Tomb is an open-source Linux CLI tool that creates and manages encrypted volumes using dm-crypt and LUKS. It wraps the standard kernel encryption stack in a simple shell script, with optional steganographic key hiding and FIDO2 support.
Reviewed by Gabriel Bachmann
Tomb
dyne.org/software/tomb No ratings yet. Be the first.
Rate Tomb: No account needed
Threat level
Hardened
A hardened pick. Worth the effort once you have chosen to shrink your footprint on purpose. Enough for most people. Threat levels
Our take
Tomb’s key strength is simplicity of implementation: the main program is a readable shell script built on top of dm-crypt and LUKS, which are the same primitives that underpin most Linux disk encryption. The optional steganographic key storage (hiding the key file inside a JPEG) is a genuinely useful operational security feature for adversarial scenarios. It is Linux-only and requires root access to mount volumes, so it does not fit casual desktop use. Reach for Tomb if you want auditable, composable encryption containers on Linux without adding new cryptographic dependencies.
GitHub at a glance
dyne/Tomb
Stars
1,576
+ 9 this week
Last commit
7mo ago
slowing
License
GPL-3.0
Stars, last 38d
Website at a glance
dyne.org
D- score 25
Weak website security headers
Graded by Mozilla HTTP Observatory, tested 7d ago
Inspect this site yourself
Measures the security configuration of the tool's own website, not the privacy of the product itself. A strong tool can still score low here.
Tomb alternatives
PrivacyNotes Zero-knowledge notes, tasks, files, passwords and journal secured by a single 12-word recovery phrase, with no email or password required. The crypto core and database schema are published for audit. No subscription model.
7-Zip File archiver with a high compression ratio and built-in encryption functionality.
FileVault FileVault is the built-in full-disk encryption feature in macOS. On Macs with Apple silicon or a T2 chip, data is encrypted by hardware by default; enabling FileVault adds a login-password gate that prevents decryption without your credentials.
BitLocker BitLocker is the built-in full-disk encryption feature in Windows Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions. It encrypts the operating system drive and fixed data drives using AES-XTS, with optional TPM-backed pre-boot authentication.
VERNAM A free, fully client-side file encryptor that runs in your browser. Drop in any file, set or generate a passphrase, and it seals the result into its own .vrn format. Nothing is ever uploaded, and it works offline.
VeraCrypt It can create a virtual encrypted disk that works just like a regular disk but within a file. It can also encrypt a partition or the entire storage device with pre-boot…
Tomb license, in plain English
GPL-3.0 Strong copyleft
Free to use and modify, but anything you distribute that is built on it must also be open under the same license.
Permits
- Commercial use
- Modification
- Distribution
- Patent use
- Private use
Requires
- Disclose source
- Same license
- State changes
- License and copyright notice
Does not provide
- Liability cover
- Warranty
Why it matters: Strong copyleft keeps every distributed version open. A vendor cannot fold this into a closed product and ship it without releasing their changes.
Plain-language summary of the project's license, not legal advice. Read the full text for the exact terms.
* Average ratings will show on this page once the threshold of 5 ratings is reached.