Stop Outgoing Internet Messages with Little Snitch

Ever wonder how many Applications are phoning home with information about you or your Mac?

While using OS X Leopard for a few days, I noticed OS X 10.5 was phoning home to Apple for seemingly every reason imaginable. The only reason I even noticed was because I was running Little Snitch. This Application is a must have for anyone paranoid about outgoing Internet communications on their Mac.

Little Snitch once was a System Preference but is now available as a Menu Bar item for OS X Leopard. Little Snitch tattles on any outgoing communication from your Mac that you have not authorized to happen.

When you first install Little Snitch, it may take a few days of setting conditions for certain Applications via the Little Snitch pop up windows. I find this is not an annoyance but relieving to know which Applications are trying to connect to the Internet and when. Little Snitch makes it really easy to set conditions for certain communications. For instance, I can allow an Application to communicate online Forever, Once, or Until Quit on All Ports or only certain Addresses.

Download the Trial version of Little Snitch from the Official Objective Development Website. To Buy the Application, it costs $24.95 and is worth every penny.