On Thursday, February 27, 2003, at 08:51 AM, Eric D. wrote: > If I am not mistaken, I wrote *prefer*. That is what I currently do > but I > would *prefer* not to have to do this because it is much more > CONVENIENT to > be able to have the machine boot into OS X automagically.
that's fine. whether you prefer it or not, my advice is exactly the same. > This is useful to know because I have no use for it as an entertainment > device. Could you please direct me to such hacks if you find them (I'd > like > to see if Apple has gotten around to fixing them in newer releases of > OS X) > -- besides, if someone is skilled enough to hack your screen saver, > they're > also likely skilled enough to open up your laptop and remove the HD, > or to > pop-in a CD-ROM with an OS 9 boot disk and bypass all diligently laid > security plans. i'll leave hacking research to those who want to do it. personally, i prefer not to just blather out exactly how to circumvent security devices. a simple google search or poking around a few mac os x related websites should provide all the info you need. > PS Does Apple provide a GUI-based method of securing your files. I > thought > they did but a quick scan through the Finder menus and in the Apps > folder > turned up nothing. Apple did in OS 9, but not in OS X. you can find a good many different ways to do this by searching Version Tracker. I might suggest GPG/PGP based solutions. > Danke schoen mein herr. > > Would you (or anyone) happen to know if it is possible to activate the > screen saver (and/or a security password requirement) on sleep? This > is the > weakest point of all in OS X security (since, even if the screen saver > can > be compromised and you can boot with an OS 9/X startup disk that > requires > knowledge). *Anyone* can simply wake up a computer. once again, Sleep is a convenience feature. convenience is just another name for laziness, and thus is another impediment to good security. one could probably write an applescript or simple haxie and add it to whatever kext governs sleep -- but I'm not familiar with OS X system level programming. I don't mean to sound condescending here, really. However, security is an important issue to some, and it's vital that people understand all the consequences around the way they use their computer. Until I recently transferred, part of my job responsibilities were to keep my co-workers well informed on security issues. Security is NOT about locking your machine down so no one can access it. I don't care what you do to it, if you give me 10 minutes alone with your PowerBook, I can get just about any data off of it. I'm not even what you'd call a 'hacker'. Security is about impediments -- make it difficult. When someone sits down to steal/use your powerbook, add enough roadblocks that it's not worth the effort. Here's an example. I installed Open Firmware Password from Apple. My machine boots normally, but someone must enter a password in order to boot from CD, reset PRAM or Open Firmware, and a handful of other things. In the end, this prevents someone from booting to an OS 9 CD or any other hard drive (such as a firewire drive); also prevents booting to most special key sequences (verbose or single user mode). This is not fool-proof, Open Firmware Password can be circumvented, but few know how. I boot the machine to an OS X login prompt, but I boot to the one with TWO text fields. there is no list of users to pick from - one must type in both the user and the password. I don't use the screen saver at all. I don't use sleep away from home - I shut down any time I'm away from home and the machine won't be used for any significant amount of time. It's all in important extreme security is for you. I don't encrypt my files -- too much hassle for too little gain. ars technica or some similar website recently explained how to use an encrypted disk image as your home directory. again, for me this is too much hassle for too little gain. but YMMV. -- G-Books is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | -- Check our web site for refurbished PowerBooks | & CDRWs on Sale! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> G-Books list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/g-books.html> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/g-books%40mail.maclaunch.com/> --------------------------------------------------------------- >The Think Different Store http://www.ThinkDifferentStore.com ---------------------------------------------------------------
