Filed under: Internet, Security, Utilities, Macintosh, Lists
16 Mac/Linux downloads for Data Privacy Day 2009
by Christina Warren Jan 28th 2009 at 3:00PM
As Lee has already noted, today is Data Privacy Day. Since Lee has already covered Windows users, I'm offering up my list of privacy tools, utilities and practices for Mac OS X and Linux (various distributions).
As always, please leave additional suggestions in the comments.
File/Disk Encryption Tools
- FileVault(Mac) - Mac OS X's built-in encryption tool, FileVault (access it by going to System Preferences, selecting Security and clickin on the FileVault tab in OS X 10.5 Leopard) isn't a completely robust encryption service (it encrypts your home folders, not the entire disk) - but it is easy to use and effective in protecting your home folder data.
- TrueCrypt(Mac and Linux) - TrueCrypt is a cross-platform app (it works with Windows too) that will encrypt your entire drive.
- dm-crypt (Linux) - dm-crypt, the successor to cryptoloop, supports encrypting whole disks, partitions, logical volumes and files. TrueCrypt is going to be easier to use, but dm-crypt might be the better solution depending on your needs and file system.
Instant Messaging
- Adium (Mac) - Adium, the best IM client available for the Mac supports OTREcryption, so you can be sure your conversations are encrypted both ways.
- Kopete(Linux) - Kopte, KDE's instant messenger has an OTR Pluging available for encrypting conversations.
IP Blacklist Tools
An IP blacklist won't protect your identity (that's what TOR and proxies are for), but it will block connections to known malware, spam, RIAA-types and other ne'er do-wells. Here are some tools that have IP blacklists built-in or provide blacklists for your network apps.
- PeerGuardian(Mac) - PeerGuardian is the grand-daddy of IP blacklists. Windows and OS X clients are available via Phoenix Labs' site.
- MoBlock(Linux) - Phoenix Labs doesn't have an official Linux build of PeerGuardian, but MoBlock does the job. It can use all PeerGuardian formatted blacklists.
- Blocklist Pro(Mac and Linux) - Blocklist Pro is the free repository to all of the Bluetrack (created by PeerGuardian associates) blocklists. No more searching through the forums, you can get easy access to your blocklist files in a variety of shapes and sizes for all kinds of firewall programs, utilities, and of course, PG.
- Transmission(Mac and Linux) - The BitTorrent client Transmission includes Bluetrack's P2P blocklist file. You can even set the client to update the blocklist once a week.
Firewalls/Traffic Monitors
- Vidalia(Mac and Linux) - Vidalia is a GUI controller for Tor. Vidalia makes it easy to configure Tor, view logs, monitor bandwidth and look at maps of the Tor network.
- Little Snitch(Mac) - Little Snitch is an absolutely brilliant Mac utility. It alerts you every time a program makes an attempt to access the Internet (you can create rules to ignore behavior by certain applications). By tracking what apps "call home" you can not only better monitor your own privacy, but be on the lookout for malicious activity. Little Snitch isn't free, but you can download the evaluation version that will run for 3 hours before you need to restart the program (you can do this as often as you want)
- WaterRoof and NoobProof(Mac) - Although OS X's firewall is built-on top of ipfw, Apple really limits the degree to which you can customize your security settings. WaterRoof and NoobProof, both from Hanynet, offer alternative ipfw front-ends. NoobProof is just that, NoobProof. WaterRoof will let you access and customize ipfw to your heart's content -- without having to use the command line.
- Torbutton(Mac and Linux) - The Tor project recommends using Torbutton as your Firefox plugin of choice. Tunnel away.
Password Managers
- 1Password (Mac OS X) -- 1Password is hands-down, my absolute favorite browser add-on. It isn't free, but for Mac users, I absolutely recommend at least trying it out. It manages your passwords for Safari, WebKit Nightlies, Firefox, Camino, Flock, OmniWeb, Fluid, NetNewsWire and will import passwords from your browsers into its database, which is great if you created profiles in different browsers. It also has a great password creator tool, can create secure notes, manage separate users and sync with the iPhone/iPod touch and the Palm. I love 1Password because I can easily generate a strong password, save it in 1Password and then auto-fill that login in any of my browsers. That way, my important accounts have strong passwords and I don't even have to try to remember them, because it is all in 1Password.
- LastPass(Mac and Linux) - I haven't used LastPass, but if it is good enough for Lee, it's good enough for me! *
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The mechanics of the game are very simple. You are a small red square, ...
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
rick said 11:12PM on 1-28-2009
are you just ignorant or did you just forget about majority of the population, Windows Users
Reply
lucaslyk said 11:30PM on 1-28-2009
I won't say anything else but why don't you just read.
"As Lee has already noted, today is Data Privacy Day. Since Lee has already covered Windows users, I'm offering up my list of privacy tools, utilities and practices for Mac OS X and Linux (various distributions)."
http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/01/28/20-great-windows-downloads-for-data-privacy-day-2009/
Matias Korhonen said 1:41AM on 1-29-2009
Don't forget Pidgin with either the OTR plugin or with the Pidgin Encryption plugin!
Reply
Mike said 4:59AM on 1-29-2009
What about windows? linux is being computer rasist :)
Greetz Mike - http://www.sitelogr.com
Reply
Confetti said 3:03PM on 1-29-2009
http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/01/28/20-great-windows-downloads-for-data-privacy-day-2009/
urrrrrrr