(x-posted) Apple drops 'exclusion list' which allowed its own apps to bypass firewalls
The latest beta of macOS Big Sur has reportedly removed the contentious ability for Apple's own apps to bypass firewalls, and hide their network use. Apple's release of the macOS Big Sur 11.2 beta appears to show that the company is dropping a controversial network feature. In the current public version of Big Sur, 56 of Apple's own apps and system processes can use the internet even when a user has blocked all access with a firewall. Adding to the controversy, when those apps do access the internet, they do so without a user or any network traffic apps being able to monitor or report on them. Apple did this in part because of its Gatekeeper security system. When a user opens an app, macOS "calls home" to check that this app is as it was authorized when the developer sent it to Apple. The idea is that if any malware has been added, Gatekeeper can detect that and stop the app launching. < - > https://appleinsider.com/articles/21/01/14/apple-drops-exclusion-list-which-allowed-its-own-apps-to-bypass-firewalls _______________________________________________ Infowarrior mailing list Infowarrior@attrition.org https://attrition.org/mailman/listinfo/infowarrior
