Lock Box setting does not restrict access

Question

I have a folder that is set to restrict access - write only mode for everyone - so when my nephews visit, they cannot access my personal files. This is a single user/logon computer. A couple of times now when I click on the "locked" folder in Finder, it opens for full access. The contents of the finder window wiggled back and forth several times and the folder opened. I could also access the folder contents from application. When I did a get info, the settings were still for write only. I backed out of the folder to the desk top and then back to the folder and it behaved properly. Program access was also once more restricted.
One perhaps unrelated thing. Just before this happened, when I clicked on any application on the dock, I got the appropriate finder window instead of switching to or launching the application. It too now works normally.
Any ideas?

Answer 1

Permissions repairs apply only to items that leave receipt information, essentially only items installed by Apple's installer. As far as stated features working correctly, the permissions system is designed around the user account concept. If you are trying to use it otherwise, you will be disappointed. The computer can't possibly know who is using it, only what account is trying to access something.
Admin users have more privileges than other user accounts. This is necessary to managing the computer. If you want reliable privacy, you must create a less privileged account for others to use; otherwise they will have the same privileges you do. This is no different from leaving your front door unlocked because you want it to function for your convenience.
Regarding folders with system as owner, none should be in your home directory, nor should you be able to change the owner's permissions to write only, whatever the owner is. You can change the permissions of another user added to the list to write only, or those of a group or others, but the owner must always have read privileges. The Finder should not let you violate this rule.
Likewise, you should not have any folders with just admin, wheel, & everyone entries in the list. Admin & wheel are both groups (indicated by the two-headed silhouette icon) -- groups cannot be the principle owner (indicated by the one-headed silhouette icon). Missing entries indicate no access privileges for that entity & should never apply to the principle owner.
One potential source of confusion is that non-owner users added to the permissions list also appear with the single-headed silhouette (these permissions are controlled by ACL entries, not the main owner/group/others settings) & sometimes the list in Get Info is not in strict owner/group/others sequence. There are also some anomalies associated with accounts migrated from Tiger.
Because of all this, it is best not to trust the Get Info permissions info to give you the full permissions picture. For that, the Terminal is a better tool. You can use the "ls" command with the "-l" option to show expanded preference info, or with the "-l@e" option to show still more, including extended attributes & the ACL. (Note that the "l" character is a lower case ell, not a capital eye or a one.) If necessary, see the Mac OS X Manual Page For ls(1) for more info about how to use the command.