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Groups > comp.sys.mac.system > #57506

Re: File vault, firmware password, etc

From Tom Stiller <clusterfux.upmon@gmail.com>
Newsgroups comp.sys.mac.system
Subject Re: File vault, firmware password, etc
Date 2014-03-03 13:20 +0000
Organization Old Men With Beards
Message-ID <bnjdsqFii1pU1@mid.individual.net> (permalink)
References <1lhxa48.1f825xadchjy0N%dcohenspam@talktalk.net>

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On 2014-03-03, Daniel Cohen <dcohenspam@talktalk.net> wrote:
> I am thinking about additional security for my Macs, a 2007 iMac and a
> 2012 MacBook Pro, both running Mavericks. After reading a lot I've got
> very confused, possibly even more so than when I started. So some of my
> questions and comments may well be stupid.
>
> I don't have great secrets to protect, just normal stuff. I am mostly
> concerned about protecting my data if a computer was stolen.
>
> I have an admin account and also a standard account. Both have
> passwords, not obvious but only about a dozen characters.
>
> So far as I understand it, the situation is this.
>
> File Vault 2. This encrypts the internal drive. One logs in using the
> normal account password. So presumably the encryption protects against
> other methods of accessing the drive (removing the drive, booting from
> an external drive, etc) and that is its main purpose.

That's the way I see it too.

> Firmware Password. This prevents any means of accessing the drive other
> than a normal login. Can the drive be read if it is removed? Is that why
> some people use both File Vault and a firmware password?

Prevents acces to the machine itself. one cannot boot into single-user mode or boot fram an external disk, CD, DVD or USB stick.

> What about security on external drives? As far as I can  see, it is easy
> enough to encrypt a Time Machine drive and also external non-boot
> drives.
>
> But what should be done with external boot drives?

Boot from the cloned drive, enable FV and allow it to complete the encryption
process. Thereafter, you will have to supply the FV password to mount the
drive. Once mounted, you can clone to it with the utility of choice.
>
> And what about cloning? I have SuperDuper,

No problem; I do it regularly.

One caution though -- if you change the FV password, do not clone until you
have started from the clone copy and change its FV password. Failure to do so
will disable the drive in the following manner. You supply the old FV password
to unlock the drive but that is the wrong password for the associated account
so the startup process fails causing a reboot which...

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Thread

File vault, firmware password, etc dcohenspam@talktalk.net (Daniel Cohen) - 2014-03-03 08:57 +0000
  Re: File vault, firmware password, etc Tom Stiller <clusterfux.upmon@gmail.com> - 2014-03-03 13:20 +0000
    Re: File vault, firmware password, etc Jolly Roger <jollyroger@pobox.com> - 2014-03-03 15:13 +0000
      Re: File vault, firmware password, etc Lewis <g.kreme@gmail.com.dontsendmecopies> - 2014-03-03 16:07 +0000
        Re: File vault, firmware password, etc me@home.spamsucks.ca (Király) - 2014-03-03 16:19 +0000
          Re: File vault, firmware password, etc dcohenspam@talktalk.net (Daniel Cohen) - 2014-03-03 17:57 +0000
            Re: File vault, firmware password, etc me@home.spamsucks.ca (Király) - 2014-03-04 00:03 +0000
              Re: File vault, firmware password, etc dcohenspam@talktalk.net (Daniel Cohen) - 2014-03-04 12:08 +0000
                Re: File vault, firmware password, etc me@home.spamsucks.ca (Király) - 2014-03-04 19:31 +0000
                Re: File vault, firmware password, etc dcohenspam@talktalk.net (Daniel Cohen) - 2014-03-04 20:46 +0000
                Re: File vault, firmware password, etc Tom Stiller <clusterfux.upmon@gmail.com> - 2014-03-04 21:41 +0000
                Re: File vault, firmware password, etc nospam <nospam@nospam.invalid> - 2014-03-04 17:01 -0500
                Re: File vault, firmware password, etc dcohenspam@talktalk.net (Daniel Cohen) - 2014-03-04 23:09 +0000
                Re: File vault, firmware password, etc Jolly Roger <jollyroger@pobox.com> - 2014-03-04 22:06 +0000
                Re: File vault, firmware password, etc Lewis <g.kreme@gmail.com.dontsendmecopies> - 2014-03-04 22:25 +0000
                Re: File vault, firmware password, etc billy@MIX.COM - 2014-03-04 22:39 +0000
                Re: File vault, firmware password, etc Lewis <g.kreme@gmail.com.dontsendmecopies> - 2014-03-04 23:26 +0000
                Re: File vault, firmware password, etc billy@MIX.COM - 2014-03-05 00:10 +0000
                Re: File vault, firmware password, etc billy@MIX.COM - 2014-03-04 21:48 +0000
                Re: File vault, firmware password, etc dcohenspam@talktalk.net (Daniel Cohen) - 2014-03-04 23:09 +0000
        Re: File vault, firmware password, etc Jolly Roger <jollyroger@pobox.com> - 2014-03-03 16:25 +0000
      Re: File vault, firmware password, etc billy@MIX.COM - 2014-03-03 17:05 +0000
        Re: File vault, firmware password, etc Jolly Roger <jollyroger@pobox.com> - 2014-03-03 17:10 +0000
        Re: File vault, firmware password, etc billy@MIX.COM - 2014-03-05 18:22 +0000
          Re: File vault, firmware password, etc Jolly Roger <jollyroger@pobox.com> - 2014-03-05 18:28 +0000
    Re: File vault, firmware password, etc dcohenspam@talktalk.net (Daniel Cohen) - 2014-03-03 17:57 +0000
      Re: File vault, firmware password, etc Tom Stiller <clusterfux.upmon@gmail.com> - 2014-03-03 19:11 +0000
  Re: File vault, firmware password, etc Alan Browne <alan.browne@FreelunchVideotron.ca> - 2014-03-04 17:10 -0500

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