3 ms·

Encryption at rest is misleading. It is often used to describe an insecure situation consisting of disk encryption only instead of encrypted data store values.

thom 2y ago
The article explains why the former is often just security theatre.
- tasn 2y ago
  Calling it security theater is a bit harsh, though it's definitely not a cure all solution. It does protect against physically taking of and improper disposal of HDs when done correctly. Which can be quite a significant vector.
  - klabb3 2y ago
    It’s not security theatre in the rare case that the stated goals is to protect against physical attacks, or for hardware disposal. If the goal is to put “military grade encryption” sticker in the sales deck, or to pass some certification, or to create a vague cloud of plausibility that you’re taking security seriously in some other way, then absolutely it’s security theatre. It deserves to be called out.
    - jeffbee 2y ago
      It's not "theater" if the customer requires that certification.
      - mbb70 2y ago
        If the customer wants a show, give them a show. Doesn't make it not theater.
doubled112 2y ago
Encryption at rest is great if I forget my laptop on a bus. Reduces it to a VISA problem. But who is stealing data off of servers by taking the server? Maybe it saves you when you dispose of the disks? Maybe a home server in a break in? This has always seemed obvious to me.
- zsims 2y ago
  There are other paths to the attack he mentioned. Eg you find an API that accepts ciphertext or part of. Or a cloud backup/restore flow. Likely you need another vulnerability but it does happen.
- erinnh 2y ago
  I can think of two reasons: - Physically moving servers outside of the cages they are supposed to be in. (inside/outside DC) - Easier to dispose of disks (repair/EOL)
- dspillett 2y ago
  > But who is stealing data off of servers by taking the server? Away from pure bare metal, in the presence of bugs in security separation someone could steal data simply by having a VM on the same server as yours. Encryption at-rest with each VM or service/account having their own keys removes the risk of data accidentally becoming visible in another environment that is sharing the hardware. Though the chance of some useful data being revealed this way is pretty small on large scale cloud installations, and if you are using a cheap VPS host for sensitive data you might not be valuing your data enough.
- immibis 2y ago
  It has happened before that disks have been taken from servers in third-party data centers. Most commonly by the feds, but also by other actors. Do you control the physical security of your server?

thom 2y ago

The article explains why the former is often just security theatre.

tasn 2y ago
Calling it security theater is a bit harsh, though it's definitely not a cure all solution. It does protect against physically taking of and improper disposal of HDs when done correctly. Which can be quite a significant vector.
- klabb3 2y ago
  It’s not security theatre in the rare case that the stated goals is to protect against physical attacks, or for hardware disposal. If the goal is to put “military grade encryption” sticker in the sales deck, or to pass some certification, or to create a vague cloud of plausibility that you’re taking security seriously in some other way, then absolutely it’s security theatre. It deserves to be called out.
  - jeffbee 2y ago
    It's not "theater" if the customer requires that certification.
    - mbb70 2y ago
      If the customer wants a show, give them a show. Doesn't make it not theater.

doubled112 2y ago

Encryption at rest is great if I forget my laptop on a bus. Reduces it to a VISA problem. But who is stealing data off of servers by taking the server? Maybe it saves you when you dispose of the disks? Maybe a home server in a break in? This has always seemed obvious to me.

zsims 2y ago
There are other paths to the attack he mentioned. Eg you find an API that accepts ciphertext or part of. Or a cloud backup/restore flow. Likely you need another vulnerability but it does happen.
erinnh 2y ago
I can think of two reasons: - Physically moving servers outside of the cages they are supposed to be in. (inside/outside DC) - Easier to dispose of disks (repair/EOL)
dspillett 2y ago
> But who is stealing data off of servers by taking the server? Away from pure bare metal, in the presence of bugs in security separation someone could steal data simply by having a VM on the same server as yours. Encryption at-rest with each VM or service/account having their own keys removes the risk of data accidentally becoming visible in another environment that is sharing the hardware. Though the chance of some useful data being revealed this way is pretty small on large scale cloud installations, and if you are using a cheap VPS host for sensitive data you might not be valuing your data enough.
immibis 2y ago
It has happened before that disks have been taken from servers in third-party data centers. Most commonly by the feds, but also by other actors. Do you control the physical security of your server?