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Micro Snitch – Know when someone spies on you

obdev.at

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Re: Micro Snitch – Know when someone spies on you

#91
post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How does the trackpad feel? The only thing I haven't found anyone else do better than Apple is the Mac's trackpads. They're absolutely smooth and a pleasure to work with. I installed Unbuntu on a Lenovo and the trackpad felt horrible in comparison, even after tinkering endlessly with the settings.

Half the allure of a Thinkpad is the trackpoint though.

The track point to me feels very unnatural.

Do you switch fingers to give yourself a break?

Re: Micro Snitch – Know when someone spies on you

#92
post #56
post #43

If you stop for a minute to think about it, it's a very sad state of affairs that you need to buy a closed-source app for the most secure consumer operating system, and pay constant attention to its status, in hope to avoid (or detect) spying. I'm personally re-thinking my approach to security and anonymity online, esp. in light of recent news re: Facebook (Cambridge Analytica, account breach), Google (Chrome 69, inc…

>similar/better specs vs Macbook Pro at half the price I hear people say that and I always get excited. Then I just went to Lenovo’s site and I configured one and for a small margin on error they are the same. Why do people say this when it doesn’t seem true? Is there a “50% Off all Thinkpads” website I don’t know about?

My advice, get last year's Thinkpad for new or refurbished on ebay. Mine was actually two generations back when I bought it used (it had seen very light use) and it was incredibly cheap. Without webcam but with modem :D

Re: Micro Snitch – Know when someone spies on you

#93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

why are these all for MacOS? are windows and linux not targeted by similar malware?

Of course, other operating systems are vulnerable as well. The problem is more that for a long time the security model of Linux was that an attacker is interested in getting root access. This hasn't been true anymore since DDoS attacks, crypto mining, etc. became a thing. And in recent years, attacks have moved towards phishing, crypto lockers, etc. Though Linux for a long time still had the model that an application…

> X11 applications can snoop on keystrokes, mouse events, and other applications, etc

Not just "X11 applications" but any process that can open your X unix domain socket (usually at somewhere like /tmp/.X11-unix/X0) or, god help you, connect to tcp://localhost:$((6000 + $DISPLAY_NUMBER)).

Re: Micro Snitch – Know when someone spies on you

#94
post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How does the trackpad feel? The only thing I haven't found anyone else do better than Apple is the Mac's trackpads. They're absolutely smooth and a pleasure to work with. I installed Unbuntu on a Lenovo and the trackpad felt horrible in comparison, even after tinkering endlessly with the settings.

Half the allure of a Thinkpad is the trackpoint though.

I like the trackpoint because of the nostalgia factor, but in terms of dexterity, speed, and accuracy, there's no way it can compare to a trackpad.

Re: Micro Snitch – Know when someone spies on you

#95
post #87
post #43

If you stop for a minute to think about it, it's a very sad state of affairs that you need to buy a closed-source app for the most secure consumer operating system, and pay constant attention to its status, in hope to avoid (or detect) spying. I'm personally re-thinking my approach to security and anonymity online, esp. in light of recent news re: Facebook (Cambridge Analytica, account breach), Google (Chrome 69, inc…

How does the trackpad feel? The only thing I haven't found anyone else do better than Apple is the Mac's trackpads. They're absolutely smooth and a pleasure to work with. I installed Unbuntu on a Lenovo and the trackpad felt horrible in comparison, even after tinkering endlessly with the settings.

Dell XPS trackpads are better than MBP, and plus if you get the developer edition you still get Linux.

Re: Micro Snitch – Know when someone spies on you

#96

FYI, it doesn't serve exactly the same purpose, but macOS Mojave requires a permission prompt for software to access the camera and mic. Of course, if a program has access to it (including Apple's own permission-exempt software) an unauthorized app may be able to use the authorized one as a route around the sandbox: https://objective-see.com/blog/blog_0x2F.html But Mojave also added an "APP_1 wants to control APP_2"…

This is the sort of thing that should absolutely be baked in at the lowest reasonable level. Browser-level requests for camera/mic permission are obviously nice, and it's even better to see OSX offer the request to catch more cases and prevent workarounds. Requests for control transfers are also an obvious improvement; at a certain point the easiest way to curtail sandbox escapes without restricting normal functional…

> This is the sort of thing that should absolutely be baked in at the lowest reasonable level.

It's baked into the kernel, if that's what you're asking.

Re: Micro Snitch – Know when someone spies on you

#97
post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Actually they replaced Thunderbolt 2 with Thunderbolt 3, and it's better.

Do you actually have any equipment that comes with Thunderbolt3/USB-C cables? My office currently buys new hires at least one dongle plus an hdmi cord because our monitors don't come with a USB-C cable (if yours do, please let me know what you're purchasing). Wireless mice and keyboards that use the USBs need dongles. If you go into a random conference room (at work, at clients etc), many places will have hdmi cords…

I'm probably a bad example because my setup is hilariously kludged together.

I use two circa 2007 30" Cinema Displays, so from the laptop it goes Thunderbolt 3 > Thunderbolt 3 Hub > Thunderbolt 3 to dual DisplayPort > 2x DisplayPort to Mini DisplayPort > 2x Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI > Displays.

The upside is that my MacBook is connected to all that with a single cable that includes power. For peripherals I use bluetooth. When I travel I just carry that Apple HDMI/USB/power breakout dongle and it covers every situation I've found myself in so far.

Re: Micro Snitch – Know when someone spies on you

#98
post #4

Or just install Oversight, it's free, does the same thing. And if you want you can support the author on Patreon. https://objective-see.com/products/oversight.html

I came to say this. I've been using Oversight for a while and it's simple, free, and great.

Re: Micro Snitch – Know when someone spies on you

#99
post #56
post #43

If you stop for a minute to think about it, it's a very sad state of affairs that you need to buy a closed-source app for the most secure consumer operating system, and pay constant attention to its status, in hope to avoid (or detect) spying. I'm personally re-thinking my approach to security and anonymity online, esp. in light of recent news re: Facebook (Cambridge Analytica, account breach), Google (Chrome 69, inc…

>similar/better specs vs Macbook Pro at half the price I hear people say that and I always get excited. Then I just went to Lenovo’s site and I configured one and for a small margin on error they are the same. Why do people say this when it doesn’t seem true? Is there a “50% Off all Thinkpads” website I don’t know about?

It's because sometimes, such as when Apple takes a year to update a line, that you can find an ultrabook that costs half of what Apple is offering for similar specs (or in some cases, same price, much worse specs).

Take a look at the MacRumors buyers guide release date graph for the pro-line https://buyersguide.macrumors.com/#Mac

It's not as severe as it used to be now that returns are diminishing on new generations of components, but even three/four years ago, it could be startling.

Re: Micro Snitch – Know when someone spies on you

#100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just "refreshed" my work MBP to a Lenovo and Linux. I'm happy with a 1080p screen. I don't need a trackpad that's half the size of the laptop. I don't need keys that only mostly work. I don't need a strip of whizbang capable of playing Doom. I need function keys, that work, and give me tactile feedback. People like different things.

If playing Doom at 1085x30 is wrong, then dammit I don't want to be right.

The ultimate evolution of cranking up Quake FOV settings right there....
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