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A script for compressing and encrypting directories
Authored by: el bid on Nov 13, '03 12:52:03PM

Perhaps I'm missing something, but I don't entirely understand the premise of this hint, or (as mentioned) the need for some additional application to handle encryption.

The ideal way of encrypting directories, IMHO, is to create them within an encrypted filesystem in the first place. Panther now has some additional facility for doing this, but I haven't bothered to investigate this because the approach I've been using here since 10.1 still works fine. It needs no scripting or additional app.

The approach is simply to create an encrypted read/write .dmg (disk image) using Disk Utility/New Image against some passphrase, and then to mount that image against the passphrase. It will mount under /Volumes in the usual way, but if you want it elsewhere (eg in your home directory, perhaps so that it can easily be SMB exported across the network) then UNIX link (rather than Mac alias) it into the required location.

When you're done with it, simply unmount the image and the contents will be secure. The UNIX link can be left in place -- it won't work while the image is unmounted, of course, but will come back to life when the image is mounted again.

The .dmg can be backed up and will remain fully secure off-line until restored and remounted against the original passphase.



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el bid



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