Re: Is Keychain or any other program safe for storing sensitive data on a desktop Mac?

From	Your Name <YourName@YourISP.com>
Newsgroups	comp.sys.mac.misc
Subject	Re: Is Keychain or any other program safe for storing sensitive data on a desktop Mac?
Date	2018-11-11 10:24 +1300
Organization	Aioe.org NNTP Server
Message-ID	<ps7ib5$1ma6$1@gioia.aioe.org> (permalink)
References	<2018110721595581963-tomevans9890@yahoo.ca> <2018110922232686127-tomevans9890@yahoo.ca>
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On 2018-11-10 06:23:26 +0000, Tom Evans said:
> On 2018-11-10 02:07:14 +0000, nospam said:
>> In article <ps5e14$b9u$1@gioia.aioe.org>, Your Name
>> <YourName@YourISP.com> wrote:
>>> 
>>> The only real world way someone is going to be able to read that file
>>> is if they have physical access to your computer and it's logged into
>>> your user account (or your computer password is very simple to guess,
>>> or you're stupid enough to have it written on a sticky note attache to
>>> the display!).
>> 
>> wrong.
>> 
>> if someone has physical access to the computer, they don't need to log
>> in at all.

They do if you've set a firmware password (and make sure to remember 
that) which then disables access to the recovery options and external 
drive booting without the correct password.



> No one else but me has physical access to my Mac, so I deactivated my passcode.

They will have access if they break into your house and / or steal the 
computer. It's best to leave the login options to require the password, 
and set the computer to require that password on wakeup from sleep 
(even from screensaver if it's a laptop you actually take off the desk 
to other locations).



> But this reminds me of another worry:  It it possible for a hacker to 
> hack via System Preferences > Users and Groups > Other Users?  I have 
> an alternate account there with my name on it, whcih is marked 
> "Standard" and a Guest account, but both of those usersare show in in 
> gray type and the Guest account says it's "Off".

If you have Guest turned off, then nobody can get in without the password.

Even if you ave Guest turned on, they have limited access and cannot 
access your user's files.

Other user accounts cannot access your user's files either, unless you 
have set them to have Admin privileges ... an Admin account and 
password can access basically everything on the computer.



>> either boot off an external drive or put the mac into target drive mode
>> and they'll have full access to *anything* on the drive.
>> 
>> unless of course, it's encrypted...

Or you have set the firmware password.



>>> The only possible exception is if you install software from a dodgy
>>> source. For example, never click on a pop-up link in your web browser
>>> that claims you need to update / install software (such as Flash or
>>> Java). Even then the chances are extremely low.
>> 
>> wrong on that too.
>> 
>> clicking on a link makes the chances extremely *high* something bad
>> will be installed.

Only if you then also enter your Admin password. Something you should 
never do when you don't really know why the computer is asking for it.



>>> Even better, take it to an authorised Apple tech centre, but you'll be
>>> paying money and the liklihood of them actually finding any problem is
>>> basically zero.
>> 
>> wrong yet again.
>> 
>> apple stores don't charge anything.

I said Authorised Apple tech centre. Official Apple stores's Genius Bar 
may not charge, but the indpendently owned stores can and do.



>>>> But I've spoken with employees from my bank about this fraud attempt,
>>>> and they advised me not to store my bank information on my computer, so
>>>> that's another source of contradictory advice.
>>> 
>>> Bank employees, like most of the world (especially 'help' desk
>>> operators), are all Windoze drones and have zero understanding of Apple
>>> devices. In fact most 'help' desk operators have zero understanding of
>>> anything and simply read off a script on their screen or do Google
>>> searches for answers.   :-\
>> 
>> wrong once more.
>> 
>> it's not an apple/windows issue.
>> 
>> storing private information, including bank logins and passwords, in an
>> unencrypted file is flat out stupid, regardless of platform.
> 
> I think my Mac must have been 'hacked' because how else could the 
> fraudster know my name, log into my credit card account by phone and 
> steal $1,700 from my credit card account, before someone at the bank 
> spotted the suspicous transaction and reversed the charge to my 
> account?  After that, the same day (Wednesday) I got an urgent phone 
> message from the bank as me to call the bank as soon as possible.

It's relatively easy to do and happens thousands of times a day to 
people who don't even own a computer.

It is extremely doubtful your Mac has been "hacked".

More likely is that you entered information into a web form, even 
perhaps entering a dodgey competition, that gave the criminal the 
initial start to track down you mother's maiden name.

Or, even more likely, maybe you use the same information for a Yahoo 
account or Amazon account (for example) and it was that which was 
hacked at the Yahoo / Amazon server end. There's nothing you can do 
about that, other than use different passwords and security questions 
for each account.



> Today I phoned the bank's loss prevention department again and found 
> out that the caller called the bank from a distant part of the country. 
>  One of the bank employees even gave me the phone number used by the 
> criminal to phone the bank and attempt the theft and impersonation, but 
> refused to divulge details.
> 
>> either encrypt it, or better yet and has been suggested, use a password
>> manager which does the encryption for you and without the hassles.
> 
> I'll do that, after I deccide which passcode manager to use.  (I think 
> I'll try Keychain first.)  In the meantime, I've trashed and emptied 
> from the trash the files of passcodes and similar info from my Mac, and 
> ejected my back-up drives so that they, too, can't be accessed for the 
> same files, until I have the data stored in Keychain or a similar 
> program, and then I'll take the sensitive data off of my back-up drives 
> as well.

You're WAY over-thinking what is almost certainly a one-off occurence 
that had nothing to do with your own computer.

If I had a million dollars I would be make a million dollar bet that 
that is no malware on your computer ... because nobody has *ever* 
actually found any on a Mac in the real world for a normal user. Those 
who download pirate material are a different case and get what they 
deserve. (Windoze computers on the other hand can get malware just 
because you blinked "wrong" while looking at the display!!)
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