Open Source Summit Europe + ELC Europe 2017

The Linux kernel has a rich cryptographic API which provides access to a modular implementation of symmetric and asymmetric block ciphers, hashes and digests which are either software implemented, use cryptographic acceleration in the core itself or in an external hardware accelerator from both kernel and user space and is used extensively by familiar user facing software such as Android.

The same API is also cryptic, somewhat ill-documented, subject to change and can easily bite you in unexpected and painful ways.

This tutorial will provide a short introduction to cryptography terms, describe the Linux crypto API and what can it be used for, provide usage example and, time permitting, discuss some of the more interesting in-kernel users, such as DM-Crypt, DM-Verity and the new fie system encryption code.