FileVault Poll

FileVault Poll...

  • I've used it and had problems/didn't like it.

  • I've used it and had no problems/liked it.

  • I haven't used it but think it's a good thing.

  • I haven't used it but think it's a bad thing.

Results are only viewable after voting.
Well, my girlfriend had FileVault active on her iBook. Until through not so clear circumstances the encrypted home image got coruppted somehow. I worked 1 1/2 weeks to recover pictures, music and so on with a great variety of tools.

So, I think it's not really executed well enough to be a good thing. I was kinda skeptical from the beginning, but that really killed FileVault for me.
 
Natobasso said:
I disagree. I think a safe that is yours should have some way of getting back into it if you lose the password. Just like buildings have master keys, so should my encrypted data. Let's face it, though, just about anything is crackable if enough time/resources are spent on it so it's almost a moot point.
Click to expand...
AFAIK most nix system lets you boot into Single user mode with have root access to everything and from there you can reset password of any users.

But that's a system admin thing - the files and system structures are not necessarily encrypted. IMHO encrypting data is a different beast, it is not only denial of access but also encryption of every bit of data.

To my knowledge, FileVault is implemented by using AES encryption, an algorithm that is designed to be secure and actually used for really high secure data like those used in Defence departments, the importance of the data is such that it is better to be destroyed rather than leaking secrets to the outside world.

Yes these encryption data are crack-able given enough CPU power and time, but this AES encryption isn't something your average hacker/script kiddie would crack open. It may take months or even years for FBI to crack it, so unless you are really up to something bad-ass, e.g. terrorism, it is more than an overkill for your average use.
 
Most of the stuff I make doesn't need to be hidden, most of it is public, and I almost never backup, only when I'm going to reformat, so I don't even want to take a risk if I don't have to.
 
like others here, i know of it, don't use it, and don't care either way. it could be a good idea for some people, but for the majority of home users, there isn't a need.
 
I would rather slide down a 50 foot razor blade into a pool of alcohol
AND kiss a rabbit between the ears than trust my data to FileVault.
 
Darn, I should have had this answer in the poll. ;)
(No, do _not_ edit the poll please, fellow-mods...) :)
 
If you have everything backed up, what is the worst that can happen if you have FileVault turned on?
 
I assume that with File Vault turned on, disk space is taken up to encrypt files and create a sparse file, which is why I can opt for free space recovery more or less each time I log out (which from your last reply may not always work efficiently)?

Presumably recovering free disk space is not an issue if FileVault is switched off?
 
If FileVault is switched off, there _is_ no space wasted by a growing disk image, because the home folders are just that: Folders.
The free space recovery "feature" with FileVault is, in my opinion, not really well thought-out. It confuses users unnecessarily. FileVault should work in the background, giving free space back as needed (or as it becomes available) imnsho.
 
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