can i disable or delete the remote management?

Question

Level 1

6 points

can i disable or delete the remote management?

hello,

i don't need the 'ardagent' and i want to avoid all possibilities for other persons or bots to having access to my mac. i found the path and the program now but before...

i want to be sure if i can do it safely,
if it is reversible in case of need,
how i can do this,
if the proposed update in the app store is needed or recommended before doing so!

this is my 1st question in this forum and i thank you all in advance for giving me clear answers....i already enjoyed reading some other helpful posts with clear phrasings.🙂

h.

MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2013), OS X Mavericks (10.9.5)

Posted on Mar 14, 2015 10:16 AM

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Answer 1

John Galt

Level 10

155,636 points

Mar 14, 2015 10:47 AM in response to holzFreund

ARDAgent is a required OS X component. Make no attempt to remove it. Failure to update it as recommended by the Mac App Store would make your Mac more vulnerable to unauthorized intrusion.

i want to be sure if i can do it safely,

It's not clear what you propose, in other words I don't know what "it" means in the above. To disable remote access, de-select the applicable options in System Preferences > Sharing. It is not possible to remotely access your Mac unless those options are selected.

Be sure to secure both your Mac and the wireless networks you're using with reasonably secure passwords.

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Answer 2

BobHarris

Level 9

56,885 points

Mar 14, 2015 11:24 AM in response to holzFreund

As long as your do NOT enable

System Preferences -> Sharing -> Remote Management

System Preferences -> Sharing -> Screen Sharing

System Preferences -> Sharing -> Remote Login

System Preferences -> Sharing -> File Sharing

etc...

basically do not enable any of the "Sharing" options, then Mac OS X will not start any processes that listen for connections, and no one will be able to connect to your Mac remotely.

Mac OS X has a history of NOT opening ports, unless you ask it to, via System Preferences -> Sharing

In addition, if your Mac never leaves your home, and you have a home router, and that home router has not been configured to open ports to the outside world, then your router will not even let any of those sharing services be seen by the internet.

However, since it is a laptop, if you leave the home, then if you have any of those sharing services enabled, then the services will be visible to other users, at least in the same coffee shop.

However, even if they are enabled, to use most of those services the attacker would also need to know your username and password to gain access.

I agree with John Galt, do not start removing Mac OS X components. If you are not careful, you can turn your Mac into an expensive "Door Stop".

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