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Apple's Dashboard "phones home"

updated 12:35 pm EDT, Wed July 5, 2006

Dashboard phones home

One blogger reports observing Apple's Dashboard "phoning home" with the recent release of Mac OS X 10.4.7. Dashboard apparently checks with Apple.com's database to ensure Widgets installed are identical those available on Apple's website, presumably preventing the installation of a malicious Trojan or malware. A blogger from red-sweater.com, however, sees this as a privacy issue and feels that the new feature was not clearly announced. Apple has not documented the new feature in detail, but included the following line in the Mac OS 10.4.7 release notes: "You can now verify whether or not a Dashboard widget you downloaded is the same version as a widget featured on (www.apple.com) before installing it."

by MacNN Staff

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MadMacZed
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jun 2006

0

07/05, 01:34pm | report spam | close Reply |
ET... phone...home...

I take it the title's meant to be "Apple's Dashboard..." - whoever typed it in must have been that excited!

As for the 'phoning home', it's no great problem - applications like Little Snitch can stop the calls. Or, if you're a laptop user, you could switch AirPort off, I suppose.

smitch
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Joined: Nov 2005

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07/05, 01:39pm | report spam | close Reply |
Same as software update

essentially. I would want to know if there was malware on my machine. Pre-emptive thinking is critical if OS X is to avoid the malware mire that the average Windows user mucks through. Its not a privacy issue in my opinion... its about protecting the user.

macassemble.com
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Joined: Jun 2006

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07/05, 01:40pm | report spam | close Reply |
Privacy Issue?

I for one don't have an issue with well respected companies implementing changes and new features that try to keep us safe! I think there are a lot of people who raise concern these days over privacy issues (intrusions as they put it) but do not have a better solutions themselves (stirring up trouble). This is a vast issue that is widely covered by the media, that effects many aspects of our lives today, not just computer hacking/malware etc.

whackjob
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Joined: Aug 2005

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07/05, 02:15pm | report spam | close Reply |
paranoid

who cares, let them in , What are they going to do, grab your p*** collection?

11schest
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Joined: Jul 2006

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07/05, 03:09pm | report spam | close Reply |
Not Bothering Me!

This doesn't bother me a bit. I'd like to know if I'm getting fake widgets or could have a trojan on my computer. Seems like another smart move to keep OS X secure.

frankt1950
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Joined: Dec 2002

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07/05, 03:21pm | report spam | close Reply |
"you can" or you have to?

in the Mac OS 10.4.7 release notes: "You can now verify whether or not a Dashboard widget you downloaded is the same version as a widget featured on (www.apple.com) before installing it." That suggests that I have the option to do this.

Where is the Apple supplied option to disable this function for those who prefer to do their own security checks? Also, has anyone figured out the "VerifiedDownloadPlugin.plugin" found in the /Library/Internet Plug-Ins folder yet?

I admire Apple for making things more secure for me but I would really like to be notified that these things are being done instead of finding out that they occur while I am not looking.

frankt1950
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Joined: Dec 2002

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07/05, 03:31pm | report spam | close Reply |
one other thing

The process "dashboardadvisoryd" calls home twice each day on my machine even though I do not activate Dashboard or download any new widgets. Would it be too much to ask Apple to explain this to users? Why does it have to be a secret?

e:leaf
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Joined: Mar 2006

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07/05, 04:06pm | report spam | close Reply |
Why not simply . . .

integrate this aspect into the system-wide software update? Why does it make sense to have multiple types of update features? Phoning home twice a day is a bit ridiculous. And there should absolutely be a way, short of a terminal hack, that allows users to opt out of this behavior.

In fact, this should be an opt-in kind of behavior that I set myself if I choose to do so.

And this is a privacy issue. As in the war on terror, giving up privacy, under any circumstances, for the sake of "saftey" is not called for, and should be a choice, not an obligation.

jarod
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Joined: Apr 2005

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07/05, 04:19pm | report spam | close Reply |
Phone home? LOL

You morons..the app HAS TO CONNECT in order to display the correct information!! if it's not Apple, it's gonna connect somewhere else. Otherwise what's the point of the having a say a weather widget?? How will it update it? by the Holy Spirit? I always love when people without a clue make the dumbest comments

jodyr3
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Joined: Aug 2003

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07/05, 04:28pm | report spam | close Reply |
fixing dashboard spying

http://blog.wired.com/cultofmac/index.blog?entry_id=1515043

danviento
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Joined: Dec 2005

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07/05, 04:44pm | report spam | close Reply |
And then there's

the recent windoze suit to considrer. I think someone was trying to point out, without being completely blantant, the similarities to recent windows update that phones home to MS every so often to make sure the OS is legal. Illegal copies definitely not a problem for apple, and this update is helpful only to the consumer, not the company, but the core is still the safe: lack of discolsure, just on a much smaller level.

frankt1950
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Joined: Dec 2002

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07/05, 06:26pm | report spam | close Reply |
hey, jarod

"You morons..the app HAS TO CONNECT in order to display the correct information!! if it's not Apple, it's gonna connect somewhere else."

Did you read the part where I said this connection happens when I do not use Dashboard? Now once again - this connection happens why? Answer that and I promise not to call you a moron. Maybe an a**hole, but not a moron.

e:leaf
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Joined: Mar 2006

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07/05, 06:42pm | report spam | close Reply |
Jarod's the idot here . .

Phoning home to Apple to make sure that we have what Apple would like us to have installed is in no way obligatory for the widget to work. And your observation that the Weather widget must phone home is misleading. It must retrieve information from the net, not send any information to another server. These are two completely different behaviors.

It is you without the clue, so keep your pie hole shut.

devilla101
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Joined: Dec 2003

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07/05, 07:31pm | report spam | close Reply |
Relax on jarod

He could just be stressed out on his Kindergarten exam he has to take tomorrow.

So ease up fellas...

LouZer
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Joined: Nov 2000

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07/05, 08:15pm | report spam | close Reply |
Big issue

If you think this isn't a big issue, you're just in your "apple's my friend and would never do anything to harm me or any other user!" mode. If MS does anything like this, its just another big brother thing. But its Apple, so its OK???

And how does apple know if a widget is valid? Do they know all valid widgets out there?

frankt1950
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Joined: Dec 2002

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07/05, 11:07pm | report spam | close Reply |
This worked

sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.dashboard.advisory.fetch.plist

defaults write com.apple.dashboard mcx-disabled -boolean YES

Remove Dashboard icon from dock.

I only used Dashboard for Radar In Motion so it's no big loss, and if Apple thinks it's such a serious security risk I really don't want it running in the background all the time.

Ilgaz
Registered User

Joined: Nov 2004

0

07/06, 07:58am | report spam | close Reply |
Phoning home not enough

There is a waiting security problem in Dashboard. I think Dashboard stuff has TOO MANY RIGHTS and they are distrubuted without any kind of signature, code review.

Not to give clues to script kiddies, I stop this rant and say Apple did the right thing to provide some way of verification to non technical end users.

We are also 5 years back because software can't check for updates or report its own crash logs to developer unless smart crash reports etc installed.

End this paranoia or don't use Apple OS X on Mac. Use Yellow Dog linux. Or perhaps they added some NSA stuff to NIC card too ? Or those closed source nvidia/ATI drivers report some stuff to CIA?

If you want privacy, get off from the internet. That is what people do on workstations having critical data on them. They wonder around with DVD-R and USB Sticks to update their system since system having 12 GB of RAM, quad Xeons doesn't have a modem even. ON PURPOSE.

UberFu
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Joined: Oct 2002

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07/06, 07:40pm | report spam | close Reply |
Whatever.....

This isn't anything different than the thousands of people that use the Automatic Software Update feature of OS X_

Get over yoreselves_

frankt1950
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Dec 2002

0

07/06, 10:40pm | report spam | close Reply |
whatever ?

"This isn't anything different than the thousands of people that use the Automatic Software Update feature of OS X_"

You made my point for me when you said "people that use".

Have you noticed the checkbox in Software Update that allows you an option to use it? You are able to make a choice. I didn't see that checkbox available for dashboardadvisoryd. Come to think of it, I didn't actually see dashboardadvisoryd - seems it was hidden.

You appear to not understand the meanings of option and choice.

Ilgaz
Registered User

Joined: Nov 2004

0

07/07, 04:57am | report spam | close Reply |
Lets be more paranoid?

Lets check those "blogs" relation to Microsoft?

If I am paranoid enough to blame my OS vendor to spy on my machine, I will wonder what this has to do with Microsoft's delayed Vista and people switching to Apple because they got fed up with windows spyware.

"Look, Apple spies itself, no need to switch"...

heh

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Apple's Dashboard "phones home"

updated 12:35 pm EDT, Wed July 5, 2006

Dashboard phones home

ET... phone...home...

Same as software update

Privacy Issue?

paranoid

Not Bothering Me!

"you can" or you have to?

one other thing

Why not simply . . .

Phone home? LOL

fixing dashboard spying

And then there's

hey, jarod

Jarod's the idot here . .

Relax on jarod

Big issue

This worked

Phoning home not enough

Whatever.....

whatever ?

Lets be more paranoid?

Login Here

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Apple's Dashboard "phones home"

updated 12:35 pm EDT, Wed July 5, 2006

Dashboard phones home

Related Articles

Recent Articles

ET... phone...home...

Same as software update

Privacy Issue?

paranoid

Not Bothering Me!

"you can" or you have to?

one other thing

Why not simply . . .

Phone home? LOL

fixing dashboard spying

And then there's

hey, jarod

Jarod's the idot here . .

Relax on jarod

Big issue

This worked

Phoning home not enough

Whatever.....

whatever ?

Lets be more paranoid?

Login Here

Register for our weekly email newsletter:

Connect tools:

Subscribe

to our RSS

Follow us

on Twitter

10 Most Read

10 Most Discussed

MacNN Marketplace