Top
Navigation
This form does not yet contain any fields.
    Powered by Squarespace
    Search DevinKing.com

    How I Upgraded to Lion 10.7.4 and Safari 5.1.7

    DateFriday, May 11, 2012 at 03:11PM

    Apple released Lion System 10.7.4 earlier this week and for the second time in as many releases, many Mac users had some issues with the upgrade. Here is how I upgraded to Lion 10.7.4 (5 machines so far) without any problems:

    1) I do not use Softare Update. I go to Apple Support Downloads page and download the OS X Lion Update 10.7.4 (Client Combo). 

    2) The Combo Updater ran quickly on a few machines and a tad slow on others, but all of the installations completed successfully.

    3) Since (at the time of this writing) the Combo Updater installed Safari 5.1.6 and Apple released Safari 5.1.7 on the same day, I then surfed over to Apple's Safari page and downloaded Safari 5.1.7.

    4) Installed Safari 5.1.7 and was greeted with message that there may be an old version of Flash installed on the Macintosh. Safari 5.1.7 for OS X Lion and Safari 5.1.7 for OS X Snow Leopard disable out-of-date versions of Adobe Flash Player.

    Apple has posted support article HT5271 regarding the disabling of old versions of Flash.

    Happy upgrading!

     

     

    AuthorDevin B. King | CommentPost a Comment |

    Flashback Java Vulnerability Is Back In A New Variant

    DateSunday, April 8, 2012 at 07:52PM

     

    Flashback is the latest threat to target the security of Mac OS X users and has created many headlines. Estimates place it as the biggest malware threat (not a virus) to date with an estimated 600,000 computers infected. So what is Flashback?

    Flashback is not a virus and technically not a trojan-horse application but a "drive-by download" that attacks a known weakness in the Java software. This is actually worse than a genuine trojan-horse because all you need to do is visit an infected site…no downloading a malicious app or entering your admin password. F-Secure describes Flashback as a Trojan-Downloader that connects to a remote site to download its payload; on successful infection, the malware modifies targeted webpages displayed in your web browser.

    In other words, if you visit a Web site infected with Flashback and you are running a vulnerable version of Java, the malware will infect your system. Once infected, a Software Update window will open asking for your Admin password. Please note that you are already infected, Flashback is just trying to get its hooks deeper into your system. From this point forward, Flashback is altering web pages and collecting data on your web activities.

    Am I infected? To check too see if your Macintosh is infected, run the first two commands below from the Terminal. Run the third command if you have Firefox installed. The Terminal App is usually located in the Utilities folder within your Applications folder. Chrome does not need to be checked.

    You can copy paste the commands into Terminal.

    defaults read ~/.MacOSX/environment DYLD_INSERT_LIBRARIES

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

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

    If the malware is not present, then the three Terminal commands will output that the default pair "does not exist," but if it is present then the commands will output a path that points to the malware file, which is paired with the term "DYLD_INSERT_LIBRARIES."

    If you find that your Macintosh is infected, F-Secure has instructions on how to manually remove the malware. Go to http://www.f-secure.com/v-descs/trojan-downloader_osx_flashback_i.shtml for the step by step removal process.

    If you rather not use the Terminal App, then here are four options that do not require you to open the Terminal:

    1) Bart Busschots has written a script FlashbackTest that be downloaded here.

    2) Mashable has created two scripts that you can run. They can be downloaded here.

    3) Juan Leon has developed the Flashback Checker App which can be found here.

    4) Moritz Wette has created an Anti-Flashback Trojan App that can be downloaded here. Mr. Wette does ask for a donation if you use his App.

    Kapersky Lab has released a Flashback/Flashfake removal tool. Visit this page for information on checking your Mac for the malware and to do download the removal tool.

    Apple recently released Java updates that will patch the vulnerability. Download the update (now) by running Software Update or manually download the Lion updater here. The Java updater for Snow Leopard is available for download here.Additionally, Apple has released a Flashback removal tool for Lion installations that are not running Java. The application and support article DL1517 can be reached at this link.

    One important note; If you are running a Mac OS X version earlier than Snow Leopard (Mac OS X 10.6), you are not safe! I recommend that your turn off Java. Now is the time to upgrade to either Snow Lepoard or Lion.

    Apple has posted the support article HT5244 on Flashback. As mentioned in the document, Apple has released a Java software update for Snow Leopard and Lion users that detects and removes the malware. Apple states, "This update also configures the Java web plug-in to disable the automatic execution of Java applets. Users may re-enable automatic execution of Java applets using the Java Preferences application. If the Java web plug-in detects that no applets have been run for an extended period of time it will again disable Java applets."

    If you do not have a need for Java when web browsing, you can disable Java in your favorite browser. Disable Java is Safari by going to Safari > Preferences > Security and then clear the checkbox next to "Enable Java." You can leave "JavaScript" selected since it has nothing to do with Java. To disable Java in Chrome, enter "about:plugins" in the address bar, then scroll down to the Java section, and click the Disable link. Finally to block Java in Firefox, select Tools > Add-ons and select the Plugins tab, and disable the Java Plug-In 2 for NPAPI Browsers.

    If you want to disable Java entirely on your Mac, go to Applications > Utilities > and open the Java Preferences.app. Under the General tab, uncheck the boxes next to the Java versions installed. Please note, that this may serve up some unexpected results since a few of your installed programs may require Java. Crash Plan and some Adobe applications do require Java.

    OpenDNS has announced on their blog that they are blocking Flashback for their users. To take advantage of the protection that OpenDNS provides, enter the DNS settings 208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220 into System Preferences > Network on your Mac and in the DNS settings section of Airport Utility. Surf over to OpenDNS if you are interested in creating an account or would like more information on their DNS service.

    Many OS X experts are now running and recommending that Mac users run Anti-Virus software on their Macintoshes. ClamXav and ESET Cybersecurity for Mac are two very good choices.

    In conclusion, we are no longer being ignored by the global malware and virus attackers. What are you doing to protect your data and your Mac? Run Software Update right now.

    Repair User Permissions in Mac OS X Lion

    DateFriday, March 9, 2012 at 07:50PM

    In Mac OS X Lion, repairing permissions from Disk Utility doesn’t repair the users file permissions, the permission settings on folders and files in your Home folder where your documents and personal applications reside. This has to be done separately on a per-user basis. If Spotlight is not finding documents or folders, or you can’t move a file to the trash, or a program doesn’t open when an associated file is double clicked, or if you’re having other issues that can usually be fixed with a permissions repair, this procedure may those problems.

    This tip came from a Mac Genius that was shared through osxdaily.com

    You must reboot your to perform this repair. You will then use the same resetpassword utility that is used to change passwords in Lion, but instead choosing an additional Repair Permissions application utility hidden away.

    Here’s how to access it:

    1) Restart Lion and hold down the Command and R keys. You will boot into the Repair Utilities screen.

    2) On top, in the Menu Bar click the Utilities item then select Terminal.

    3) In the Terminal window, type resetpassword and hit Return. The Password reset utility launches, but you’re not going to reset the password. Instead, click on the icon for your Mac’s hard drive at the top. From the drop-down below it, select the user account where you are having issues.

    4) At the bottom of the window, you’ll see an area labeled ‘Reset Home Directory Permissions and ACLs’. Click the Reset button there.

    The reset process takes a couple of minutes. When it’s done, quit the programs you’ve opened and restart your Mac. When your Mac has rebooted, notice that ‘Spotlight’ starts re-indexing immediately.

     

    AuthorDevin B. King | Comment1 Comment |

    Southern California Macintosh Owners•Users Group

    DateFriday, February 10, 2012 at 07:04PM

    I belong to the Southern California Macintosh Owners|Users Group aka "SMOG". Each month we feature a presentation on a current Macintosh or iOS topic or program. 

    To accompany the presentation, I create a PDF for the members of SMOG to download. 

    The PDFs can be found here or click on SMOG Macintosh Downloads link found on my home page.

    I invite you to be a part of the Macintosh User Group community. You can find a group near you on Apple's usergroups page or join us on the second Saturday of every month at 9:00 AM in the Creative Resources Mac OS X training facility at 151 Kalmus Drive, Suite L-4, Costa Mesa, CA 92626.

    www.ocmug.org

     

    AuthorDevin B. King | CommentPost a Comment |

    Change Mac OS X Lion's Login Screen

    DateFriday, January 13, 2012 at 10:17AM

    In prior versions of Mac OS X, you could change the Login screen background by replacing the "DefaultDesktop.jpg" file found in ~/System > Library > Core Services folder.

    Amongst the slew of changes in Lion, the Login screen file has a new home and a new (PNG) format.

    The default Login screen file is "NSTexturedFullScreenBackgroundColor.png"

    It is found here: Your Hard Drive > System > Library > Frameworks > AppKit.framework > Versions >C >Resources

    The login screen wallpaper is a 256 x 256 pixel PNG file that is repeated from left to right and top to bottom. You can replace it with another patterned PNG file or use a full-size image that is the exact same resolution as your monitor.

    Now, let's change the default Login screen wallpaper:

    1) Migrate to the folder where the file is stored: Your Hard Drive > System > Library > Frameworks > AppKit.framework > Versions >C >Resources

    2) Make a copy of the original Login screen "NSTexturedFullScreenBackgroundColor.png" and save it in a safe place.

    3) The file that you have choosen must be in the .png format. Open the file in Preview convert it to the PNG format by selecting File > Export. In the dialog box that appears, select PNG from the Format dropdown list and change your filename to “NSTexturedFullScreenBackgroundColor.png”. 

    4) Now drag your custom Login screen file to Your Hard Drive > System > Library > Frameworks > AppKit.framework > Versions >C >Resources finder window. You will be asked to authenticate before the default wallpaper file is overwritten. Click on the "Authenticate" button and input your password when prompted.

    5) Reboot your Macintosh to see the results.

    If you decide to revert back to the original Login screen, just drag your saved default Login screen file back to Your Hard Drive > System > Library > Frameworks > AppKit.framework > Versions >C >Resources finder window and authenticate.

    If you prefer not to get your hands this dirty, there are two utilities that wrap a GUI around this proceedure. I have used Loginox and Deeper with success.

     

     

    AuthorDevin B. King | Comment1 Comment |
    Page 1 2 3 4 5 ... 6 Next 5 Entries »