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kwfl

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Aug 20, 2007
403
0
i just need to set up a password to open apple mail
i mean, if anyone clicks on mail on the dock, it opens and everyone can see and create or reply to any messages i have.

for example, when u give your computer to a friend or hosemate, i need a password that when someone tries to open mail, it asks for a password to either proceed or quit.

anyone thinks this is feasible? and how?

thanks.
 
i suppose you could put mail.app inside an encrpted disk image.

edit:this works quit well, if you put the icon in the dock and click on it when the image isn't mounted it will present you with a password box and thew mount the image and then the app. then close the app and eject the image.
 
I've been trying to do this myself, haven't found a way to password protect Mail, however one solution I do use is to create a separate "Guest" account for others to login to, that way only I have access to not only my mail but my files as well!
 
I've been trying to do this myself, haven't found a way to password protect Mail, however one solution I do use is to create a separate "Guest" account for others to login to, that way only I have access to not only my mail but my files as well!

Thats really the best way, this way you also protect all of your other files.
 
from tuaw.com:

Guest Log-In Accounts: Right at this moment you can create a guest account with limited permissions, so any of your friends can use your Mac without having unfettered access to your documents. Leopard has a built in feature that allows you to create Guest Accounts which purge their contents when your guest logs out. The Desktop won't be cluttered with files, Mail won't have someone else's setting waiting, and people won't come to think of the Guest Account as 'their account.'

Quite a cool feature me thinks! :)
 
yeah, actually it is a great feature
especially with the fast switching feature available.
also some limit controls and other stuff.

thanks alot for the tip.
 
edit:this works quit well, if you put the icon in the dock and click on it when the image isn't mounted it will present you with a password box and thew mount the image and then the app. then close the app and eject the image.

This is really only very surface protection, for what it's worth, anyway. All your mail is still in your library folder completely unprotected. So anyone who knows what they're doing can still get anything they want.... (It does protect against idiots, though).
 
This is really only very surface protection, for what it's worth, anyway. All your mail is still in your library folder completely unprotected. So anyone who knows what they're doing can still get anything they want.... (It does protect against idiots, though).

Very true and I am aware of this (perhaps should've added a caveat in my original post) but the OPs concern seems to be with idiots, so a quick easy solution was given.
 
Very true and I am aware of this (perhaps should've added a caveat in my original post) but the OPs concern seems to be with idiots, so a quick easy solution was given.

Fair enough. :)

With respect to using multiple accounts and/or locking the computer, there are a number of things you can do to make this easier (this is based on Tiger, so someone please chime in if some of this needs to be updated)

- Enable fast user switching (in Sys Prefs -> Accounts) and also check the box in Sys Prefs -> Security to require a password on wake from sleep or screen saver. Now, whenever the computer goes to sleep or screen saves, you get a window asking for a password. With FUS enabled, the window will also allow you to switch users, e.g. to the Guest account, so that others can still use the computer without interfering with your account or having access to your privileged information.

- You can set screensaver to be triggered by a hot corner if you want, from Sys Prefs -> Dashboard & Exposé.

- From the application Keychain Access, in your Utilities folder, you can enable a menu on the menu br that has a lock screen option in it.

- You can also download a widget for the dashboard that locks the screen or (I think) goes to the login window or starts the screensaver.

So all this will make it easier on you to just use your account security settings rather than trying to hack a new security model using disk images.
 
Use Parental Controls to Manage Application Passwords

I am pretty concerned about this myself, and one unique solution I have found is the use of parental controls in order to manage applications in this fashion.

What I did was set up a separate administrator account and used it to manage application permissions for the main account (thereby downgrading it to a managed/subordinate account).

I also disable the use of Firefox, Entourage, Safari, Opera, iChat, or any other program that allows immediate access to sometimes very personal stuff via stored passwords.

I like to give myself a number of fail-safes. For example, I use Firefox's Master Password feature which prompts you for a master password when you open a page with a stored password.

Since you only need to enter the password once (thereby unlocking all stored password sites) until the next time the application is closed and reopened (though the program is quirky about this), I set my security settings to require password on wake up from screen saver. I also have the system log off after one hour.

Jumping back to the parental controls, I use the "allow once" option to allow access for that particular session.

What does everyone think of this plan? Any other ideas?
 
Solution

Log out when you're not on the computer and don't share.

Pretty simple.
 
Using a password to open Mail 4.5

I just deleted the Keychain item relating to email, and doing that required me to use my ISP-based email password next time I opened Mail, and every time thereafter.
 
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