.files

Notes

Encrypting a USB Drive with LUKS on Linux¹

Encryption Process

1. Identify the disk with fdisk

sudo fdisk -l

1. Encrypt the device

sudo cryptsetup luksFormat --type luks2 /dev/sdSOMETHING

1. Unlock the device with:

sudo cryptsetup luksOpen /dev/sdSOMETHING NAME

1. Write a filesystem in it

# Choose any filesytem you'd like. ext4 is often enough.
sudo mkfs -t ext4 -V /dev/mapper/DEVICE

Note

Consider making a smaller, non-encrypted partition to leave a note such as “return to” information.

1. Mount the device

# /mnt/DEVICE seems to be the preferred mount location.
sudo mount /dev/mapper/DEVICE /where/you/want/it/to/be

Note

Don’t forget to umount before removing the device!

Usage

Mounting

sudo cryptsetup luksOpen /dev/sdSOMETHING DEVICE
sudo mount /dev/mapper/DEVICE /where/you/want/it/to/be
    

Unmounting

sudo umount /where/you/want/it/to/be
sudo cryptsetup luksClose DEVICE
    

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References

¹ Thoss, S. (2021) Encrypt a usb drive with luks on linux. Stefandroid Blog. Available at: https://blog.stefandroid.com/2021/02/08/encrypt-usb-drive-with-luks.html (Accessed: March 31, 2025).