Ulp! Did I just make a hole in my OS?

[Marky_Mark]

I just downloaded a POS dashboard widget from the Apple site - Asteroids on one side and Pacman on the other. When I finished playing the first game I got a 'Macromedia Security Warning' come up and say [paraphased], "Flash is trying to connect to the Internet - click on Preferences button to allow"

Now the Preferences button had a ... on it, which in my creaky understanding of Mac OS interface guidelines means that it (should) lead onto another dialog of some description. So, I clicked on it, wanting to see what the nature of the connection was. But, nothing happened! The alert box buggered off without any other dialog or feedback and now I'm wondering what the hell it's done!

I've had a look through my security settings, and it doesn't look like like any ports or sharing have been opened or activated, and I've spotlighted Macromedia, Flash, Preferences etc to see if I can find out what's changed, but there doesn't seem to be a configurable control panel or similar for my flash plug-in anywhere on my Mac.

Anybody have any ideas or previous on this one?

 

[rockthecasbah]

I just downloaded a POS dashboard widget from the Apple site - Asteroids on one side and Pacman on the other. When I finished playing the first game I got a 'Macromedia Security Warning' come up and say [paraphased], "Flash is trying to connect to the Internet - click on Preferences button to allow"

Now the Preferences button had a ... on it, which in my creaky understanding of Mac OS interface guidelines means that it (should) lead onto another dialog of some description. So, I clicked on it, wanting to see what the nature of the connection was. But, nothing happened! The alert box buggered off without any other dialog or feedback and now I'm wondering what the hell it's done!

I've had a look through my security settings, and it doesn't look like like any ports or sharing have been opened or activated, and I've spotlighted Macromedia, Flash, Preferences etc to see if I can find out what's changed, but there doesn't seem to be a configurable control panel or similar for my flash plug-in anywhere on my Mac.

Anybody have any ideas or previous on this one?

if it was on the Apple site i doubt it is anything bad...

 

[Marky_Mark]

if it was on the Apple site i doubt it is anything bad...

Well, I've deleted the widget now, but if anyone can offer any further advice on what might have been done here, I'd be grateful. I just want to cover all the bases.

Thanks.

 

[iMeowbot]

There is an Asteroids widget that asks that. It's just fetching and storing high scores, nothing evil.

 

[OutThere]

AFAIK nothing went wrong...it was just asking permission to download the flash games that you play within the widget. I think it had to get permission to download them because it was being run out of the widget environment, which could be insecure if something were to be able to access flash animations and the like off the internet without asking.

I think you're fine.

 

[Makosuke]

When you okayed that, it didn't open any holes in the firewall or anything else OS level. It was just giving that particular Flash animation permission to send data instead of just pull it in. This is no different, so far as I understand it, than when you submit a form and your web browser asks you whether you really want to transmit data over the internet or whatever.

If I'm following correctly, it's a layer of protection Macromedia put in to protect users from malicious Flash animations, not an OS-level check (widgets are by default allowed access to the internet), which likely would have required you to enter an admin password to do anything significant with settings.

So, while the thing you gave permission to might've sent some data out (as explained, probably high scores), it can't do anything when it's not running.

 

[Marky_Mark]

Fantastic - I feel much better now - thanks everyone