Mac security software developer Objective Development has announced the release of Little Snitch 3, a popular reverse-firewall package for OS X, which now includes a number of improvements that make the package both easier to use and more powerful.

Part of OS X's security system is a rudimentary firewall that lets users allow or deny incoming connections to system services and third-party software on a per-application basis. While the firewall is a good option to have and is recommended to keep enabled, it only blocks in one direction and therefore does not cover all bases for a security system. Apple's firewall will prevent a program from receiving malicious connection attempts, but if you have a program on your computer that is attempting to make unwanted outbound connections then Apple's software will not prevent this.

To monitor outbound traffic on your system, a reverse firewall such as that in Little Snitch or Intego's VirusBarrier X6 suite will be needed. With these utilities you can temporarily or permanently prevent programs from continually registering with parent servers or otherwise phoning home, and can also detect and block malicious activity.

Little Snitch alerts now have information about the process in question, allowing the u... [Read more]

Google Maps on Apple's iOS.

Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt is sure to make iOS 6 users a tad bit unhappy today.

Speaking to reporters in Tokyo, Schmidt said that his company has "not done anything yet" for Google Maps on iOS 6. He didn't quite go as far as saying that Google Maps won't be coming to Apple's latest operating system, but seemed to indicate that so far, his company is holding its mapping application close to the vest.

Both Reuters and Bloomberg attended at the press event and reported on the story.

Opinions differ on whether Google has submitted its Google Maps application to Apple for approval in the company's App Store. Last week, one developer claimed that Apple was holding up the approval, while The Loop reported that the iPhone maker hadn't even seen the app yet. Neither Google nor Apple has commented on that. According to Bloomberg, Schmidt also wouldn't say if Google had submitted its Maps app to the App Store.

Many iOS 6 users are wishing Google would act fast and get its Maps a... [Read more]

Google last night unveiled an early version of RoboHornet, a general-purpose browser speed test that company engineers hope will shed light on something besides just JavaScript.

But Microsoft, maker of Internet Explorer, has derided the tests as not useful.

There are plenty of JavaScript speed tests, Google's new Octane among them, and for good reason: the programming language is used to turn static Web pages into interactive Web apps. But there's more to fast browsing, and Google hopes others will get involved to flesh out RoboHornet with a full suite of tests.

"It's a living, dynamic benchmark that aims to use the collective efforts of the Web development community and ultimately get browser vendors to fix real-world performance pain points," said RoboHornet leader Alex Komoroske in a Google+ post.

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