Comments on: Locking and password protecting your Mac whilst you are away

By: Peter

Peter — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 20:54:18 +0000

Great Article.

By: David

David — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 23:06:18 +0000

Thanks – I kept looking for that setting that ended up being in ‘Security’. Control is not just in the energy saver section! Now I can avoid my programs closing if I leave my computer locked for a long time.

By: janet

janet — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 14:48:01 +0000

Thank you for your excellent work- clear, informative.

By: newmacguy

newmacguy — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 07:22:48 +0000

Great article. Very helpful. Thanks.

By: Getoninter

Getoninter — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 15:58:29 +0000

Hey thanks i keep learning new tricks for the mac all the time!

By: JuanFE43

JuanFE43 — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 03:17:44 +0000

Is just a easy and great way to protect your Mac. Thanks!!!

By: John

John — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 15:32:08 +0000

To add to the previous QuickSilver tip. I invoke QuickSilver and type FL for “Fast Logout” and it will trigger a Fast User Switching script. Note: Must have the Extra Scripts Plugin.

By: koowo

koowo — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 09:30:07 +0000

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very good!

By: Technology Blog » Blog Archive » Locking & Password Protecting Your Mac

Thu, 03 May 2007 19:38:53 +0000

[...] Huskisson has written a nice article on how to lock and password protect your Mac using a combination of screensavers, hot corners, and [...]

By: Locking & Password Protecting Your Mac

Locking & Password Protecting Your Mac — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 15:30:08 +0000

[...] Huskisson has written a nice article on how to lock and password protect your Mac using a combination of screensavers, hot corners, and [...]

By: Dan

Dan — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 23:24:04 +0000

Great tip, im definitely going to use it on my school mac :)

By: John

John — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 23:19:36 +0000

Use Disk Utility to create a new Blank Disk Image with encryption. Put your sensitive data in this disk image. Now even if someone manages to access the computer they can’t access your private data as they don’t know the password. It also makes it easy to back up this important information as it is all in one place.

By: Patrick Cheung

Patrick Cheung — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 23:14:19 +0000

I tried that once, the problem was that I often trigger the screen saver accidentally. I end up using LockTight which allows me to press some keys and lock the computer.

By: RazorSharp iPods & Raw Gadgets » Archive » Quick-and-dirty security trick

Wed, 21 Feb 2007 23:07:17 +0000

[...] Jamie offers a quick security tip. If you’re the type that’s frequently away from your desk, you may want to keep your [...]

By: Tim

Tim — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 22:05:47 +0000

I use a Quicksilver trigger to launch the screen saver. This allows me to press a key sequence to “lock” my computer when I’m getting up and leaving my office. [ This doesn't address the vulnerability Josh mentions ]

ScreenSaver location:
System > Library > Frameworks > ScreenSaver.framework > Versions > A > Resources > ScreenSaverEngine.app

QS triggers:
http://www.43folders.com/2006/02/13/quicksilver-triggers/

By: doxa

doxa — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 19:14:53 +0000

Bluejade, you can use “Open Firmware Password” found on the Mac OS X DVD to set a password for starting up from a DVD/CD.

I personally like “Lock Screen” from Keychain menu item (like yadda suggested). Requires two clicks, but it prevents accidental lock by moving your mouse into a corner (pain if you have a long password).

If you’re not a fan of screen saver and want to turn off display immediately, try BlackenedPixels (free). Screen savers are pointless (and waste of energy) if you’re using laptop or LCD monitor.

By: Josh

Josh — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 19:07:54 +0000

THAT method isn’t secure if, like in my office, there is an admin account on the computer that others know the password for. Try it yourself, put in the admin name and password. Unlike the way windows handles it (That logs the current user out) OS X simply unlocks the screen revealing what you were working on.

The best method by far is to turn on fast user switching and to return to the login screen. (Even if some apps, such as TimBukTu, will close when you return there.

By: Jamie Huskisson

Jamie Huskisson — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 18:54:19 +0000

Weird Donny.. never saw it.

I write articles based off a list I add to whenever I have a new idea. This one has been on my list for a while ever since I figured it out :)

By: Donny

Donny — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 18:52:14 +0000

This looks familiar: http://babygotmac.com/a/157/4/

I saw this on Digg the other day.

By: Bluejade

Bluejade — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 15:48:25 +0000

while nice little article, it doesn’t solve the problem of getting into your computer by just booting from Mac OS X DVD and reseting you password

By: Martin StrÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¶m

Martin StrÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¶m — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 15:35:13 +0000

I’ve always used this kind of setup for my mac but when I realized one could just boot up into single user mode (hold ÃƒÂ¢Ã…â€™Ã‹Å“S while starting up) to get root access. The solution is great to keep people from your stuff when your out for lunch etc but wont keep your data safe if your mac get stolen.

By: Jamie Huskisson

Jamie Huskisson — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 15:17:40 +0000

Well put, though this is for people who don’t have that enabled :)

By: Stacey

Stacey — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 15:15:14 +0000

Ummm.. yeah, this will work, but even easier… simply jump back to the login prompt. If you have the option turned on to show the fast user switch in the menubar, simply click the name, drop down to “Login…” and you are done…. processes continue as normal, and your machine is locked. That’s what I do all the time.

By: yadda

yadda — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 14:17:36 +0000

For those who don’t like active corners: you can also enter the keychain utility (in applications > utilities) and set it to display an icon in the menu bar. From there you can manually lock your screen, thus going to screensaver mode. While not all that quick, it has the benefit of not being as annoying as active corners are :)

By: Locking & Password Protecting Your Mac at The Apple Blog

Locking & Password Protecting Your Mac at The Apple Blog — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 14:09:39 +0000

[...] Huskisson has written a nice article on how to lock and password protect you mac using a combination of screensavers, hot corners, and [...]