: I hate to admit it, but I am a bit vain and simply would like a nice gui for entering my password.

    Edit: I forgot to add that I’m playing with the idea of getting a surface tablet and installing linux on it. Then I couldn’t count on awlays having a usb keyboard with me.

    • loutr@sh.itjust.works
      91·
      1 year ago

      I have a LUKS-encrypted laptop (1GB SSD), it takes about 10 seconds between typing in the password and the start of the boot process.

    • Zikeji@programming.devEnglish
      7·
      1 year ago

      You can setup FDE that utilizes TPM like Windows does with bitlocker, in such a way that your backup phrase is only necessary if something about your hardware changes.

      Last I set it up however, there wasn’t any easy/automatic way. Searching “luks TPM” should get you started.

      • Prunebutt@feddit.deOP
        22·
        1 year ago

        I need more than data security at rest. Reading out the keys from ram is well within my threat model.

          • Prunebutt@feddit.deOP
            2·
            1 year ago

            Care to elaborate why? I thought that systemd can encrypt your home partition when locking your device.

            • wildbus8979@sh.itjust.works
              1·
              1 year ago

              When locking the device sure, but you could achieve a higher level of security by turning off the machine, or using hibernate with encrypted swap. Boot on my machine with FDE and an NVME sad literally takes seconds anyway…

        • skilltheamps@feddit.de
          21·
          1 year ago

          Haha are you serious? In that case nothing short of full disk encryption and secure boot with your own keys is remotely adequate. Do you realize, that just encrypting your /home is at most a mild obscurity measure? If an attacker has potentially access to your computer and parts of it are unencrypted or unsigned, they could easily install a keylogger that sends out your data and/or password the next time you use your computer?!

          If your situation is not just a psychological case of paranoia, but a real threat, then you absolutely need to work on your security knowledge a good amount!

          • Prunebutt@feddit.deOP
            26·
            1 year ago

            I don’t really hppreciate your tone. Could you be a little less of a dick, please?

            Keyloggers aren’t in my threat model (i.e.: they aren’t in the MO of my potential attackers).

      • Prunebutt@feddit.deOP
        11·
        1 year ago

        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.