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Procedure before sending iBook for repair: Privacy?


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Procedure before sending iBook for repair: Privacy?
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scubaski
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: somewhere hot and holy
 
2008-04-26, 05:47

I need to hand in my iBook for repair and do not want the repair staff to have access to my personal data such as iTunes library, word documents, movies etc.

Apple recommends to back up all data (that's a no-brainer, of course), de-authorise iTunes and disable firewalls before sending computers for repairs.

Any recommendations on this issue would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

iBook 12" 1.33GHz G4 1GB 60GB OS X 10.4.11, iPod Nano 8GB 2G, Canon Ixus Digital 40
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sunrain
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Portlandia
 
2008-04-26, 10:35

File Vault your account, then make a temporary account for them to use.
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Brad
Selfish Heathen
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Zone of Pain
 
2008-04-26, 11:39

Quote:
Originally Posted by sunrain View Post
File Vault your account, then make a temporary account for them to use.
Exactly what I was going to recommend. Be sure the account you create for them to use is an admin account.
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PKIDelirium
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
 
2008-04-26, 12:09

Of course if they're replacing the hard drive, the point is moot.
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Brad
Selfish Heathen
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Zone of Pain
 
2008-04-26, 12:49

Quote:
Originally Posted by PKIDelirium View Post
Of course if they're replacing the hard drive, the point is moot.
No, in that case, I'd be even more careful about leaving sensitive data unencrypted on the drive since Apple would then possess it permanently.
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ghoti
owner for sale by house
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Charlotte, NC
 
2008-04-26, 13:09

The best idea would be to back up the entire disk (using SuperDuper! or Carbon Copy Cloner), wipe it and install a vanilla system. If you're paranoid, you can do a safe erase of all your data before reinstalling. That is the most amount of work, but it also makes sure that your data won't be seen by anybody and that you will be able to restore it to the exact state it is in now when you get it back.
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scubaski
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: somewhere hot and holy
 
2008-04-27, 15:22

Thanks a lot for your replies....two of my keyboard keys are no longer working, they probably just replace the keyboard. So I think I go with the simpler option of filefaulting my account. Cheers.

iBook 12" 1.33GHz G4 1GB 60GB OS X 10.4.11, iPod Nano 8GB 2G, Canon Ixus Digital 40

Last edited by scubaski : 2008-04-27 at 15:33.
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scubaski
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: somewhere hot and holy
 
2008-04-29, 04:18

I did some reading up on FileVault. As it turns out I would need a lot of free space on my HD to run it (equal size as the Home folder), which I do not have.

If I just create a temp account (with admin rights) for them to use would that be ok or would they be able (with these admin rights) to override the password for my account?

A more dramatic solution: I could just delete my Home folder (after backing up to external HD of course) but then I would have everything in just one place which makes me a bit nervous in case the external HD malfunctions.

At the end of the day I just want to make sure that all my info is not sitting there waiting to be harvested. If I can make it inconvenient for the potential thief he might go elsewhere for easier pickings. I am not looking for a 100% tight security.

iBook 12" 1.33GHz G4 1GB 60GB OS X 10.4.11, iPod Nano 8GB 2G, Canon Ixus Digital 40
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Koodari
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
 
2008-04-29, 04:40

Quote:
Originally Posted by scubaski View Post
I did some reading up on FileVault. As it turns out I would need a lot of free space on my HD to run it (equal size as the Home folder), which I do not have.

If I just create a temp account (with admin rights) for them to use would that be ok or would they be able (with these admin rights) to override the password for my account?
If you don't encrypt, they'll have access to everything just by booting from another disk. They don't even need an user account to do that.
Quote:
A more dramatic solution: I could just delete my Home folder (after backing up to external HD of course) but then I would have everything in just one place which makes me a bit nervous in case the external HD malfunctions.

At the end of the day I just want to make sure that all my info is not sitting there waiting to be harvested. If I can make it inconvenient for the potential thief he might go elsewhere for easier pickings. I am not looking for a 100% tight security.
Doing it right is easier than making things slightly inconvenient for a snooper. Move as much space-consuming media (video would usually be the first choice) to the external hard drive as necessary, then turn on Filevault. Done.
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scubaski
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: somewhere hot and holy
 
2008-04-29, 08:16

Ok, my iTunes Library takes almost 30GB (HD 60GB) so I will move the whole lot and FileVault the rest.

One more thing I do not quite understand with FileVault. I need to set a Master Password which gives the Admimistrator full control over ALL accounts, even if he doesn't know their passwords. If I then give the repairteam admin rights does that mean they also need or have access to the Master Password?

iBook 12" 1.33GHz G4 1GB 60GB OS X 10.4.11, iPod Nano 8GB 2G, Canon Ixus Digital 40
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Koodari
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
 
2008-04-29, 08:40

Quote:
Originally Posted by scubaski View Post
One more thing I do not quite understand with FileVault. I need to set a Master Password which gives the Admimistrator full control over ALL accounts, even if he doesn't know their passwords. If I then give the repairteam admin rights does that mean they also need or have access to the Master Password?
You understand correctly what Master Password does, so it's kind of obvious, but anyway the answer is no to both. The only thing an admin cannot do is read others' encrypted home directories (whether they're admins or regular users!). To hand out Master Password is the same as if you didn't use Filevault at all.
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