this post was submitted on 21 May 2026
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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Nothing at all is safe from the root account, or from any user that can elevate to root. Think of the root account as the system itself - the thing you're trying to protect may be encrypted and safe at rest if you've brought it in from elsewhere, but as soon as you enter a password and decrypt it, you're handing that password and decrypted data over to a system fully controlled by that root account.
Yes, there is. If a folder or file is encrypted (with a different password), it is safe from root too. That's what I'm after. Root can't change the password of an encrypted volume.
But root can scrape that password as soon as you enter it, and has access to that encrypted data as soon as you decrypt it. That's what I'm saying.
If you think anything on a *nix system is "safe" from root or a user that can elevate to root, you're deluding yourself with wishful thinking.