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Using cryptkeeper on a local network

PostPosted: Jul 31st, '19, 01:09
by rodgoslin
In a recent post, I was looking for a way of adding passworded access to directories. The upshot of this was to use cryptkeeper. Since a lot of my files lie on a NAS unit (Drobo) I decided to use this. It worked fine. I now have a directory where the files are encrypted and anonymously stored, and available across my LAN. The problem came when trying to set up access from another machine on the network. The obvious route for the setup was to import an existing EncFS folder, for which there is a utility. Navigating in this to the location on the NAS where the files sit, and where there is a .xxx_encfs folder. However whilst all the other files and directories in this directory are visible, the particular one required is not visible. The filemanager I use can see this hidden file but the utility cannot. It's a bit odd, since the example given in the utility is a . (hidden) file. Any ideas, anyone?

Re: Using cryptkeeper on a local network

PostPosted: Jul 31st, '19, 18:58
by jiml8
Based upon that previous thread, I installed cryptkeeper and started playing with it. I also researched it.

I quickly found this:
https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugrepo ... bug=852751

Now, it does not appear that cryptkeeper is receiving updates, and it also does not appear that Mageia 6 is using the corrected version of encfs that breaks cryptkeeper. Thus, entering p as the password on Mageia does not decrypt the files. Thus, the bug does not presently manifest on a Mageia 6 system. I don't know about Mageia 7 (yet).

As for your specific question, what protocol are you using to access your drobo from your other machine? I would guess your problem lies somewhere in that protocol, given that cryptkeeper apparently invokes encfs via a shell someplace in its code.

Re: Using cryptkeeper on a local network

PostPosted: Jul 31st, '19, 21:22
by rodgoslin
I saw the 'p' password bug. I'm still on Mga5 (Didn't like 6), and using 'p' as a password does not work, says "wrong password"
Access to the remote directory is by Samba (cifs), and works fine on both Mga5 and 7 (The other machine, that I'm evaluating).
The difficulty is that to import an existing setup, you have to invoke the encrypted directory by name (.(directoryname)_encfs), and while the file manager (Konqueror) can see the directory, and enter it, the import facility does not see it, nor has the means to enter the name. I attacked the problem from a different direction, and installed gnome-encfs-manager, which is merely a front end to EncFS. That too failed to see the encrypted directory, but it did have the facility to type a name in. That all seemed to work. I could tell the manager prog to mount the plaintext directory, which it did. However, on opening the plaintext directory, there was nothing in it.

Re: Using cryptkeeper on a local network

PostPosted: Jul 31st, '19, 21:41
by rodgoslin
This is what the import option should see:-
[rod@down Public]$ ls -la
total 124
drwxr-xr-x 2 rod rod 0 Jul 31 20:02 ./
drwxr-xr-x 5 root root 4096 Oct 7 2017 ../
drwxr-xr-x 2 rod rod 0 Apr 27 2016 Audio/
-rwxr-xr-x 1 rod rod 111799 Feb 24 04:06 bks_export.csv*
drwxr-xr-x 2 rod rod 0 Apr 3 22:44 Cartoons/
drwxr-xr-x 2 rod rod 0 Dec 4 2017 cdrips/
drwxr-xr-x 2 rod rod 0 Jul 4 06:48 Comedy/
drwxr-xr-x 2 rod rod 0 Jan 7 2019 Documentaries/
drwxr-xr-x 2 rod rod 0 Nov 19 2018 Drama/
drwxr-xr-x 2 rod rod 0 Feb 4 23:01 farscape odds/
drwxr-xr-x 2 rod rod 0 Jun 3 2017 Films/
drwxr-xr-x 2 rod rod 0 Dec 4 2017 iPlayer/
drwxr-xr-x 2 rod rod 0 Jun 4 2013 lost+found/
drwxr-xr-x 2 rod rod 0 Nov 19 2018 Music/
-rwxr-xr-x 1 rod rod 409 Feb 24 03:58 test1_export.csv*
drwxr-xr-x 2 rod rod 0 Jul 30 18:46 .ultra2_encfs/
[rod@down Public]$

The import function can see all of that save the final line of the list. It could be that since the directory is "hidden", the import function does not have the ability to see it, it is not seen. But the required entry is always hidden. So a circular problem. lol