Spy Ware?

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Silvereclipse00

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With the whole Napster deal and their blatent use of checking in on Microsoft user computers, I wondered if there was anything on Mac that did the same type of thing. Many of my friends said that there is some sort of file like that in the AOL application. Is that the same on the mac version.

Not a technical person, just a video junkie, gotta love the G5!
 
Hmm... I don't know _exactly_ what you mean, but - I'm guessing here - you probably mean if there's any Macintosh applications that 'phone home' and talk to the maker of the software.

Well, the first one is, of course, Mac OS X. Upon installing it, it sends your registration details to Apple - if you let it.

If you want to find out which app wants to contact servers on the 'net, use 'Little Snitch', a shareware application that informs you about (and prevents apps from) 'phoning home'.

However, I've found such tools to be only for the paranoid. :p
 
There are numerous programs that phone home, even the cheaper ones. DockExtender is one that comes to mind. Install and keep Little Snitch running as a startup item, and you'll see anything that phones home.
 
Isn't it...illegal to spy on people on their computer? Even if they are pirating software? Don't the software developers have to ask for permission directly from the person or something?

*is paranoid*
 
It should be illegal. They're coming into my home to do this. In the real world, police need a warrant to do this.
 
Silvereclipse00 said:
Many of my friends said that there is some sort of file like that in the AOL application.
Click to expand...
I think what your friends are talking about is that the new version of AOL 9.0 comes with a SpyWare checker, like AdAware that will look through your computer and find and disable or delete any spyware. I don't think AOL contains any spyware, but I guess it could.
 
Lots of the stuff that phones home (openly) is just checking that you have a valid license for the software.

I haven't heard of any trojan-horsed spyware for OS X - stuff like Gator hiding in Kazaa installers on Windows. Not to say there isn't such a thing...

There are nasty products, keyloggers and so on, but I've not heard of anyone hiding them in their software
 
I recall from the department IT person when I was in graduate school who said that the NSA (National Security Agency) can go into anyone's computer when they are online for national security issues. I personally do not know if this is true, but I remember hearing him talking about it to another person. It seems there is some back door key that they have for getting past passwords and encryption. And knowing that the National Security Agency is the largest employer of mathematicians in the world, somehow I don't see standard (public) personal computer security in an operating system being a problem for them.
 
Windows itself keeps track of everything you do (see this article for more). But I have heard of nothing for OS X that does anything like this.

Programs that "phone home" are simply sending your registration information to the company, at your request. They use public phones, so to speak, and do so out in the open. Spyware hides from you and uses a secure transmitter to send information back.
 
chemistry_geek said:
I recall from the department IT person when I was in graduate school who said that the NSA (National Security Agency) can go into anyone's computer when they are online for national security issues. I personally do not know if this is true, but I remember hearing him talking about it to another person. It seems there is some back door key that they have for getting past passwords and encryption. And knowing that the National Security Agency is the largest employer of mathematicians in the world, somehow I don't see standard (public) personal computer security in an operating system being a problem for them.
Click to expand...

This may be true now, since 9/11 because of the new Laws passed, but certainly not before. As far as NSA being able to get in through a back door, doubtful on a Mac, and impossible if your machine is not online. Like I sadi earlier, use a program like Little Snitch and you'll see every incoming and outgoing request.

Some programs call home everytime your startup to check codes.
 
Time to close this thread. There are Board Rules against posting any info on how to use programs illegally.
 
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