Two-Factor Authentication for Macs?

[doubledee]

Is there any way - for a consumer - to add "Two-Factor Authentication" to his/her Mac?

As a contractor, I have worked for a lot of clients that have issued me a Windows-based Laptop which had one of those RSA Security Key-Fabs, where you had to have the randomly generated code from the Fab, along with your normal Windows Log-In Credentials to get onto the laptop and use it.

In this day and age of hackers and lost laptops, I am hoping that I can incorporate something similar for my own personal MacBook. Especially, because when I am away from home, it has my life on it?!

Sincerely,


Debbie

 

[BlendedFrog]

You are one paranoid person based on your threads here but take a look at this product by Sophos. It is full disk encryption that requires a password on boot before it will allow you to get to the mac login screen.

http://www.sophos.com/en-us/products/encryption/safeguard-disk-encryption-for-mac.aspx

My advice: Take a deep breath and go outside and enjoy life. Realize that no amount of hiding on the internet is going to protect you. If you want that kind of protection....don't use the internet.

 

[Weaselboy]

Is there any way - for a consumer - to add "Two-Factor Authentication" to his/her Mac?

As a contractor, I have worked for a lot of clients that have issued me a Windows-based Laptop which had one of those RSA Security Key-Fabs, where you had to have the randomly generated code from the Fab, along with your normal Windows Log-In Credentials to get onto the laptop and use it.

In this day and age of hackers and lost laptops, I am hoping that I can incorporate something similar for my own personal MacBook. Especially, because when I am away from home, it has my life on it?!

Sincerely,


Debbie

You may want to consider enabling OS X's included full disk encryption called Filevault2. If you encrypt with FV2 and a secure password, there are (at least at this point) no known methods of cracking it.

 

[doubledee]

You are one paranoid person based on your threads here

Being cautious doesn't make me a nut-case just yet?!

but take a look at this product by Sophos. It is full disk encryption that requires a password on boot before it will allow you to get to the mac login screen.

http://www.sophos.com/en-us/products/encryption/safeguard-disk-encryption-for-mac.aspx

A few things...

1.) That link sounds like "Software FDE".

So why not just use PGP instead?


2.) While FDE is another topic I am researching, it isn't what I originally asked about, which was "Two-Factor Authentication".

Has anyone made "Two-Factor Authentication" for Macs yet? (I prefer needing a Key Fab versus something like "Fingerprint Recognition" which could more easily become corrupt in my mind...)

My advice: Take a deep breath and go outside and enjoy life. Realize that no amount of hiding on the internet is going to protect you. If you want that kind of protection....don't use the internet.

I think that is too extreme as well.

I do enjoy life, but I also realize that the amount of information floating around out there about me has increased exponentially in the past decade, and so I am trying to get a handle on it...

Cars kills tens of thousands of people every year. Do I fear driving? No. But I also don't drive on the roads - especially after disk - on Memorial Day and 4th of July weekends, because I know the roads are littered with Drunk Drivers.

Is that paranoid? No. It is just being practical.

Anyway, thanks for the link.


Debbie

 

[Weaselboy]

Has anyone made "Two-Factor Authentication" for Macs yet? (I prefer needing a Key Fab versus something like "Fingerprint Recognition" which could more easily become corrupt in my mind...)

Have not used it myself, but look at SecuriKey.

 

[BlendedFrog]

Being cautious doesn't make me a nut-case just yet?!




A few things...

1.) That link sounds like "Software FDE".

So why not just use PGP instead?


2.) While FDE is another topic I am researching, it isn't what I originally asked about, which was "Two-Factor Authentication".

Has anyone made "Two-Factor Authentication" for Macs yet? (I prefer needing a Key Fab versus something like "Fingerprint Recognition" which could more easily become corrupt in my mind...)





I think that is too extreme as well.

I do enjoy life, but I also realize that the amount of information floating around out there about me has increased exponentially in the past decade, and so I am trying to get a handle on it...

Cars kills tens of thousands of people every year. Do I fear driving? No. But I also don't drive on the roads - especially after disk - on Memorial Day and 4th of July weekends, because I know the roads are littered with Drunk Drivers.

Is that paranoid? No. It is just being practical.

Anyway, thanks for the link.




Debbie

Sheesh....now I know why I can't stand Arizona. You really are that afraid of Memorial Day and 4th weekends that you don't go out? You really have issues. Have you ever actually seen fireworks in person or gone to a Memorial Day celebration?

Here is the link for EMC (formerly rsa) on securid tokens. http://www.emc.com/security/rsa-securid.htm

Feel free to read up on it and how it can work with mac.

 

[doubledee]

Sheesh....now I know why I can't stand Arizona. You really are that afraid of Memorial Day and 4th weekends that you don't go out? You really have issues.

What I said - maybe not clearly enough - was that I don't make a habit of driving any great distance - especially in the evenings and late at night - on Memorial Day and 4th of July Weekends because of Drunk Drivers.

I did NOT say that I don't go out...

Why is does that mean I have "issues"?

I know lots of people who feel the same way, and tend to stay off the roads during such weekends.

And since I was nearly killed on two separate occasions by a drunk driver coming head-on into my lane, I'm far from paranoid on this issue...


Feel free to criticize my opinions on Mac stuff, but let's not make things personal, huh?

Have you ever actually seen fireworks in person or gone to a Memorial Day celebration?

Considering that I am likely twice your age, probably twice as many as you have!

Here is the link for EMC (formerly rsa) on securid tokens. http://www.emc.com/security/rsa-securid.htm

Feel free to read up on it and how it can work with mac.

Thanks for the link.


Debbie

 

[spstanley]

Wow, no easy straight answers from the peanut gallery. There are two things you need to worry about though: login security and data security. Even if you have 2-factor logins, you still need to protect your data, so consider turning on FileVault. As for an easy-to-install 2-factor authentication package, I haven't come across one yet. CryptoCARD had a semi-solution, maybe better now that they're owned by SafeNet.

Is there any way - for a consumer - to add "Two-Factor Authentication" to his/her Mac?

As a contractor, I have worked for a lot of clients that have issued me a Windows-based Laptop which had one of those RSA Security Key-Fabs, where you had to have the randomly generated code from the Fab, along with your normal Windows Log-In Credentials to get onto the laptop and use it.

In this day and age of hackers and lost laptops, I am hoping that I can incorporate something similar for my own personal MacBook. Especially, because when I am away from home, it has my life on it?!

Sincerely,


Debbie

 

[samh]

Being cautious doesn't make me a nut-case just yet?!




A few things...

1.) That link sounds like "Software FDE".

So why not just use PGP instead?


2.) While FDE is another topic I am researching, it isn't what I originally asked about, which was "Two-Factor Authentication".

Has anyone made "Two-Factor Authentication" for Macs yet? (I prefer needing a Key Fab versus something like "Fingerprint Recognition" which could more easily become corrupt in my mind...)





I think that is too extreme as well.

I do enjoy life, but I also realize that the amount of information floating around out there about me has increased exponentially in the past decade, and so I am trying to get a handle on it...

Cars kills tens of thousands of people every year. Do I fear driving? No. But I also don't drive on the roads - especially after disk - on Memorial Day and 4th of July weekends, because I know the roads are littered with Drunk Drivers.

Is that paranoid? No. It is just being practical.

Anyway, thanks for the link.


Debbie

Unless I am missing something... 2-factor auth seems useless without encrypting the data. In pretty sure there are ways that someone with physical access to your machine could at a minimum get access to an account w/ admin privileges and give themselves "rights" to read your data even if they can't log in as you.

From your description, FileVault2 seems like it would better secure your data.