
The chapter from which this article is excerpted explores a variety of different approaches to encrypting some or all of your files.Įncryption Algorithms - An encryption algorithm, also known as a cipher, is a particular method for encrypting data – a sort of mathematical formula that takes the input (sometimes called cleartext), processes it using a secret piece of information (a key), and produces encrypted output (sometimes called ciphertext). Encryption comes in many forms, some of which are almost trivially easy to use, and others that require extra thought and effort.
#Ehat is mac file encryption password
The way to keep your data safe while it’s sitting on your hard disk is to encrypt it – to scramble it in such a way that it looks like garbage to anyone without your password or key. Think about it this way: Would it bother you or any of your friends or family if the entire contents of your Address Book were made public? Would you be disturbed to know that a stranger could see years’ worth of your family photos, read all your email, and discover every Web site you’ve visited in the past month? Even the least secretive of us would probably agree that all this sounds pretty creepy, and that we have good reasons to keep private information private. File encryption is of course just one tiny piece of the security puzzle, but it’s worth knowing about if you keep confidential data on your Mac, especially if the computer is ever out of your physical control – which would include being lost or stolen. This article is an excerpt from Chapter 13, “Encrypting and Securely Deleting Files,” reprinted with the kind permission of Wiley.
#Ehat is mac file encryption mac
This new book is a compendium of everything a typical (or even advanced) Mac user might want to know on a wide range of security topics. Although Rich Mogull is the real staff expert when it comes to Mac security, I’ve also written a good deal on the subject, including Take Control titles dealing with backups, spam, and passwords. Last year, in between writing Take Control books and Macworld articles, I managed to squeeze in another little project – writing the 900-page “Mac Security Bible,” published in January 2010 by Wiley.

#1598: OS updates, Fantastical 3.6 self-scheduling, Mindfulness measures HRV, Monterey on too-old Macs, TidBITS list gremlins.

#1599: Avoiding blue light from screens, Bowflex C6 Bike spin cycle, Internet mapping services, Apple Buying Advice website.
