[Macpartners] IS&T Recommends FileVault 2 for Encrypting Macs

[Justin Fleming]

Good afternoon,

IS&T has changed its Whole Disk Encryption (WDE) recommendation for OS X.

Recommendation

IS&T recommends that all Macs running OS X 10.7 (Lion) or 10.8 (Mountain Lion) use FileVault 2 for disk encryption. As always, users should consult with their local IT support liaisons before making any changes to their MIT-owned machines.

What’s Next?

IS&T will end support for PGP Desktop 10 for the Mac in March 2013.

PGP Desktop is no longer downloadable from the IS&T Software Grid. If you need a copy, you can request it from the Software Distribution Team (software-distribution at mit.edu<mailto:software-distribution at mit.edu>).

Why the Change?

With the release of Mac OS X 10.7, Apple has:

  *   adopted a rapid-release model for OS X that has implications* for users of third-party software, including PGP Desktop;
  *   included a WDE solution in OS X, FileVault 2, that is maintained and tested with each new OS X update and upgrade.

*Historically, Symantec (the company that owns and distributes PGP) has been slow to update its PGP software to keep current with the latest OS X release. If you initiate an operating system upgrade before Symantec updates the software, your machine could be rendered unbootable.

Support

More information on IS&T's recommendations and support options related to FileVault 2 on OS X can be found in the Knowledge Base<http://kb.mit.edu/confluence/x/AoAiAw>.

For questions about encryption, please contact the Computing Help Desk at 617.253.1101 or helpdesk at mit.edu<mailto:helpdesk at mit.edu>. You can also submit a request online<http://ist.mit.edu/help>.

Thanks,
~ Justin
__

Justin Fleming
Mac Platform Coordinator
Software Release Team
Systems Engineering, IS&T, MIT
jtflem at mit.edu<mailto:jtflem at mit.edu> | 617.253.0157 | W92-229A

Important: IS&T staff will never ask you for your password, nor will MIT send you email requesting your password information.  Please ignore any email messages that claim to require you to provide such information.

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