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Mallrat · Feb 16, 2005, 11:28 PM

Hello-

Is there a way to password protect backups CD-R and DVD-R you make? I'm sure like most, we want to take or need to take sensitive files with us from time to time, and I wonder is there a way, should my disk become lost or stolen, that I know a person can't use the CD or DVD anyway.

Same with USB drives. them seem so great to get files from place to place, but are really small and one can easily drop their USB Flash drive that might be carrying the next great American Novel or what have you, and someone else might pick it up.

Yes I know the chances are slim probably that someone will find this media and steal it for evil purposes, but it's possible.

any tips on how to protect myself.

thank you.

Randman · Feb 17, 2005, 12:28 AM

Use Disk Utility and create an encrypted disk image. Set it to what size you need it. Then copy the disk image to whatever media, iPod, shuffle, CD, DVD, etc.

malvolio · Feb 17, 2005, 12:36 AM

So you want to carry your pr0n collection around with you?

All kidding aside, Randman's suggestion should work for you.

Xeo · Feb 17, 2005, 12:39 AM

I agree with Randman as well.

But just to be clear, actually having a password on a CD before it will mount is something that can't be done with OS X (I have no idea about XP).

Mallrat · Feb 24, 2005, 11:07 PM

Originally posted by Xeo:
I agree with Randman as well.

But just to be clear, actually having a password on a CD before it will mount is something that can't be done with OS X (I have no idea about XP).

I don't get what you are saying. I can put a password on the CD using Disk Utlity.

chabig · Feb 25, 2005, 12:26 AM

Originally posted by Mallrat:
I don't get what you are saying. I can put a password on the CD using Disk Utlity.

Tell us how, please.

Xeo · Feb 25, 2005, 07:01 AM

Originally posted by Mallrat:
I don't get what you are saying. I can put a password on the CD using Disk Utlity.

I'd really like to know how then. I can't find any option for it at all. Burning a password protected disk with Disk Utility just yields the unencrypted data burned to a disk. I tried out Toast and it does have a checkbox on Mac Only volumes so that you can "encrypt" the data, but in reality all it does is streamline Randman's suggestion. The disc mounts and there is an encrypted disk image you have to double click to access.

So, I still don't believe there is any way to encrypt the actual CD, although you can choose to burn a disk image with a password to a CD (as a file, not as the source image) but that's already been suggested.

Oh, and with flash drives, yes there are several ways security is used on those. One interesting way is that some models require you to use your fingerprint to unlock them. I'm sure there are other ways, but one easy one is, again, to simply keep a password protected and still writable image on the drive. You can make one the whole size of your flash drive and always use that.

But if you really found a way to encrypt an actual CD so that it doesn't mount without a password, I'm all ears.

sugar_coated · Feb 25, 2005, 07:59 AM

Remember.

DeathMan · Feb 25, 2005, 12:16 PM

Originally posted by Mallrat:
I don't get what you are saying. I can put a password on the CD using Disk Utlity.

I hope this is a question, and you forgot the question mark.

You can create a disk image in Disk Utility. Open Disk utility, click the New Img toolbar button, and choose from the Encryption drop down AES - 128.

Then drag the files you want, and burn it. I'm not sure though, if you set a password, or it uses your password for your account.

Hope that helps.

Xeo · Feb 25, 2005, 12:26 PM

Originally posted by DeathMan:
I hope this is a question, and you forgot the question mark.

You can create a disk image in Disk Utility. Open Disk utility, click the New Img toolbar button, and choose from the Encryption drop down AES - 128.

Then drag the files you want, and burn it. I'm not sure though, if you set a password, or it uses your password for your account.

Hope that helps.

It asks you for a password when you create it. When you select "Burn" and choose an encrypted disk image as the source, it asks you for the password and then burns the unencrypted data. If you want to burn the encrypted image to a CD, you need to put that image inside another image, and burn the unencrypted "outer" image. It's confusing. Best just to put your data into Toast and let it do the work.

Simon X · Feb 25, 2005, 06:14 PM

You could use Toast 6. It allows you to encrypt a Mac only disk, and you don't apparently need Toast on a Mac to read the encrypted disk. Haven't tried it myself. Link

Xeo · Feb 25, 2005, 06:53 PM

Originally posted by Simon X:
You could use Toast 6. It allows you to encrypt a Mac only disk, and you don't apparently need Toast on a Mac to read the encrypted disk. Haven't tried it myself. Link

As I said, that just produces a CD with an encrypted disk image on it that you have to manually open. You don't need toast because that file can be opened in the Finder.

chabig · Feb 25, 2005, 07:40 PM

I think one reason you can't make a password encrypted disk is because while seeming to be more secure, you actually open up the machine to attacks. The computer would have to autorun a program upon disk insertion, and autorun has been a vulnerability in the past.

Chris

alligator · Feb 26, 2005, 08:52 PM

I bought a Gizmo USB drive from Crucial, and it came with a small program to password protect a portion of the USB drive. Works well. You can't see the protected portion unless you use the software to unlock it. Then once it is unlocked, you can't see the unprotected portion. To lock it, you just remove the drive again.