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nilscrasher Author

Level 1

0 points

My 14 year-old cat has beaten iBook security. Please help.

I have this old cat that likes to sleep on my iBook while I'm not using it. I have set the screensaver to require a password in order to prevent her from entering random keystrokes into the documents I leave open while I'm away.

However, I've noticed that while the computer is still in the screensaver when I return, she has somehow managed to circumvent the password and, among other things, rename my hard drive, execute complex keystroke combinations changing my system settings and save over documents which I have minimized.

I mean, I'm not even smart enough to see what she's done without the password. How is this happening?

Any way to lock up my iBook so that the cat can't.. uh.. do this? Can't close the iBook, due to a cracked screen.. which I am dealing with. We all have our crosses to bear, right? I'm not complaining, I just want to stop the cat from trying to rewrite my novel.

Cheers.

iBook G4, Mac OS X (10.4.9)

Posted on Mar 23, 2007 9:28 AM

85 replies

Mar 24, 2007 7:09 AM in response to nilscrasher

I'm also thinking some more about that crack in the screen. How did you get that? Did someone drop the ibook? Was it on at the time? Perhaps the hard drive got damaged in the fall, if so. I had some very weird things happen with an imac that turned out to have a defective drive, even without a cat to help out.

Mar 24, 2007 7:35 AM in response to Ronda Wilson

Also, depending on the cat, getting hair into the iBook might be an issue...

Doug

nilscrasher Author

Level 1

0 points

Mar 24, 2007 8:58 AM in response to Ronda Wilson

All good suggestions. I clean under the keyboard religiously.. so the hair isn't a problem. Additionally, Sadie weighs maybe 6 pounds soaking wet (Not that I regularly drop her into water. Never.) so I'm thinking that the weight on the keyboard isn't doing much.

Something fell onto the screen, bounced off and hit a sharpie marker with enough force to break the pen in half. Missed the keyboard and hard drive completely. Although it nearly broke my foot on the way to the floor. Yeah, I was sitting there when it happened.

Maybe, this is the problem. I cursed God when my screen broke.. I guess this could be divine fury focused on a blasphemer. Makes as much sense as anything else that's going on. However.

I have noticed this: Lock the cat in the bathroom, no problems. Nothing. I'd close the room where the computer is, but she pushes open the door. Just to clarify before I get a wave of suggestions that, like many of these, fail to address the very real security concern I have. The cat just brought it to my attention.

Is there some key combo, backdoorsy thing that will get my cat past entering my password? I mean, if she jumped down, after a while the screensaver would kick back in and that would explain why I still have to enter my password in the morning, right?

Furthermore, if my cat can somehow key this backdoor every time she nestles down to sleep, couldn't somebody (say, with a greater intelligence than my cat..) break in? I mean, I don't think its a person because the apartment is empty and the wake of destruction is just so very random.

For those that are wondering, the cat's writing thus far has been worthless. No commercial potential at all.

Mar 24, 2007 9:00 AM in response to nilscrasher

Hi nilscrasher

There is a danger of you becoming paranoid and suspecting everything and everyone, this could be part of the cat’s plan to dominate the world. Its a thought don’t you think?

nilscrasher Author

Level 1

0 points

Mar 24, 2007 10:15 AM in response to Antonio Rocco

Somehow. This doesn't make me feel better. Evil cat. Evil world domination plan.

neutron

Level 2

315 points

Mar 24, 2007 10:21 AM in response to Antonio Rocco

This is a nice program, unless your cat can press key combos..

http://jan.prima.de/~jan/plok/archives/48-Keyboard-Cleaner.html

Or, to by doubly certain, you could launch the program and then put the computer to sleep. Then you would have to enter the password and press CMD-Q to unlock. Could help...

Or you could Fast User Switch into a new account just for your cat, with Sinmple Finder or something. Then you would just come back to your computer and could easily get back to it. OR you could lock the screen with Keyboard Cleaner on on the hypothetical cat's account.

I like chain reactions, but this might work.

Mar 24, 2007 10:32 AM in response to nilscrasher

Hi nilscrasher

I dont think your cat is evil somehow. I dont think you think that either!

Seriously there have been some excellent suggestions regarding this post. I personally like creating another account and logging into it when you have to leave the room. Its elegantly simple and easy to administer. The cat will appreciate it. What do you think?

nilscrasher Author

Level 1

0 points

Mar 24, 2007 3:53 PM in response to neutron

Keyboard Cleaner. That's a fix for the immediate problem.

Now about that security issue that I'm all paranoid about..

nilscrasher Author

Level 1

0 points

Mar 24, 2007 3:57 PM in response to Antonio Rocco

No, the cat is evil. All cats are evil. But, she came with the apartment and I'm doing my best to keep her alive despite her constant attempts to sabotage my writing life.

Also, she has done quite a bit to sabotage my personal life, but I'm complaining about that on another forum. Doesn't seem like an issue that my fellow Mac friends should have to deal with.

Mark my words though. The cat is evil.

nilscrasher Author

Level 1

0 points

Mar 24, 2007 3:59 PM in response to nilscrasher

To sum up:

Keyboard Cleaner has solved the immediate issue, cat now only has access to the volume keys, Caps Lock and Num Lock.

However, should I be worried that persons could be screwing with my desktop and files while my iBook is locked up in the screensaver? Is that a legitimate concern?

Cat is now giving me the evil eye. I think she wants to work on her novel.

Mar 25, 2007 12:44 AM in response to nilscrasher

I wasn't talking about the weight of the cat on the keyboard being a problem. The fact that she is lying there, keeping the heat from dissipating through the keyboard, can cause the iBook to overheat and actually fry it. The cat would, undoubtedly, move if the iBook starts to smoke. Unfortunately, your novel may not survive the conflagration that could result from a Cat on a Hot Plastic iBook.

Mar 25, 2007 4:14 AM in response to Antonio Rocco

get a video camera, see how the cat is doing it, id be really interested in watchin that on youtube,

but yeah we need more stuff like this, how bout you leave your ibook open, click reply to a post on this thread, leave the ibook unattended with the cat and see how the cat replies to all of this ? id be interested to read your cats musings...

sKurt

Level 1

6 points

Mar 25, 2007 11:37 AM in response to nilscrasher

Er.. I'm sure you've tried Sleep and Deep Sleep...

I think the best bet here is to place it in 'PAWS' Mode

😀

neutron

Level 2

315 points

Mar 25, 2007 11:46 AM in response to nilscrasher

Just so you know, nilscrasher, if any person has helped/solved your problem, click on the Helpful/Solved buttons next to that post. You can have two helpful and one solved post per thread.

If you have an iSight on the computer, you could set that to record. Then, when the cat gets out of the locked screen, you would know how she does it. Or you could do it the old fashioned way. But it would help to know how she does it.

Mar 25, 2007 11:51 AM in response to nilscrasher

My grandmother used to get "shocks" from her computer keyboard. She lives in one of those old houses that doesn't have grounded power. The outlets had 2 prongs instead of 3.

If you adapt this concept to your issue, it may present a useful solution. I would suggest you tamper with an electrical outlet to disabled the grounding. Connect your laptop to this ungrounded source. If your luck is as good as my grandmother's, your keyboard will emit low level "shocks". While they may be mere annoyance for an 82 year old, the shocks could be downright perilous for a feline.

If you're lucky, each cat-zap will feel like the pulse from a stun-gun. You should have no trouble keeping this pesky friend away from your masterpiece.

My 14 year-old cat has beaten iBook security. Please help.