Are You Using Adequate Protection?

ByMike Moffit

Do you wonder if the data on your hard drive is truly protected from technological intruders? Apple has produced a variety of resources that can protect your files from unwanted hard drive peepers. However, just how secure are these methods of file protection?

First, let’s look at the most common form of user file protection: the administrator password. Created when Mac OS is initially installed, this password prevents unauthorized users from accessing the files on your account… or does it? A simple click in the Reset Password Utility after booting from the Mac OS DVD proves otherwise. As long as the DVD is the correct version of Mac OS, it can boot any system with that corresponding OS. Resetting the password only requires entering a new password, which becomes the new administrator password. So basically, all anyone would need to access an account that is simply password protected is the correct version of Mac OS installation DVD (this can also be accomplished using a string of commands in Single User mode—no DVD needed!). One thing to note is that the Keychain Access utility will not be viewable with this new password.

Now is when all the extra-protected Mac users say “Hah! everyone knows that. That’s why all my files are heavily protected by a firmware password.” In which case the intruder would pull out one stick of RAM, and boot the computer, bypassing the firmware password.

Now the real heavy hitters come out. FileVault is a file encrypting tool that works on the corresponding user’s home folder, encrypting it when the user is logged out. Nothing is for sure, but as far as the research I have done, FileVault is basically un-hackable. Knowing this, if you decide to use FileVault on your account, you had better remember that password.

So, are you using adequate protection? The first question I asked myself while trying to accurately answer this was: Do I really care if someone could potentially have access to my files? The answer is no. So in short, am I protected from potential technological intruders? Nope, not really, my information may be easily hacked into. However, is my protection adequate enough for the sensitivity of the files on my hard drive? Totally. Not satisfied? Well, if you truly believe the data on your hard drive is sensitive enough to warrant it, then FileVault it up.

Similar Posts

  • 2013 Prognostications

    My crystal ball is in the shop, so this year, I will polish up my glass hippo on the windowsill and find a…

  • Fine Art and the iPad

    British artist David Hockney, known for his contributions to the Pop Art movement of the 1960’s has found a new medium for creating as well as displaying his creations: the Apple iPad. Hockney, aged 73, began making doodles on his iPhone in 2008 using the application Brushes http://www.brushesapp.com/ and began emailing them to a small group of friends. By the end of 2009 he had created around 1000 images, including a series of paintings of the rising sun that he made without leaving his bed. Hockney praised the convenience of using a mobile device to create art:

    “It’s always there in my pocket, there’s no thrashing about, scrambling for the right color. One can set to work immediately, there’s this wonderful impromptu quality, this freshness, to the activity; and when it’s over, best of all, there’s no mess, no clean-up. You just turn off the machine. Or, even better, you hit Send, and your little cohort of friends around the world gets to experience a similar immediacy. There’s something, finally, very intimate about the whole process.”

    With the release of the iPad this year the artist was provided with a larger canvas to work on, which he says “takes it to a new level.” The iPad’s 9.7 inch screen allowed Hockney to create even more intricate paintings. The culmination of his experiments in this new medium is his current exhibition in Paris called Fleurs Fraiches (Fresh Flowers). http://www.fondation-pb-ysl.net/fr/Accueil-Fondation-Pierre-Berge-Yves-Saint-Laurent-471.html Perhaps the most interesting thing about this show is that the images were not only created on the iPhone and iPad, but they are being displayed on them as well. This allows the viewers to see the images as the artist intended, rather than rendering them onto paper or using a television or projector. Hockney also uses the iPad to periodically change the images displayed, allowing him to refresh the flowers.

    Another element of this story that I love is how Hockney carries his iPad around. His coats already had large pockets on the inside that he formerly used to carry drawing pads around. These have been repurposed to carry around his new favorite drawing tool: the Apple iPad.

    Come into one of our retail locations http://www.smalldog.com/retail and give the iPad a test run. Maybe you can be the next Leonardo da Vinci, Vincent van Gogh, or David Hockney!

  • Hijack your Airport Express

    By Matt@smalldog.com Airport Express is a great product, beautifully designed and executed by Apple. If you don’t know about it, it is basically…

  • Bought My iPhone!

    I didn’t get it from AT&T or even the Apple store – I bought it from a little electronics booth at a flea…