Stopping applications from "phoning home"
Stopping applications from "phoning home"
Yesterday we reported on an anti-piracy measure which is gaining popularity among developers, but can cause problems for legitimately registered users of some applications.
Some applications "phone home" - connect to an authorization server that checks the serial number and in some cases registration information, to verify that the software being installed is legal. The problem is that some applications can incorrectly deny installation of fully licensed software copies, and also transmit private user information.
MacFixIt reader Wes Palmer suggest using the application FireWalk to deny applications access to the network connections:
"You can set the default up to not allow any applications access to the network. When a new application attempts to connect to the network, you can be notified and given the opportunity to allow or deny access to that application. It also checks for applications being changed (e.g. an masquerading as a different one). It does not use, but can be used in conjunction with, IPFW. Support is excellent, and the price is reasonable (US $ 35).
Kevin Lepard suggests using Little Snitch, which allows you to monitor applications' use of network resources, and stop them in their tracks.
"If you're a little more sophisticated, you could monitor your traffic and see what port it's accessing and block it with ipfw, but LittleSnitch makes this really easy. Frankly, I like to know if an application is trying to 'phone home' without my permission or knowledge."
Feedback on this issue? Drop us a line at late-breakers@macfixit.com.Resources