This means that some active process on the Mac called nbagent attempted an https connection to the domain, and Little Snitch not only wants you to know this, but also presents you with options for handling it. This simply means that the Adobe Creative Cloud manager service running on my Mac is allowed to make connections to the domain Adobe.io over https.Īn example of an alert might be “nbagent wants to connect to on port 443 (https)â€. ![]() Alerts are dialog boxes showing you detailed information when your Mac tries to connect to something on the internet or local network that you don’t already have rules set up for.Īn example of a rule might be “For Adobe Creative Cloud, allow outgoing connections to port 443 (https) of domain adobe.ioâ€. Rules are just what they sound like: rules that determine what outgoing (and incoming) network traffic is allowed as a matter of course without user intervention. Little Snitch relies on two main concepts to do its job: alerts and rules. It can and does have rules for inbound connections as well, however. Little Snitch is like that, except that it’s mainly for the purpose of monitoring outbound traffic rather than inbound traffic. It’s basically software that can reside on a computer or in a device like a Wi-Fi Router that attempts to keep out unwanted incoming network connections. Most people are familiar with the concept of a firewall, or have at least heard the term. They say no one likes a snitch, but they couldn’t be more wrong when it comes to the first program on my short list, Little Snitch by Objective Development. Fortunately, great Mac software abounds, and there are two applications in particular that I highly recommend, especially for curious and/or more technically-inclined Mac users: Little Snitch and Little Flocker. For that, you need something purpose built for the job. These will let you look at what processes are running on your Mac, but won’t tell you what started a given process or alert you to file changes and Internet connections. Well, that’s not completely true — you can always open a terminal window and use the Unix ps or top commands, or use Activity Monitor instead if you want a nice GUI. This is because there’s no user interface for these background processes. All of these happen constantly, with the computer user none the wiser. Finally, applications can also install new programs or services as a part of their operation. In addition, files on the computer are constantly being modified by running programs, whether those are part of the operating system or third-party applications. Most computers are always connected to the Internet and maintain a constant stream of incoming and outgoing connections. Security is about what comes in, what goes out, and what modifies what. Besides, just as with personal physical safety, the best approach is a layered approach using multiple precautions in order to improve your chances of remaining secure. ![]() I use the Sophos Home antivirus product on my Mac at the moment, but it’s not helpful for telling me what it’s looking at and why, nor does it give me the ability to make decisions on what should be allowed and what shouldn’t. Antivirus software is fine, but a lot of malware doesn’t trigger antivirus programs, and targeted hacking certainly won’t. When it comes to security, a little knowledge is half the battle — specifically, knowledge of what’s taking place on your Mac behind all the pretty windows and icons. macOS is essentially a Unix operating system with an Apple user interface, and that means it runs many common services and processes that hackers know how to exploit. Macs aren’t known for their malware and viruses compared to, say, Windows PCs, but all operating systems have security vulnerabilities.
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