GlobalConfig.net» MacTips

Protecting Your Mac From Theft and Data Loss

Brandon Carroll, CCIE #23837 — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 17:45:28 +0000

Have you ever had that sinking feeling in your gut? You know what I mean, the kind you get when you walk out to your car only to find that it has been broken into and everything inside has been stolen. Well I had that feeling last weekend, only the window wasn’t broken and the laptop wasn’t mine. It was my wife’s laptop and a nieces unlocked door that put us in this predicament. Since it was my wife’s computer I’m not concerned with the data on it, aside from the fact that it had pictures of our kids for the entire year that were not backed up. Everything else was pretty meaningless. That’s not the case with my laptop. I have a great deal of information on my laptop that is of great importance to me. So in view of what happened to my wife’s laptop I decided to examine my security posture. Turns out I’m kinda ok! This post details some of the security measures that I take to protect my laptop and my data. It’s not meant to be the definitive answer, but it works for me. Feel free to comment on your methods as well!

Securing the Data

Lets begin with how I secure my data. I primarily use three elements:

A Secure Password Manager that Syncs With My Phone

A File Encrypter

An Encrypted Disk Image

A Reason to Use iTerm for Mac Os X.

Brandon Carroll, CCIE #23837 — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 07:03:41 +0000

I just started using iTerm for Mac Os X instead of Terminal. The reason is mainly because I like the way the you can create a bookmark. I use this to make my rack time more efficient, however it will also work nicely for common connections I use at work.

Here is what I did: First I created an expect script for each device in the pod I wanted to log into. This lets me save the username and password so I dont have to keep typing it. Once created, store them in a directory on your drive. Here is what they look like:

#!/usr/bin/expect --

spawn telnet Your-Terminal-Server-IP-or-Name Line-Number-Goes-Here

expect  "Username"
send "YourUsername\r"
expect  "Password"
send "YourPassword\r"
expect  "are"
send "\r"
interact;

Next open ITerm. Select “Bookmarks”

Select “Manage Bookmarks” Select the “+” button.

Enter the name for the bookmark and drag the expect script that auto-logs you into the lab equipment and drop it into the command field. Then Click ok.

You can now choose Command-B to view your bookmarks. Double click the bookmark and you are in business.

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It's Black Friday

Brandon Carroll, CCIE #23837 — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 17:55:46 +0000

Well it is Black Friday. I woke up this morning to an empty bed because my wife hit the stores early. But shopping is not for me. I only go to the store if I know exactly what I want. Otherwise I heavily rely on the internet. When I bought my wife’s Mackbook a few days ago they employees told us they were going to have some pretty good sales today. Check them out online and save yourself from the Black Friday crowds!

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Mac OSx: Parallels 4.0 Review

Brandon Carroll, CCIE #23837 — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 21:56:36 +0000

Many of you are aware that I am using a MAC. I’ve learned much about the MAC and have found some great tips over at EtherealMind.com.

I prefer to use the MAC for Everything! Unfortunatley there are some apps that just have to have a Windows OS. I recently came across a promotion that Crossover Office was running and grabbed it. I can run some Windows Apps with it. Its great, and it was FREE! Still other apps didn’t like Crossover office so I would run them in Parallels. With the recent edition of verison 4.0 it is AWESOME! I actually upgraded, and also threw 2 more gigs of ram in my Macbook and it doesnt even flinch when I run Vista and Ubuntu at the same time! I cant say enough good things about it.

If you dont have Parallels 4.0 I recommend you get it. Its way faster than the 3.0 verison and very User Friendly. You will have to convert any VMs you have the first time you run them, so back them up. I didn’t have any problems though.

I did have an issue with the network, but the Parallels forum quickly solved it with a single command in a terminal window and they issue has not presented itself again.

One other tip I recommend is using spaces to move between the desktops. Use Vista in full screen on one space, Ubuntu on the other and quickly switch between them. As an alternative you could run in coherence mode and just access each open app as though it were running on the MAC itself.

If anyone else is running Parallels and wants to comment on it I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Protecting Your Mac From Theft and Data Loss

MAC OSX- Attaching to an Email with hotkey

Brandon Carroll, CCIE #23837 — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 18:02:38 +0000

This video shows you how I use Quicksilver and an Automator application to attach finder items to an email. If you find it useful why not digg it or stumble it so others can see it too.

Here is what you need:

Quicksilver
Automator or just download the app i made HERE!
Mail.app (of course you could probably use another by changing the Automator app.)
And of course, you need a mac. If you dont have one….get one from the apple store.

You may also find my article on Locking the desktop useful. You can find it here.

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MAC OSX- Locking Your Desktop

Brandon Carroll, CCIE #23837 — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 13:00:00 +0000

Since I'm working on my CCIE Security its only fitting that I be concerned about the security of my own laptop. Well, I have been using a MacBook since I started writing the CCNA Wireless Exam Certification Guide and I love it. It's the COOLEST toy I've owned.

Enough ranting about my MAC. I have been trying to figure out how to quickly lock the screen. I found a post here on MackWorld, but it was after I figured out the method seen in this short video.

Download the Lock Desktop.app here.

Here is the Link to get Quicksilver

Here is the AWESOME Tutorial on Quicksilver.

And now….Here is the Video.

By the way, What got me to thinking about AWESOME Mac stuff is fellow blogger Greg Ferro over at Ethereal Mind. Check his posts out here!

Now if this was helpful Digg it! or Stumble it! and let others know!

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GlobalConfig.net» MacTips

Protecting Your Mac From Theft and Data Loss

Securing the Data

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A Reason to Use iTerm for Mac Os X.

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It's Black Friday

Related Posts:

Mac OSx: Parallels 4.0 Review

Related Posts:

MAC OSX- Attaching to an Email with hotkey

Related Posts:

MAC OSX- Locking Your Desktop

Now if this was helpful Digg it! or Stumble it! and let others know!

Related Posts: