I have access to a server that I use for backups. I use rsync with the --delete flag to make an exact copy of my backup directory. I have no need for incremental backups. The backup directory on the server is encrypted with ecryptfs (although not the whole home folder). I have written a script which is stored locally and executes over ssh on the server which:
- Decrypts and mounts the directory
- Performs rsync
- Unmounts the directory
- Sends me an email
The password to decrypt the directory is stored on the local machine. I am using:
key=passphrase:passphrase_passwd_file=/home/me/password.txt
in the mount command. My question is; does this pose any sort of security risk? I can't see that it does but I noted on the ecryptfs man page that using passphrase_passwd option (which I realise is different to the one above) should only be used when security is not important as the password is visible to utilities like ps. Permissions on my folder are set to 700.