How to create a self destructing folder for my mac?

February 5, 2007 12:57 PM

Is there an application for my mac (OS 10.4) that would enable me to have a folder that would "self destruct" if the contents in that folder are not accessed for a user set ammount of time?

I live in a med/high crime area and to provide adequate security would cost a lot. I have come to accept that some of my stuff will get stolen eventually. I have backed up all important data and keep it in a seperate (off-site) location.

I do however have some large files that I access fairly regularly and are therfore stored on my harddrive. (to answer anyones questions, they are recordings of artists who I promised would not find the recordings put up on any file sharing networks).

Ideally I would like to keep these in a file that would last 3/5 days or so. If they weren't accessed they would automatically be deleted. No big deal for me because I have them backed up. The next person who fired up the system however (after the time limit had expired) would not see these files.

I don't need ultra super secure. I just want them to be visably gone so that the average scum of the earth criminal or pawn shop recipiant can't plug it in, search for available mp3's and then share them on limewire.

any help?

thanks

posted by superdeluxe to Computers & Internet (15 answers total)

You're overthinking the solution. Just use FileVault, an operating system component that encrypts your home directory. Short of military intervention, no average criminal or pawn shop will be getting to your files without your password.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 1:02 PM on February 5, 2007

Although im not sure how to exactly do it i think the best way would to write an apple script then attach that script to a folder using folder actions. Or you can set a cron-job using a cron app that automatically deletes files on startup or at a certain time of the day.
posted by AMP583 at 1:06 PM on February 5, 2007

Or, how about writing a startup script that checks the last accessed time of your folder, and if it exceeds 3/5 days, then run a secure deletion program (or a simple delete) on the folder? I don't know macs, so I can't give details.
posted by philomathoholic at 1:16 PM on February 5, 2007

Best answer: If you'd prefer not to encrypt your entire home directory, you could also just use Disk Utility to make an encrypted disk image, and store the files inside.

Just don't add the password to your system keychain; type it manually each time.
posted by dickyvibe at 1:16 PM on February 5, 2007

I don't know if the average scum-of-the-earth criminal knows how to use FireWire Target Disk Mode to mount your computer on his as a hard drive, but if so, the self-destructing approach wouldn't really do the trick.
posted by staggernation at 2:07 PM on February 5, 2007

nth the FileVault. What happens to the data if you go on vacation? Nobody wants to lose data just because life got in the way of their computer habit.
posted by advicepig at 2:30 PM on February 5, 2007

Seconding Disk Utility + encrypted standalone disk image. It might be overkill to use FileVault, if you just need to protect a folder.
posted by secret about box at 2:48 PM on February 5, 2007

I've used the disk image method. Be sure that you use a "sparse disk image", that way it will only take up as much hard disk space as it actually contains instead of the full amount it can contain.
posted by shanevsevil at 3:58 PM on February 5, 2007

As long as you're not working with digital video, filevault is fine.

Then turn off auto login, and turn on (in security) password at sleep/screensaver.

This pretty much locks down your machine if it gets stolen.
posted by filmgeek at 7:32 PM on February 5, 2007

I've read about too many cases of filevault-protected home folders corrupting to reccomend it. The encrypted disk image works great for me.
posted by Devils Rancher at 7:47 PM on February 5, 2007

2nd Devils Rancher. FileVault proved in my case not to be ready for prime time. I encrypted my HD last April in a fit of extreme paranoia after my other computer was stolen from me, and decrypted it sometime last month when OS X was giving me extremely bogus estimates of how much hard drive space I had left and tossing my preference files left and right. Decrypting the HD and spending some quality time with DiskWarrior fixed what ailed me but I will not go back to FileVault for another version or two.

I'd just turn on passwords for waking up and coming off the screensaver. In general, if someone is going to steal your computer, they're going to erase the hard drive and resell it, and maybe look for CC/SSN/other useful numbers before they do. I think it would be a rare laptop thief who would go ahead and start sharing all your music files too, especially because they might worry that you'd be able to figure out where your computer was by tracing rare music you knew was on your hard drive.
posted by crinklebat at 8:37 PM on February 5, 2007

Orbicule (http://orbicule.com/) sells macintosh security software. It aids in recovery and can eventually fake hardware failures while in the thief's posession. I've never tried it myself but it's the closest thing I can think of to what you asked for.
posted by chairface at 9:56 PM on February 5, 2007

Use the encrypted disk image thing that others have mentioned. But you could do it with a bash script and cron.

Make a script that looks like:

#!/bin/bash
if [ $(find /protected/folder -atime -5 | wc -l) -eq 0 ]; then rm -r /protected/folder ; fi

This counts how many files in that folder have been accessed in the last 5 days, and deletes the folder if none have.

Use cron to run it daily, or use some other method to get it to run every boot or something. Replace "rm -r" with you favourite secure deletion app.
posted by markr at 12:38 AM on February 6, 2007

Yet another vote for "FileVault has corrupted on me, trashing my entire home directory" as well as "use an encrypted disk image".

Another nice benefit of the encrypted disk image is that it's literally one file, which means copying it to a backup volume is very fast (none of that "calculating" for 200,000 items time.)

Contra to the "use a sparse image" advice, I actually deliberately make 4.5Gb images, since that's easiest to back up to a DVD.
posted by rokusan at 12:47 AM on February 6, 2007

New app worth a look
posted by dpcoffin at 8:58 AM on February 6, 2007