How secure is master password?

Hi
I have very sensitive information on my iBook. I can choose
master password after screen saver/sleep or FileVault.
FileVault encrypts the info which I feel uncomfortable with
as it may make it difficult to backup.
Can the password be removed by a someone who takes the
computer? Is there any way around the master password.
If the hard drive has to be erased to clear the password
then I feel safe with password.
I go to coffee shops alot, I am careful so far but someday I
may slip.
thanks in advance
Mark
iBook G4   Mac OS X (10.4.5)   750 mb ram

Hi, Mark.
While it is possible to remove the Master Password from a Mac on which user's Home folders are protected with FileVault, doing so does not permit one to then change the passwords on FileVault-protected accounts. One would still need to know the password for the user account.
It is important to choose good passwords. Tiger offers a password assistant that helps you choose good passwords.
If you don't want to use FileVault, using Encrypted Disk Images is the best and easiest route to encrypting and password-protecting select data on a Mac. There are two AppleCare Knowledge Base documents you should read in relation to encrypted disk images:
- "Mac OS X: About Encrypted Disk Images."
- "Mac OS X: How to create a password-protected (encrypted) disk image."
- "Disk Utility 10.5 Help: Creating a disk image."
You can even burn an encrypted disk image to CD or DVD.
The most important thing to remember about encrypted disk images is to never lose the password. If you lose it, you will never be able to open it. If you rely on the password being saved in your Keychain, and later format your drive, you lose the password saved in your keychain, so write it down and save it in a secure place, just in case. For added security, do not add the password of an encrypted disk image to your Keychain when this option is offered.
Note that some of the information above is from the "Security" chapter of my book, Troubleshooting Mac® OS X.
Good luck!
Dr. Smoke
Author: Troubleshooting Mac® OS X
Note: The information provided in the link(s) above is freely available. However, because I own The X Lab™, a commercial Web site to which some of these links point, the Apple Discussions Terms of Use require I include the following disclosure statement with this post:
I may receive some form of compensation, financial or otherwise, from my recommendation or link.

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