firewall
Latest
Breakfast Topic: What are you doing to protect your account?
While it is certainly nothing new, it seems that you can't spit without hitting someone who has, or has had, a compromised account. These WoW account predators are getting more clever by the day, with using everything from keyloggers, sham contests, betas and security checks, to even grabbing an account and immediately attaching an authenticator to it. Now, any moderately-savvy internet user would just scoff, and say that they take all necessary precautions -- what's there to worry about? Fair enough, but what about those who, well, don't? Blizzard has said time and time again about safe-guarding your account information, yet people still jump onto those fake Cataclysm betas and fancy new mount prizes. Make something idiot-proof, and they'll build a better idiot, eh? That being said, what are you doing to protect your prized polygons? Do you have a good anti-virus installed? A malware scanner? If you don't have an authenticator, how come? It's only about the price of a grande Starbucks drink, and will provide a longer-lasting effect of happiness and joy to your life. Discuss amongst yourselves!
Experiencing the iChat woes? Try the Connection Doctor
Now in its fifth iteration, iChat has gained a host of features as it has matured. However, the addition of new features has brought on new complexities and requirements, including both hardware and bandwidth issues. For instance, at the time of its release, iChat 3 users needed a minimum of a Dual 1 GHz G4 and a 384 Kbps Internet connection to initiate a four-way video conference on iChat 3. Photobooth and Backdrop effects, which came along in iChat 4, call for a minimum an Intel Core Duo processor. And then, of course, one must climb the proverbial firewall. Fortunately, there's iChat's Connection Doctor. Besides telling you what your system is capable of (for example, screen sharing, multiperson video conferences and video recording) and the audio and video quality of your video chat (resolution and frame rate), the Connection Doctor can also tell you if networking issues (i.e., a firewall or port issue) are the source of your video conferencing maladies. To launch iChat's Connection Doctor, click on "Video" on iChat's menu and then select "Connection Doctor." It's just what the doctor ordered.
Ask TUAW: Firewall settings, Snow Leopard faxing, MacBook battery life, and more
Welcome back to Ask TUAW, our weekly troubleshooting Q&A column. This week we've got questions about firewall settings, SSDs, MacBook battery life, faxing in Snow Leopard, and much more. As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Leave your questions for next week in the comments section at the end of this post. When asking a question, please include which machine you're using and what version of Mac OS X is installed on it (we'll assume you're running Snow Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify), or if it's an iPhone-related question, which iPhone version and OS version you have.
Sophos decries XP Mode vulnerability, Microsoft offers chill pill
If you're keeping score at home, Microsoft needs to bring two heavies to a fight with Google, but it can lay the smack down on an AV software firm like Sophos all by itself. Richard Jacobs, chief technology officer and master of inflammatory rhetoric at Sophos, points out that Windows 7's XP Mode makes computers vulnerable to attack due to it operating independently from the underlying OS and therefore not having the same firewall and anti-virus protection. For those who actually go to the trouble of buying and updating security software -- like say, most businesses -- this essentially doubles costs for each new Windows 7 machine. Microsoft has countered with the fact that big businesses will be using its MEDV management software, while smaller shops will be able to update the virtualized XP in the same fashion as they would a physical PC. Storm in a teacup, then? Absolutely, but you'll want to give these a read if only for the passive aggressive silliness that ensues. [Via The Register] Read - Richard Jacobs on XP Mode Read - MS chief security adviser for EMEA Roger Haibheer retorts Read - Jacobs retorts to the retort Read - MS developer James O'Neill threetorts
WoW Rookie: Keeping your account safe and sound
New around here? WoW Rookie points WoW's newest players to the resources they need to get acclimated. Send us a note to suggest a WoW Rookie topic.It doesn't take keyboard gymnastics to prevent your account from getting hacked. As a new player, you're bound to be concerned – and if you do any digging at all, you're also bound to uncover a tangle of acerbic, rather arcane-sounding comments (many of them on posts right here at WoW Insider) about what operating systems, browsers and browser add-ons are most secure.You really don't have to change your entire computer system simply to keep your WoW account safe. This week, WoW Rookie rounds up a selection of WoW Insider posts that show you how (and why) to keep your WoW account from being hacked and prevent your computer from spilling its beans to the world at large.
Mac 101: 7 tips for Data Privacy Day 2009
Today is Data Privacy Day, a global initiative to highlight information security rights and practices, especially among teens, professionals, corporations, and the government. As part of the celebration, TUAW (along with our sister blog Download Squad) has seven good ideas for you about how to keep your data safe and away from prying eyes with Mac OS X Leopard. Also, be sure to browse TUAW articles filed under Security for other tips and alerts about keeping your data safe. 1: Turn on your firewall Leopard, as we all know, comes with a built in firewall to prevent other computers from connecting to internet-facing ports on your computer. But: Did you know it's turned off by default? To turn on your firewall, open System Preferences, and click the Security icon. Then, click the Firewall tab. Make sure either "Allow only essential services" is selected, or you can choose to "set access for specific services and applications" yourself. You can also use "Stealth Mode": when enabled, computers that send data to blocked ports won't even get acknowledgement that the data was received. To enable Stealth Mode, click the Advanced button on the Firewall tab of the Security preference pane, and click the check box next to "Enable Stealth Mode." 2: Set a screen saver password A feature popular with Windows users, Mac OS X can also lock your screen when your computer sleeps or when the screen saver comes on. Simply open System Preferences, select Security, and choose the General tab. Click the check box next to "require password to wake this computer from sleep or screen saver," and you're all set. If you have automatic login enabled and click the "require password" check box, Mac OS X will recommend that you disable automatic login. This means you'll have to enter your password to turn your computer on, too; nefarious nogoodniks won't be able to restart your Mac while the screen saver is on to circumvent the need for a password. Good thinking.
WaterRoof firewall manager
Lots of people know that OS X has a very powerful stateful packet inspection firewall (ipfw) under the shiny hood of the Sharing Preference Pane thanks to its UNIX underpinnings, but actually understanding and controlling that power is something else entirely. Perhaps a bit lost in the rush to Christmas Macworld published a nice guide to configuring the Leopard firewall that's definitely helpful in getting a bit clearer about what's going on. But if you really want to dig into the options you've got to go deeper, and if you don't have the command line chops to set it up yourself, you'll want to check out the open-source WaterRoof from hanynet.com.Basically, WaterRoof is the graphical front end to ipfw that Apple left out. As the developer notes, its features "include dynamic rules, bandwidth management, NAT configuration and port redirection, pre-defined rule sets and a wizard for easy configuration." Particularly if you're trying to use a Mac as a gateway or router and need more sophistication than the built-in Internet Sharing provides, WaterRoof can really simplify matters.WaterRoof is a free download (donations requested) with separate versions for Tiger and Leopard. The same developer also has a simplified version with many fewer features called NoobProof.
How to protect your system from keyloggers [Updated]
It's raid night. You've farmed your mats, topped off your repair fun and loaded up on pizza and cola. But for some reason you can't log on. You're sure you typed in the right password, but no go. You IM you guildie: "Are the servers down? I can't get in." His reply sends chills down your spine: "We just saw you at the bank. Why was your toon naked?"Years of hard work gone. Someone else accessed your account and stripped your main of all his gold, bank items and tradable equipment. "But I don't give my password to anyone!" you wail. You don't have to, the keylogger program knows it anyway.What's a keylogger? It's a small, virus-type program that can accidentally be installed on your computer. How might a keylogger be installed on your system? Visiting an untrustworthy web site. Some sites may have code in them that exploit your web browser and cause it to quietly install a keylogging application without your permission. (Note: even turstworthy sites can be hacked! The same hackers who are after your information can hack what you think of as trustworthy sites and add exploit code to them which could give you a keylogger.) Downloading addons (or other files) from an untrustworthy site. Any executable file you download could contain a keylogger or virus, so before you download a file, be sure you're downloading it from a source you trust! Once a keylogger gets installed, it starts recording every keystroke you make. And when you type in your account name and password for your WoW account, it captures that, too. The next time you access the Internet, it sends your private information to the hackers who use it to log into WoW and strip all your characters of everything valuable leaving you with a penniless toon wearing nothing but his trousers.This all sounds pretty scary, but don't worry -- there are ways to protect yourself from keylogging programs!
Nokia submits patent application for mobile firewall
As we race toward the mobile utopia that includes full Internet access -- including HTML mail and full web browsing -- the growing fear that viruses, trojans, and all other manner of Internet baddies may soon interrupt our mobile joy may well have prompted Nokia to file this patent application. Unlike the firewalls found in PCs, Nokia's tool will live on the carrier's network and do its thing by setting up "secure pinholes" where data blessed as legitimate can pass through the front line and all else gets dumped. Hopefully if we ever see this type of tech put in place, users will be able to configure what they deem legitimate, and not what the provider sees fit to set for them.[Via New Scientist Tech]
Make OS X More Secure Now
I just ran across this nice two part series (easier part one, more advanced part two) discussing some ways to improve security in Tiger while waiting for Leopard to come along. The author, Sebastiaan de With, discusses some unfortunate choices made by Apple with regards to, among other things, firewall, networking, and Bluetooth settings, and offers suggestions for how to fix these and other potential problems. He also offers some good ideas for portable Mac users.Now inevitably these sorts of considerations (much like security practices in air travel) involve weighing convenience against safety. I know a lot of my own practices (e.g. auto-login, running as administrator) are dangerous, but it's hard to break bad habits. What other security advice do you think is important?graphic: Sebastiaan de With[Via Digg]
Vista's two-faced firewall inspected, called out
Sure, reading through the feature set of Windows Vista is one way to get a taste of what an upgrade will do for your life, and reading "expert" reviews of the operating system and its minutiae certainly add an additional bit of insight not conveyed on the box alone, but one aspect of Vista is facing some serious criticism from a skeptical reviewer. In Microsoft's latest OS, the "Windows Firewall" boasts about offering up two-way protection -- that is, blocking both incoming and outgoing data -- but after careful analysis, it's apparently not that cut and dry. CNET's Robert Vamosi has noticed that the system does a fair job of blocking malicious content from reaching your PC, but when inspecting the outgoing blocker a bit more carefully, it appears that you're covered from moment one, as it's turned on by default -- or not. Interestingly, having this section of the firewall enabled does absolutely nothing for your protection, as in the default configuration "there are no block rules, only allow rules," which essentially means that it's capable of blocking, but until you specifically enable blocking rules for specific programs, you're exposed. Microsoft's reasoning is that maximum protection would cause new users to see a warning with every single application they launched on their PC, causing both frustration and a desensitized view of the firewall itself, and while we can certainly sympathize with how annoying those pop-ups would be, CNET feels that this excuse stems more from Microsoft's handiwork in crafting the OS more for enterprise use and less for novice "home" users. Nevertheless, knowing that your outbound firewall is likely wide open should help more than a few of you close any potential holes in your fortress, and be sure to hit the read link if you secretly enjoy hearing Vista take a severe tongue-lashing.[Thanks, Randall]
SMC ships trio of draft-spec 802.11n networking gear
It looks the barrage of draft-spec 802.11n gear being released isn't slowing down anytime soon, and helping the yet-to-be-ratified protocol gain more ground is SMC. Making good on its promise to ship draft-N gear, the networking company has reportedly launched the Barricade N, which utilizes "multi-antenna MIMO support" to connect at rates of "up to 300Mbps," sports a four-port Ethernet switch, and can automatically prioritize duties such as music / video streaming to keep things skip-free. Complementing the new router are pre-N versions of the company's EZ Connect CardBus and PCI wireless adapters, which will give your lappie or desktop the ability to take advantage of the ultra-speedy 802.11n standard. All three devices are purportedly available right now, with the Barricade N selling for $120, the PCMCIA adapter demanding $80, and the PCI card costing $90.
GlowWorm - Control Outbound Network Traffic
There is a powerful firewall built into the UNIX underpinning of OS X, but getting access to its power is sometimes difficult. GlowWorm FW Lite is a network utility that allows you to control outbound network traffic on your Mac. You can set up relatively simple rules by which "you can easily define the behavior that is acceptable on the basis of a particular application, host or ip address, port number, and any combination thereof, and what action to take if such an event occurs." This seems to be similar in functionality to the Little Snitch, but Glowworm is free (however the registration process is slightly arduous). [Via MacFreeWare]
Is the firewall enabled in Mac OS X by default, or not?
I just bought a new MacBook, as I'm stepping down from owning a Pro and moving to a MacBook/iMac setup (more on that later), and I noticed something a little disconcerting: after going through the generic setup out of the box, Mac OS X's firewall was not enabled by default. I didn't fiddle with any settings during the initial boot and setup (besides entering a password for my wifi network and my .Mac credentials - about the only settings you can fiddle with), and I spotted this strange quirk in the Sharing Preference Pane when going to name my machine before the initial .Mac sync.What gives? Is Mac OS X 10.4's firewall enabled by default or not? I honestly don't remember which exact version of 10.4 this MacBook shipped with (I ran Software Update immediately on startup and only caught this firewall quirk after the restart), and I'm certainly not some certified, 6-figure security expert - I'm only reporting what I saw with this initial setup.So does anyone know what's going on? Discussions about Mac OS X's (and 10.4 specifically) inherent security often cite the firewall being turned on by default - though that clearly wasn't the case with this machine. What say you, TUAW readers?
Blu-ray movies in VC-1: Up to par with HD DVD?
The reviewer at High-Def Digest says yes. Warner has shipped four movies on Blu-ray we already saw on HD DVD, three (Blazing Saddles, Firewall, Lethal Weapon) that use the VC-1 codec for video compression, and one (Full Metal Jacket) that doesn't, but they are all "virtually indistinguishable" from their HD DVD counterparts. The discs all contain the same extras and roughly equivalent soundtracks, even Firewall, originally released on HD DVD/DVD combo with only 15GB of space for the movie. It's hard to say if this is a positive or negative for Blu-ray, on one hand at least recent Blu-ray releases have met the standard expected of high definition DVDs and whenever dual-layer discs become prevalent will have plenty of room for extras, or we can say that despite a player that is still higher-priced and has a 1080p output the films only look the same. This could even affirm Sony's view that on a 25GB disc, MPEG-2 can look just as good as newer codecs. We'll be watching carefully to see if future releases keep the PQ level high.[Thanks, zombieflanders]
How-To: Measure your bandwidth with SNMP
Considered upgrading your DSL/Cable modem connection lately? Been wondering just how much of that high speed Internet connection you've been using? (Or if one of your kids or housemates is eating up all the bandwidth with BitTorrent again.) Today we'll show you how to use some handy free tools to keep an eye on your precious bandwidth. Hey, it just might save you from having to bleach your eyes if you walk in after Bob's download finishes.
Firewall HD DVD/DVD combo review
With the news that 16 Blocks is being released next week on the hybrid HD DVD/DVD format, we thought it might be a good idea to take a look at how its two predecessors have fared. Mark Zimmer over at digitallyOBSESSED published a review of Firewall today, and came away impressed. He had no notable complaints about the audio or video transfer for either version, giving them an A and A- grade, respectively. That's a welcome result for the HD DVD camp considering the same reviewer criticized Rumor Has It for problems with the video and sound and lack of extras. Still, even on Firewall the bonus features are only contained on the SD side of the disc, requiring a flip to view them on your HD DVD player. Any HD DVD owners or future HD DVD owners taken advantage of these discs yet? Alternatively, do you view combo discs as a problem since early adopters have to pay extra (so far about $3 over other new titles) for an SD DVD copy they probably won't ever view?
How-To: Build your own network firewall
Network appliances don't always offer all the firewalling features a user needs -- you know, the advanced port blocking and security procedures we'd like to keep our little home network fiefdoms secure. In today's How-To we'll show you how to build a firewall out of an old PC with a live Linux CD and some spare ethernet cards. It's the perfect use for that machine with the dead hard drive (or no hard drive at all).
iPod used to steal $100 million (in a movie)
The iPod is being turned into everything from Halloween costumes to stethoscope training tools, and now it apparently is being used to help steal hundreds of millions of dollars - in Hollywood movies, that is (don't worry, this won't be a spoiler).Apparently Harrison Ford uses an iPod to permanently borrow $100 million from his bank in the new Firewall flick. Rick Warner, over at Bloomberg, already critiqued it quite nicely: "I don't doubt that computerized banking is ripe for theft, but the way Ford does it [sic] seems as far-fetched as James Frey's resume."While I think it's great that the iPod and Apple are receiving all this fantastic buzz, I'm having a hard time understanding how silly product placement like this benefits anyone, let alone who instigated it. How far is stuff like this going to go? Are we going to see exploding iPods hurled down hallways to destroy genetically modified monsters in a forthcoming sequel to Doom? Here's hoping Harrison doesn't have to decode an ancient culture's chant with nothing more than his 'trusty' iPod in Indiana Jones 4.[via iLounge]http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000088&sid=a4uL2l7YM5G8&refer=culture
