[Bug 1062623] Re: enable grub-2.00 boot-from-luks support

[Julian Andres Klode]

The new LUKS2 format stores the metadata in a JSON document which
requires a JSON parser in grub. Given that Ubuntu does not support
encrypted /boot partitions, the decision was made not to enable the
feature such as to prevent the JSON code from becoming an attack vector
to break secure boot.

Please note that encryption of /boot is security by obscurity: The data
is encrypted, but not authenticated so it is still subject to chosen
plaintext attacks, as is any encrypted data. You do not need obscurity
for public knowledge like kernel and initrd content, it's only valuable
for your personal private data.

A secure chain needs to authenticate the initrd against a certificate.
For example, Ubuntu Desktop TPM FDE offers fully authenticated early
boot environments.

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1062623

Title:
  enable grub-2.00 boot-from-luks support

Status in grub2 package in Ubuntu:
  Won't Fix

Bug description:
  (I suppose this comes too late in the release cycle to make the
  change, but perhaps it's simple enough:)

  With only minimal manual intervention, I found I could use today's
  Ubuntu Server 12.10 daily iso to install a system with luks+lvm and no
  separate /boot partition (which doesn't really have any security
  advantages, but it makes managing space on a smallish disk easier). If
  grub-installer could manage the final 2 steps below, it would all be
  fully automatic. Thanks!

  Steps:
  1: go through the default installer motions
  2: in partman, choose the manual option
  3: create a single, whole-disk primary partition, use it as a luks encrypted volume
  4: on top of that, create an lvm physical volume
  5: insert lvm logical volumes for swap and / (I used btrfs, probably irrelevant)
  6: finish remaining installer steps; find that grub install fails
  7: drop into shell, per alt+f2, and chroot to /target
  8: append "GRUB_CRYPTODISK_ENABLE=y" to /etc/default/grub
  9: run "grub-install /dev/sda" (replace sda etc etc), then "update-grub", reboot

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