3 ms·

What did I learn from OpenSnitch this summer?

65 points by pabs3 3y ago

activiation 3y ago
Love OpenSnitch... what's a similar app for Android?
- pabs3 3y ago
  Some here: https://alternativeto.net/software/opensnitch/?platform=android https://alternativeto.net/software/opensnitch/?platform=andr...
  - activiation 3y ago
    thanks. I used Netguard before and its great as long as you dont need to use a real VPN... because it acts as a VPN itself to get the job done, not sure about Glasswire
    - yjftsjthsd-h 3y ago
      That's probably a given; Android firewalls have to either be a VPN or use root, on account of Android not supporting that functionality.
      - activiation 3y ago
        Thanks Google.
- wind12 3y ago
  RethinkDNS (does firewall also) Or https://search.f-droid.org/?q=firewall https://search.f-droid.org/?q=firewall
sneak 3y ago
TONS of open source software embeds phone-home spyware these days. Most developers see nothing wrong with this sort of covert data exfiltration, thinking opt-out preferences are fine. It's not fine. I install Little Snitch from USB before ever allowing a freshly wiped Mac to connect to any network.
predictabl3 3y ago
> This direct connection happen even if I told Firefox to always use a proxy, and the proxy setting is ignored for this traffic. Another lovely "awesome, gold star, big thumbs up /s" for Firefox. I'm sure that's not problematic at all for people trying to avoid surveillance. (Granted, I just use Wireguard and 'netns' when using a proxy)
- MaxikCZ 3y ago
  > awesome, gold star, big thumbs up /s" for Firefox Two days ago I launched Firefox on Android only to find my homepage page-selector had Amazon and Adidas sites where previously my most visited sites were, with "sponsored" text beneath. So now I am on Brave.... If they would instead popup a "we need money, please send us a dollar", they would surely get more than few parts of a cent per infuriated user.
pdimitar 3y ago
> I suspect some application developers should rethink when then need to use network connections or DNS lookups And I suspect the commercial ones were just ordered by someone above them (e.g. Firefox; they'll die if they don't bow out to Google's surreptitious data gathering needs) and most OSS ones are over-eager to get telemetry or... I don't know what else? I applaud articles like these. They point out the problems. Hopefully more scrutiny leads to more restraint.
pabs3 3y ago
Some more of the sorts of issues you can uncover: https://wiki.debian.org/PrivacyIssues https://wiki.debian.org/PrivacyIssues

65 points by pabs3 3y ago

activiation 3y ago

Love OpenSnitch... what's a similar app for Android?

pabs3 3y ago
Some here: https://alternativeto.net/software/opensnitch/?platform=android https://alternativeto.net/software/opensnitch/?platform=andr...
- activiation 3y ago
  thanks. I used Netguard before and its great as long as you dont need to use a real VPN... because it acts as a VPN itself to get the job done, not sure about Glasswire
  - yjftsjthsd-h 3y ago
    That's probably a given; Android firewalls have to either be a VPN or use root, on account of Android not supporting that functionality.
    - activiation 3y ago
      Thanks Google.
wind12 3y ago
RethinkDNS (does firewall also) Or https://search.f-droid.org/?q=firewall https://search.f-droid.org/?q=firewall

sneak 3y ago

TONS of open source software embeds phone-home spyware these days. Most developers see nothing wrong with this sort of covert data exfiltration, thinking opt-out preferences are fine. It's not fine. I install Little Snitch from USB before ever allowing a freshly wiped Mac to connect to any network.

predictabl3 3y ago

> This direct connection happen even if I told Firefox to always use a proxy, and the proxy setting is ignored for this traffic. Another lovely "awesome, gold star, big thumbs up /s" for Firefox. I'm sure that's not problematic at all for people trying to avoid surveillance. (Granted, I just use Wireguard and 'netns' when using a proxy)

MaxikCZ 3y ago
> awesome, gold star, big thumbs up /s" for Firefox Two days ago I launched Firefox on Android only to find my homepage page-selector had Amazon and Adidas sites where previously my most visited sites were, with "sponsored" text beneath. So now I am on Brave.... If they would instead popup a "we need money, please send us a dollar", they would surely get more than few parts of a cent per infuriated user.

pdimitar 3y ago

> I suspect some application developers should rethink when then need to use network connections or DNS lookups And I suspect the commercial ones were just ordered by someone above them (e.g. Firefox; they'll die if they don't bow out to Google's surreptitious data gathering needs) and most OSS ones are over-eager to get telemetry or... I don't know what else? I applaud articles like these. They point out the problems. Hopefully more scrutiny leads to more restraint.

pabs3 3y ago

Some more of the sorts of issues you can uncover: https://wiki.debian.org/PrivacyIssues https://wiki.debian.org/PrivacyIssues