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NSA Security Guide for Mac OS X

Posted by michael on from the take-a-bite-out-of-crime dept.

An anonymous reader writes "The National Security Agency has just released a Security Configuration Guide for Apple Mac OS X (pdf). The guide mostly contains common sense configuration information that applies to many Unix systems. It also includes specific discussion for Apple's unique features such as Keychain and FileVault. It should be useful to most Mac OS X users and will be particularly useful for US Government organisations that use Mac OS X and for commercial IT Departments that are supporting Mac OS X. A range of other NSA Security Configuration guides for other operating systems, applications, and IT kit are also available."

11 of 250 comments (clear)

  1. New Government-Oriented Commercial? by American+AC+in+Paris · · Score: 4, Funny
    (voiceover)

    Step 45,328:

    There is no step 45,328. There is no step 45,328...*soft weeping sounds*

    --

    Obliteracy: Words with explosions

  2. Lack of safety in numbers by YetAnotherName · · Score: 4, Funny

    Given how entrenched Micro$oft's clutches are into the US Government, a security guide for Windows based systems would be even more useful.

    (I work for NASA; almost everyone in our group has Mac OS X on our desktops and Linux in the server room. Our supervisor is the only Windows user. Yes, he's developing pointy hair.)

    1. Re:Lack of safety in numbers by lachlan76 · · Score: 4, Funny

      Had you not brought down the NSA website, you would find them here.

    2. Re:Lack of safety in numbers by general_re · · Score: 4, Funny
      Filanthropy of Modern Man

      I'll put it alongside my copy of Speling Fer Slahsdooters.

      --
      ABSURDITY, n.: A statement or belief manifestly inconsistent with one's own opinion.
  3. You Bastards! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Hmm the pdf is downloading at .6 k/s and dropping. Slashdotting the NSA - this qualifies for some sort of Darwin award, doesn't it? :)

  4. In other news... by eventDriven · · Score: 5, Funny

    The U.S. Governement's ultra-secret monitoring system 'echelon' was briefly unavailable after the NSA's web servers were Slashdotted.

  5. NSA Security Guide by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Always leave an NSA auto-secure port (9999) open on your machine.

    Disregard any unexplained background executables.

    Always use IE when surfing.

    Confine all discussing of terrorist/anti-government actions to public networks (or private ones, we don't really care)

  6. Slashdotted already? by BandwidthHog · · Score: 5, Funny

    Alright, we've slashdotted the NSA!!!!!

    Now we can safely do, umm, whatever it is that we thought we couldn't do safely while the NSA had an active internet connection. Psst, any terrorists out there need a browser with 128-bit SSL enabled?

    --

    Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax si marmota monax materiam possit materiari?
  7. NSA Guide to securing Windows computers by Roadkills-R-Us · · Score: 4, Funny

    Step 1: Pack Windows system in appropriate shipping container
    Step 2:Mark container "Target"
    Step 3: Have courier deliver container to nearest FBI shooting range

    1. Re:NSA Guide to securing Windows computers by patman600 · · Score: 5, Funny

      Sure, just add even more holes to the system...

  8. They're... still... up by twalls · · Score: 5, Funny

    Several people have already called the slashdotting. They're still alive and kicking! Gotta give em credit for trying. "Mr. President, we're giving her all we can! She just doesn't have enough bandwidth!" "Well, why not just use one of the other Internets?"