[chemical]

Simple question -
How do I encrypt a file or folder. Can this be done with panther, or will i need 3rd party software? Thanks for reading this.

[Developer]

Encrypt a folder:

Utilities->Disk Utility

Choose Images->New->Image from Folder..., select the folder, then in the save dialog select encryption.

You may or may not want to have the password in the Keychain. It is by default.

[Millennium]

As Developer noted, the standard way of doing this in OSX is to use an encrypted disk image.

I would recommend against storing the password in the Keychain, though. If someone gets your login password, they won't even need any of the passwords which you've stored in the Keychain to get to your stuff. In general, only store things in the Keychain if you could live with them being hacked, because the Keychain does increase the risk of this.

[car1son]

Originally posted by Millennium:
I would recommend against storing the password in the Keychain, though.

Respectfully disagree. The Keychain is encrypted with the same AES-128 as the disk image. If you are worried about someone getting your login password (how would that happen?), use a separate Keychain password - or a separate Keychain - for your image passwords. (BTW, Under Jaguar, I use a 15-character login password, even though the login ignores everything but the first 8; the Keychain is protected by full 15, and that prevents an exhaustive login trial attack from getting the Keychain as well.)

The content of an encrypted disk image (as well as the keychain) cannot be accessed without the password. There's no trick or work-around. You can't reset it with the install CD. So, whatever you do, don't lose the password. If you don't put it in the keychain, put it someplace else that's safe.