A good security product has to strike a delicate balance: it must protect the computer without making access a hassle for legitimate users. After all, if you seal your Mac in a block of cement, your security problems are over.
Kensington’s PassProof is a remarkably elegant combination of hardware and software for securing every route of access to the Mac. It won’t stop a truly determined thief, but neither does it get in the way of everyday use.
Lock It Up
The best component of the PassProof kit is a well-engineered, Macintosh color key lock for the main floppy drive. Not only does the lock slip in quick as a wink, but the thing simply will not come out without the unique cylinder key. Bobby pins, paper clips, and prying utensils all fail to dislodge it without destroying the Mac’s case. The lock has a satisfying, solid feel when you turn the key. The downside is this: you have to buy two PassProof kits if you have two internal floppy drives. And there’s no PassProof component for an external floppy drive; if you own one, you’ll have to disconnect it, or you’ll defeat the whole point of using PassProof.
The kit also includes flat steel plates that cover the floppy port and the SCSI port in the back of the Mac. Each is secured by a pair of screws that have abnormal heads, for which a special screwdriver (more like a deformed alien wrench) is included. These plates prevent people from getting bright ideas about attaching an external drive, thereby circumventing PassProof’s other elements. There’s an additional special screw for the Mac II cover, to prevent people from making off with your prized NuBus boards.
Software Padlock
PassProofs software is more complicated, but only slightly so. Once you’ve installed the Control Panel device in the System Folder, you enter a master password; you are now the Master User, with exclusive rights to change the program’s options. Up to 255 other users can have access to the Mac itself, however, once you’ve given each a user name and a password. From now on, the software will demand a valid user name and password every time the Mac is turned on; both successful and unsuccessful attempts to sign in are neatly recorded in a log file.
The password policy is pretty strict: Uppercase and lowercase characters count; as you enter the password, you don’t even see corresponding asterisks (because that would give away how long the password is); and you can require a series of sequential passwords, which must be entered in the correct sequence — and PassProof countenances no mistakes. The nice thing is that you, the Master User, never have to the awake at night worrying what you’ll do if you forget your password — because you hold the physical key to the floppy drive as well. If you forget your password, just start the Macintosh from an unprotected floppy and reinstall PassProof.
The PassProof software includes a tight, nicely done screen dimmer. If the Mac sits idle for x minutes (you decide), the screen goes dark, a moving icon bounces around the screen, and you must reenter your password to regain access. All this is optional; you can still choose between the security of the screen dimmer and the lush absurdity of After Dark’s Flying Toasters.
Incidentally, it’s not PassProof. It’s PassProof™. Kensington puts that trademark on all four of the files PassProof puts in the System Folder — and the software won’t even run if you take ™ off an icon name. PassProof is not System 7 - compatible (according to the company, by the time you read this, it will have a new version that will be compatible).
Leaving the Back Door Open
Alas, a complete security system is only as strong as its weakest link, and PassProof has one. It’s those special screws for the SCSI and floppy ports. You can’t turn them with a Phillips or normal screwdriver. You can, however, turn them with the blade of a pair of scissors. If somebody is really bound and determined to get into your Mac, and is armed with an external drive, PassProof isn’t going to represent more than a ten-minute delay. But if you are concerned, Kensington will send you a set of redesigned screws that solve the problem, at no charge.
In the meantime PassProofs real value is the psychological hurdle it presents. Any casual or nonbloodthirsty thief is likely to be deterred just by glancing at the solid-looking floppy-drive lock. PassProof won’t transform your Macintosh into a fortress—but it does create a sturdy checkpoint at the drawbridge.
Pogue, David. (October 1991). PassProof. Macworld. (pg. 155-156).
Kensington
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2021-11-28 / 
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PassProof.hqx
Emulating this? It could probably run under: 
Basilisk II
