Hacklog Volume 1 Anonymity: it security & Ethical Hacking Handbook

encrypting  a  partition.  It’s  up  to  you  to  decide  which  is  the  most  convenient
situation.

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2)
     
The second part brings another dilemma: standard or hidden encryption?
In the first case, if you don’t use an unlocking passphrase, you won’t be able to
access the folder/partition; in the second one, you may use a second passphrase,
replacing  the  main  one,  so  that,  if  you  are  forced  to  decrypt  the  partition,  you
may decide which passphrase (and then which partition or container) to expose.
However,  it  would  still  be  possible  to  compare  the  visible  files  size  with  the
available space in the partition, and understand this is a hoax, but it’s better than
nothing anyway.
3)
(Optional) If you choose the container and not the partition, specify where
to store it.
4)
Now, choose the algorithm type. You can use the available configuration.
In case of doubt, please refer to the “Encryption” chapter.
5)
Choose how much space to allocate to the container or volume.
6)
Now, you have to choose a password. If you chose the Hidden option, you
will have to complete this step twice: the first one for the “fake password”.
7)
     
(Optional)  During  the  creation,  you  will  be  prompted  if  you  wish  to
enable the PIM, a multiplier introduced in the latest Veracrypt versions, allowing
to specify a numeric value for your combination (it must have a minimum of 20
characters,  though).  The  PIM  multiplies  the  chances  of  finding  a  key:  if  you
specify a PIM value between 1 and 485, n^485 is the probability of finding the
password, meaning that  you will multiply  your password security  by 485. This
measure  could  be  excessive,  considering  that  a  24-character  password  that  was
encrypted  in  512-bit  AES  can  be  forced,  but  this  operation  would  require  the
same lifespan of the universe. Just saying...
8)
     
(Optional) You can also use a keyfile, in other words an auto-generated
file  containing  a  password.  Such  option  may  be  safer  than  a  normal  password,
since it would contain any kind of character, not limited to the keyboard layout
charset; furthermore, it protects against keylogging attacks.
9)
Now it’s time to choose the partition type. In order to know which works
best,  I  recommend  you  read  the  drawbacks  under  the  “Truecrypt”  chapter.
Personally, I always prefer an exFAT file system, since it’s quite compatible with
my systems; feel free to choose the best fit for you anyway.

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10)
Choose if you wish to enable the Cross Platform support option. This can
be  useful,  for  example,  if  you’re  using  macOS  and  you  wish  to  minimize  the
volume risks.
11)
If  not  already  shown,  you’ll  find  a  loading  bar  moved  by  your  mouse.
This  feature  allows  you  to  generate  a  random  encryption  key,  based  on  the
erratic mouse movement. The more you move the mouse, the harder will be to
crack the encryption key.
The volume is now created. Proceed to mount the drive or file, according to
your choices:
1)
Select an empty slot
2)
Choose Select File or Select Device
3)
Click Mount
4)
Type the passphrase or load the keyfile
5)
Enter your user account password to let the System generate a new virtual
partition
If you’re following this guide using Debian, you’ll get an error and won’t be
able to proceed, because you user is not authorized to create a virtual partition.
To  do  it,  you  need  to  add  your  user  to  the  sudo  users  list.  Run  the  following
commands from the Terminal:
$ su
$ visudo
Add the user to the end of the file (in this case it’s stefano9lli, but change it
according to your own):
stefano9lliALL=(ALL) ALL
(Keep  in  mind  that  the  first  space  is  assigned  by  the  [TAB]  key  of  your
keyboard,  while  the  second  is  a  normal  space.)  Save  using  the  CTRL+X