FileDefense changes the way your OS operates by adding a layer of security at the layer that we feel is the most important - the file access layer. The way we see it, the amount of damage any application can do to you is based on whether it can access your personal files. The more you can limit this, the less damage even the most malicious program can do. We feel strongly about data protection. And our strategy for protecting your data is not to attempt to protect networks or your fellow Mac users, but to focus on protecting your personal files, and doing that well.
OS X without FileDefense installed:
When you run an application without FileDefense installed in the operating system, the application essentially has free reign over your personal documents. It is free to read them, write to them, or delete them. There are no restrictions for what an application to do to any or all of your files. For example, if a sinister programmer so chose, he or she would be able to write a program that corrupts all of your personal files in seconds so that they are beyond repair. Or perhaps a program may chose to silently relay your personal data to a network destination of its choice without you ever knowing. This is why viruses and trojan horses can be so devastating when they get loose - there are few safety nets in place for when an application is run. Traditionally, opening an application is like letting it loose on your system
OS X with FileDefense installed:
When you have FileDefense installed, every single file an application opens is questioned and brought to your attention, thereby limiting the damage it can do if it is malicious.
If you do not yet trust an application, every file the application is trying to access (along with what it is trying to do to that file) is presented to you in a dialog, giving you the control to decide whether you want to allow the application to be able to access the document in question. You can even run a destructive virus with confidence that the damage it can do is limited. As soon as it starts accessing your files you will be alerted about it, and you will be able to force quit it and remove it from your system, all by simply choosing from 3 buttons on a dialog box.
