Update default drive encryption to AES-256

[kon in]

Currently, the latest version of Ubuntu encrypts new installations with AES-256 (512 bits halved). But when you encrypt an external drive using Ubuntu's default Format+Create LUKS partition once the operating system is installed, it only encrypts it with AES-128 as far as I can see (256 bits halved). Why is this the case?

I see no reason not to upgrade it to AES-256 and can help protect, to an extent, future quantum computing attacks where AES-128 would become much less resilient in comparison.

P.S. Any possibility of OCB (patent-free for GPL) or GCM to be included in block ciphers in the future (not an expert in this area so correct me if I am wrong to assume they are going to be better than what we have now)?

Thank you.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Jim Baxter (jbaxter)]

This also affects internal drives, my boot drive is AES-256 but the 2nd hard drive is AES-128 even though they were both present during the installation of Ubuntu.