Leokid.my

Everyone has a skeleton in their closets, right? Let it be private photos, account or credit cards information, personal details, or even lewd materials. These are some of the things we usually hide from other people.

Back then when I was using Windows, it’s quite a pain to find the best way to protect my files and folders. There are thousands of softwares out there, each with it’s own pros and contras. Among my favourite software was TrueCrypt. It’s on-the-fly functionality plus user-friendly, is a major weighing point.

So I was wondering at first, should I use TrueCrypt at my Macbook too, to protect my private folders? It was then I found out that Mac OS has it’s own native, more efficient method of protecting the folders!

Before I begin, let’s point out the main features we’re looking for the protection method:

2. User-friendly. Accessing and de-accessing the files/folders should not take more than seconds, no hassle.
3. Encryption. Nowadays, it’s easy to crack one’s password, let it be via bruteforce or algorithms, it just a matter of time.
4. Portability. If we’re the only user for the computer, we shouldn’t be worry about protecting files/folders. Most of the files that need to be protected are mobile files, to be carried on a pendrive, sending/receiving via emails etc. Therefore the protection mechanism must be present at all time with the protected files/folders.

With these 3 main points, native Mac files with extension *.dmg serve the purposes (with the exception of #3).

For Mac users, you might be familiar with DMG files. DMG (Disk Mounted Graphic) is a special Apple Disk Images for Mac OS. It is comparable to Windows’s ISO files. So here’s my simple step-by-step tutorial to make a password-protected files/folders in Mac.

Step 1 – Creating the Disk Image.

Creating the disk image is damn easy in Mac! Launch the Disk Utility (via Applications > Utilities) or simply type it at the Spotlight.

After you have launched the Disk Utility, select the “New Image” option on the top of the window.

Select the location for saving the Disk Image. Pick a name for it, select the size and select the encryption method. Any of the encryption method will do its job. Click “Create”

After you have clicked the “Create” button, another window will prompt you to enter the password for the disk image. Enter your own password, or if you want you can click at the key button and a password assistant will appear, suggesting you some of high-strength passwords to be used.

After finished, the disk image will be automatically attached to your desktop. Here is your private folder!

Now you can copy all your “skeletons” into your new “closet”. After finished working with it, simply right-click at the “closet” and choose “Eject”. There you go, the folder disappears and hidden!

So where actually your skeletons are stored? How to get back? The answer – it is stored in the disk image which you specified the save folder previously. Launch your finder and navigate to the location you specified. You will notice a file with DMG extension (Stash.dmg in my case). Here is your disk image, just copy it to your USB storage drive to move it anywhere.

Every time you want to access your private folder, simply fire up the DMG file. It will prompt you for the password. Simply enter the correct password and your private folder will be appear (mounted) back at the desktop!

Done! See, this is why I love Mac so much! No need for another 3rd party software, no downloads, no installation hassle, no configuring applications etc. Simply fire up the built-in Disk Utility and here you go – a simple solution I long search.

Does it satisfies the main features requirements previously? Let’s see..

1. User-friendly. Just double-click at the DMG files and enters the password – voila!
2. Encryption – Select either you want the 128Bit or 256Bit encryption method, and your files/folders will take years to be decrypted.
3. Portability – Save the DMG file on your thumb drive, and you’re off to go! You can access your private stash on any Mac Machine available. However, there is one slight problem:

• The DMG file is specific for Mac OS computers only. Therefore it is not compatible for other operating system. However, if you want to access DMG files on Windows, there are 3rd-party softwares/plugins for it. You may also try converting DMG files to ISO using certain Windows softwares, such as UltraISO.

That’s all for now, hope it’s helping. Stay tuned for next tips on using Mac!

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