You have to enable the root account in NetInfo Admin, then log in explicitly. I can't recommend it for general use. In fact, I can't really recommend it at all. It's not necessary.
Logging in as admin is like pseudo-root. You can do 99.9% of the things you can do as root, but that last .1% is the stuff that will really screw you over... like enabling a rootkit to be installed. An admin account basically can vault up to pseudo-root when you simply authenticate.
I run my own network in the house, complete with a MacOS X Server box as the central hub/mail/web/DNS and a public website, have had issues pop up that needed monkeying around with the permissions, etc, and I've *had* to use root exactly once in 6 years.
Some people like to log in as root so they feel like they have 'real control', but in MacOS X it's kind of like putting flames on the side of your car to make it go faster.
Thanks a lot Kickaha.
I wanted to know so I don't login as root. I also don't care about total control.
I just wanted to know what is the "safe" mode of operation.
And yet there are plenty of yahoos in IT, and I've run in to at least three here, who actually are incredibly knowledgeable on the PC side, that claim "there are Mac OS X viruses." WTF mate.
Apple SHOULD run an ad saying MacOS X has no viruses. Secure by design. Plus the risk of having two pathetic ones written for it that would be patched in days likely, would be worth the 50,000 new customers over night.
And yet there are plenty of yahoos in IT, and I've run in to at least three here, who actually are incredibly knowledgeable on the PC side, that claim "there are Mac OS X viruses." WTF mate.
Thats all they are, yahoos in IT. Windows-centric platforms are what earns them their bread, you'll find they are just regurgitating all the FUD pages that pop up as thats their only source of information. Mac = Zero virus's in the wild.
Other than its ardent users, Apple will always remain silent on the lack of virus's on OS X. If they beat the drum it sends a message for someone to actually succeed in the unthinkable, it also looks pathetic PR wise at that point when someone succeeds.
Nope. Finder takes the file, looks at the extension, and gives it to *a particular application*. If that application looks at it and says "I have *no* clue what this is" you just get an error.
The MP3 trojan that was demonstrated used one of the ID3 tags as the payload, IIRC, so to iTunes it *was* a music file, but somehow, the payload got activated while the music was playing. Very clever. (It may have been an .mp3 file extension QuickTime movie, and the payload was in another track.)
In any case, that's what prompted the dialog when you run any application for the first time.
As I recall, it wasn't that the MP3 had a payload in it's tags, it was that an app had an MP3 extension. Around 10.1 or so, with both Unix-style extensions and Mac-OS-style OS types, the Finder got confused as to what a file really was. It would show an MP3 icon because of the extension, but on double-clicking, Finder would check the OS types and realize that it was an application, and launch it instead of iTunes. (Dragging it into iTunes, would of course, just confuse iTunes).
Also, it never was an actual trojan, just a proof of concept that Symantec, et. al. harped on to sell security software.
Kickaha, I look after a small group of macs at school, I use root when i need to transfer files from say CD or USB flash disc as this is easyer when I have to do it for more then 1 account at a time, no need to log in and out etc. Have I been doing this wrong is there a easyer/safer way??
Kickaha, I look after a small group of macs at school, I use root when i need to transfer files from say CD or USB flash disc as this is easyer when I have to do it for more then 1 account at a time, no need to log in and out etc. Have I been doing this wrong is there a easyer/safer way??
You should be able to transfer files using the Finder just fine, it'll gripe when you hit a permissions mismatch, but if you're logged in as admin, give you the option to authenticate. This just passes through to sudo, and gives you five minutes to work as pseudo-root.
Unless I'm misunderstanding what it is you're trying to do...
Comments
2) No.
Edit: Kickaha: wow, you really are a fast typing moderator.
Originally posted by Kickaha
You have to enable the root account in NetInfo Admin, then log in explicitly. I can't recommend it for general use. In fact, I can't really recommend it at all. It's not necessary.
Logging in as admin is like pseudo-root. You can do 99.9% of the things you can do as root, but that last .1% is the stuff that will really screw you over... like enabling a rootkit to be installed. An admin account basically can vault up to pseudo-root when you simply authenticate.
I run my own network in the house, complete with a MacOS X Server box as the central hub/mail/web/DNS and a public website, have had issues pop up that needed monkeying around with the permissions, etc, and I've *had* to use root exactly once in 6 years.
Some people like to log in as root so they feel like they have 'real control', but in MacOS X it's kind of like putting flames on the side of your car to make it go faster.
Thanks a lot Kickaha.
I wanted to know so I don't login as root. I also don't care about total control.
I just wanted to know what is the "safe" mode of operation.
Thanks again.
Apple SHOULD run an ad saying MacOS X has no viruses. Secure by design. Plus the risk of having two pathetic ones written for it that would be patched in days likely, would be worth the 50,000 new customers over night.
Originally posted by Aquatic
And yet there are plenty of yahoos in IT, and I've run in to at least three here, who actually are incredibly knowledgeable on the PC side, that claim "there are Mac OS X viruses." WTF mate.
Thats all they are, yahoos in IT. Windows-centric platforms are what earns them their bread, you'll find they are just regurgitating all the FUD pages that pop up as thats their only source of information. Mac = Zero virus's in the wild.
Other than its ardent users, Apple will always remain silent on the lack of virus's on OS X. If they beat the drum it sends a message for someone to actually succeed in the unthinkable, it also looks pathetic PR wise at that point when someone succeeds.
Originally posted by Kickaha
Nope. Finder takes the file, looks at the extension, and gives it to *a particular application*. If that application looks at it and says "I have *no* clue what this is" you just get an error.
The MP3 trojan that was demonstrated used one of the ID3 tags as the payload, IIRC, so to iTunes it *was* a music file, but somehow, the payload got activated while the music was playing. Very clever. (It may have been an .mp3 file extension QuickTime movie, and the payload was in another track.)
In any case, that's what prompted the dialog when you run any application for the first time.
As I recall, it wasn't that the MP3 had a payload in it's tags, it was that an app had an MP3 extension. Around 10.1 or so, with both Unix-style extensions and Mac-OS-style OS types, the Finder got confused as to what a file really was. It would show an MP3 icon because of the extension, but on double-clicking, Finder would check the OS types and realize that it was an application, and launch it instead of iTunes. (Dragging it into iTunes, would of course, just confuse iTunes).
Also, it never was an actual trojan, just a proof of concept that Symantec, et. al. harped on to sell security software.
Luckily it is a lot hard to write a proper virus for unix than it is for Windows.
I will be intersted to see how Singleton (from MS) holds up to viruses etc.
Dobby.
Originally posted by kiwimac
Kickaha, I look after a small group of macs at school, I use root when i need to transfer files from say CD or USB flash disc as this is easyer when I have to do it for more then 1 account at a time, no need to log in and out etc. Have I been doing this wrong is there a easyer/safer way??
You should be able to transfer files using the Finder just fine, it'll gripe when you hit a permissions mismatch, but if you're logged in as admin, give you the option to authenticate. This just passes through to sudo, and gives you five minutes to work as pseudo-root.
Unless I'm misunderstanding what it is you're trying to do...