FileVault 2 can make nations quake, apparently, but it’s just a bit of good information hygiene, letting you make choices about the degree of vulnerability you want to tolerate for your locally stored data and any software or stored passwords for services in your accounts. With it off, you’re not risking everything, but with it on, you have a high degree of assurance about who can access what.
My son’s MacBook Air got stolen last year when his apartment was burglarized. We spent a lot of time together changing passwords. With File Vault, we wouldn’t have had to do that. I strongly recommend using File Vault.
How to encrypt your Mac with FileVault 2, and why you absolutely should | Macworld.
Sound like a good idea. But what are the downsides? Does it slow performance or thrash the SSD or HD?
I’ve never seen any performance hit. It’s done at the file system level, so it’s pretty fast. If you have an older, slower Mac, then you might see a slight slowdown when you open big files.
Sound like a good idea. But what are the downsides? Does it slow performance or thrash the SSD or HD?
I’ve never seen any performance hit. It’s done at the file system level, so it’s pretty fast. If you have an older, slower Mac, then you might see a slight slowdown when you open big files.
An alternative is to create an encrypted Disk Image archive with Disk Util for private information. I use it for passwords, statements, etc. Easy to have multiple backups of a 300 mb dmg. Wish Apple would provide an option to encrypt the Contacts app data, or move it’s data location. Before sandboxing I would put some of the AddressBook data in the dmg too.
An alternative is to create an encrypted Disk Image archive with Disk Util for private information. I use it for passwords, statements, etc. Easy to have multiple backups of a 300 mb dmg. Wish Apple would provide an option to encrypt the Contacts app data, or move it’s data location. Before sandboxing I would put some of the AddressBook data in the dmg too.