Originally Posted By: artie505
I'm pretty sure that joemike has posted that full disk encryption in APFS High Sierra encrypts even free space.

You are correct that APFS (encrypted) and MacOS Extended (encrypted) formatted drives in Sierra and High Sierra are fully encrypted. That was not true in earlier versions of Filevault and I am not sure when full disk encryption was enabled but I do know it is the case in Sierra and High Sierra. The process of Filevaulting a drive is no small thing and can take days to complete (but you can still use the drive while that is in process).

Full data stream encryption of telecommunications has been used by the military for well over half a century. The surprise to me is it has taken this long to make its way into data storage security protocols. As Virtual1 so clearly pointed out, it only takes a tiny wedge to enable crypto analysts to get the data if they want it badly enough. With today's fast and relatively cheap computers even curiosity may be enough of an incentive to go after any data.


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein