Q: Continous mDNSPlatformTCPConnect ("Permission denied") errors. What does this mean? What should I do to resolve this?
MB Air (1.8GHz); MacOS 10.9.2
In the System Log I see frequent and, at times, continuous (up to several per second) entries like the following:
4/16/14 9:00:13.936 AM mDNSResponder[73]: ERROR: mDNSPlatformTCPConnect - connect failed: socket 63: Error 13 (Permission denied) length 16
While I can't point to any specific system issues that result from this, I do have the following (perhaps related, perhaps unrelated) problems:
1. Over time, memory pressure gradually increases until, every few days, I need to re-boot. I'm not accustomed to having to perform "maintenance boots" under MacOS. (For example, my Mac Mini, also running Mavericks, runs for weeks/months without needing to re-boot; it's my household media server, running iTunes but that's about it.) Feels like a memory leak to me.
2. TimeMachine is unpredictable for me. When I have TimeMachine enabled, it will do incremental backups for up to a day or so, then the machine ends up in what looks like a run loop, with apps (such as Mail) in a "not responding" state. Can't reliably force-quit those apps at that time - pretty much have to hard-boot the machine and restart. (Note that I'm using a QNAP NAS disk array; has worked fine in the past, pre Mavericks; I'm running latest/greatest NAS firmware.)
At any rate, any insights regarding the DNS error (what it means; what triggers it; whether I should care; if so, what I should do to quell it; etc.) deeply appreciated.
Doug Engfer
MacBook Air (11-INCH, MID 2011), Mac OS X (10.7.5)
Posted on Apr 16, 2014 9:13 AM
May I ask why you want me to remove the AV software?
Because it's the likely cause of your problem, and even if it isn't, it's worse than useless.
2. All versions of OS X since 10.6.7 have been able to detect known Mac malware in downloaded files, and to block insecure web plugins. This feature is transparent to the user. Internally Apple calls it "XProtect."
- It can be bypassed by some third-party networking software, such as BitTorrent clients and Java applets.
- It only applies to software downloaded from the network. Software installed from a CD or other media is not checked.
- It can easily be disabled or overridden by the user.
- A malware attacker could get control of a code-signing certificate under false pretenses, or could simply ignore the consequences of distributing codesigned malware.
- An App Store developer could find a way to bypass Apple's oversight, or the oversight could fail due to human error.
Software from an untrustworthy source
- Software of any kind is distributed via BitTorrent. or Usenet, or on a website that also distributes pirated music or movies.
- Software with a corporate brand, such as Adobe Flash Player, doesn't come directly from the developer’s website. Do not trust an alert from any website to update Flash, your browser, or anything else.
- Rogue websites such as Softonic and CNET Download distribute free applications that have been packaged in a superfluous "installer."
- The software is advertised by means of spam or intrusive web ads. Any ad, on any site, that includes a direct link to a download should be ignored.
Software that is plainly illegal or does something illegal
- High-priced commercial software such as Photoshop is "cracked" or "free."
- An application helps you to infringe copyright, for instance by circumventing the copy protection on commercial software, or saving streamed media for reuse without permission.
Conditional or unsolicited offers from strangers
- A telephone caller or a web page tells you that you have a “virus” and offers to help you remove it. (Some reputable websites did legitimately warn visitors who were infected with the "DNSChanger" malware. That exception to this rule no longer applies.)
- A web site offers free content such as video or music, but to use it you must install a “codec,” “plug-in,” "player," "downloader," "extractor," or “certificate” that comes from that same site, or an unknown one.
- You win a prize in a contest you never entered.
- Someone on a message board such as this one is eager to help you, but only if you download an application of his choosing.
- A "FREE WI-FI !!!" network advertises itself in a public place such as an airport, but is not provided by the management.
- Anything online that you would expect to pay for is "free."
Unexpected events
- You open what you think is a document and get an alert that it's "an application downloaded from the Internet." Click Cancel and delete the file. Even if you don't get the alert, you should still delete any file that isn't what you expected it to be.
- An application does something you don't expect, such as asking for permission to access your contacts, your location, or the Internet for no obvious reason.
- Software is attached to email that you didn't request, even if it comes (or seems to come) from someone you trust.
Stay within the safe harbor, and you’ll be as safe from malware as you can practically be. The rest of this comment concerns what you should not do to protect yourself.
7. Never install any commercial "anti-virus" or "Internet security" products for the Mac, as they all do more harm than good, if they do any good at all. If you need to be able to detect Windows malware in your files, use one of the free security apps in the Mac App Store—nothing else.
- To recognize malware, the software depends on a database of known threats, which is always at least a day out of date. Research has shown that most successful attacks are "zero-day"—that is, previously unknown. Recognition-based malware scanners do not defend against such attacks.
- Their design is predicated on the nonexistent threat that malware may be injected at any time, anywhere in the file system. Malware is downloaded from the network; it doesn't materialize from nowhere.
- In order to meet that nonexistent threat, the software modifies or duplicates low-level functions of the operating system, which is a waste of resources and a common cause of instability, bugs, and poor performance.
- By modifying the operating system, the software itself may create weaknesses that could be exploited by malware attackers.
- Most importantly, a false sense of security makes you more vulnerable.
London Terror Moovie.avi [124 spaces] Checked By Norton Antivirus.exe
Posted on Apr 18, 2014 7:37 PM