Month: April 2012

Apr
26
2012

While Macs are much less cumbersome when it comes to updating, fixing and fiddling, they are not without those needs entirely. On a regular basis, you do need to go through some tasks to keep your OS X computer running smoothly and safely.

Once a week, I go through a maintenance procedure on my iMac and MacBook just to keep everything going the way I want it to go. The process is simple, and gets the job done without wasting a lot of time. The whole shebang should take less than 30 minutes a week unless there are a large number of updates, so find some time and get it done.

Here’s my weekly procedures, your mileage may vary, but feel free to copy my methods =)

1 – Software Update. Apple generally posts updates for OS X about once per month, but if there’s an emergency (like the recent Flashback malware) they can release updates much more often. Once a week is a good trade-off between being a time-consuming drudge and keeping everything updated and safe.

To run Software Update, click the Apple menu and choose “Software Update…” and follow the instructions that come up on screen. If there are no updates, the process takes about a minute. With updates the time varies, but even massive updates seem to finish within 30 minutes or so.

2 – App Store. If you have any software from the Mac App Store, then go to Apple Menu, “App Store…” and click on the Updates tab at the top. Download any updates to installed applications.

With no updates, the process is also less than a minute. If you have updates, the time varies, but is generally less than 15 minutes start to finish even if a lot of programs need updates.

3 – Check for other app updates. I use MacUpdate Desktop and rave about it quite a lot. One of the reasons is that it can find updates for just about every app I use on my Macs, and deliver the updates to me with a few clicks.

If you don’t want to use MacUpdate, you can always open each of your apps and look under the name of the app in the menu bar, or sometimes the help menu, and check for updates. This is much more time consuming, but will still get you updated.

4 – Run maintenance tasks. There is a great freeware tool called Onyx that will help you perform routine maintenance tasks on your Mac in a very user-friendly way. The tool can perform all the tasks I do each week, including:

– Cleaning up caches, trashes and miscellaneous data that hangs around after it’s no longer welcome

– Running the OS X monthly, weekly, and daily maintenance tasks

– Performing a Repair Permissions run on the OS X system volume

These steps improve performance, correct minor issues and head off problems that may be brewing in the background. The whole process takes about 15 minutes, and the Onyx user interface makes it very easy to perform.

Take half an hour, once a week, and keep everything in running order. You’ll be safer (by getting and installing updates that plug security holes), faster (by removing old cache files and patching permissions errors), and better (by getting the latest versions of your apps with their bug fixes).

Photo Credit: JanneM

By Mike Talon •
HowDoI? •
0

Apr
18
2012

Recently, I had a conversation on Twitter with a friend who was considering what tools his end-users should be using to access Exchange-based email on their OS X clients. Apparently many of the employees of his firm are on – or are switching to – Macs at home, and wanted to know what to use to access the corporate mail systems.

After going back and forth with him, I decided to do a blog post here about what the two bigger tools, Mail.app and Outlook 2011, could offer in terms of strengths and weaknesses.

Mail.app

Only recently, with the advent of Exchange 2007 in the mainstream, the native email app for OS X started being able to connect to Exchange using native protocols (ActiveSync/Outlook Anywhere). That doesn’t mean it doesn’t work with earlier versions, but it did so over IMAP and POP protocols, which many organizations do not allow outside the corporate network. Now, however, it’s a real competitor to Outlook on the OS X platform, and so a lot of users are looking at it for corporate mail.

Pros:

– Native to OS X, so no need to install additional software or acquire additional end-user licensing (you still need CAL’s for Exchange, though)

– Familiar interface to users who mainly use Macs

– Single email client for home and office mail (both a pro and a con)

Cons:

– Requires three apps (Mail, Calendar, Address Book/Contacts) to accomplish the common business tasks that Exchange is used for

– Mixes all email accounts, signatures, etc. in one mail client (both a pro and a con)

– Less corporate control over end-user data. Organizations can still disconnect accounts, but many Outlook-only data control measures and archiving systems won’t work (It should be noted that many archiving tools don’t work in Outlook 2011 either, but some do)

Outlook 2011

The de-facto standard for Exchange Email, Outlook has always been the preferred client for corporate users on Windows. Until Office 2011, the only option on Mac was Entourage, which has not be a well-loved piece of software. In 2011, Microsoft released the latest version of Office for Mac, which included a full-feature version of Outlook specifically designed for the OS X world.

Pros:

– Comes as part of Office 2011, which is probably already installed due to wanting to work with native MSFT apps for Word Documents, Excel Spreadsheets, etc. (Yes, I know that Apple has apps for those too, but for Windows-based companies, using the Office Suite is likely)

– Allows for segregation of user personal email from work email

– Has mail, calendar and contact functions in one application

Cons:

– Requires licensing for Office 2011 for each end-user

– Requires Exchange 2007 and up (for native Exchange protocols)

– Looks/feels/acts differently than most Mac apps (uses the MSFT Ribbon and doesn’t sync to the Address Book/Contacts app by default, for example)

What both do:

– IMAP, POP and ActiveSync/Outlook Anywhere protocols with or without a VPN

– Can sync contacts, calendar events and email

So who wins?

This is a tough call. For those who refuse to have Office 2011 on their machines, then Mail.app is the preferred choice. For those who don’t mind a few MSFT apps on their OS X boxes, there are a lot of benefits to going with Outlook – especially if you keep both personal and corporate mail on your Mac.

For me, I went with Outlook for my corporate mail. I use Mail.app for my personal accounts, and didn’t want to have to worry about accidentally sending personal mail to corporate contacts or vice versa. I also have Office 2011 installed for some interop reasons in the work I do, and therefore already had Outlook installed on my Macs.

Take a look at the pros and cons, but for an off-the-cuff opinion, I recommend Outlook 2011 for Exchange Server, Mail.app for everything else.

Photo Credit: Tim Morgan

By Mike Talon •
HowDoI? •
1

Apr
12
2012

A lot of noise has flooded into the net over the last few days surrounding a piece of malware called “Flashback.” Here’s what you need to know:

1 – What is it?

– First things first, it is NOT a virus. Computer viruses are malicious programs capable of copying themselves across networks. The user doesn’t have to do anything to get infected.

– It is, however, a trojan. Trojans (named after the famous horse in Homer’s writings) get on your computer by pretending to be, or hiding themselves in, some software you want to install. You get tricked into running some software, such as an update to Flash Player as in this case, and the malware gets installed instead.

– This particular trojan installs a back-door into your Mac, that allows malware writers to check in with websites and download other software you don’t want onto your machine over time. It does this by forcing your web browsers to load pages any time they are opened up (and silently); and it forces the browsers to open up just in case you weren’t planning on doing that yourself.

– More insidiously, the malware disables the native, limited, virus protection system in OS X, and therefore this program can render your machine vulnerable to older, known threats.

– Both Snow Leopard and Lion are vulnerable if you installed Java. Since many applications use Java, the Java runtimes are most likely already installed on your Mac.

2 – How do I get it?

Flashback is downloaded from websites where you see alerts that you need to update Adobe Flash Player (which is where it gets its name). Since the malware has been carefully built to look like an Adobe Flash installer, many users think they’re just getting updated software and authorize the installer with their Administrator Password.

That’s all it takes, as once the trojan has your admin password, it has free rein to do whatever it wants.

3 – How do I know if I have it?

Finding Flashback is a little tricky. There are some apps that seem to be able to detect it, but that means downloading and installing another app, which may not be the best method. Instead, look in the Utilities folder in your Applications folder and look for the Terminal app.

Then, in Terminal, copy and paste the following three commands, hitting the Enter key after each one:

defaults read ~/.MacOSX/environment DYLD_INSERT_LIBRARIES

defaults read /Applications/Safari.app/Contents/Info LSEnvironment

defaults read /Applications/Firefox.app/Contents/Info LSEnvironment

After you run each command, you should see a message that ends in “… does not exist” If you have any other response except one that ends with that phrase (does not exist) then you have most likely got a Flashback infection. Thanks to Wired.com for the instructions

4 – How do I get rid of it?

Removal of Flashback is not easy or automated. There will be a removal app from Apple in the near future, but you should not wait. F-Secure has a set of instructions for manual removal that you can perform today, but they’re not a set of simple point-and-click things. You’ll have to use Terminal, and keep a notepad handy to keep track of information.

Reach out to an expert if you need assistance, as you definitely don’t want this hanging out on your Mac until Apple finally releases the automated Flashback Remover app.

5 – OK, my Mac is clean (or I cleaned it up), now what?

First, make sure you update your Mac with the latest OS X software. Click the Apple menu and choose “Software Updates…” to check for new software and tools from Apple. The latest updates for Snow Leopard and Lion have security updates to Java that block Flashback from being able to install. I do this once a week, though it’s very rare that Apple releases more than one set of updates per month.

Next, install anti-malware software. We all know that Macs are not immune from malware, and you need to protect yourself. Sophos, Intego and others make great anti-malware software for Macs. Sophos Anti-Virus for Mac (which I’m currently using) is even free for home use.

Also, get a two-way firewall package if you can afford it. For example, Little-Snitch is a great tool that is very user-friendly and lets you know when things on your Mac are trying to talk to the outside world. You can choose to allow the connection once, forever, or block it if you think it shouldn’t be phoning home.

Little-Snitch is so good at its job that the makers of Flashback wrote a special routine into the software to look for it, and give up trying to install if L-S is installed. It’s not free (it’s about US$30) but definitely worth it if you have the funds available.

Finally, always remember to only accept application updates from one of three sources:

1 – You used the “Check for Updates” system inside the application itself.

2 – The update is delivered via the “Software Updates…” system in OS X

3 – You went to the vendor’s site manually (not via a link or in an email) and download the update directly from them

Any other time software wants to update, or install for that matter, cancel out and seek that software from one of the three sources above.

Stay clam, stay safe, and remember that every OS can be hit with malware. This isn’t the first time it’s happened on a Mac, and it certainly won’t be the last.

Photo Credit: Tama Leaver

By Mike Talon •
Security •
0

Apr
4
2012

iCloud has been out for a while now, but many folks are still confused as to what it does. There’s not a lot of mystery, when you dig beneath the surface to have a look.

iCloud is Apple’s data-online service. Much like DropBox or Box.net, but with a twist – as iCloud is specifically build around Apple’s OS X and iOS systems.

First, the basics:

– The iCloud platform is free for up to 5GB of space. It then costs US$20 for up to 10GB, and there are plans for more money that go up to 100GB of storage.

– Your iTunes-purchased books, Movies, TV Shows and Music, as well as your Photo Stream don’t count against your storage space numbers, so you only pay for extra space if you go beyond 5GB of non-iTunes data.

– You can store your mail, all photos, as well as personal Music, Movies, TV Shows and documents in iCloud – these count toward your storage space use.

– iTunes Match (see below) also doesn’t count against your storage space numbers, but does have an additional cost.

There are several components to iCloud, but here’s what you’ll use most:

– iTunes Match: This component of iCloud is designed to allow you to keep your music, video and books in the iCloud platform. It costs about US$25/year above your iCloud storage costs, but currently only works for music files. Apple has stated that it will eventually also support TV Shows and Movies. You allow iTunes to scan your music collection and upload any songs not purchased from iTunes to the iCloud platform. From there, you can download those songs (plus any you bought from iTunes directly) to any Mac, PC or iDevice.

NOTE: Songs, TV Shows and Movies you bought through iTunes are available for download on any device that supports iTunes with or without an iTunes Match subscription – this service only handles non-Apple-purchased media. To find previously purchased media, go to iTunes, click on iTunes Store and look for the Purchased link.

– iCloud document storage allows you to put any data into your iCloud storage, but remember that if you go above 5GB it starts to cost money. There are similar sections for mail, calendars and contacts.

– Find my iPhone actually works for any iDevice, and will show you the location of any registered iDevice on a map. Handy if you lose your iDevice or if it gets stolen. The service only works if the iDevice is turned on, and if Push Email is enabled.

– iCloud Backup lets you backup your data and settings from your iDevice, allowing for easy restoration if you accidentally mess up your devices.

– Find my Friends allows you to track other people (with their permission, of course). Handy for parents who want to keep tabs on their kids and friends who want to know where they are in relation to each other.

– App integration allows apps to leverage iCloud for storage and syncing. Few apps take advantage of this yet, but the rumor is that more are on the way.

And that’s about it. iCloud simply enables more features in iTunes and iOS, as well as giving you some cloud-based data storage. Using more than the free 5GB is not a great idea, though, as many other services offer more space for less money, but getting features like Find My iPhone and iCloud backup are definitely worth signing up for the free version.

One last note, most of these services were also in MobileMe – Apple’s previous cloud-based service. However, Mobile Me will be no more as of this summer, so shifting over to iCloud is not only a good move, but will soon be a requirement if you want these tools.

Photo Credit: CLF

By Mike Talon •
General Info, OS X Lion •
0