Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Apple
    • Apple
    • Cybersecurity
    • IT Management
    • Mobile
    • Networking

    Leopard App Casualty List Grows

    By
    Lisa Vaas
    -
    November 5, 2007
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      The list of applications that Apple’s new Mac OS X Leopard operating system cripples or kills is growing.

      Heise Security—which on Oct. 29 warned that Leopard’s firewall is deactivated upon installation—on Nov. 5 reported that maybe it’s a good thing it’s deactivated by default, given that the firewall is tripping up programs by digitally signing applications on launch and can hamper program integrity as a result.

      At this point, users are complaining that the VOIP (voice over IP) application Skype and the online game “World of Warcraft” are breaking after being activated from within the firewall. Some Adobe Creative Suite users on forums have also complained about performance under Leopard, with InDesign not launching, Photoshop running but occasionally crashing on launch and Illustrator running but crashing on quit.

      On top of those problems, users had already been complaining for some time on Apple forums about wireless shriveling up and dying after Leopard installation. “When you connect to your wireless network, your transmit rate will be 54 (if you’re using the 54g standard). If you start up a download or something that occupies your bandwidth (even LAN traffic), you will notice that the transmit rate drops to 11, then to 3, then to 1 until finally your downloads will drop, your ichat connections will fail and your browser will not load pages,” a user with the handle of “nunofgs” wrote on an Apple forum on Oct. 26. Scores of users have since posted similar tales of wireless problems.

      eWEEK Labs takes a look at Leopard. Check it out.

      As far as the firewall’s crippling of programs goes, security consultant Rich Mogull said in a Nov. 1 posting that enabling the firewall in the “Set access for specific services and applications” mode causes Leopard to digitally sign applications on launch that aren’t already signed via Apple’s mechanism.

      “If that application happens to change during run-time, as Skype seems to, the signature no longer matches and the application won’t run,” Mogull said. “There are no dialogs or warnings—the icon just dances on the dock for a few bounces then disappears.”

      Heise Security’s Juergen Schmidt said in the Nov. 5 posting that the reason behind Leopard’s firewall misbehaving is that, in contrast to Tiger’s firewall, it’s no longer operating at the packet level but rather is working with applications, permitting or denying applications to perform specific network activities.

      At issue is a new firewall feature that was introduced in Leopard: the identification of applications via code signatures.

      Apple signs certain applications that are automatically allowed to communicate with the network past the firewall—a fact that’s not shown in the user interface—even with the firewall configured to block all incoming connections.

      When applications without signatures try to open a network port, Schmidt said, the firewall will block it when set to block incoming connections. In restricted mode, the firewall will prompt the user for permission to start the service and then will record to an exceptions list whatever choice the user makes. If the program is subsequently changed, previously granted permission is withdrawn.

      It gets sticky when applications perform their own self-integrity checks and decide that the file on the hard disk has been changed. Skype gets into trouble running on Leopard because the operating system’s firewall signature process changes the VOIP application binary on disk, Schmidt said. If a user tries to start it up from the command line, he or she gets a “Check 1 failed” message, meaning the system can’t run Skype. Those who start Skype from the GUI merely see a dancing symbol that then disappears without further comment, as happened to Mogull. Heise says that reinstallation is required to restore the application to normal function.

      A similar problem is keeping “World of Warcraft” players from their online role playing, with the only current workaround being complete reinstallation, according to Schmidt.

      Apple did not reply to a request for comment.

      Check out eWEEK.com’s Security Center for the latest security news, reviews and analysis. And for insights on security coverage around the Web, take a look at eWEEK’s Security Watch blog.

      Lisa Vaas
      Lisa Vaas is News Editor/Operations for eWEEK.com and also serves as editor of the Database topic center. Since 1995, she has also been a Webcast news show anchorperson and a reporter covering the IT industry. She has focused on customer relationship management technology, IT salaries and careers, effects of the H1-B visa on the technology workforce, wireless technology, security, and, most recently, databases and the technologies that touch upon them. Her articles have appeared in eWEEK's print edition, on eWEEK.com, and in the startup IT magazine PC Connection. Prior to becoming a journalist, Vaas experienced an array of eye-opening careers, including driving a cab in Boston, photographing cranky babies in shopping malls, selling cameras, typography and computer training. She stopped a hair short of finishing an M.A. in English at the University of Massachusetts in Boston. She earned a B.S. in Communications from Emerson College. She runs two open-mic reading series in Boston and currently keeps bees in her home in Mashpee, Mass.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×