Password protect an application

[munnik]

Hi,

I want to password protect an application (Mail.app) so when someone tries to start it it requests a password. I don't want to add an separate user account or lock my mac with a screensaver.
I tried to chmod 744 the mail program in contents folder but then mail doesn't launch.

[voldenuit]

There are no less cumbersome methods than those you rejected.

[solipsism]

Creating a guest account and locking your computer is the easiest (and I argue, the best) solution but there may be another possibility...

You can create a password protected DMG using Disk Utility and then stick the Mail program (or Mail's Library for your User account, which is where your mail is stored anyway) in the DMG. Then have an Alias in the original location pointing to the corresponfing item in the Disk Image.



In theory, I think it should work, but it's still early in the morning for me, so perhaps i'm missing something.

[mark hunte]

I just test that with the app.

seems to work.

[JBrad]

Quote: Originally Posted by mark hunte I just test that with the app. seems to work.

Hello. As solipsism suggested above I have used Disk Utility to password protect a number of private folders with success. But I also wondered about making private certain mail applications, especially Entourage, the same way.

It occured to me Entourage is part of the much larger Office 2004 and possibly would lead to problems if Entourage alone is encrypted. I am thinking about routine updates, etc, and what if Office update finds Entourage encrypted? Would it even matter?

I did discover on a trial run that one must have Entourage libraries included in the encrypted folder. But I didn't go the whole way and leave it encrypted for the reason I mentioned.

Has anyone had success encrypting Entourage?

Thanks in advance. JBrad

[solipsism]

The same with all updaters, if the program is in a .DMG --encrypted or not-- it won't be updated. I imagine this would be rectified by periodicly doing manual updates while the image is mounted.

[guardian34]

Afraid someone will read your e-mail?

[voldenuit]

Putting confidential documents in an encrypted diskimage makes sense.

Doing the same thing with the e-mail +application+, while leaving the data files with the actual mail up for grabs, is not an overly clever solution.

[acme.mail.order]

Why the reluctance to create an additional user? With fast user switching it takes about 10 seconds to flip back and forth, less if the guest account doesn't use a password. Faster than finding and mounting an image.

[JBrad]

Quote: Originally Posted by voldenuit Putting confidential documents in an encrypted diskimage makes sense. Doing the same thing with the e-mail +application+, while leaving the data files with the actual mail up for grabs, is not an overly clever solution.

I thought that would be the case as well, but attempting to open the data files (I presume you mean such things as inbox, etc.) causes the application itself to try to open. At that point the encrypted .dmg application requires a password.

Unless there is some other way to open the data files for a determined user. There probably is but at least a temporary barrier has been achieved.

[JBrad]

Quote: Originally Posted by acme.mail.order Why the reluctance to create an additional user? With fast user switching it takes about 10 seconds to flip back and forth, less if the guest account doesn't use a password. Faster than finding and mounting an image.

My reluctance to do it that way at least for me was simple. I most often leave my computer asleep. Grandkids and family come around wake me wake up along with my computer. There they are clicking this and that on my computer. Who knows what they may find. Maybe my love letters! Won't suggest anything else.

So that was the practical problem for me. The too easy access to my computer's contents when awakened from sleep. Turning on the computer was never a problem since I log in as single user. Although I did experiment with creating another user.

Being a novice I tried to look at File Vault to require a password upon the computer's awakening. Seemed too involved and seemed to go system wide and somehow too deep. Also seemed to impact the computer when I leave it on with a screen saver as I frequently do. That is, I woiuld have to use a password coming off a screensaver too.

How could this be handled via creating another user given the sleep problem? Thanks for any suggestions.

[solipsism]

Your email's data files can still be opened with a text editor, but since this is just an embarassment barrier, you should be fine.

You may also want to disallow Spotlight from cataloging certain folders so nothing embarassing appears if they do a search. *cough* porn *cough*

[JBrad]

Quote: Originally Posted by solipsism Your email's data files can still be opened with a text editor, but since this is just an embarassment barrier, you should be fine. You may also want to disallow Spotlight from cataloging certain folders so nothing embarassing appears if they do a search. *cough* porn *cough*

Thanks, solipsism, for suggestion regarding text editor. That may help solve the problem of opening older database files from email I have stored.

Also, Spotlight doesn't, on my system, find the encrypted .dmg files and folders at all. So they can't be found or opened that way. I thought that was the purpose of the encryption to start with.

Good news (for me anyway) is that so far I don't have a cough.

[voldenuit]

Quote: Originally Posted by JBrad How could this be handled via creating another user given the sleep problem? Thanks for any suggestions.

If I were you, I'd create a non-admin guest user for all the other users with no or an easy-to-remember password, then activate the password-required option for the screen-saver and teach all users how to FUS to their account.

[JBrad]

Quote: Originally Posted by voldenuit If I were you, I'd create a non-admin guest user for all the other users with no or an easy-to-remember password, then activate the password-required option for the screen-saver and teach all users how to FUS to their account.

Thanks for the suggestion, voldenuit.