Stop Secret Outgoing Messages Without LittleSnitch etc.?

Hi Ian

You should be able to use the Mac OS X Firewall to block outgoing communication from specific applications ( in the Advanced section of the Security -> Firewall Preferences)

Ohhh - haha. Yes, you are correct. I don't really read things well 😝

There is a way to do it (I believe LittleSnitch uses this method also). It involves using ipfw. There are apps that provide a GUI, so you don't have to use Terminal. I have never had a real play around with these apps, but you could try 🙂

NoobProof

WaterRoof

😀

LittleSnitch does exactly the opposite of what you want. So if you do not want this to happen you should uninstall LittleSnitch.

its an expected behavior for Apps or files in our machine to contact the outside world. It is to make sure that they are up-to-date, security etc.

There maybe a 3rd party app that can do the job but I havent come accross any to be honest thus I can only direct you here

www.apple.com/feedback

Give the engineers a reasonable idea what that function is needed 🙂

I'm pretty sure LittleSnitch is the only method. You can use ipfw as mentioned above, but it doesn't filter based on applications the way LittleSnitch does.

Is there any reason why you don't want to use LittleSnitch? It seems like a nice, well-maintained program.

Ian R. Brown wrote:

I don't mind my computer working madly under the surface to make things run smoothly but I don't like the fact that most apps etc. are frequently contacting websites secretly.

For the last few years I have used LittleSnitch to see what items are contacting the outside world but I feel there should be something built-in to our computers where we can click a switch and say the only communication will be via emails and websites to which we choose.

Is there, for instance, any way of configuring the Firewall to prevent unauthorised outward communication?

There is an extremely simple solution and that is to disconnect the computer from the internet, but that is hardly convenient!

So is there any way of getting what I want without using LittleSnitch or any other third party apps any more?

You can go to the extreme with LittleSntich and have it even block the outgoing default proceses, but you'll find that some of them are necessary for proper Internet communication.

I did that for a time, blocked everything and then allowed each one on until I got a stable machine again. 🙂

Web browsers mostly use port 80, and the web has so much stuff coming from so many other locations than the one web site your visiting, sometimes won't work or display correctly if it can't redirect or download other stuff from other sites. Our comptuers and devices are becoming more closed and more interconnected with absoluely no user control what so ever. Just look how look how long phones have been spying on us.

Perhaps if you explain what your problem is, I can suggest a solution. There is Ad Block Plus, Ghostery, BetterPrivacy, NoScript, TrackMeNot, Click&Clean (even RedirectPolicy) for Firefox. There is the free VirtualBox and a Linux ISO of your choosing (Linux Mint is good) for those naughty sites, you install Linux in VirtualBox like a file in a program, save a snapshot and then revert back to the earlier snapshot when your done. All nasties, malware, cache files etc. are deleted as your deleteing the whole OS like reverting a file in time machine..

I'm like you, I want to know what's coming and going as to be my own judge what I deem is allowed on or off my own machine.

I almost swore off buying a EFI Intel Mac because the firmware is so powerful it can "phone home" all by itself, without the operating system even knowing about it. Luckily Apple isn't presently using it, but it's there for the taking by any program that has your admin password.

Unfortunly, as the recent spyPhone/spyPad scandle has shown, "they" want to to know everything about you the second you use their iDevices, they set it up that way, they make it so you go to delete and your SSD doesn't truly erase, etc.

http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/02/17/1911217/Confidential-Data-Not-Safe-O n-Solid-State-Disks

Big brother is in your pocket.

http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/34/3458.asp

What you might like is software like KisMAC, you run that on another Mac (enable Apple passive mode in driver preferences) and monitor your network between your Mac and your router.

Watch what truly goes on, stuff LittleSnitch is missing. Also PacketSniffer, if you want to record ALL the traffice between your router and other Mac.

Good Luck, I intend to do the same just for thrills.

🙂

Ian R. Brown wrote:

I'm not completely paranoid (yet), I just don't like things going on secretly around me!

I'm not too bothered about what comes into my machine as what leaves it.

If I go to a website I expect it to download cookies etc..

What I don't like is for my apps to contact Apple (or any other software manufacturer) saying that I have just launched them again giving time, date, colour of my wallpaper etc. etc.

Maybe I am completely paranoid after all . . . . . anyway I'm just off to check behind the door.

Two tin foil hat peas in a pod. Given the spyPhone scare turns out we were right after all. 😉

If your not paranoid, then your just not paying attention. 😀

You might want to buy a faraday bag for your cell phone, it's taking your position 8 times a hour.

http://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/03/26/179257/German-Politician-Demonstrates-Ext ent-of-Cellphone-Location-Tracking

Hey, you might down in a hole someday right? So, like, we need to track you 24/7...