[the8thark]

I just watched the leopard guided tour now up on apple.com And on it the guy talks about being able to share your desktop with someone you're talking to on ichat. Sure it's a good idea, but my only thing about it is security.

Could this feature be abused to someone could gain access to your desktop this way without your permission? I know OS X is supposedly hack resistant with it's linux core and all. I know I'd rarely if ever use this feature but it got me thinking do you all think it's be a safe thing to do. And would it be possible to only give the person a portion of your desktop to look at and not the entire thing. Like a restriction.

I'm just wondering about this, that's all.

[ChaePod]

Yeah I thought about it as well

Cos it shows him saying that you can edit and save files on the other person's computer.

That seems a little weird to me, although it has many good points to it as well

[technologist]

Of course it could.

Obviously, you should not allow just any AIM buddy to share your screen. And you should consider blocking it at the firewall level, too. I'm not sure exactly which port(s) will need to be blocked, but that will probably be easy to determine once Leopard is available.

The same things apply to Apple Remote Desktop, VNC, and services like LogMeIn. They pose a significant risk and should be used carefully.

[Aptmunich]

Originally Posted by technologist

Of course it could.

Obviously, you should not allow just any AIM buddy to share your screen. And you should consider blocking it at the firewall level, too. I'm not sure exactly which port(s) will need to be blocked, but that will probably be easy to determine once Leopard is available.

The same things apply to Apple Remote Desktop, VNC, and services like LogMeIn. They pose a significant risk and should be used carefully.

Agreed 100%.

If you're ever using remote technology and handling security sensitive information, make sure it's encrypted.

If you need remote access on a regular basis, invest in a cheap VPN capable router, a VPN client and your information will be extremely safe.

[DISCLAIMER: The company I work for makes OSX VPN client software, but I'm not plugging them - I just know how important a VPN is in these types of situations).