“If you aren’t using FileVault on your Mac, it’s time to change that right now,” Jeff Gamet writes for The Mac Observer. “There’s a stunningly simple way to create a back door into your Mac using just the tools included with macOS, but all it takes to defeat the threat is FileVault.”
“FileVault is Apple’s full disk encryption feature that’s built into macOS. With it enabled, the entire contents of your SSD or hard drive is encrypted and accessible only when you log in to your user account. Booting your Mac into Safe Mode leaves your drive encrypted and accessible only after entering your passcode,” Gamet writes. “Apple uses AES-XTS AES-128 encryption with a 256-bit key to keep your data locked down and private. That’s great for keeping prying eyes out of your drive if your computer is lost or stolen.”
Gamet writes, “FileVault also protects you from the simple back door hack Tokyoneon…”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: FileVault offers an extra layer of security, so if you don’t have it enabled, you might consider doing so.
SEE ALSO:
Is using FileVault encryption in macOS good enough? – December 1, 2016
Securing your Mac’s SSD before handing it off for repair – June 28, 2016
Why a strong password doesn’t help as much as a unique one – July 22, 2015
Sorry… but what is called in the article a “backdoor” still nothing but à normal procedure to get a network physical access to a mac or any other computer!
See, I told you Apple was Dumb!
Yeah Cynner, everybody around here is dumb except for you and me. And sometimes I’m not so sure about you.
/sarcasm, I think, since the commenter’s name is a mashup of 2 annoying regulars.
“Setting up the back door requires hands on access to your Mac, and some quick command line work.”
Huh, so I guess the author decided to rename “front door” and “physical access and reboot” to “back door”.
Guess it gets you clicks.
FileVault slows down, and is a real hindrance to, video file editing. It’s OK for text editing, but not for video.
Recently did a clean-install upgrade to High Sierra. FileVault and Time Machine did not play well so now FileVault is off. Maybe when I have a week to burn I’ll try again.
I’ve been using File Vault with Time Machine as long as it’s been available with no issues. I recover stuff from Time Machine, too, so I know it’s working.
Yep, it definitely works.