Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!nbires!hao!hplabs!sdcrdcf!usc-oberon!brand!barad
From: barad@brand.UUCP (Herb Barad)
Newsgroups: net.micro.mac
Subject: Re: Making Folders Invisible on HFS
Message-ID: <238@brand.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 2-Aug-86 03:53:01 EDT
Article-I.D.: brand.238
Posted: Sat Aug  2 03:53:01 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 5-Aug-86 01:57:01 EDT
References: <1784@mb2c.UUCP> <848@wang.UUCP>
Reply-To: barad@brand.UUCP (Herb Barad)
Organization: U. of So. Calif., Los Angeles
Lines: 39
Keywords: invisible HFS

In article <848@wang.UUCP> ephraim@wang.UUCP (pri=8 Ephraim Vishniac x76659 ms1459) writes:
>> Is it possible to make a Folder on HFS "invisible"?  If so, how.  This could
>> be the start of at least some form of security for hard disk owners -- eg.
>> before you power off your machine, you activate a DA that secures the system
>> by making all of the highest level folders and documents invisible.  When you
>> reboot, the startup application would ask for your password which would be
>> stored in an invisible file.  No password, nothing to see.  Even booting up
>> with a normal floppy would not appear the desktop.  Sure, I know it can be
>> beat, but its a start and would keep novice snoopers away.
>
>Under MFS, you could make a folder "invisible" by putting it inside itself.
>(An easy hack with ResEdit, just patch the FOBJ.)  This had no effect on
>programs using the files on the disk, because the "folders" were invisible
>to applications anyway.  
>
>Might one patch the directory file for an HFS folder so that the folder
>is in itself?  How would this "lost" object behave?  

You can make folders in HFS invisible using ResEdit.  None of the
program that I have used with this technique are bothered by it.  Here
at USC we have a "public" Mac for people to use and some people insist
on throwing applications in the trash, rearranging folders, etc.  So,
we made all the critical folders invisible (even the System folder).
Everything is fine, just leave a few blank (token) documents of some
applications so you can start them up.  I'm sure other semi-security
ideas can come from this.
-- 

Herb Barad	[USC - Signal and Image Processing Institute]

USENET:		...!sdcrdcf!usc-oberon!brand!barad			or
		...!mcvax!seismo!sdcsvax!sdcrdcf!usc-oberon!brand!barad

ARPANET:	barad%brand@USC-ECL.ARPA

USMail:		Univ. of Southern California
		Powell Hall 306, MC-0272
		Los Angeles, CA 90089-0272
		phone: (213) 743-0911