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Micro Snitch – Know when someone spies on you

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Re: Micro Snitch – Know when someone spies on you

#101

Post by Bartweiss »

saagarjha wrote: post #96
Bartweiss wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Yes - my reaction is that Micro Snitch is great in the absence of a kernel feature, but this sort of thing is best handled at the kernel and hardware levels.

Re: Micro Snitch – Know when someone spies on you

#103

Post by heyoni »

vtail wrote: post #59
dstroot wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>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?

I configured ThinkPad using Employee Perks website at work (many places have something like this), and got a 27% discount from the list price, which is only 2% higher discount vs. the promotion they have been running recently (thinkx25 discount code). I configured a machine with i7-8550U cpu (8th gen, 1.80Ghz, 8MB cache, up to 4Ghz Turbo boost), 14" WQHD (2560x1440) IPS anti-glare panel @ 300 nits, 16gb LPDDR3 2133mh…

Yea it’s ddr4 with a dedicated graphics card, probably has a better screen. You saved some money by downgrading. Go spec an actual MacBook Pro, I promise you it’s at least $2000.

Re: Micro Snitch – Know when someone spies on you

#104

Post by checkyoursudo »

blablabla123 wrote: post #47
xoa wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> How do you know when Micro Snitch spies on you? I couldn't find the source code anywhere. Source code isn't really necessary. Nor sufficient for that matter even if it was there, you'd need verifiable builds and an assurance of no self updating capability too, basically for certain minimal products you need some level of trust. As far as extra verifying though you'd probably start the same way you would minimally b…

> Source code isn't really necessary. Nor sufficient for that matter even if it was there, you'd need verifiable builds Actually it is sufficient. On macOS one can install homebrew and add the build from source option. Most Linux distributions provide similar facilities. Of course on can go Hardcore and use Gentoo, but yeah, in that case verified builds + OSS are the more efficient option unless on has access to a cl…

I have used Gentoo on my desktop for a long time, but it still requires a lot of trust. How many Gentoo users recompile the whole toolchain, which itself is no guarantee?

Most just unpack the stage3, follow the handbook, and be on their merry way. Hell, I'm super paranoid and I haven't bootstraped on every install.

Re: Micro Snitch – Know when someone spies on you

#105

Post by fao_ »

closetohome wrote: post #80
dstroot wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>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?

Because they didn't actually look at MacBooks, they're just guessing the price and specs. Also for some reason people who say this never mention that they're happy with a 1080p screen.

> Also for some reason people who say this never mention that they're happy with a 1080p screen.

Sorry what?

Let's look at my work laptop from the year before last. It's a macbook pro with a retina screen from 2013. The CPU is a 2.4GHz dual-core i5 processor. (I'm specifically looking at the ME864LL/A).

Currently they're selling for 500£, second hand.

A quick look on thinkwiki.org shows the equivalent is an X201 or X230.

A quick gander on Ebay shows an X230 with better specs: This one has an i7 with a 3.6GHz processor, an SSD already fitted, and 8GB of ram (2x more than the macbook in question). It comes in pristine condition with the charger and dock included.

It costs $310.00, plus $20 shipping (There are others in good nick with roughly equivalent specs (~2.9Ghz) for $40 cheaper)

The default screen is kind of crap, but for an extra $80 - $130 and a spare hour you can upgrade it. This specific redditor[0][1] bought a 2k screen (2560x1440 IPS) mod kit from China and it worked

So that makes it, what, $400?

It's $100 cheaper, for a better laptop with an equal or better screen.

[0]: https://www.reddit.com/r/thinkpad/comments/8c009g/thinkpad_x...

[1]: https://forum.51nb.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=1831613&... (you might need google translate)

Re: Micro Snitch – Know when someone spies on you

#106

Post by fwip »

fao_ wrote: post #105
closetohome wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because they didn't actually look at MacBooks, they're just guessing the price and specs. Also for some reason people who say this never mention that they're happy with a 1080p screen.

> Also for some reason people who say this never mention that they're happy with a 1080p screen. Sorry what? Let's look at my work laptop from the year before last. It's a macbook pro with a retina screen from 2013. The CPU is a 2.4GHz dual-core i5 processor. (I'm specifically looking at the ME864LL/A). Currently they're selling for 500£, second hand. A quick look on thinkwiki.org shows the equivalent is an X201 or X…

Ebay prices are very different than buying new.

Re: Micro Snitch – Know when someone spies on you

#108

Post by chx »

plainOldText wrote: post #68
vtail wrote: 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…

That's a questionable approach you took, since Lenovo has been caught in the past shipping laptops with spyware. I actually bought the same Thinkpad a few months ago (beautiful machine btw), but I had to return it as I couldn't get myself to trust a computer manufactured by a dishonest company, in an authoritarian country. It felt just so uncomfortable. At the end of the day, I still trust Apple the most, since they…

>since Lenovo has been caught in the past shipping laptops with spyware

those were IdeaPads not ThinkPads.

> I couldn't get myself to trust a computer manufactured by a dishonest company, in an authoritarian country.

... you'd be naked and bereft a lot of other comforts if you were to get rid of everything made in China.

Re: Micro Snitch – Know when someone spies on you

#109

Post by kgwxd »

pjc50 wrote: post #20
kgwxd wrote: post #10

I would really prefer all I/O devices, including touchscreens and antennas, have physical on/off switches. 1 for in and 1 for out where possible. Even if I have to open the device to flip them. I'd like to be able to turn a phone into receive-only device without worrying about what it's broadcasting. That's probably a lot more complicated than I'm imagining, but I'd like it if lines between what's a sender and what's…

A "recieve only" phone radio would only be capable of GPS and FM radio - both the data and voice technologies require bidirectional comms to set up the channel in the first place. (This is basically "airplane mode")

"airplane mode" if you can trust the software is respecting your soft toggle button :) But yeah, that's 2 other great uses for old phones, GPS and radio are pretty useful.

Re: Micro Snitch – Know when someone spies on you

#110

Post by acct1771 »

nothis wrote: post #33
kgwxd wrote: post #10

I would really prefer all I/O devices, including touchscreens and antennas, have physical on/off switches. 1 for in and 1 for out where possible. Even if I have to open the device to flip them. I'd like to be able to turn a phone into receive-only device without worrying about what it's broadcasting. That's probably a lot more complicated than I'm imagining, but I'd like it if lines between what's a sender and what's…

I'm with you in principle but at some point it becomes ridiculous. On a smartphone, you have at least half a dozen different input and output options, probably more. Where would you even fit physical switches for them all? And, for that matter, how do you trust even the physical switch?

Assuming this is a serious question...a continuity tester.
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