Copying Encrypted Folder t External Hdd

Started by pakiyabhai, December 26, 2009, 07:08:07 AM

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pakiyabhai

I have encrypted a folder onto my desktop with espionage , now I want to copy the ENCRYPTED folder on to my hard disk as well for backup.

Mindit , I want to keep encrypted backup.

Qs I have  . .

1. When opening this on another mac , what do I need ?
2. I have chosen espionage keychain to store my password for security reasons , so I have two passwords , 1 for espionage and 1 for the folder.
3. What if I want to delete the folder from hdd and keep the one on hdd as the only copy is that fine ?

Warm Regards,
Pakz

greg

#1
Quote from: "pakiyabhai"Qs I have  . .

1. When opening this on another mac , what do I need ?

You need to copy the encrypted folder while it's disabled on your computer to the other Mac (you can disable the folder from within Espionage), and then add the folder on the other Mac to Espionage (on that Mac) using the folder's password.

Quote2. I have chosen espionage keychain to store my password for security reasons , so I have two passwords , 1 for espionage and 1 for the folder.
3. What if I want to delete the folder from hdd and keep the one on hdd as the only copy is that fine ?

Sorry, I'm not sure I understand you correctly (as you said "hdd" twice), however, it sounds to me like the following help documents from the manual may be helpful to you:

Information about backing up Espionage'd folders
How to move a folder after it's encrypted

If you still have questions let us know!

Best regards,
Greg, Tao Effect
Follow @espionageapp@twitter.com or @espionage@mstdn.io for news and updates!

pakiyabhai

#2
OKay all my doubts are answered. Thanks you so much for the swift reply.

I have two more question now.

1. For each encrypted folder on the portable hdd , when I try to unlock or enable it from espionage folder , it gives me
KeyChain Error - Couldn't get password for 'xyz' from keychain .

My encryption /Decryption happens fine , but this message is annoying.

2. To rename the encrypted archive , I have to rename both the folder name and the .sparse image ?

greg

#3
Quote from: "pakiyabhai"1. For each encrypted folder on the portable hdd , when I try to unlock or enable it from espionage folder , it gives me
KeyChain Error - Couldn't get password for 'xyz' from keychain .

Make sure you're trying to unlock/enable the folder while the portable hdd is plugged in. If it is,then try updating its password in Espionage:

  • Open Espionage and unlock it with your master password.
  • Select the folder that's giving you the keychain error message when you try to unlock it.
  • Click the "Change Password" button.
  • Enter its old password to verify, then enter its new password twice (it can be the same password).
  • Click "Save Changes".

If you still get that error message, try repairing the keychain by opening the Keychain Access application (in /Applications/Utilities, or use Spotlight to find it), and then choose "Keychain First Aid" from the Keychain Access menu. Select "Repair" and enter your administrator's password, then click Start.

If it *still* doesn't work after that, try restarting your computer.

(We're planning on moving away from OS X's keychain because of issues like these, and other reasons as well).

Quote2. To rename the encrypted archive , I have to rename both the folder name and the .sparse image ?

I'm not sure what you mean by the encrypted "archive", but to rename the encrypted folder just follow the instructions in the link I posted. No disk images should be touched (you shouldn't even be able to see them as they are invisible), let Espionage take care of all that for you.
Follow @espionageapp@twitter.com or @espionage@mstdn.io for news and updates!

rbenjamin

#4
Replying to moving away from the keychain system... I am considering Espionage, I like it but still have a few small issues I'm trying to make some choices on before I sign on (nothing related to the app, more related to my workflow and how I integrate Espionage's methods of handling things).  I read this, and it worries me - I completely understand the reasoning for moving away from the keychain as a default, but I hope you still provide the option (1Password, for example, offers this).  While I choose to use 1Password's method in the case of that app, I see glaring problems with having multiple apps using multiple methods of handling "keychain" type situations, which is why Apple designed the Keychain system.  Obviously having multiple possible routes which can each have their own bugs and loopholes is worse than having one.  Not that keychain is without fault, and not that I don't think Tao Effect can't do a great job in handling this, but it's just the nature of the beast -- every application is bound to have bugs, security issues, etcetera, Keychain as well -- having multiple possibilities for infiltration, regardless of the quality of the implementation, is worse than one.  Besides, it's an inconvenience to have apps all going their own way with regard to handling secure items, regardless of whether it is risky or not.  

I wish there were more options (for example, open ones) with a good base to make up for Keychain's faults while also providing a standard so developers don't have to each come up with their own method of doing things without (significant) sacrifices of their goals.  Alas, as with tagging / xattr (look at openmeta), I really wish Apple would do a better job at tying up loose ends instead of letting the developers do the legwork (and then putting them out of business by bringing their changes into the os x fold often without even a thanks).  Cocoa being around for years and we just now saw Finder, the included file management app that is probably the most used application on every mac, being updated.  And just the backend.  I know, snow leopard was big and certainly welcome, but in spite of the great price it's still a fix for stuff that should have been 'fixed' when it was shipped (or incrementally over the years.  Features are great but neglecting the old stuff until it's so late you have to sell a huge package of fixes is frustrating).  I've gone completely off topic and am ranting.  Apologies.

greg

#5
Not at all, we welcome feedback of all kind (even rant-like feedback :P).

You bring up a valid concern with regards to "multiple possibilities for infiltration", but in fact one of the main reasons that we want to switch away from OS X's keychain is because it's not as secure as it could be. Espionage's separate keychain, by virtue of it being separate from the login keychain, makes it a bit more secure, but by switching away from OS X's keychain mechanism altogether we can ensure stronger levels of encryption for protecting the passwords, and we can ensure a greater level of reliability. This is one of the areas where Apple, unfortunately, didn't do a very good job, which is why we're looking to implement our own "keychain-like" solution using secure opensource standards.
Follow @espionageapp@twitter.com or @espionage@mstdn.io for news and updates!

Jezza

#6
Quote from: "greg"You bring up a valid concern with regards to "multiple possibilities for infiltration", but in fact one of the main reasons that we want to switch away from OS X's keychain is because it's not as secure as it could be. Espionage's separate keychain, by virtue of it being separate from the login keychain, makes it a bit more secure, but by switching away from OS X's keychain mechanism altogether we can ensure stronger levels of encryption for protecting the passwords, and we can ensure a greater level of reliability. This is one of the areas where Apple, unfortunately, didn't do a very good job, which is why we're looking to implement our own "keychain-like" solution using secure opensource standards.

Would you say the above still stands 18+ months later (ie is the Espionage keychain stronger than the Apple one - which is not as secure as it could (should?) be?

Thanks.

greg

#7
Quote from: "Jezza"Would you say the above still stands 18+ months later (ie is the Espionage keychain stronger than the Apple one - which is not as secure as it could (should?) be?

Yes, and the current version of Espionage uses Apple's keychain mechanism, however we're working on a release that will fix this issue. Not much else I can say though at the moment.
Follow @espionageapp@twitter.com or @espionage@mstdn.io for news and updates!