CND Application And Data Protection Practice Question

A systems administrator needs to secure data at rest on an enterprise Linux server by encrypting an entire secondary disk partition (e.g., /dev/sdb1) using LUKS (Linux Unified Key Setup). Which command should be executed first to initialize the encrypted partition?

Answer choices

Why each option matters

Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.

Correct answer & explanation

✓

sudo cryptsetup luksFormat /dev/sdb1

The cryptsetup luksFormat command initializes a partition with LUKS encryption headers and master keys.

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

✗
sudo fdisk /dev/sdb1 --encrypt
Why it's wrong here
fdisk is a partition table management utility, not an encryption tool.
✗
sudo mkfs.ext4 -e encrypted /dev/sdb1
Why it's wrong here
mkfs.ext4 creates a filesystem and does not configure LUKS encryption headers.
✓
sudo cryptsetup luksFormat /dev/sdb1
Why this is correct
cryptsetup luksFormat formats the target partition with LUKS encryption.
✗
sudo mount -o encrypt /dev/sdb1 /mnt/secure
Why it's wrong here
The mount command does not initialize LUKS encryption containers.

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Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security

Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva

Last reviewed August 2026 · checked against the official EC-Council exam blueprint

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