NCryptfs: A Secure and Convenient Cryptographic File System
Charles P. Wright, Michael C. Martino, Erez Zadok · 2003
Often, increased security comes at the expense of user convenience, performance, or compatibility with other systems. The right level of security depends on specific site and user needs, which must be carefully balanced. We have designed and built a new cryptographic file system called NCryptfs with the primary goal of allow-ing users to tailor the level of security vs. convenience to fit their needs. Some of the features NCryptfs sup-ports include multiple concurrent ciphers and authenti-cation methods, separate per-user name spaces, ad-hoc groups, challenge-response authentication, and transpar-ent process suspension and resumption based on key va-lidity. Our Linux prototype works as a stackable file system and can be used to secure any file system. Per-formance evaluation of NCryptfs shows a minimal user-visible overhead. 1