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Password locking a folder?
- Thread starter sactown
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Sure you do.
1. Go to Disk Utilities.
2. Click on New Image.
3. Select size from 2.5MB to whatever.
4. Use ACS-128 bit encryption.
5. Use a good password -- don't forget it.
And viola, you now have an nice safe place to save your sensitive files.
A nice easy way is to put a password on your mac
1.Option + Click on the file you want to secure
2.Get info
3.Click the miniature lock bottom right
4.On the bottom there are three drop down boxes, Click all three after each other and select Write Only (Drop Box).
5. Whenever anyone click the file it will say "You do not have sufficient access privileges"
To Unlock.
6. Repeat steps 1-3, But click Read and Write to unlock.
1.Option + Click on the file you want to secure
2.Get info
3.Click the miniature lock bottom right
4.On the bottom there are three drop down boxes, Click all three after each other and select Write Only (Drop Box).
5. Whenever anyone click the file it will say "You do not have sufficient access privileges"
To Unlock.
6. Repeat steps 1-3, But click Read and Write to unlock.
But that doesn't work for a single user account system when the user knows how to repair permissions.
Remember that'll be simple for an admin user to bypass, and the data inside is not encrypted.
Yeah, But its a nice easy way especially if your hiding things from younger persons or people without mac knowledge.
I think that I would stick with Disk Utilities and create an encrypted image.
They are easy to use and secure. Just make sure that you don't have your keychain remember the password to open the encrypted image.
This is what I do for my client info it is easy to do and if anything happened my clients information is safe. As for my own crap meh
Cool.This is what I do for my client info it is easy to do and if anything happened my clients information is safe. As for my own crap meh
And if real sensitive information, you could always put a collection of DMGs within another encrypted DMG.
Actually if it is that sensitive put it in a dmg with more files in it and make it an invisible dmg. Not only is it hard to get to but if you don't know it is there you won't find it. That is a lot overkill but I have made hidden folders and put files in it before. Dealing with mounting and mounting again with dmgs gets tedious especially as they get larger.
I recently created an encrypted disk image and forgot to uncheck the box to have the keychain remember the passsword. I know how to get to the password in the keychain (Macintosh HD-->Library-->Utilities-->Keychain Access.app). If I delete the password, I wouldn't be locked out of my disk image...would I?
James
No, you'd have to enter it every time. You'd only be deleting it from Keychain, which is what you want to do.
RJS beat me to it.
To emphasize:
IMHO, the reason that you use a DMG is to secure information. So you do not want to have your Mac remember your password which means to see the contents of the image, all someone would have to do is double click on it.
Requiring the password to be entered each time will ensure that your data is safely stored. The longer the password, the more secure the image. Make it something that you can remember. AFAIK, there is no back door. If you forget your password, you cannot get into your image.
Yes. In a way. You can disable access to the folder from all accounts other than yours. Then only some one who has logged in using your username and password can see the folder content. Other people would need to know your login password. There are several ways to disable access but easiest is to set the options on the bottom of the "get info" pannel. Do a right click->Get Info on the folder to see the panel
No need to use Disk Utility or encrypted disk images. Normal file permissions work for this
I don't believe this will do what the OP needs, if I understand his needs correctly.
He wants to protect a folder from someone seeing the content. If they log into his account, then they can see the content if you just change permissions on the folder.
However, if you have an encrypted DMG image, that is all they will see unless they know the password and how to mount it. What's nice about DMGs is that they unmount when you power off or restart your computer. This inherently makes them more safe. Of course you can also eject the mounted DMG as well.
Maybe if you explain your methodology a bit more it might be easier to understand how your system will work to protect someone from seeing the contents of the folder the same way a DMG image will do.
