Time Machine security

[kolax]

Sorry if this has been asked before, I did a quick look and couldn't find anything.

Time Machine doesn't seem to include any sort of security for backups - what is the point in having a password protected account when you do backups that go onto a disk that everyone can view?

Or is there security and I've missed it? I reinstalled OS X 10.5 for the 10.5.2 update and plugged in my Time Machine hard drive. I was able to view everything.

 

[macdoobie]

What do you mean by security, encryption? (home folder)?

 

[kolax]

Some sort of protection to prevent other users accessing your Time Machine data?

 

[J@ffa]

Having a password on your account doesn't protect your files in any way. All someone needs to do is plug your internal HD into an enclosure or drive dock and all your files will show up, and again, an OS install disc can reset your password and let them straight in on your computer. The only way around this is FileVault, but the data corruption risks involved don't bear thinking about.

My advice is to use something along the lines of PGP to protect particular files and leave everything else.

 

[richard.mac]

time machine data is protected by the Root permission. you cant delete or restore a file without providing you password and it must be in the Time Machine UI or in the Terminal. also you cant do anything to the Time Machine data while in the Finder.

 

[kolax]

Having a password on your account doesn't protect your files in any way. All someone needs to do is plug your internal HD into an enclosure or drive dock and all your files will show up, and again, an OS install disc can reset your password and let them straight in on your computer. The only way around this is FileVault, but the data corruption risks involved don't bear thinking about.

My advice is to use something along the lines of PGP to protect particular files and leave everything else.

I know that anyone can use Target Disk mode and access all my data, but for people who have multiple accounts on their Mac's and use Time Machine, it totally defeats the purpose of having a password on your account if other users will be able to get to that data via Time Machine.

I don't have that problem yet, but looking to the future a few of us were planning on buying a Mac Pro to share in our flat, and I'd like to keep my data private.

 

[ChrisA]

Sorry if this has been asked before, I did a quick look and couldn't find anything.

Time Machine doesn't seem to include any sort of security for backups - what is the point in having a password protected account when you do backups that go onto a disk that everyone can view?

Or is there security and I've missed it? I reinstalled OS X 10.5 for the 10.5.2 update and plugged in my Time Machine hard drive. I was able to view everything.

I don't think you are right. I just looked and the files on my Time machine backup drive. They have permissions set just the same as before they were backed up. If one user could not read the other's files before they can't read them on the backup drive either.

However if you have physical access to the device then anything short of encryption will not be good enough.

 

[kolax]

I don't think you are right. I just looked and the files on my Time machine backup drive. They have permissions set just the same as before they were backed up. If one user could not read the other's files before they can't read them on the backup drive either.

However if you have physical access to the device then anything short of encryption will not be good enough.

I created another user account and plugged in my Time Machine hard drive. I was able to browse my Home folder and access all my data.

Can't there be some sort of password to access the folder?

 

[Milan]

I don't have Leopard yet, so I don't really know how Time Machine works, but could you aim TM at a disk image? If that were the case you could store your backups on a password protected encrypted disk image.