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Artanis · Nov 16, 2005, 11:31 AM

hello everyone,

I have a question:

How can I password protect a folder in my MAC? i mean that I don't want password my entire computer, I just want pasword for a folder. For example if someone is accesing my Mac I want him to be able to open all the folders and to start any application, but when he will try to open that folder he will need a password.
I have an iMac G5 with osX operating system.
I tried today a little software called Apache protect but it wasn't able to password protect my folder, I don't know why.

Your help is much apreciated,
10q

Matt OS X · 11:58 AM

Originally Posted by Artanis

hello everyone,

I have a question:

How can I password protect a folder in my MAC? i mean that I don't want password my entire computer, I just want pasword for a folder. For example if someone is accesing my Mac I want him to be able to open all the folders and to start any application, but when he will try to open that folder he will need a password.
I have an iMac G5 with osX operating system.
I tried today a little software called Apache protect but it wasn't able to password protect my folder, I don't know why.

Your help is much apreciated,
10q

Yeah I have an appplication called "LameSecure" which it doesn't exist any more in Verisontracker or macupdate. But, I stored it in my public folder. here it is:

http://homepage.mac.com/mattklusza/....LameSecure.zip

If you're not sure how it work, PM me.. Honestly, you should be able to figure it out by yourself. It's really basic. Good luck.

JellyBeen · Nov 16, 2005, 12:04 PM

Originally Posted by Artanis

hello everyone,

I have a question:

How can I password protect a folder in my MAC? i mean that I don't want password my entire computer, I just want pasword for a folder. For example if someone is accesing my Mac I want him to be able to open all the folders and to start any application, but when he will try to open that folder he will need a password.
I have an iMac G5 with osX operating system.
I tried today a little software called Apache protect but it wasn't able to password protect my folder, I don't know why.

Your help is much apreciated,
10q

Just go in Disk Utility and create a read/write dmg (disk image) and encript it.
Thats it!
Now everytime you open the dmg, you will need a password. Nifty eh?
Now your mom won't see your porn. ;-)

SSharon · Nov 16, 2005, 12:12 PM

its Mac not MAC.
apache protect is for protecting a folder in your web folder.

to password a single folder you have 3 options.
a) find an app that will do it for you (see Matt's post)
b) create an encrypted disk image (see JellyBeen's post)
c) get info on the folder and change the permissions to no access and then lock the lock.

TETENAL · Nov 16, 2005, 12:30 PM

An encrypted sparse disk image is the best (secure) option of the three above.

Artanis · Nov 16, 2005, 12:35 PM

Originally Posted by Matt OS X

Yeah I have an appplication called "LameSecure" which it doesn't exist any more in Verisontracker or macupdate. But, I stored it in my public folder. here it is:

http://homepage.mac.com/mattklusza/....LameSecure.zip

If you're not sure how it work, PM me.. Honestly, you should be able to figure it out by yourself. It's really basic. Good luck.

Thank you very much man. I apreciate it.

Artanis · Nov 16, 2005, 12:38 PM

Originally Posted by JellyBeen

Just go in Disk Utility and create a read/write dmg (disk image) and encript it.
Thats it!
Now everytime you open the dmg, you will need a password. Nifty eh?
Now your mom won't see your porn. ;-)

Thank you too man.

about the porn thing: it is not to prevent for my parents to see in my computer man, I am 23 years old.

I have this computer at work. Don't u love too the colegues that are making up excuses to watch in your computer?

Artanis · Nov 16, 2005, 12:38 PM

Originally Posted by JellyBeen

Just go in Disk Utility and create a read/write dmg (disk image) and encript it.
Thats it!
Now everytime you open the dmg, you will need a password. Nifty eh?
Now your mom won't see your porn. ;-)

Thank you too man.

about the porn thing: it is not to prevent for my parents to see in my computer man, I am 23 years old.

I have this computer at work. Don't u love too the colegues that are making up excuses to watch in your computer?

Artanis · Nov 16, 2005, 12:41 PM

Please Erase My Last 3 Posts!!!!!!

Diggory Laycock · Nov 16, 2005, 01:15 PM

Seriously - hide your porn in an encrypted disc image. TETENAL is right.

pendragon · Nov 16, 2005, 02:10 PM

Stuffit Deluxe also supports encrypting archives with a pass phrase.

This may be easier than creating a disk image, milage varies...

fisherKing · Nov 16, 2005, 02:23 PM

there are also apps like hide-out (check versiontracker.com),
a freeware app that lets you hide folders, and open only with a password.

Artanis · Nov 17, 2005, 06:52 AM

Originally Posted by SSharon

its Mac not MAC.
apache protect is for protecting a folder in your web folder.

to password a single folder you have 3 options.
a) find an app that will do it for you (see Matt's post)
b) create an encrypted disk image (see JellyBeen's post)
c) get info on the folder and change the permissions to no access and then lock the lock.

the c) example is a very nice trick
10q

fisherKing · Nov 17, 2005, 01:44 PM

to password a single folder you have 3 options.
a) find an app that will do it for you (see Matt's post)
b) create an encrypted disk image (see JellyBeen's post)
c) get info on the folder and change the permissions to no access and then lock the lock.

the c) example is a very nice trick

not if you are IN the admin account; easy to change permissions and open, without a password.
(i just tried this)

osxrules · Nov 17, 2005, 05:57 PM

Originally Posted by TETENAL

An encrypted sparse disk image is the best (secure) option of the three above.

No it's not. Sparse disk images are dangerous. I decided to test one and sure enough after a bad restart or whatever, it corrupted and I lost everything on it. This was after about a week of use but it could happen any time.

I've been using fixed size disk images for years now and not a single problem.

Encryption is really the only way to protect your data. Folder permissions and 3rd party password protected folders etc. can be bypassed. The easiest way is to boot OS 9.

Athens · Nov 18, 2005, 02:00 AM

Originally Posted by Artanis

hello everyone,

I have a question:

How can I password protect a folder in my MAC? i mean that I don't want password my entire computer, I just want pasword for a folder. For example if someone is accesing my Mac I want him to be able to open all the folders and to start any application, but when he will try to open that folder he will need a password.
I have an iMac G5 with osX operating system.
I tried today a little software called Apache protect but it wasn't able to password protect my folder, I don't know why.

Your help is much apreciated,
10q

This is what I do, first all accounts on my Mac are set as normal users not administrators. I have a single Administrator account which only I can access. So when I want to lock a folder on my user account I just change the ownership of it to the administrator account I have. If I want to access it, I have to change owners again and it asks me to authenticate. Its not really that complicated or difficult and best of all you don’t have to install anything either.

fisherKing · Nov 18, 2005, 07:55 AM

versiontracker.com

check out apps like "hide-out".
hides a folder's contents; you enter a password to get access.
simple, free.

(okay, enough from me on the subject

)

ism · Nov 18, 2005, 08:31 AM

Originally Posted by osxrules

No it's not. Sparse disk images are dangerous. I decided to test one and sure enough after a bad restart or whatever, it corrupted and I lost everything on it. This was after about a week of use but it could happen any time.

I've been using fixed size disk images for years now and not a single problem.

Encryption is really the only way to protect your data. Folder permissions and 3rd party password protected folders etc. can be bypassed. The easiest way is to boot OS 9.

I've had no issues with encrypted sparse disk images and I've used them extensively for holding work stuff over long periods of time (a year?). Its still there and still working.

It's even survived a hard drive failure (was restored to the new one via a backup).

Pretty robust I think?

workerbee · Nov 18, 2005, 09:02 AM

Originally Posted by ism

Pretty robust I think?

I thought so too, until recently.

airmoe · Mar 14, 2006, 12:42 AM

Hello can you please help me with an issue with LameSecure. I used it to password protect a folder on my desktop and it some how moved and or hid my home folder. It most have moved or changed it because after re starting my desktop was different and I had two home folders. I then tried to tell Lamesecure to not have apassword for the home folder and then I cleicked Revert rather then Save and I got the beach ball as the HD worked for about 10 min and then no home folder and info??? Any help would be so nice and I would be very very graetful. I have tried to reach the developer with no luck.. I was thinking of running Disk Warrior to help??

Thank you,

Will

airmoe · Mar 14, 2006, 12:45 AM

Originally Posted by Matt OS X

Yeah I have an appplication called "LameSecure" which it doesn't exist any more in Verisontracker or macupdate. But, I stored it in my public folder. here it is:

http://homepage.mac.com/mattklusza/....LameSecure.zip

If you're not sure how it work, PM me.. Honestly, you should be able to figure it out by yourself. It's really basic. Good luck.

Hello can you please help me with an issue with LameSecure. I used it to password protect a folder on my desktop and it some how moved and or hid my home folder. It most have moved or changed it because after re starting my desktop was different and I had two home folders. I then tried to tell Lamesecure to not have apassword for the home folder and then I cleicked Revert rather then Save and I got the beach ball as the HD worked for about 10 min and then no home folder and info??? Any help would be so nice and I would be very very graetful. I have tried to reach the developer with no luck.. I was thinking of running Disk Warrior to help??

Thank you,

Will

CharlesS · Mar 14, 2006, 01:41 AM

Ugh, maybe that's the reason that app wasn't on VersionTracker or MacUpdate anymore.

After hearing your description, I don't feel very compelled to test the thing, so I'm afraid I won't be much help here.

You could go into the Terminal and type find /Users to get a listing of what's there, though, including any folders that may have been made invisible to the Finder.

Chuckit · Mar 14, 2006, 01:59 AM

The author of LameSecure is still distributing it, so I don't imagine that's why it was removed. Being the brave soul I am (and having a dummy account to test software), I tried it out. From what I can see, you tell it to hide an item, and it creates a program in that item's place called <Whatever>.app. The original item is stored in <Whatever>.app/Contents/.LameFiles.

If you click on one of the home folders, airmoe, does it look like the folder is actually an application?

CharlesS · Mar 14, 2006, 02:09 AM

Well, true to its name, that seems like a pretty lame way to password-protect a folder. All you'd need to get past it would be knowledge of how to control-click on an app and Show Package Contents, and then to use Command-Shift-G to get inside an invisible folder...

The disk image is a much better solution (but a fixed-size disk image, not a sparse one!).

Chuckit · Mar 14, 2006, 02:16 AM

Yep. I think the idea behind it is basically that it doesn't offer any security at all, but it's enough to discourage people who aren't really intent on finding the file. Thus, no danger of accidentally locking yourself out or anything like that.

Big Mac · Mar 14, 2006, 05:42 AM

Apple really should offer simple password protection within the Finder.

Artanis · Mar 14, 2006, 06:05 AM

Originally Posted by airmoe

Hello can you please help me with an issue with LameSecure. I used it to password protect a folder on my desktop and it some how moved and or hid my home folder. It most have moved or changed it because after re starting my desktop was different and I had two home folders. I then tried to tell Lamesecure to not have apassword for the home folder and then I cleicked Revert rather then Save and I got the beach ball as the HD worked for about 10 min and then no home folder and info??? Any help would be so nice and I would be very very graetful. I have tried to reach the developer with no luck.. I was thinking of running Disk Warrior to help??

Thank you,

Will

This is weird, I used this lame secure to protect a desktop folder for 3 months and it was ok, I even password some applications with it and I had no problem. Something is definitely wrong on your mac, maybe u didn't used the administrator account.
The thing is that the guys here recomended me to use a encrypted image, and they where right, this is far better. Also lame secure can be bypassed using the terminal for example.

Chuckit · Mar 14, 2006, 10:15 AM

Originally Posted by Big Mac

Apple really should offer simple password protection within the Finder.

That's kind of what permissions are, isn't it?

TETENAL · Mar 14, 2006, 10:29 AM

Originally Posted by Chuckit

That's kind of what permissions are, isn't it?

No, it's not.

King Bob On The Cob · Mar 14, 2006, 12:44 PM

Originally Posted by airmoe

Hello can you please help me with an issue with LameSecure. I used it to password protect a folder on my desktop and it some how moved and or hid my home folder. It most have moved or changed it because after re starting my desktop was different and I had two home folders. I then tried to tell Lamesecure to not have apassword for the home folder and then I cleicked Revert rather then Save and I got the beach ball as the HD worked for about 10 min and then no home folder and info??? Any help would be so nice and I would be very very graetful. I have tried to reach the developer with no luck.. I was thinking of running Disk Warrior to help??

Thank you,

Will

Short of FileVault or hacking around in UNIX, there is no good way to protect your entire home folder. (If it's your home folder you want to protect from another account, I'd suggest filevault though)