A few weeks ago I had reviewed Protect Files from Apimac. Turns out it was just Disk Utility wrapped in a slightly better UI. I knew there was something better out there, that gives much better protection in a easy and efficient way. As it goes with all Mac related searches, there is always a terrific application for each purpose. This time it’s Espionage by The Tao Effect.
When I did contact the devs, they told me they were working on an even better version of Espionage. So I held back my review, and instead got to test out version 2.0. I’ve been using it for a while now and I can honestly say it is one brilliant application. The app goes beyond ‘adding a password to your files’. It’s easy to use, yet it maintains complex connections and links, so that security is not a chore.
Folder Security
Let’s start with folder security. We all know that Mac OS X offers a really powerful and secure way to store them in disk images, but it is a two step process.
With Espionage, you just drag and drop your folder into the Espionage window, to get a flyout menu. You can choose from 128bit to 256bit sparseimages or bundles, as well as a ‘no encryption’ mode. Wait, why is there a no encryption mode in there? As the developer puts it, this is for those folders with pictures or videos you don’t want your granny to see. It means that an expert will be able to get around the password, but for most purposes it offers the same protection as hiding content in your /system/osfiles/temporaryfolder/aqx folder.
Once you’ve set your password you can also set application associations. Say you have a folder that you always work on when you launch Photoshop and InDesign. This way, whenever you launch Photoshop it will ask you a password and unlock that folder for you. Quitting Photoshop will then lock the folder up again.
Further settings allow you to unlock the data on login (so it stays totally encrypted to them outsiders), and you can also change the encryption settings after the protection has been added.
Application Templates
One of the best features of Espionage, is that you can put a password on an application. Drag any app into Espionage, and since they work similar to regular folders, similar principles apply (they recommend that you don’t, but it worked fine for me). However, as it goes, most applications will not store their data in the .app folder itself, so while you can put a password on Mail.app, the contents are still unencrypted.
Espionage has a feature called ‘Application Templates’. They’ve rounded up a bunch of applications that might need their data to be protected, and offer to encrypt it. For instance, Mail, iChat, Things, Address Book will not only have the app launch protected, but the data behind it is heavily encrypted.
Putting it all to use
I have found Espionage to work brilliantly for my files. I’ve set it up to encrypt Firefox (I use Safari for my regular browsing), password lock “Mail”, encrypted Things, and have set up two folders for granny protection (even though I don’t have a granny). Every time I try to access any of these folders or applications, I get a password dialog. If I quit the app, a notification pops up telling me it has been locked again. To lock up a folder, I can right-click in Finder and lock it from the contextual menu. Performance wise, everything is fast and quick. I did notice some bugs, but that might have been the beta I was using. However, nothing that didn’t allow me access to my data.
Espionage also has growl support, and will automatically show/hide spotlight results depending on the lock status. At $24.95, I think it is well worth it. You can of course try it out for 14 days. If you’re going ahead with your purchase, you can use the code SMOKINGAPPLES for a discount.
Giveaway!
Thanks to Greg Slepak of Tao Effect, we’re giving out two licenses for lucky winners. One license for a lucky commenter, and the other one for a twitter retweet. Mention @smokingapples and a shorturl back to this post to be eligible for the twitter giveaway. Standard rules apply.
Winners: Travis Lopes and @davel77 on Twitter.
