Taking Mac In For Service - How to Secure My Data

Question

Level 1

4 points

Taking Mac In For Service - How to Secure My Data

I need to take my G5 in for service today. I'm concerned about the technicians having access to sensitive data on the system. Besides backing everything from the documents folder off to a firewire drive that I'll keep at home, what steps would:

a) protect passwords, account numbers, etc.
b) still allow the repair shop the access they need to run the system and troubleshoot.
c) prevent someone from installing a keylogger or similar security threat which I would not be able to detect when I get the machine back.

Related questions:
1) If I backup and then delete the system.keychain before giving them the system, will the mac generate a new keychain which they can use during the repair; and will I be able to replace it when I get the machine back?
2) If there are multiple user accounts on the machine, are there multiple keychains, and if so where are they?

Thanks much!

g5 dual, Mac OS X (10.4.4)

Posted on Aug 25, 2007 9:23 AM

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Answer 1

Aug 25, 2007 9:56 AM in response to editortom

Data in a keychain is safe if the technician doesn't know your password. Even if the account password is reset, the original password is still needed to open the keychain. To protect other data, put it in encrypted disk images, or use File Vault, then use Disk Utility to erase the free space on the drive. If you are concerned about the system being modified (key-loggers, etc.), the only solution is to erase the drive and reinstall from your disks when you get the system back. You should be prepared to do that anyway, in case the hard drive is replaced, or is damaged in shipping (or the whole computer gets lost).

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Answer 2

R Doptis

Level 1

85 points

Aug 25, 2007 8:34 PM in response to editortom

Is the problem a hardware or software issue? If its soly hardware, then simply take the drive out and take it into them with no boot drive. My apple store has been fine with my bringing it in for hardware service with no boot drive. I would call first to confirm with your local store first though.

~Ryan

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Answer 3

Király

Level 6

10,025 points

Aug 25, 2007 9:15 PM in response to editortom

The thing to remember when taking a Mac in for service is that the technician could screw up and accidentally destroy all of your data. Read the fine print of any service agreement and you will see that the repairer will not be responsible for any data loss.

So before the Mac leaves your home, you will want to have a full, complete backup of everything on it. Use a program like SuperDuper and an external hard drive for this and keep the drive in a safe place.

Since you will then have a complete backup at home, you might as well erase and zero out all the data on the Mac before sending it in for repair. That will keep any snoopy technicians out of your Mac. When you get it back it's a simple process to just copy everything back over and you're back in business.

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Answer 4

Network 23

Level 6

12,351 points

Aug 25, 2007 10:13 PM in response to Király

Király's post describes exactly what I do. I clone the drive to a spare, and then do an erase-and-install of generic OS X with none of my personal files, before sending the machine in. When the machine comes back, I clone my entire drive back to the Mac. I do this because:
1. I don't want to lose any data, so I back it all up.
2. I do not want others logging into my account or having access to my data, so I take it all off the drive.
3. Even if I had no confidential info, I would not want people screwing with my personally tuned configuration or installing or accidentally deleting things.

By cloning out, wiping, and cloning back, I ensure that the drive contents after it returns from service are 100% exactly what I had before I sent it out, no matter what the techs did.

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Answer 5

editortom Author

Level 1

4 points

Aug 25, 2007 2:41 PM in response to Malcolm Rayfield

Thanks, your answer points me in the right direction.

On your suggestion to encrypt sensitive data, what happens if I put an entire user folder on a disc image and encrypt that? Can I do that with the administrator account as well? I assume I would have to leave a temporary user account for the technicians to use.

On the other hand, with the administrator account locked out, would the technician be barred from installing necessary drivers, etc?

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Answer 6

baltwo

Level 9

62,386 points

Aug 25, 2007 3:09 PM in response to editortom

Simplest thing is to make a bootable backup/clone of your entire HD onto the FWHD. Boot into it and ensure it looks and feels like the original. If so, boot back into the machine, create a new admin user account, log into it, and delete all other accounts *without saving data*. Take it in, giving the techs the new account's username/password combo. When you get the machine back, boot with the clone and restore it to the original HD. No mucking with encryption or optical disks.

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