81 lines
1.8 KiB
Markdown
81 lines
1.8 KiB
Markdown
---
|
|
publish: true
|
|
permalink: /10-19 LIFE/13 TECH SETUP/13.11 APPS/VeraCrypt.md
|
|
title: VeraCrypt
|
|
created: 2026-01-29T14:04:18.863-07:00
|
|
modified: 2026-02-05T09:11:56.232-07:00
|
|
tags:
|
|
- encryption
|
|
- security
|
|
- backup
|
|
cssclasses: ""
|
|
---
|
|
|
|
VeraCrypt is free open-source disk encryption software. I use it predominantly for encrypting data on portable devices (see [[10-19 LIFE/13 TECH SETUP/13.12 PROCESSES/Backups]] for more details).
|
|
|
|
## Installation
|
|
|
|
**Arch Linux:**
|
|
```bash
|
|
sudo pacman -S veracrypt
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
**Other distributions:**
|
|
Download from https://veracrypt.io/en/Downloads.html
|
|
|
|
## Usage
|
|
|
|
### Create an encrypted volume
|
|
```bash
|
|
veracrypt -c
|
|
```
|
|
Follow the interactive prompts to:
|
|
1. Choose volume type (normal or hidden)
|
|
2. Select volume location (file or device)
|
|
3. Pick encryption algorithm (AES recommended)
|
|
4. Set volume size
|
|
5. Create password
|
|
|
|
### Mount a volume
|
|
```bash
|
|
# Mount to /mnt/veracrypt1 (default slot 1)
|
|
veracrypt /path/to/volume /mnt/veracrypt1
|
|
|
|
# Mount with specific slot
|
|
veracrypt --slot=2 /path/to/volume /mnt/veracrypt2
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
### Dismount
|
|
```bash
|
|
# Dismount specific volume
|
|
veracrypt -d /mnt/veracrypt1
|
|
|
|
# Dismount all
|
|
veracrypt -d
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
## Common Options
|
|
|
|
| Option | Description |
|
|
|--------|-------------|
|
|
| `-c` | Create new volume |
|
|
| `-d` | Dismount |
|
|
| `--slot=N` | Use slot N (1-64) |
|
|
| `-t` | Text mode (no GUI) |
|
|
| `--non-interactive` | For scripts |
|
|
| `-p PASSWORD` | Provide password (insecure, avoid) |
|
|
|
|
## Portable Drive Setup
|
|
|
|
For encrypted USB drives:
|
|
1. Create a file-hosted volume on the drive
|
|
2. Copy the portable VeraCrypt binary to the drive
|
|
3. Now usable on any machine without installation
|
|
|
|
## Tips
|
|
|
|
- Use keyfiles for additional security (combine with password)
|
|
- For full disk encryption on Linux, consider LUKS instead
|
|
- Hidden volumes provide plausible deniability
|
|
- Always safely eject before removing portable drives
|