Best Anti Virus software for Mac

Patrick, Shields UP is a service, not an application. You go to the website at GRC, follow the Shields Up tabs until you get to a page that will tell you what they already know about you just from you going there. Basically, it is what your browser is sharing about you just to get a connection. Then you can select which test you want, and the GRC servers will then probe your system (I won't say computer, because the "system" is your computer, network, router, modem, etc.) Once the test is done, it tells you what it found. That's it.

krs said:

Thanks,
I already did that.
It gave me this information:


But I have no remote log in set up, never had.
I just checked the sharing services on my Mac again, none are enabled.

I used to run ShieldsUp about once a year when I thought of it - always had full 'stealth' on every port, well, except just now.

I have checked everything I can think of on my Mac, nothing is turned on that I can find that would explain why port 22 does not show up as "stealth"

Click to expand...

It might be some app that un-stealthed it. Hard to tell. But it was still safe, just not stealthy, according to your report.

Could it be some online thing? Mail server? Software authenticator?

pm-r said:

BTW, I had never heard of "Shields UP" but a bit of googling I get:


I didn't really see any Mac application using the same name, so is Shields UP a Windows only utility??? Or did I really miss something???

Click to expand...

I don't think ShieldsUp relates to any operating system at all.
It just retrieves your IP address and then tries to ping every port at that IP address.
If there is no response, that port is shown as "stealth" or if there is a response, the port is either shown as closed or open.
There is a bit more to the test than this simplistic view of mine, but again - this test should work with any OS.

MacInWin said:

It might be some app that un-stealthed it. Hard to tell. But it was still safe, just not stealthy, according to your report.

Could it be some online thing? Mail server? Software authenticator?

Click to expand...

I'm going to run ShieldsUp on a different Mac that is set up similar to my Mini but accesses fewer on-line servers.
Maybe that gives me a hint.

If I read about SSH remote log in protocol, it seems to relate mostly the transferring info from one Mac to another.
But everything I could find on the Mini that relates to file sharing is turned off.

Patrick, Shields UP is a service, not an application. ... ... ...
... ... ...
Once the test is done, it tells you what it found. That's it.

Click to expand...

Thanks Jake.
Now it makes sense.


Just out of curosity, why not just run the Mac's Network Utility.app??

How to Use the Port Scanner in Mac OS X Network Utility
http://osxdaily.com/2014/05/20/port-scanner-mac-network-utility/

PS: I was always led to believe a computer has thousands of ports available and the ShieldsUp shots above only show some and not all if that's the case.

Anyway, if I get too concerned I can always let my Little Snitch.app act as a sentry guard.





- Patrick
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I started with Shields UP back 15-20 years ago when I was still using Windows. It attacks from the outside, rather than testing from inside. Yes, there are thousands of ports, but the vast majority are in the first 1024. You can read the philosophy at Shields Up for why the only test the first 1024. But you can also test any port you want manual as well.

And port scan in Network Utility claims to do the same thing, but I wonder if it can scan its own ports?

I tried Little Snitch. Got rid of it after bout 10 minutes. Too annoying and I didn't want to have to customize it to make it work. It reported EVERY STINKING PACKET!

Thanks everyone! Lots to learn and looking into - appreciated