How To: Use iCloud To Sync Your iPhone or iPad With OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion

With the release of Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion and the introduction of iCloud, comes a new way for iPhone and iPad users to sync all of their content wirelessly between their Mac and their iOS based devices. This makes is easier to keep track of all your photos, documents, music and even doing regular tasks like adding appointments into your calendar as they will all instantly appear on all of the Apple devices you're using.

Getting Started With Your iPhone or iPad

To begin with you'll need to make sure you have all your devices updated, as well as all your software. You'll need iOS5 or later and iTunes 10.5 or later for some of the services to work. Then you'll need to make sure you have iCloud setup on your iOS devices, this is pretty easy to do. Here are the detailed instructions from Apple.

Image courtesy of Apple

Once you have iCloud turned on be sure you're using the same Apple ID on all the devices you want synced. This means the same AppleID on your iPhone, iPad and Mac. By default, your iPhone or iPad will usually use the same AppleID you use for the App Store, which may or may not be different from your iCloud account so double check that.

The last step is customizing your settings. Tap the Settings icon and select iCloud. Tap the On/Off switches to enable each individual iCloud service you want to use. To enable iCloud Backup, tap Storage & Backup and turn on iCloud Backup, Photo Stream, Find My iPhone ect. You won't need to use all the services, just start with the ones you do and make sure to disable the ones you don't.

Image courtesy of Apple

Setting Up Your Mac

To get the most out of iCloud on your Mac, install OS X Mountain Lion but you need at least the latest version of OS X v10.7.4 or later to get things up and running. If you don’t have the latest version of OS X, you can purchase it from the Mac App Store.

Image courtesy of Apple

To enable iCloud in Mountain Lion, go to System Preferences, click iCloud, enter the AppleID you are using for your iOS devices, and select the services you’d like to enable. You'll need to make sure you have the same services enabled on your Mac that you do on your iOS devices. So if you want to sync your photos from your iPhone  turn on Photo Stream on both the iPhone and the Mac. If you want to sync all of your contacts turn on contacts. Books, you'd turn on iBooks ect. You don't have to enable them all you just need to make sure you check the ones that you'll be using on all your devices and uncheck the ones you don't.

Image courtesy of Apple

Making Sure Things Sync

Once you have all of your devices running setup and iCloud you need to make sure everything syncs with all of your devices. Start by double checking to make sure you have all the same options enabled and your AppleIDs are all the same. To do this, go to Settings - iCloud on your iPhone or iPad and check that your account is the same as the one on your Mac and that the same services have been enabled on each device. Assuming they are all the same, then you should almost immediately notice your synced items appearing on each device. If not then try a test run, snap a few new photos or create a new calender entry (something for any of the services you are using) and see if they appear on the other devices.

New App Makes Detecting Mac Flashback Malware Easier

A new application has arrived that aims at helping Mac owners detect and possibly remove the now highly publicized Flashback Mac malware.

We first learned of the new tool thanks to Ars Technica. The new tool is the brain child of Juan Leon, a software engineer at Garmin International, the Kansas-based company best known for its GPS devices. The tool automates the steps given by security firm F-Secure and previously described in our post "How To Remove The Mac Flashback Infection."

F-Secure's procedure required entering multiple commands in Terminal, the Mac OS X command line utility. The new tool makes it as easy as a single click. When Flashback Checker has finished running the commands it displays "No signs of infection were found" or provides additional information if it does detect changes the malware has made to the infected Mac.

Click the following link to grab Flashback Checker

How To Remove The Mac Flashback Infection

If you are a Mac user then by now you should have heard the news that security experts believe that nearly half of all Macs have been infected by a new piece of malware called Mac Flashback trojan. If you haven't then you should take special care when reading this post and make sure you follow all the steps carefully!

The Mac Flashback trojan is the latest variant of a piece of malware that originally posed as a Flash Player installer. Instead of downloading and adding in the latest version of Flash the installer instead infected a user computer with a trojan capable of stealing an unsuspecting user personal information. This new variant, Trojan-Downloader:OSX/Flashback.I and Trojan-Downloader:OSX/Flashback.K, targeted an unpatched Java vulnerability within Mac OS X. That was at the time of discovery unpatched by Apple.

Apple has since distributed two Java updates that should remedy the vulnerability useless. It is highly recommended that user with Java installed on their Mac install these updates immediately but users should still check to make sure their machine aren't currently infected.

How to check your system for Mac Flashback infection

These Terminal commands will give you an easy way to find out whether or not you have a possible Flashback infection. First, launch Terminal from /Applications/Utilities on your Mac. Then individually type or paste these three lines into the Terminal:

defaults read ~/.MacOSX/environment DYLD_INSERT_LIBRARIES
defaults read /Applications/Safari.app/Contents/Info LSEnvironment
defaults read /Applications/Firefox.app/Contents/Info LSEnvironment

If the Terminal returns back to you lines that look like this:

The domain/default pair of (/Users/jacqui/.MacOSX/environment, DYLD_INSERT_LIBRARIES) does not exist
The domain/default pair of (/Applications/Safari.app/Contents/Info, LSEnvironment) does not exist
The domain/default pair of (/Applications/Firefox.app/Contents/Info, LSEnvironment) does not exist

Then you're home free and you're not (yet) infected by Flashback.You can feel safe again and comfortably install the latest patches for Java, disable Java completely or live life on the edge and do nothing.

How to get rid of Mac Flashback

If the above shows anything but the intended results then life gets a bit more complicated. You'll need to remove the infection and apply the patches as needed. These removal instructions are from security research firm F-Secure's removal page.

1. Run the following command in Terminal: defaults read /Applications/Safari.app/Contents/Info LSEnvironment
   
2. Take note of the value, DYLD_INSERT_LIBRARIES
3. Proceed to step 8 if you got the following error message: "The domain/default pair of (/Applications/Safari.app/Contents/Info, LSEnvironment) does not exist"
4. Otherwise, run the following command in Terminal: grep -a -o '__ldpath__[ -~]*' %path_obtained_in_step2%
   
5. Take note of the value after "__ldpath__"
6. Run the following commands in Terminal (first make sure there is only one entry, from step 2): sudo defaults delete /Applications/Safari.app/Contents/InfoLSEnvironment
sudo chmod 644 /Applications/Safari.app/Contents/Info.plist
   
7. Delete the files obtained in steps 2 and 5
8. Run the following command in Terminal: defaults read ~/.MacOSX/environment DYLD_INSERT_LIBRARIES
   
9. Take note of the result. Your system is already clean of this variant if you got an error message similar to the following: "The domain/default pair of (/Users/joe/.MacOSX/environment, DYLD_INSERT_LIBRARIES) does not exist"
10. Otherwise, run the following command in Terminal: grep -a -o '__ldpath__[ -~]*' %path_obtained_in_step9%
    
11. Take note of the value after "__ldpath__"
12. Run the following commands in Terminal: defaults delete ~/.MacOSX/environment DYLD_INSERT_LIBRARIES
launchctl unsetenv DYLD_INSERT_LIBRARIES
    
13. Finally, delete the files obtained in steps 9 and 11.
14. Run the following command in Terminal: ls -lA ~/Library/LaunchAgents/
    
15. Take note of the filename. Proceed only when you have one file. Otherwise contact our customer care.
16. Run the following command in Terminal: defaults read ~/Library/LaunchAgents/%filename_obtained_in_step15% ProgramArguments
    
17. Take note of the path. If the filename does not start with a ".", then you might not be infected with this variant.
18. Delete the files obtained in steps 15 and 17.

In addition to these steps, F-Secure recommends checking for another variant of Flashback, Flashback.K. The instructions can be found on another page on F-Secure's website.

How do I update Java on my Mac?

Now that you are presumably infection free the next step is to update Java on your Mac. Apple has pushed the Java updates to the Software Update channel so you would simply run the standard Mac OSX software update and you should see the patches. You can also manually download the update for Lion and Snow Leopard, respectively, from Apple's support site.

Conclusion - what you need to do now

If you've followed the above advice and performed these steps to update your system then you're inoculated against the current known version of the Flashback malware, but that doesn't mean the variant won't change again sometime in the future to exploit a different vulnerability on your Mac. This means you need to STAY VIGILANT!

Almost all malware needs user interaction to infect your machine but that doesn't mean there isn't a nasty piece of software out there that doesn't. You need to keep your software up to date. Don't just apply operating system patches, apply those third party application updates as well. You should also be open to the idea that your Mac is not as secure as you once thought it was. You might want to grab some security software. You might also want to pay closer attention to your system and how you use it. Don't blindly install files from strange sources, don't click to open those odd emails and definitely don't blindly click to install anything you are sure of or blindly enter your admin password for anything ever!

Sophos Giving Away Free Antivirus Protection For Mac Users

I know the Apple Fanboys out there believe that their Mac's are impervious to many of the threats that face us PC guys. But lets face it folks every day we see more and more viruses written for the Mac platform and a growing number of cross platform attacks that are infecting Mac users just like your average PC user.

Over the past couple of years Apple themselves has even stepped to the plate and suggested that user might need AV protection. A page that has since been removed entitled "Mac OS: Antivirus utilities" suggested that user should look for a good antivirus utility.

"Apple encourages the widespread use of multiple antivirus utilities so that virus programmers have more than one application to circumvent, thus making the whole virus writing process more difficult."

Apple then suggested three products Intego VirusBarrier, Symantec Norton Anti-Virus and McAfee VirusScan for Mac all three of which will set their users back as much as $80. Stepping up to the plate is Sophos a well know vendor of security software and hardware, including anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-spam, network access control, encryption software and data loss prevention for desktops.

The company is now offering Mac users a great deal. As Apple has thus far refused to protect its users with free antivirus software, Sophos is launching Sophos Anti-Virus Home Edition for Macs which will protect Mac users against "today’s and tomorrow’s Mac threats".

"While most businesses recognize the importance of protecting their Mac computers from malware threats, most home users do not," said Chris Kraft, product management vice president at Sophos.

"Mac users must remember that less targeted is not the same as invulnerable", Sophos security expert Richard Wang.

The threat is not as prevalent as PC users, with only "one to two" attacks on Macs each week, compared to the "tens of thousands" per day against Windows PCs, said Wang.

According to Wang, attacks against Mac users are mostly delivered via malicious Web sites. Boonana, a Koobface variant, recently made the rounds of Facebook and other social networking sites targeting Mac users. The Boonana-infected site first determined the visitor’s operating system and then delivered malware appropriate for that platform, said Wang.

Read more: Yes, you need anti-virus on your Mac.. and now it's free

Microsoft Promises Office 2011 For Macs In October

Microsoft today announced that their next version of the Apple Mac OS version of Microsoft Office would be available in over 100 countries by the end of October. The suite will come in two editions to purchase at retail — Office for Mac Home and Student 2011 and Office for Mac Home and Business 2011.

Mac Office 2011 Pricing

Microsoft Office for Mac Home and Student 2011 includes Word for Mac, PowerPoint for Mac, Excel for Mac and Messenger for Mac, and it will retail starting at $119 (U.S. estimated retail price [ERP]).

It will be available in two editions — a single install for $119 (U.S. ERP) and a Family Pack for $149 (U.S. ERP) with three installs for families with more than one Mac in their household. The Home and Student edition provides the core productivity applications that Mac users want and need.

Microsoft Office for Mac Home and Business 2011 includes Word for Mac, PowerPoint for Mac, Excel for Mac, Outlook for Mac and Messenger for Mac, and it will retail starting at $199 (U.S. ERP).

It also will be available in two editions — a single install for $199 (U.S. ERP) and a Multi-Pack for $279 (U.S. ERP) with two installs for a user with two machines. If Home and Student customers determine that they need the additional functionality of a desktop e-mail client, they can easily step up to Office for Mac Home and Business 2011using online upgrade functionality.

Microsoft Office for Mac Academic 2011 includes Word for Mac, PowerPoint for Mac, Excel for Mac, Outlook for Mac and Messenger for Mac, and it will retail at authorized academic stores and Microsoft, http://www.officeformac.com, for $99 (U.S. ERP).

This special edition was created for higher education students, staff and faculty, and includes one installation.

Office 2008 Technology Guarantee program

As with various version of Microsoft Office for Windows Microsoft has also announced a Mac office 2008 will be covered by their Technology Guarantee program. The program allows qualifying customers to upgrade to Office 2011 at no additional cost when they purchase Office 2008 between now and Nov 30th.

Qualifying purchase details:

Office 2008 for Mac must be purchased between Aug. 1, 2010, and Nov. 30, 2010, at Microsoft or an authorized reseller.

Customers can register for the program online at http://www.microsoft.com/mac/techg. Qualifying registrants must fill out the form and submit their product key(s) and dated sales receipt for Office 2008 for Mac by Dec. 31, 2010.

You must meet all eligibility requirements to receive your Technology Guarantee upgrade. Complete details on this upgrade offer can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/mac/techg.

More MAC Malware Found In The Wild

MAC antivirus vendor Intego has issued a warning about a new piece of malware being distributed primarily in freely available screen saver programs. This new spyware application dubbed OSX/OpinionSpy can scan files, record user activity and send stolen data to remote servers.

OSX/OpinionSpy is installed by a number of applications and screen savers that are distributed on sites such as MacUpdate, VersionTracker and Softpedia. The spyware itself is not contained in these applications, but is downloaded during the installation process. This shows the need for an up-to-date anti-malware program with a real-time scanner that can detect this malware when it is downloaded by the original application’s installer.

OSX/OpinionSpy performs the following actions:

• This application, which has no interface, runs as root (it requests an administrator’s password on installation) with full rights to access and change any file on the infected user’s computer.
• If for any reason the application stops running, it is re-launched via launchd, the system-wide application and service launching facility.
• It opens an HTTP backdoor using port 8254.
• It scans all accessible volumes, analyzing files, and using a great deal of CPU time. It is not clear what data it copies and sends to its servers, but it scans files on both local and network volumes, potentially opening up large numbers of confidential files on a network to intrusion.
• It analyzes packets entering and leaving the infected Mac over a local network, analyzing data coming from and being sent to other computers. One infected Mac can therefore collect a great deal of data from different computers on a local network, such as in a business or school.
• It injects code, without user intervention, into Safari, Firefox and iChat, and copies personal data from these applications. Code injection is a form of behavior similar to that of a virus, and this malware “infects” applications when they are running to be able to carry out its operations. (It infects the applications’ code in the Mac’s memory, and does not infect the actual applications’ files on the user’s hard disk.)
• It regularly sends data, in encrypted form, to a number of servers using ports 80 and 443. It sends data to these servers about files it has scanned locally, and also sends e-mail addresses, iChat message headers and URLs, as well as other data. This data may include personal data, such as user names, passwords, credit card numbers, web browser bookmarks, history and much more.
• Given the type of data that it collects, the company behind this spyware can store detailed records of users, their habits, their contacts, their location and much more.
• The application can be upgraded automatically, with new features added, with no user intervention, and without the user being aware of this. It occasionally asks users for information, via the display of dialogs, such as their name, or asks them to fill out surveys.
• In some cases, computers with this spyware installed no longer work correctly after a certain period of time; it is necessary to force-reboot such Macs.
• If a user deletes the original application or screen saver that installed this spyware, the spyware itself will remain installed and continue to operate.

The amount and type of data the malware collects makes it a very high risk piece of spyware. Not only does it collect sensitive data such as user names, passwords and credit card numbers, but it opens a backdoor that could led to further attacks and or more malicious code being injected. While Intego suggest the distribution is limited, the company warns Mac users to pay careful attention to which software they download and install. 

EVGA Releases GeForce GTX 285 Mac Edition

Mac lovers rejoice NVIDIA has just announced the new GeForce GTX 285 Mac Edition graphics card, which is its hottest fastest offering to Mac users to date.



The new card is technically identical to the standard EVGA GTX 285 using the standard reference design for the PCB and cooler as well as the standard reference clock speeds of 648/1476/2484 MHz (core/shader/memory), and 1 GB of GDDR3 memory across a 512-bit interface. The new GeForce GTX 285 Mac Edition comes completely bundled with the necessary power dongles to slip right into the PCI-E slot on your Intel x86 based Mac Pro workstations. EVGA even packs the card with their latest system software for use with your favorite Mac OS.

Features

• PCI Express 2.0 – Designed for the new PCI Express 2.0 bus architecture offering the highest data transfer speeds for the most bandwidth hungry applications.
• Two Dual-Link DVI ports – Able to drive the industry’s largest and highest resolutions flat-panel displays up to 2560x1600 with HDCP.
• 1GB of onboard DDR3 Memory - View high-resolution images and textures with this massive amount of onboard memory.
• OpenGL Optimization and Support - Provides top-notch compatibility and performance for OpenGL applications.
• 2nd Generation NVIDIA Unified Architecture – Combines vertex, pixel, and geometry shaders for an overall more efficient architecture.
• NVIDIA Purevideo HD Technology - High-definition video decoder and post-processor delivers unprecedented picture clarity, smooth video playback, and accurate color for movies and video.
• NVIDIA CUDA Technology – Accelerates CUDA enabled applications using GPU’s processing cores. Delivering more performance than traditional CPUs.

EVGA is pricing this at US $449.99 or about $100 more than the standard PC counter part.

NVIDIA Releases Quadro FX 4800 For MAC Pro

NVIDIA Brings Highly Acclaimed Quadro FX 4800 To MAC Market

NVIDIA today brings to Mac Pro users its award-winning NVIDIA Quadro FX 4800, the market’s most advanced professional graphics card.

With its sophisticated GPU architecture and industry leading features, the Quadro FX 4800 delivers a substantial boost in graphics performance and capabilities, allowing users to continue to push the boundaries of realism and performance in markets such as: architecture, content creation, science and medicine.

The new Quadro FX 4800 GPU for Mac is on display at the NVIDIA NAB 2009 booth: SL 7906, lower South Hall at the Las Vegas Convention Center, April 20-23, 2009.

“Some of the world’s most challenging visual computing problems are solved on the Mac platform,” said Jeff Brown, general manager, Professional Solutions, NVIDIA. “The Quadro FX 4800 provides the power and speed to meet these demanding requirements.”

To address the direct needs of the Mac user, the new Quadro FX 4800 GPU for Mac features a standard 3-pin stereo connector for true 3D stereoscopic imaging; critical to many core professional Mac applications. Designed, tested and built by NVIDIA to meet the ultra-high standards of the Mac community, the Quadro FX 4800 GPU dynamically allocates compute, geometry, shading and pixel processing power.

Other key features in the Quadro FX 4800 GPU for Mac include:

• Interactive Visualization of Large Models – Offers a massive 1.5GB frame buffer and memory bandwidth up to 76.8 GB/sec. to deliver high throughput for interactive visualization of large models; high-performance for real time processing of large textures and frames; and the highest quality and resolution with full-scene antialiasing (FSAA)
• High-performance Visualization – NVIDIA’s CUDA parallel computing architecture for NVIDIA Quadro GPUs enables breakthrough application performance to enhance creative expression in areas such as video, animation, photography and production
• Dual Dual Link DVI and Stereo Connectors – Outfitted with a dedicated 3 pin min-din connector for stereo glasses support and up to two dual-link DVI digital connectors to drive the highest resolution digital displays available on the market
• Boot Camp Support – Access to native Quadro GPU accelerated professional Windows 3D graphics performance and features when using Apple Boot Camp

Pricing and Availability
NVIDIA Quadro FX 4800 GPU for Mac has a MSRP of $1,799 USD, and will be available starting May 2009 through Apple.com and select Apple resellers and workstation integrators. The Quadro FX 4800 for Mac will also be available through NVIDIA channel partners PNY Technologies (US and EMEA), Leadteck (APAC) and Elsa (Japan). For more information on NVIDIA professional technologies and products, please visit: www.nvidia.com/quadro.

Source: NVIDIA Press Release

OS Smackdown: Linux vs. Mac OS X vs. Windows Vista vs. Windows XP

Computerworld throws together another great article when they asked four experts to lay out their best arguments in support of their desktop operating systems of choice:

• James Turner for Linux
• Michael DeAgonia for Mac OS X
• Preston Gralla for Windows Vista
• David Ramel for Windows XP

Each is of these guys are positive that their choice in operating system is the best and they try their hardest to convince you that they are right. These are not rational, disengaged reviews; these are opinionated essays meant to sway your point of view and I will say they do make some interesting arguments for their side.
When you've read all the arguments, you make the call by voting in their reader poll -- and of course your own arguments or comments are welcome.

The verdict: Leopard spanks Vista, continues OS X's reign of excellence

November 07, 2007 (Computerworld) -- This story caps off a truly comprehensive wave of Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard coverage from Computerworld. Our readers have asked for more operating system coverage, and we're delivering.

Our Week of Leopard package covers many aspects of what's new in the latest Apple operating system, everything from Leopard Server, improvements for developers and changes to user accounts to nitty-gritty details on Time Machine and the other bundled apps and utilities in OS X 10.5. We've also compiled a comprehensive image gallery of Leopard's new look and features, as well as a rundown of its highs and lows. The stories in our Leopard package have been researched and written by at least half a dozen Mac experts.

The questions that remain are these: Is Leopard a truly great OS? How does it stack up against its predecessor, Tiger, and Windows Vista? Should you get this thing for yourself? Should you recommend it for your company?

Vis-a-vis Vista

Given the timing of Mac OS X's release, the somewhat lukewarm response to Microsoft's Windows Vista by many IT shops, and even the similarity in the areas of concentration pursued by Apple and Microsoft -- a comparison between Leopard and Vista is inescapable. Both companies emphasized efforts to improve usability and add features to their bundled software.

Both added transparency to their user interfaces. Both heavily revised the structure and management of their user accounts. Both enhanced parental controls, upgraded their onboard e-mail programs and added new versions of their browsers. Both did fairly significant behind-the-scenes work to boost their video and animation capabilities, as well as to better support third-party software development.

Throughout the four years of the Vista development process, I tested and evaluated at least 15 different alphas and betas of the operating system, spending hundreds of hours evaluating the late prereleases and the final editions. Likewise, I spent countless hours testing Leopard, both in prerelease form and the final version now available to the public. What I found after all that testing is that despite their similarities on paper, Leopard and Vista are nothing alike.

Vista has a cover-Microsoft's-butt, designed-by-corporate-committee feel, while Leopard tightly adheres to Apple's well-honed user-interface design principles. In numerous small ways, Apple has improved its OS, while Microsoft has, in a plethora of ways, changed Windows -- not always for the better. (For detailed reviews of both operating systems, see Hands on: A hard look at Windows Vista and In Depth: Apple's Leopard leaps to new heights.)

Any residual sense that Apple is somehow above competing directly with Microsoft's Windows is dispelled by Leopard. With OS X 10.5, Apple is clearly going head to head with Microsoft and Vista. With the smoke clearing, it's also apparent that Apple still has a lead on Microsoft when it comes to user interface and functionality.

That doesn't make Apple and its Mac platform or even Leopard an enormous business success. But it's impossible to miss the refinement infused throughout Apple's new operating system, whereas there are compromises in Vista that impinge upon the user experience without giving something back in return. Apple is focused on the user experience, while Microsoft appears to be focused on antipiracy, overengineered security protections, and digital rights management aimed at serving its prospective third-party partners.

There's really no contest. Tiger is a better OS than Vista, and there are no long-term downsides to Leopard. Vista doesn't measure up.

Continued...
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