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Encrypt Your Private Dropbox Data With EncFS

69 points by macco 15y ago

yaix 15y ago
I have been doing this for some time. Not with Dropbox but sync'ing the encrypted files to my own server with rsync. Install "Cryptkeeper" on Linux to have an tray icon to more conveniently mount and unmount.
r00fus 15y ago
This sounds great, I assume there's no way to view these files on an iOS device (which is still quite workable encryption - only for dekstop)
jacques_chester 15y ago
I've been happy with Tarsnap for encrypted remote backup purposes. I've got 8 months of daily snapshots, around 6Gb per shot. So far it's cost me around $7.
Astrohacker 15y ago
Thanks, this is a lot better than the truecrypt system I had set up. Although I have a sqlite database that seems not to work with this... that will be staying in the truecrypt file system.
codenerdz 15y ago
Im sorry, but the whole idea of Dropbox was simplicity. This method requires installation of two more pieces software on every machine that will need access to encrypted data and does not explain or guarantee that it will work across platforms which is what dropbox is all about(I can access same files on my phones, tablets, windows pcs, macs and web) I basically approach Dropbox as a tool that fits its purpose and this purpose unfortunately does not include properly encrypted data. So any sensitive documents would NOT go into dropbox. They would be backed up into an online backup that is encrypted on my side instead.
- jerf 15y ago
  I find myself wondering if you actually read the content. Your first paragraph seems like a response to the article, but then your second makes it look like you didn't. Are you encrypting your files via hand-calculations before putting it on Dropbox, or using a second software package you installed as a tool? In which case what exactly is so hard about using one of the transparent file systems, which both boast a decent array of OS support options, that you have some sort of solution for that doesn't involve installing something beyond Dropbox?
  - sorbus 15y ago
    I'm not sure if we both read the same comment. The second paragraph focuses on the fact that Dropbox is not suitable for sensitive content, and therefor he suggests using another service that offers client-side encryption (Tarsnap, possibly, as I think that it does that). He is not saying that he is putting encrypted files on Dropbox.
    - codenerdz 15y ago
      exactly, for sensitive data I use a different service that does client-side encryption: CrashPlan More on their encryption options here: http://www.crashplan.com/blog/tag/crashplan-encryption http://www.crashplan.com/blog/tag/crashplan-encryption
  - codenerdz 15y ago
    You misunderstood my response. I use Dropbox for syncing of non-sensitive data across devices. For sensitive data, I use something else entirely: Crashplan with client-side encryption
sigil 15y ago
This is better than TrueCrypt-on-Dropbox [1] in the sense that there's probably much less bandwidth inflation due to encryption, if any. However, with EncFS be warned: "Anyone having access to the source directory is able to see how many files are in the encrypted filesystem, what permissions they have, their approximate size, and the last time they were accessed or modified." [2] Since tarsnap does the block partitioning and encryption client-side, it doesn't suffer from either problem. [1] http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2546626 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2546626 [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EncFS http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EncFS
- hotice 15y ago
  The post was updated with a command to exclude the EncFS key file from being synced.
pbh 15y ago
This idea seems to come up every few months. Don't do it! (At least unless you seriously understand the caveats or something substantial has changed with encfs and/or Dropbox.) Here's my comment from a year and a half ago: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=895660 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=895660 ... and from a few months ago: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2454924 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2454924
derrida 15y ago
Or don't use dropbox, use rsync, disk encryption, cron and SSH. Works across Mac/Linux & SCP on windows. With rsync+ssh+cron+disk encryption, you have full responsibility. Competency with rsync is empowering and can be as simple as dropbox, and way way way more secure.

69 points by macco 15y ago

yaix 15y ago

I have been doing this for some time. Not with Dropbox but sync'ing the encrypted files to my own server with rsync. Install "Cryptkeeper" on Linux to have an tray icon to more conveniently mount and unmount.

r00fus 15y ago

This sounds great, I assume there's no way to view these files on an iOS device (which is still quite workable encryption - only for dekstop)

jacques_chester 15y ago

I've been happy with Tarsnap for encrypted remote backup purposes. I've got 8 months of daily snapshots, around 6Gb per shot. So far it's cost me around $7.

Astrohacker 15y ago

Thanks, this is a lot better than the truecrypt system I had set up. Although I have a sqlite database that seems not to work with this... that will be staying in the truecrypt file system.

codenerdz 15y ago

Im sorry, but the whole idea of Dropbox was simplicity. This method requires installation of two more pieces software on every machine that will need access to encrypted data and does not explain or guarantee that it will work across platforms which is what dropbox is all about(I can access same files on my phones, tablets, windows pcs, macs and web) I basically approach Dropbox as a tool that fits its purpose and this purpose unfortunately does not include properly encrypted data. So any sensitive documents would NOT go into dropbox. They would be backed up into an online backup that is encrypted on my side instead.

jerf 15y ago
I find myself wondering if you actually read the content. Your first paragraph seems like a response to the article, but then your second makes it look like you didn't. Are you encrypting your files via hand-calculations before putting it on Dropbox, or using a second software package you installed as a tool? In which case what exactly is so hard about using one of the transparent file systems, which both boast a decent array of OS support options, that you have some sort of solution for that doesn't involve installing something beyond Dropbox?
- sorbus 15y ago
  I'm not sure if we both read the same comment. The second paragraph focuses on the fact that Dropbox is not suitable for sensitive content, and therefor he suggests using another service that offers client-side encryption (Tarsnap, possibly, as I think that it does that). He is not saying that he is putting encrypted files on Dropbox.
  - codenerdz 15y ago
    exactly, for sensitive data I use a different service that does client-side encryption: CrashPlan More on their encryption options here: http://www.crashplan.com/blog/tag/crashplan-encryption http://www.crashplan.com/blog/tag/crashplan-encryption
- codenerdz 15y ago
  You misunderstood my response. I use Dropbox for syncing of non-sensitive data across devices. For sensitive data, I use something else entirely: Crashplan with client-side encryption

sigil 15y ago

This is better than TrueCrypt-on-Dropbox [1] in the sense that there's probably much less bandwidth inflation due to encryption, if any. However, with EncFS be warned: "Anyone having access to the source directory is able to see how many files are in the encrypted filesystem, what permissions they have, their approximate size, and the last time they were accessed or modified." [2] Since tarsnap does the block partitioning and encryption client-side, it doesn't suffer from either problem. [1] http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2546626 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2546626 [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EncFS http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EncFS

hotice 15y ago
The post was updated with a command to exclude the EncFS key file from being synced.

pbh 15y ago

This idea seems to come up every few months. Don't do it! (At least unless you seriously understand the caveats or something substantial has changed with encfs and/or Dropbox.) Here's my comment from a year and a half ago: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=895660 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=895660 ... and from a few months ago: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2454924 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2454924

derrida 15y ago

Or don't use dropbox, use rsync, disk encryption, cron and SSH. Works across Mac/Linux & SCP on windows. With rsync+ssh+cron+disk encryption, you have full responsibility. Competency with rsync is empowering and can be as simple as dropbox, and way way way more secure.