Filevault to protect singular folder?

[efoto]

Can you setup FV to make specific folders only accesible by password? I have zero experience using FV and was not sure how to approach/attempt such an action.

Thanks in advance. Any other ideas or uses for FV would be awesome too.

 

[nesbitt_a]

Can you setup FV to make specific folders only accesible by password? I have zero experience using FV and was not sure how to approach/attempt such an action.

Thanks in advance. Any other ideas or uses for FV would be awesome too.

Unfortunately, no. FileVault can only encrypt your entire home directory. The best way to make specific folders password protected is to:

1) Change their permissions in terminal, "chmod 700 <filename>" which will ensure only you can use the files
2) Store your sensitive files in an encrypted (password protected) disk image using disk utility

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

No, FileVault protects a users home folder...

But you can use Disk Utility to make an encrypted read/write Disk Image, which in many ways will be your encrypted "folder"...

 

[efoto]

So this encrypted disk image would mount as another drive on my computer, and be a password access only?

So for example, if I wanted to have all of my iPhoto libraries (multiple using iPhoto Buddy) only accessible by password, I could put all of the libraries on this encrypted disk image, which shows under my physical drive on the desktop?

Sorry for the noob question, but it is the first experience with anything like this on Mac.

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

Yes, that's right...

And if an application tries to access something on that disk image it should promt for password and open by it self...

I'm not sure I would keep my entire iPhoto library on a disk image though... but do keep us posted on the progress if you try...

(Another option is to create another user account, spesifically for iPhoto use, and use FileVault on that account...)

 

[efoto]

I was planning to have a select few libraries on the disk image. If you are discouraging that based on security of accidental deletion or corrupt, I won't be overly worried as everything is backed up to DVD.

I just wanted to see if there was a way to make accessing the iPhoto libraries more secure so if I let someone do something on my PB my pictures are a little bit safer, as some are of a rather personal content.
iPhoto Buddy allows you to 'lock' a given library, however if the user knows anything of the file system and how to browse with finder, they can find the locaiton of the library and view the pictures this way, so it is not really locked by anything other than iPhoto Buddy, they just have to launch it another way.

 

[yellow]

I would highly encourage you to avoid filevault and go with Mith's encrypted DMG idea.