MacOS High Sierra kills terminal FTP?

$ brew install inetutils

will install inetutils from GNU that includes /usr/local/bin/ftp

$ which ftp

/usr/local/bin/ftp

$ ftp --version

ftp (GNU inetutils) 1.9.4

Copyright (C) 2015 Free Software Foundation, Inc.

License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later <http://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>.

This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.

There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.

Written by many authors.

Apparently, Apple has removed /usr/bin/ftp, and left secure ftp at /usr/bin/sftp. However, some sites still do not support secure ftp, so Apple has removed ftp without regard for that issue.

Another heads up.

For the first time in High Sierra, Apple has changed the default PATH element order (i.e. /etc/paths) to make /usr/local/bin have the highest precedence over /usr/bin, instead of previously, the last (lowest) position in these PATH elements.

This means if you have two commands installed in both locations with the same exact name, but different builds — the version in /usr/local/bin will run when you type the command name, instead of the system installed command in /usr/bin. Now, where it has never been needed before, one must explicitly preface the system command with /usr/bin/command. This is nuts.

As VikingOSX states it, the default PATH has been modified. This is unfair, as it wasn't mentioned anywhere.

Moreover, the ftp itself, which was in /usr/bin, has been removed: I installed High Sierra this morning, so my locatedb is as yesterday, and shows it was still there before upgrade:

$> locate ftp | grep ftp$

/Applications/ Développement/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/usr/libexec/git-core/git-remote-ftp

/Applications/GitHub.app/Contents/Resources/git/libexec/git-core/git-remote-ftp

/System/Library/Filesystems/ftp.fs/Contents/Resources/mount_ftp

/System/Library/Tcl/tcllib1.12/ftp

/sbin/mount_ftp

/usr/bin/ftp

/usr/bin/sftp

/usr/bin/tftp

/usr/share/zsh/5.2/functions/_ncftp

/usr/share/zsh/5.2/functions/_zftp

/usr/share/zsh/5.2/help/zftp

but it you try to make an ls (LS) on this list, then /usr/bin/ftp is missing, as some zsh parts:

$> ls -ld $(locate ftp | grep ftp$)

ls: /usr/bin/ftp: No such file or directory

ls: /usr/share/zsh/5.2/functions/_ncftp: No such file or directory

ls: /usr/share/zsh/5.2/functions/_zftp: No such file or directory

ls: /usr/share/zsh/5.2/help/zftp: No such file or directory

lrwxr-xr-x 1 root wheel 15 23 sep 19:56 /Applications/ Développement/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/usr/libexec/git-core/git-remote-ftp -> git-remote-http

-rwxr-xr-x 1 myusername staff 850620 30 jui 2015 /Applications/GitHub.app/Contents/Resources/git/libexec/git-core/git-remote-ftp

-rwxr-xr-x 1 root wheel 1905072 14 nov 2012 /Applications/SourceTree.app/Contents/Resources/git_local/libexec/git-core/git- remote-ftp

-rwxr-xr-x 1 root wheel 31616 21 sep 06:37 /System/Library/Filesystems/NetFSPlugins/ftp.bundle/Contents/MacOS/ftp

-rwxr-xr-x 1 root wheel 18224 21 sep 06:34 /System/Library/Filesystems/ftp.fs/Contents/Resources/mount_ftp

drwxr-xr-x 5 root wheel 170 16 jul 02:02 /System/Library/Tcl/tcllib1.12/ftp

drwxr-xr-x 82 myusername wheel 2788 30 jui 20:09 /Volumes/TMBKIMAC/BkAppsIMac/

lrwxr-xr-x 1 root wheel 63 30 sep 02:08 /sbin/mount_ftp -> /System/Library/Filesystems/ftp.fs/Contents/Resources/mount_ftp

-rwxr-xr-x 1 root wheel 110720 21 sep 06:35 /usr/bin/sftp

-r-xr-xr-x 1 root wheel 39008 21 sep 06:35 /usr/bin/tftp

I bet that I'm going to get the /usr/bin/ftp in some backup, and check my paths to fix them in POSIX way.

p.s. Not related to High Sierra but seen while writing this: if one clicks here on "Use advanced editor" while replying, then there is an error since we have no permission to do so. Please tell the webmaster to have this fixed asap. Found 'cause I wanted to set another style for terminal excerpts.

HTH.

Even as root, I couldn't make an 'cp -p sftp ftp' nor 'ln -s sftp ftp' in the /usr/bin directory.

So what I made to recover an ftp command is (with sudo or being root): cp -p /usr/bin/sftp /usr/local/bin/ftp

This works, and the copied sftp (named ftp) behaves correctly (this kind of executable behaves differently according to their name, such as vi and view).

HTH to have ftp back.

However, this doesn't solve my Cyberduck.app not working anymore, I thoughty is was realated to ftp missing. It probably is, but they must have explicitly specified /usr/bin/ftp, which I can't fix. Maybe some advanced access rights (like setfacl and getfacl commands)?

Haha. This is a good one! You made my day! You should probalbly read this: https://twitter.com/lemiorhan/status/935578694541770752😉

Actually, OSx is a horrible OS in regards of security, because the user has very limited access and authority over major parts of the system. Considering, that every line of code is a possible one to exploit, the major goal should be to reduce complexity to gain security. While with other UNIX like OS as BSD or Linux the users have the possibility to reduce attack surface pretty effective, with OSx this is difficult or impossible at all for the OS itself.

Who, for example, needs the bloated standard kernel? In this thing nearly everything is included even if 95% of the users only need 30% of the included functions. So why e.g. do I need to compile all filesystem drivers, when I only need ext4? Or why do I need 20 different bluetooth drivers compliled, when my PC does not even have bluetooth hardware? I could go on and on and on...

With Linux one can build a kernal from scratch exactly with the features required and can even only compile them as modules (or even utilize security features as grsecurity and PaX). Even better, one can sandbox every application using seccomp to filter system calls (as Google does with Chrome btw).

Not sure why so many people guess, that Apple OS is safe, but I'm really interested if anyone has a good argument, because none comes to my mind.

Cheers,

sizeof(void)

In terms of security, removing clients like "telnet" and "ftp" does not make an operating system any more or less secure.

you probably lock your car when its in a public car park in town, but you might choose to leave it open when its in your locked garage at home.

in the same vein, is true that a security dead-lock door is probably harder for people to get through, but do you really need it on your internal toilet door?

the point here is that tools are just tools, and deploying security needs to be done sensibly.

as a networking guy for 20+ years, I'll use telnet locally to test stuff, but ssh to servers on the internet.

(at the very least, we should have vendor supported ways to get them back - forcing people to get 3rd party stuff is surely the worse security outcome!!)

I understand wanting to make systems more secure, but you must also take into account that people also NEED to still USE the systems. If a system becomes unusable, then what is the value of making is secure.

This is not "Solved". That is not even a logical answer, an insecure FTP client does not compromise the operating system security and unencrypted FTP is still widely used, especially inside corporate lans. Now we have to go install third party builds which in some ways actually CAN compromise security. Apple is getting more and more disappointing every year.

My god, this company is really becoming a joke. So many bugs in their iOS software that should never make it to the light of day with the consumer, yet lets add more BS to the phone and not fix anything.

Now this on the MacOS... really?

No way on earth I'll ever go for a locked down desktop or laptop/notebook computer. iPads are barely bearable and cause me some degree of regret as they are whilst using them in that I need more freedom as a developer. They do not cater to developer level flexibility with regards to code editing and shell usage, etc. which are critical for our workflow patterns.

That has been my concern for some time. I do not want a desktop iPad/iPhone/iAnyThingElse. I am really starting to miss command line only computing even for shell access to the internet. I tried wiping my computer and installing El Capitan but things would no longer work and I kept getting messages about updating my OS; and that was on my pre-Harvey iMac, I have not even considered trying that on this new iMac.

The Apple thought cops are starting to vacuum big time, and that's for sure and for certain. Perhaps I should look into a Debian box.

Well, I can 100% feel your concern. We're not there yet and I'm able to operate as per norm on 10.13.x (aside from some performance glitches with 10.13.3+). I will never accept SIP or Gatekeeper. Period. Fortunately I can turn them off, but as soon as I can't... I'm gone or will be sticking with the last version that does and then put my support behind Linux efforts.

Linux UI and app support isn't there yet. There is a Linux project that I'm quite keen of at the moment, but won't mention here, that could make all the difference in the world for us. We definitely need to be able to run our os x apps in other green pastures when the time comes and I believe we will from the way things are going.

Apple's definitely losing it's way right now. I've been told by internals that Apple doesn't truly care about macOS anymore, it's really all about iOS and mobile devices - that's their bread and butter.

But yes, if we are to have real options lined up for when Apple goes completely south, the movement has to grow well past the hackintosh movement. It can all be done, but the lack of unity and fragmentation in the Linux and Unix communities in general have completely screwed things up over the last 20 years.

Along the same lines regarding security, what do you think about sandboxing? Evidently, it is required to be used if an application is to be marketed on the App Store. So I bought a fairly expensive app on the App Store that did not work and the developer thinks it is all related to the sandbox security.

Removing basic Unix commands without regard for the impact on users and applications is reckless. FTP and TELNET have been basic functions of Unix since its early days. Removing them arbitrarily without providing a way for users to get them back is unacceptable. Why not make them available from the App Store for those of us who really need them? It's not up to Apple to dictate how secure my systems should be. Give me the tools to make it secure but do not impose your view of security on me.