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- 2001.06.27
Description: Handling files and keeping your Mac
secure Difficulty level: Intermediate System version: 9.x Required: Firewall software
If you are a novice Mac user, reading iBasics is a great idea!
All kidding aside, if you are a novice user, file security and
computer security is probably a weakness that you should correct.
In addition, you can take advantage of a few technologies that are
embedded in the Mac OS.
Multiple users
Your loved one accesses your Mac, and for some reason you don't
want her (or him) to access some of your files. There are two
things that you have to do in order to ensure the safety of your
data. First, do not teach that person how to boot from a CD or an
external drive. :-) Secondly, use the Multiple Users technology. Go
to the Apple menu, scroll to the Control Panels and select Multiple
Users. If, at the bottom of the window, the multiple user accounts
are turned off, turn them on. The next time you restart, the
Multiple Users feature will kick in.
To set up a new user, click on... New User. Hey, that was
easy.
Name the user, allow the person to type a password, and then
click on the Limited button. This will allow you to define the
privileges for the user: what software and files will be
accessible. The Panels accounts are mostly useful for kids or
people who are not computer savvy. Click on the tabs to define the
privileges. In case you wonder how to do this, here are some
tips:
Make sure to select only the applications that the user will
need to take advantage of.
Limit access to removable media, because it can be used to boot
up the computer from a source external to the hard drive.
The user will have a profile and different settings in his/her
own environment and will be able to have personal profiles when
using the same software as you. This is especially nice when you
are not ready to sacrifice the security of your email messages,
even when your email software offers the ability to retrieve mail
from multiple accounts.
Keychain
The keychain is a great way to store your passwords for better
security than little pieces of paper. It remembers your passwords
and what you use them for. It asks you to unlock it whenever one of
your passwords needs to be called up.
To set it up, open the Keychain Access control panel. The
Default keychain should be more than enough to serve day-to-day
needs. From there, you can create new keychains, manage them and do
a few other things. To add passwords to your keychain, make sure to
take advantage of the option to add usernames and passwords to the
keychain from inside your favorite applications. In example, the
Transmit FTP software allows users to add FTP paths to a keychain,
so that you store your passwords there.
The most important aspect of using the keychain is to unlock it
only when necessary and lock it when you don't use it. When
it is open, anybody can use your passwords for authentication
without even knowing what the login information is. Look for
"Default Settings" in the Edit menu. You can easily make sure that
your keychain becomes locked after an inactivity period.
Whenever you need to view a password to remember what it is,
open your keychain (remember, the Keychain Access control panel)
and select the password you want to view. Then click on the Get
Info button in the window. You will have to type your master
password, and then Keychain Access will show you the specific
password you need to view.
Learn to use the keychain functions from the Control Strip in
the Finder for easy access to shortcuts and keychain features.
Encrypt files
Now, the fun begins. Let's say that you have a confidential Word
document to email to someone, and you want to make sure that no
interception could allow another user to read in. Or that you want
only the recipient person to use the file. Since Mac OS 9, the Mac
OS offers to take care of that for you with decent 128-bit
encryption.
I need to encrypt this file...
Find the file and click on it once to select it. Go to
the File menu and select Encrypt. Note that you can do the same
with a contextual menu by control-clicking on the file and
selecting Encrypt.
You can add it to the keychain!
Enter a password phrase that least 5 characters long, and yes,
spaces can be used. Make sure to enter a passphrase that (only!)
your recipient will know about. The best is to give a clue or ask a
question, so that the password or passphrase is the answer. Choose
something original and confidential. For your old buddy from
college, it can always be some old souvenir that he'll remember
instantly when facing the question that leads to the answer.
The file has been encrypted.
Network protection
Network protection will be the topic of next week's tutorial,
but let me tell you why you need network protection. It is easy for
hackers or snoops to sniff around and intrude, scanning your
computer's ports. Your best bet to stop intruders is a firewall. It
blocks ports and detects intrusions.
Next week, I will show you how to use such software. We will see
NetBarrier, and if I can try Norton's firewall solution, I will
include it in the tutorial.
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