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Create encrypted disk images with a script

siteadmin — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 14:32:39 +0000

Disk images are one the great things that Mac OS X supports natively. There are so many things that can be done with them like store important data in them securely with the built-in encryption. The encrypted disk images can be taken anywhere and can be opened on any Mac.

All of this can be done through Disk utility, but if you do it repeatedl, creating a little script can save time. For example, in Terminal:

hdiutil create -encryption -stdinpass -srcfolder private encryptedfolder.dmg

So, it would look something like this:

hdiutil create -encryption -stdinpass -srcfolder /Users/Myaccount/Documents encryptedfolder.dmg

Note that the command is entered all in the terminal as one line with a return. This will encrypt the folder to a disk image called encryptedfolder.dmg and bring up a password dialogue box for you to enter a password. If you want to enter the password in the script then try this.

echo -n “password” | hdiutil create -encryption -stdinpass -srcfolder private encrypted.dmg

This will create the disk image with the password of “password” with bringing up an interactive dialogue box. Be warned that anyone with access to the computer may be able to read this script and see you password, but that is not a problem if you take the disk image away from the computer

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Create Encrypted Backups with Disk Images

siteadmin — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 13:46:12 +0000

Disk images make the perfect backup file. Without any extra software or cost, Mac OS X will compress and encrypt the data into a single file that can be copied anywhere.
While most backup programs need to be installed on a computer in order to be able to decrypt and read the backup, encrypted disk images can be opened on any Macintosh.

Creating the disk image with Disk Utility.

Disk Utility is located in the Applications/Utilities folder on the hard drive. Most people only use Disk Utility to repair disks and permissions, but it can also be used as a backup program.

Go under the File menu and select New. A pop-up menu will show up with two options: Blank Disk Image and Disk Image from Folder. Choose the Disk Image from Folder and a dialogue box comes up and asks you to select the folder that you wish to backup. After selecting the folder that you want to back up another dialogue box appears asking you to name the disk image to be created and specify the type of disk image to be created. For backups, select compressed for Image Format and 128-bit AES encryption for Encryption. Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard adds the option for 256-bit AES encryption with is more secure, but takes longer to create and open up. Next a box appears asking you to enter a password for the encrypted disk image. Choose a difficult password because disk images can be opened if someone can guess your password. Microsoft offers a free online password strength tester and notes about creating passwords that cannot be easily guessed.

Selecting the Save Password in Keychain option means that the password to the disk image will be stored under your account information on that Mac. The image can be opened up by manually entering a password. If you are the only user of that computer, then this option can save time. However, if you share the computer with other people and do not have separate user accounts, then they can open the backup file too.

Now that the file is created, the image can be moved to another computer or flash drive in case the primary hard drive fails.

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Order Pizza on your AppleTV

siteadmin — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 14:31:44 +0000

Unlike the iPod, the AppleTV certainly hasn’t been the marketing success that Apple hoped for but hackers sure love it.
From the day that the AppleTV shipped, hackers have dissected the diminutive media player and found ways to add cool and innovative features like playing new video formats, upgrading the hard drive and turning one into a fully working Mac OS X computer.
One modification enables you to order pizza directly from the AppleTV with just the remote control, perfect for the lazy college student that wants to order pizza without taking time to boot up their laptop computer.

What can a hacked AppleTV do?
Play various video formats in addition to Mp4
Order pizza
Make Skype calls
Use a web browser
Run a full version of Mac OS X
Use a keyboard and mouse
Use an external hard drive
Enable file server and web server
Getting started with Hacking an AppleTV
The first hacks for the AppleTV involved a bit of surgery and exposure to AppleTV innards. The hard drive had to be removed, mounted into a USB hard drive enclosure and special software loaded from a Macintosh before re-installation back into the AppleTV. But the process has been refined to a no-screwdriver-required method. The Patchstick Method involves installing software on a USB flash drive and plugging it into the AppleTV’s USB port which Apple reserves for repairs. When the AppleTV boots up, the thumb drive automatically loads the software needed to connect remotely to the media player and install other modifications.
Why do hackers love the AppleTV?
Apple’s media player is the perfect piece of computer hardware. First, it’s smaller than even a Mac Mini, uses low power, is quiet and is relatively inexpensive compared to other media center computers. Additionally, the AppleTV has the right video connectors to hook to a new HD TV and a remote control. Underneath the hood, the AppleTV is really a single board computer with a relatively powerful processor running an interface program Back Row. Hackers only needed to enable the parts of Mac OS X that Apple had hidden and then they had a full computer to load whatever software that they wanted. Once one of the media players has been modified to run an unrestricted copy of Mac OS X, the AppleTV becomes the least expensive Macintosh available coming in at nearly half the price of a Mac Mini.
This probably voids the warranty
Apple will make little effort to make sure that future software updates to the AppleTV do not break any modifications, so owners of modified AppleTVs may not be able to take advantage of new features and bug fixes provided by Apple. But then again, there’s always a new hack out. Check out AppleTVhacks for an ongoing list of hacks, modifications and How-To’s.

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