[Users] password protection

[Liz]

On Thu, 28 Jan 2016 12:12:30 -0700
Charlie Kravetz <cjk at teamcharliesangels.com> wrote:

> >Imagine this situation: 
> >
> >A family Linux computer where everybody is doing stuff, but the
> >email program of the user account (owner) be protected by password
> >(or some other way?) against misuse by nasty kids. The whole program
> >needs to be restriced, with all folders, not only downloading mails,
> >so just using the mailbox password is not an option. Any ideas how
> >to achieve this ?
> >
> >(and the Mail folder needs to be hidden = dotfiled, i hopw this does
> >not create problems for claws)  
> 
> 
> In Linux, I would start by modifying the desktop file. Add the line 
> NoDisplay=hidden
> to it to prevent it being used. You can still use claws-mail on the
> command line to start it. As for hidden files, claws already
> uses .claws-mail for its configuration and mail box files. That tells
> me making the Mail folder hidden should also work, as long as claws
> knows where to find it in its configuration files.
> 
> There is also the idea of creating a user for nasty kids only. Why are
> they using adult password to use the computer, instead of a separate
> kids account?
> 

I didn't have 'nasty kids' but any strategy mentioned like editing the
desktop file would result in a challenge being issued. They did this
at school too, if someone tried to hide something, they would work away
until they found it.

A separate desktop eg on Ctrl-F8 key combination, for a separate user
account properly password protected. No sudo access for the account the
inquisitive children use. 
This still won't stop them booting off a USB stick and reading what
they want from your files.

And, yes, one of those kids now has a higher degree in computer
science, surely partly because of all the efforts he made when younger
trying to hack his mother's systems.

Liz