Internet Security With MacIntosh

[meilicke]

I was wondering what the Time Machine was all about. I still have to get used to how Macs do things. When I turn this on and attempt to choose a back up disk, the drop down window isn't giving me any choices. What am I missing??

Greg, it sounds like you are missing an external drive, either directly attached to your mac or to another mac on your network. Having an external drive connected to an airport access point is not enough.

Scott

 

[Greg Lockrey]

Greg, it sounds like you are missing an external drive, either directly attached to your mac or to another mac on your network. Having an external drive connected to an airport access point is not enough.

Scott

You mean I'm not done buying Mac stuff?

 

[meilicke]

Yeah, Apple is funny that way. Realistically you would buy an external drive for a PC as well to get some measure of data safety. The difference being that Apple requires it, so you are less likely to shoot yourself in the foot.

 

[Sean_Reid]

Nope. That would be impossible.

You're good.

Cool. Breezebrowser is really useful to my work (and I've had its shortcuts, etc. memorized for years). It doesn't need regular access to the Internet at all. So I take it that installing a Windows virtualization program itself does not open the door to Internet security problems unless something in Windows need to access the web?

I'm gradually starting to figure this out. Thanks Maggie.

Cheers,

Sean

 

[meilicke]

So I take it that installing a Windows virtualization program itself does not open the door to Internet security problems unless something in Windows need to access the web?

True. In fact, using virtualization software you can share your Internet connection with the Mac in such a way that the Windows box is completely hidden from the Internet. You can also run in a parallel mode, so that the Windows box seems like a peer along side the Mac, but unless an outside services needs to contact your Windows box (like in a corporate setting with central IT), there is little to no need for this mode.

 

[Sean_Reid]

Thank you, this is getting clearer. Amazingly, I think I'm going to end up installing my virtualization software just so that I can run Breezebrowser. Otherwise, I'd be tempted to not install XP on the computer at all. But that one program is really key to my daily work. Everything else I use, it seems, has a Mac version.

Can I hide the Windows area from the Internet using either Parallels or Fusion? Is one better than the other in this respect? What about the fact that XP itself, upon install, will probably want to connect to the Internet for updates, etc? Once that's done, can I block it from having web access? Might that be as simple as turning off auto-updates?

Thanks all for the help. I am emphatically not an IT expert.

Cheers,

Sean

 

[meilicke]

I am emphatically not an IT expert

I am no photographer, so we are getting closer to even (I owe you more I am afraid, since reading your reviews and posts)

Either fusion or parallels can run in a 'shared private mode' (sorry, I forget the exact term the products use) equally well, at least in my experience. Consider this -

At home, you have, in this order:
1. Internet connection (cable, phone line, etc.)
2. Then a router (some call it a modem)
3. Then a cable (or wireless) connecting your router to your computer

It is the router that hides your computer from the Internet. In exactly the same way, when using a shared private network between your Mac and the virtual Windows box, your Mac is a router. So then you have at home:

1. Internet connection (cable, phone line, etc.)
2. Then a router (some call it a modem)
3. Then a cable (or wireless) connecting your router to your Mac
4. Your Mac
5. A virtual cable
6. Your virtual Windows box

The other way to run it is to share the same network that your Mac uses to talk to the Internet, just as if you had a physical Windows box connected to your router (#2 above). Likely not what you want.

When you connect to a public wifi hot spot, that connection is essentially an untrusted network. You can no longer trust the router (#2) above, and so you will want to keep your virtual Windows box behind your Mac (shared private mode).

Sorry about the long winded way to get to your question... but, I think your Windows box, as long as you are behind your home router or Mac, is reasonably safe from anyone trying to connect to you without you connecting to them first. It is only when you are surfing (and sometimes email, although I think that is less so with the excellent AV software out there now) that you may risk falling victim to a virus/trojan. While you can block Windows from the Internet using either virtualization product, I think getting MS updates is a great defense against virus/trojans, so please do not turn off auto-updates. An unpatched Mac is worse than a patched Windows box, security wise.

-Scott

 

[TRSmith]

Scott: that was a very clear description. I have yet to run both OS so that was very helpful.

I have a question. Suppose you download a file on the Mac side that's infected by a nasty aimed at Windows. Leopard ignores it and you save it to your hard drive. If you then access that same infected file from your windows side, aren't you vulnerable to the virus/worm?

Tim

 

[simonclivehughes]

I think the bottom line here is that if you have Windows on your Mac, you'd better have a anti-virus program. Kaspersky or BitDefender are among the best.

 

[Sean_Reid]

Hi Simon,

As I mentioned in my first post, I use Kaspersky and it is excellent though, to do its job well, it needs regular attention from me about what things are and are not allowed.

If I could find a really great replacement for BB Pro I might be able to skip a Windows installation all together.

Cheers,

Sean

 

[Maggie O]

You know, after looking at Breezebrowser's website, I can't help but wonder if Apple's Aperture would be a suitable replacement on the Mac side. For that matter, Adobe's CS3 Bridge (which comes with Photoshop) might do the trick, too.

 

[meilicke]

I have a question. Suppose you download a file on the Mac side that's infected by a nasty aimed at Windows. Leopard ignores it and you save it to your hard drive. If you then access that same infected file from your windows side, aren't you vulnerable to the virus/worm?

Tim, you are right on the money. Simon has the right idea, plus you can use Time Machine to recover if anything gets past your AV solution.

Sean, I am not familiar with BB Pro, but what features are you looking for?

-Scott

 

[wbrandsma]

I have a question. Suppose you download a file on the Mac side that's infected by a nasty aimed at Windows. Leopard ignores it and you save it to your hard drive. If you then access that same infected file from your windows side, aren't you vulnerable to the virus/worm?

Tim

That is correct. There was no detection on the Mac side so the file is still infected. If in doubt first scan the file on the Windows side before opening.

Not only operating systems can be vulnerable. Many applications that access the internet have a risk of being vulnerable too like Quicktime, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari, Flash and Adobe Reader (not only the Windows versions). I personally believe you should always protect you system (Mac, Linux or Windows). For instance to avoid the change of distributing infected files to clients. You might be on a Mac, but they probably not.

 

[Sean_Reid]

I work with large numbers of pictures so often and so extensively that I've developed very specific needs. C1 is my RAW developer of choice but it can't replace BB Pro. Bridge can't replace BB Pro. I'll look at Lightroom again and I'll need a Mac to try Aperture. What BB Pro has, and here I sound almost like a commercial, is a very intelligent set of tools and shortcuts that allow me to work very efficiently. There may be another program to match it but I'll need to find it.

The way an image management program works, for me, is as specific and important as is the way a suspension works for a race car driver. I work a program like that so hard that it really needs to be bang-on.

Thanks for the ideas.

Cheers,

Sean

 

[Maggie O]

Sean, it would really help if you could tell us exactly what BBPro does and how it does it, because without that info, we can only guess at what you want.

 

[wbrandsma]

Hi Sean, You might want to look at Parallels Desktop http://www.parallels.com/en/products/desktop/. You can run Windows applications like native Mac applications and than open your image files directly in the Mac version of Photoshop for instance.

 

[Sean_Reid]

Hi Wouter,

Yes, thanks, the plan was use either Parallels or Fusion to run BB Pro. I'd just really love to avoid installing Windows at all if I can.

Anyone have experience with CrossOver Mac? It apparently is a bottle program that allows one to use some Windows programs (BB seems to be one of them) on Mac OS-X without installing windows.

Cheers,

Sean

 

[Sean_Reid]

Hi Maggie,

You're right, of course. It's a great question for the thread and for me to ask myself. Here are some things that I find useful (they aren't all unique to BB Pro, I'm sure):

- Ability to toggle a color picture between a color and BW version using just "Control W", setting stays at color or BW for other pictures until/unless reset

- Ability to do a relative batch adjust the date/time data for a folder of pictures. (This can be invaluable on a shoot done with multiple bodies/photographers where one of the cameras wasn't synched with the others)

- Ability to go to full screen, 100% version with "Control B"

- Ability to toggle a given picture between a full screen, resized, view and view with histogram plus EXIF using "Control Tab"

- RAW + JPEG files are automatically associated and moved/organized as if they were one file (unless one sets them to work otherwise). The folder can be set to show only the RAW files as thumbnails but the previews will all draw from the JPEG versions

- abilility to tag/untag, tag selected, untag selected, select only tagged, etc.

- adjustable thumbnail sizes

- right/left arrow key shortcuts to move through folders of pictures

- full folder operations available

- ability to sort and order pictures by EXIF fields (by aperture, by shutter speed, etc.), also by timestamp, etc.

- ability to view a picture full screen and also toggle a histogram view on and off using "Control A"

- ability to preview a picture sharpened (degree can be set in preferences) using "Control Q"

Cheers,

Sean

 

[Sean_Reid]

Hmm...according to MacWorld:

" Viruses, malware not as much of an issue

Another benefit of CrossOver Mac’s approach to running Windows software is that it’s much less susceptible to infection by Windows-based viruses or malware than a true Windows-based solution, according to Parshall.

“A virus needs to affect the guts of Windows,” he explained. “Theoretically, if you were really, really good you might be able to get your virus to run under WINE, but we’ve yet to hear about anyone who has, even in the laboratory.”

Parshall said he expects that this protection will extend to CrossOver Mac as well."

http://www.macworld.com/article/51634/2006/06/crossover.html

Cheers,

Sean

 

[Sean_Reid]

For those who are interested:

http://www.techradar.com/products/c...her/codeweavers-crossover-mac-60-37532/review