A Concern About Open DNS

It is bad for download performance not to use your ISPs local DNS servers.
When you use foreign DNS servers, many websites will mis-identify your location, and send you to farther away places to download the website, rather than the local, faster location.
For example, your Software Updates from Apple, which go through Akamai, who will send you to a slower, more distant server for the download.
In addition, as the switch to IPv6 begins, sites such as Google/YouTube will not enable you for IPv6 because you aren't using your ISPs DNS server, which they use to decide whether to give you an IPv6 website address, or just the IPv4 address.

Adding DNS codes to your Network Preferences, should give good results in terms of speed-up as well as added security:
If you are using a single computer: Open System Preferences/Network. Double click on your connection type, or select it in the drop-down menu, and in the box marked 'DNS Servers' add the following two numbers:
208.67.222.222
208.67.220.220
(You can also enter them if you click on Advanced and then DNS)
Sometimes reversing the order of the DNS numbers can be beneficial in cases where there is a long delay before web pages start to load, and then suddenly load at normal speed:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2296
If your computer is part of a network: please refer to this page: http://www.opendns.com/start/bestpractices/#yournetwork and follow the advice given.
(An explanation of why using Open DNS is both safe and a good idea can be read here: http://www.labnol.org/internet/tools/opendsn-what-is-opendns-why-required-2/2587 /
Open DNS also provides an anti-phishing feature: http://www.opendns.com/solutions/homenetwork/anti-phishing/ )
Wikipedia also has an interesting article about Open DNS:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenDNS
Whilst in System Preferences/Network you should also turn off 'IPv6' in your preference pane, as otherwise you may not get the full speed benefit (the DNS resolver will default to making SRV queries). If you want to know what IPv6 is:
This is Apple's guidance on iPv6:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.5/en/8708.html
Click on Apply Now and close the window.
Restart Safari, and repair permissions.

Similar Messages

Open dns resolver issues on windows server 2008 R2

my client is running a windows 2008 r2 server with dns and dhcp roles. it's not a domain controller, just a workgoup server.
got a notification from my client's isp:
"These attacks have been facilitated through DNS
amplification attacks. AT&T has detected these attacks and has confirmed
that the IP address x.x.x.x allocated to your Internet access account is
accessible from the Internet as an open DNS resolver. "
tried disabling recursion, but then there is no access to the internet.
tried disabling the firewall rule for dns udp, and no access to the internet.
does anyone have any idea how to correct this? do i need to add a public dns server to my dhcp scope for internet access? if i do, then what good is a dns server and it doesn't resolve internet addresses?
Gary

Just to add, I was wondering why you had port 53 opened to your DNS servers. And just to point out, that rule you created is a port translation rule that allows access to your DNS server from the internet, just as if you had created a rule to allow access
to an internal web server for public use, or for allowing webmail (OWA) access from the internet to your internal mail server.
What you did, as Keith said, will stop that, but to further point out, the rules are not really needed again, I would just remove the rules completely. For internet access, such as allowing your users to access websites, your DNS to resolve external names
(whether using Root hints or a Forwarder), just about any firewall will allow that out-of-the-box. In some firewalls, you have to create a rule to the outside untrusted interface to "allow established" meaning when an internal request goes to an outside resource,
such as a website, to allow the response back in.
The only time you want to create rules is either you want to allow inbound traffic with a port translation rule (such as what you originally unknowingly did for TCP & UDP 53) to a web server, OWA, SMTP traffic to a mail server, etc.), otherwise,
leave it out of the box.
As for what the ISP is concerned about regarding DNS amplification attacks, is that they are a fairly recent method for attackers to create a DOS (denial of service). You can read up at a couple of recent discussions about what all that means in
the following threads, with ways to stop or mitigate them.
Best way to reduce or disable DNS amplification for external DNS?,
Sunday, June 16, 2013 6:08 PM
http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/windowsserver/en-US/d087a768-2075-49e4-afec-4fd23b50af0a/best-way-to-reduce-or-disable-dns-amplification-for-external-dns
Protecting Windows DNS Server from being abused for DNS amplification attacks,
Wednesday, April 10, 2013 8:05 AM
http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/windowsserver/en-US/fac86dc7-779d-48eb-a113-9c06c2222af9/protecting-windows-dns-server-from-being-abused-for-dns-amplification-attacks
Ace Fekay
MVP, MCT, MCITP/EA, MCTS Windows 2008/R2 & Exchange 2007, Exchange 2010 EA, MCSE & MCSA 2003/2000, MCSA Messaging 2003
Microsoft Certified Trainer
Microsoft MVP - Directory Services
Technical Blogs & Videos: http://www.delawarecountycomputerconsulting.com/
This post is provided AS-IS with no warranties or guarantees and confers no rights.

Open DNS

My very much up-to-date Safari has been exceptionally neurotic. The day begins at lightning speed, then slows down, then, from time to time, Safari simply knocks out my internet connection.
I've seen others here suggesting one could add 208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220 in their DNS menu. I haven't done it yet, simply when I click "+" to do so, my current numbers disappear. I was hoping the two series of numbers above could be added rather than substituted, so that if there was a problem with the two suggested numbers, I could revert back to the old ones, provided by, I assume, my internet provider Verizon.
Any thoughts on the above?

How did you add them?
If you are using a single computer: Open System Preferences/Network. Double click on your connection type, or select it in the drop-down menu, and in the box marked 'DNS Servers' add the following two numbers:
208.67.222.222
208.67.220.220
(You can also enter them if you click on Advanced and then DNS)
Sometimes reversing the order of the DNS numbers can be beneficial in cases where there is a long delay before web pages start to load, and then suddenly load at normal speed:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2296
If your computer is part of a network: please refer to this page: http://www.opendns.com/start/bestpractices/#yournetwork and follow the advice given.
(An explanation of why using Open DNS is both safe and a good idea can be read here: http://www.labnol.org/internet/tools/opendsn-what-is-opendns-why-required-2/2587 /
Open DNS also provides an anti-phishing feature: http://www.opendns.com/solutions/homenetwork/anti-phishing/ )
Wikipedia also has an interesting article about Open DNS:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenDNS

TRY OPEN DNS OR GOOGLE'S NAMEBENCH TO RESOLVE SAFARI 5 ISSUES

HI,
2 DAYS AGO, I EXPERIENCED ALL THE PROBLEMS YOU GUYS ARE HAVING WITH THE SAFARI 5 UPGRADE. I THEN SAW A POST ABOUT OPEN DNS CODES CLICKED ON THE ARTICLE ABOUT IT AND PLUGGED IN THE APPROPRIATE NUMBERS. HAS WORKED FINE SINCE. SOMEONE ELSE POSTED ABOUT DNS CODES AND USING GOOGLE'S NAMEBENCH WHICH I HAVEN'T TRIED SINCE THE INTERNET SPEED I AM AT CURRENTLY SUFFICES. HERE IS THE LINK FOR GOOGLE'S NAMEBENCH FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS TO DOWNLOAD IT: http://code.google.com/p/namebench/ USING THE OPEN DNS RESOLVED ALL ISSUES THAT SAFARI 5 HAD WHEN I UPGRADED. WORKS FINE AND I HAVEN'T EXPERIENCED ANY PROBLEMS SINCE. HERE'S THE ARTICLE EXPLAINING OPEN DNS: http://appletoolbox.com/2010/06/safari-5-0-hangs-while-loading-pages-fix/

No, that link doesn't work but the information is correct!
Adding DNS codes to your Network Preferences, should give good results in terms of speed-up as well as added security:
If you are using a single computer: Open System Preferences/Network. Double click on your connection type, or select it in the drop-down menu, and in the box marked 'DNS Servers' add the following two numbers:
208.67.222.222
208.67.220.220
(You can also enter them if you click on Advanced and then DNS)
Sometimes reversing the order of the DNS numbers can be beneficial in cases where there is a long delay before web pages start to load, and then suddenly load at normal speed:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2296
If your computer is part of a network: please refer to this page: http://www.opendns.com/start/bestpractices/#yournetwork and follow the advice given.
(An explanation of why using Open DNS is both safe and a good idea can be read here: http://www.labnol.org/internet/tools/opendsn-what-is-opendns-why-required-2/2587 /
Open DNS also provides an anti-phishing feature: http://www.opendns.com/solutions/homenetwork/anti-phishing/ )
Wikipedia also has an interesting article about Open DNS:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenDNS

Open DNS better than Comcast xfinity DNS?

Is OpenDNS better than using Comcast/xfinity's DNS? If yes, how do I switch over?
I go to into Airport Utility and enter in the 2 openDNS numbers, something like 222 and 220, but at the bottom of the page right now (because I am using Comcast's DNS) there's a web address something.comcast.net Do I need to change that info too? If so, what do I put in that field?
Thanks!

How did you add them?
If you are using a single computer: Open System Preferences/Network. Double click on your connection type, or select it in the drop-down menu, and in the box marked 'DNS Servers' add the following two numbers:
208.67.222.222
208.67.220.220
(You can also enter them if you click on Advanced and then DNS)
Sometimes reversing the order of the DNS numbers can be beneficial in cases where there is a long delay before web pages start to load, and then suddenly load at normal speed:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2296
If your computer is part of a network: please refer to this page: http://www.opendns.com/start/bestpractices/#yournetwork and follow the advice given.
(An explanation of why using Open DNS is both safe and a good idea can be read here: http://www.labnol.org/internet/tools/opendsn-what-is-opendns-why-required-2/2587 /
Open DNS also provides an anti-phishing feature: http://www.opendns.com/solutions/homenetwork/anti-phishing/ )
Wikipedia also has an interesting article about Open DNS:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenDNS

OPEN DNS not supported by APPLE?

I understand from talking to someone who is an apple service provider that Apple does not support the use of OPEN DNS. He told me was able to upgrade to Safari 5 with no problems using his default settings. I have been fine since using OPEN DNS. Prior to this, I was experiencing all the problems most of you have seem to have been experiencing since the Safari 5 upgrade (freezing, etc).
Should I try to delete the Safari 5 I have and download a new one? It sounds like people are still having the same issues. Why wouldn't Apple support OPEN DNS? My understanding is that it is perfectly safe to do so?

I understand from talking to someone who is an apple service provider that Apple does not support the use of OPEN DNS
Rubbish.
Adding DNS codes to your Network Preferences, should give good results in terms of speed-up as well as added security:
If you are using a single computer: Open System Preferences/Network. Double click on your connection type, or select it in the drop-down menu, and in the box marked 'DNS Servers' add the following two numbers:
208.67.222.222
208.67.220.220
(You can also enter them if you click on Advanced and then DNS)
Sometimes reversing the order of the DNS numbers can be beneficial in cases where there is a long delay before web pages start to load, and then suddenly load at normal speed:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2296
If your computer is part of a network: please refer to this page: http://www.opendns.com/start/bestpractices/#yournetwork and follow the advice given.
(An explanation of why using Open DNS is both safe and a good idea can be read here: http://www.labnol.org/internet/tools/opendsn-what-is-opendns-why-required-2/2587 /
Open DNS also provides an anti-phishing feature: http://www.opendns.com/solutions/homenetwork/anti-phishing/ )
Wikipedia also has an interesting article about Open DNS:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenDNS

OPEN DNS HAS SOLVED MY SAFARI 5 ISSUES

Thought previously that the disk permissions would completely resolve the issue but was still experiencing some problems that others have described. Saw another post on open dns so googled it and found this article: http://appletoolbox.com/2010/06/safari-5-0-hangs-while-loading-pages-fix/
Plugged in the numbers for the open dns and all seems to be fine in the Safari 5 universe now!

No, that link doesn't work but the information is correct!
Adding DNS codes to your Network Preferences, should give good results in terms of speed-up as well as added security:
If you are using a single computer: Open System Preferences/Network. Double click on your connection type, or select it in the drop-down menu, and in the box marked 'DNS Servers' add the following two numbers:
208.67.222.222
208.67.220.220
(You can also enter them if you click on Advanced and then DNS)
Sometimes reversing the order of the DNS numbers can be beneficial in cases where there is a long delay before web pages start to load, and then suddenly load at normal speed:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2296
If your computer is part of a network: please refer to this page: http://www.opendns.com/start/bestpractices/#yournetwork and follow the advice given.
(An explanation of why using Open DNS is both safe and a good idea can be read here: http://www.labnol.org/internet/tools/opendsn-what-is-opendns-why-required-2/2587 /
Open DNS also provides an anti-phishing feature: http://www.opendns.com/solutions/homenetwork/anti-phishing/ )
Wikipedia also has an interesting article about Open DNS:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenDNS

I cannot highlight more than one e-mail. I am concerned about this when I am in the Junk mailbox. I do not want to open any e-mails that are in this mailbox.

I cannot highlight more than one e-mail. I am concerned about this when I am in the Junk mailbox. I do not want to open any e-mails that are in this mailbox.

Two thoughts:
1. You never need to open any emails in the junk mailbox. You can simply do Mailbox > Erase Junk Mail from Mail's menu.
2. What happens if you hold the shift key after highlighting the first in a series of emails, then click the second one with the shift key depressed? That should hightlight both.

Open DNS vs TWC DNS (Dallas)

Should I use an open DNS or stay with TWC DNS (Dallas, TX)?
Are there really benefits to speak of as a second year Computer Engineering student?
Thanks all.

This is a comment on OpenDNS and other public domain-name system (DNS) services, such as Google DNS. You should use such a service if it solves a problem for you, and not if it creates problems you don't already have. To summarize:
1. Using public DNS will probably not make your network faster, and may make it slower.
2. It will probably not stop your browser from being redirected when you try to connect to a valid web address.
3. It will not make you safer from malware attacks.
4. It could cause confidential information to be compromised.
5. It has other privacy implications that you should take into account.
A DNS server resolves the human-readable "domain name" of an Internet host, such as www.apple.com, to the numerical address by which that host can be reached. The process is analogous to looking up a phone number by name. There is no chance that changing the DNS server you use will have any effect on a network problem not related to name resolution.
There are two valid reasons why you might want to use a public DNS service:
The DNS servers provided by your ISP are misconfigured (perhaps deliberately) or don't perform well.
You have a use for the filtering controls provided by OpenDNS and others.
Although some DNS services are touted as responding faster than others, there will be no noticeable difference if your ISP is delivering what you pay for. Most likely, the difference in response time among the DNS servers available to you is on the order of a hundredth of a second or less. But under some conditions, public DNS will significantly slow down network performance. Here is a case in point.
A content-distribution network (CDN), such as the one used by Apple to deliver software updates and iTunes content, relies on the location of the DNS server to optimize performance. If your query goes to a distant server, you may get slow downloads of Apple content, among other things. From the report of a test carried out by a networking consultant:
We listed 9 CDNs that would benefit from supporting/using edns-client-subnet, and only two actually support edns-client-subnet: CDN77 and ChinaCache. Others, including Akamai, Internap and CDNetworks, do not currently. This really is too bad, because from the performance data we collected, it is clear these CDNs deliver (much) worse performance currently in many countries to Google DNS and OpenDNS users.
Another reason often given for using public DNS is to avoid "redirection," that is, false results from a query for a valid domain name. Ethical ISP's do not intentionally redirect valid DNS queries, though it might happen unintentionally because of a misconfiguration; for example, because the address of a network host has recently changed, or because of a "poisoning" attack on the DNS server. Recently, some low-quality commercial ISP's such as CenturyLink have taken to redirecting DNS queries for search engines such as Google. Do not tolerate this practice. If your ISP is doing it, then you should demand that the redirection be stopped, or else switch to another ISP. Note that many ISP's may, and OpenDNS certainly will, redirect invalid queries to ad sites, in violation of published standards for DNS.
Some ISP's have been said to re-route all DNS queries to their own name servers, regardless of where the queries were directed. This is another intolerable practice. I don't know of any commercial ISP that is currently doing this, but if yours is, you won't be able to use a public DNS service, even if you change the network settings on your computer or router.
If your Internet access is provided by an employer or institution, rather than a commercial ISP, then you have to take what is dished out.
The claims on the OpenDNS website that it blocks malware attacks such as "Flashback" are false advertising. A DNS service does not and cannot block anything. All it can do is to selectively refuse to answer queries. It's trivial for a malware attacker to evade such controls. It's just as easy to evade the parental controls offered by OpenDNS. Nevertheless, you may find those control features useful, despite their limitations. Here is an example of an ASC user who had undesirable results from OpenDNS content filtering.
There is one exception to the rule that OpenDNS and Google DNS don't improve performance. The "prefetching" performed by modern web browsers, including Safari, may confuse some DNS servers, with the effects described in this Apple Support article. The article suggests testing OpenDNS, Google DNS, or another third-party DNS service as a possible way to overcome the problem.
If you need to switch DNS providers because of a misconfiguration of your ISP's servers, the change will most likely only need to be temporary. The problem may be resolved automatically within a matter of hours.
If you intend to use public DNS, such as OpenDNS, on a long-term basis, you should be aware of the privacy implications. As a user of the free service, you are not an OpenDNS customer, and the service provider — a for-profit corporation — doesn't have a contract with you. The marketers to whom OpenDNS sells access and information are its customers.
OpenDNS will know, and store, the address of every Internet server you use from now on. This is from its privacy policy:
When you use our Services, OpenDNS stores certain DNS, IP address and related information about you to improve the quality of our Service, to provide you with Services and for internal business and analysis purposes.
Concerning personal information, the policy states:
...[I]t is disclosed to entities that perform marketing services on our behalf or to other entities with whom we have joint marketing agreements...
You can't opt out of those disclosures. Read the privacy policy carefully and draw your own conclusions. The privacy policy of Google DNS seems to be somewhat more benign, but again, you should judge for yourself.
That's not the worst of it, though. The practice of hijacking nonexistent domains followed by most public DNS services could result in leaking confidential information to a hacker:
For example, consider the "same origin trust model" used for Web cookies. If you're holding a cookie for GOOGLE.COM and you can be fooled into following a link to KJHSDFKJHSKJHMJHER.GOOGLE.COM, and the resulting NXDOMAIN response is remapped into a positive answer to some advertising server, then you're going to send your cookie to that advertising server when you send your HTTP GET request there. Not such a bad thing for a GOOGLE.COM cookie, but a real problem for a BANKOFAMERICA.COM cookie.
To emphasize, NXDOMAIN remapping is not something that only happens when you randomly mistype a domain name. It can be exploited deliberately by malicious links placed on any web page. In the case of OpenDNS, the result would be that a cookie intended for another server would be sent to the OpenDNS web server instead. A rogue OpenDNS employee, or anyone who managed to break into the web server, might then be able to impersonate you on another website. If this scenario seems far-fetched, it's the stuff that network exploits are made of.
See also a brief. somewhat outdated, critique of OpenDNS on a Harvard Law School blog, with a response from the company's founder.

Open DNS and internet sharing

I am seeing strange behavior, and wondering if anyone has a thought about what is going on.
I am at a hotel with fast internet service over ethernet, but, for whatever reason, DNS seems very slow if I use DHCP to connect (timeouts of 5-10 secs to get to a new site). If I switch to DHCP with fixed DNS, and use the Open DNS servers (208.67.222.222, 208.67.220.220) the latency issues go away.
The interesting thing is that I am sharing the internet connection over Airport to my wife's computer (she connecting thru DHCP). If I use a fixed DNS for MY computer, then her computer cannot connect thru internet sharing. But if I use the (slow) DHCP connection, then she can connect through mine. I have not tried setting up her computer with a fixed DNS, as she really doesn't like me to change settings on her computer
Is this a known limitation of internet sharing, or is there something I should know?
TIA

In more detail, if my ethernet (the computer that is doing the sharing), is set up with Configure: Using DHCP, and DNS Server: 208.67.222.222, 208.67.220.220 (in Network Panel for Ethernet), then the computer connecting thru Internet Sharing in Sharing Panel is not able to access some or all resources thru http (ie, pages fail to load, or do not fully load).
However, if I clear the DNS Server part in the Network Panel, thereby using the the DNS Servers supplied by the hotel, then my computer's connection to the internet is slower, with long waits (presumably due to a slow DNS server), but computers accessing the internet via Airport thru my shared connection are able to browse the internet successfully.
I suspect that when I have a fixed DNS server in my computer, that fact is not broadcast to computers using the shared connection. But I am not an expert in TCP/IP, and may well be confused about how DHCP, DNS, and Apple's Internet Sharing work together.
Thanks for any ideas you have
A

Having trouble setting up Open DNS with mac.

When I try to set up Open DNS I get the following error message:
Safari can’t open the page “http://192.168.1.1/Basic.tri” because the server unexpectedly dropped the connection. This sometimes occurs when the server is busy. Wait for a few minutes, and then try again.
I have a Linksys router. I can get the router so save the settings using my Microsoft laptop, but I get an "oops" error message from Open DNS saying I am not set up on their site and just sends me back to step one. Does this sound familiar to anyone?

No, you cannot put the router in front of the modem.
You might look for any information your ISP gave you for your modem, such as a user guide. Or use the instructions at OpenDNS for a Motorola router, it should be similar. Remove the router and directly connect just one computer to the modem and try to access the modem's built in utility, as you have with your Linksys router. Motorola's default address appears to be "http://192.168.10.1/", the default username is "admin", and the password "password". If you encounter a question about obtaining the DNS service dynamically, check NO, then handset the OpenDNS servers, save and possibly restart the modem.
If you are successful in configuring the modem, go back to the router and leave the DNS settings blank, as well as on each computer. Then the computers should receive the service dynamically from the modem.
After all that, hopefully the OpenDNS website detects you using their service and allows you to proceed with setting up your account.
Dah•veed

Problems setting up open DNS

I have been trying for several days to get open dns set up on my home network and imac and am running into a wall. I have installed the correct numbers on my router and even added them to my modem. I checked on my imac ethernet network settings and the dns numbers are displayed there correctly. I have been in contact with Open DNS through a service ticket and been on their forum and tried multiple solutions. I appear to be using the open dns connections but even after multiple attempts to adjust my settings, I cant get it to filter Adult sites (I did set up an account as directed). Im about ready to give up on the service but thought I would try hear to see if this might be a common issue and if anyone has recommendations??

If you goto http://opendns.com
if you are using their service you should see in your browser.
If you are able to access a pron site that you accessed prior to turning on filtering then this problem may be due to the browsers caching the information.
I would suggest you clear your browsers caches.
also clear the dns cache on your mac use the following command in your terminal
dscacheutil -flushcache
also use the following command to list what dns servers your mac is using and post the results so I can check them.
/usr/sbin/scutil --dns | grep nameserver

Should I have concerns about the integrity of Best Buy's Mac sales?

I bought my iMac OS X, Early 2008 Model from a Best Buy store. I was a naive & pensive 1st time [ever] PC buyer. The sales [kid] led me to an iMac that had been returned, and referred to it as an "open box sale." I was re-assured the Mac had been completely "wiped clean of all..." After setting it up at home, I found out different; and the previous owner had it for 4 months! Earlier at B.Buy the sales kid told me after asking "why was it returned?" His reply, "Because the screen was too big." His answer certainly didn't make sense to me then, or when I discovered [at home] that it took the 1st owner [him] so long to decide it wasn't what he wanted. So I packed up my Mac & returned to the B.Buy store to have everything cleared.
I knew I had a lot of trial & error lessons on my hands, not being a computer literate person, but evidently I like a good challenge; and that it has been! No complaints; at first I was concerned about 'doing something wrong'. I was re-assured by the Geek Squad, "You can't harm it; just explore your Mac to get to know it." Well, needless to say, not being able to follow instructions in Owner's Manuals, I'm more of a "slowly SHOW me HOW TO, and what's what" type of learner. I had to Google everything pertaining to PC terminology, steps on how to download & install, files, folders, using delete/trash, keeping all in place/order and NOT duplicating [and which one to keep if I did!] Please don't think I'm stupid; my Mac has been properly stored for 6 years, minus 8 months. I was not in the position in my life to have it set up in a secure environment. Since Jan 2014, my Mac & I have spent many hours, equalling weeks & months face-to-[screen] face!
I've had many problems since installing OS X Mavericks 10.9.4; and was very apprehensive updating due to the many unfavorable Reviews I had been researching. But I couldn't keep ignoring Apple's repeated recommendations of keeping every item updated. So I eventually found my way to all info, ON ONE PAGE! Yipee! I could not believe what I was reading! Even though I was aware my APPLE apps, plug-ins, utilities, etc. were not auto updating [set to do so]. I FINALLY found my Mac's PROBLEM. My main software, Snow Leopard (10.6.8) is GROSSLY OUTDATED! I totally spaced that due to my Mac being packed away for so long. So I'm working on that. I'M SHARING all MY INFO hoping to help other's who are at my technical level. SO all YOU COMPUTER WHIZZES can SCOFF, GIGGLE all YOU WANT . I take no offense, I'm kidding ☀️.
BUT!! Since learning how & where to navigate through the system's files & such, and seeing documents, folders and files that strike me as odd, I have a NAGGING ITCH something is there from the ORIGINAL OWNER. He CREATED SOMETHING, a way into my system, CURRENTLY. I've had to Google 'plist names', and with the help of a very longtime good Facebook friend in New York State, I am learning more from his knowledge & advice. ALL my APPLE security settings are set-up, deny's & allows, and I'm not downloading Videos from MeTube , or anywhere else for that matter. I only download SAFE game apps, and I'm the ONLY user. ANY IDEAS or SUGGESTIONS COMP WHIZZES? Besides updating my software; I'm just trying to find out [on that subject] if I have to buy, download/install all Software Programs of past to be able to run the current OS X Mavericks? Which I read already has a 10.9.5 version. I wanted to become a part of the "Preview Program" for Yosemite; but nope, I cannot!
REASONS for MY PREVIOUS OWNER Concerns: My system got so bad, while attempting to Chat on fb w/one friend; every letter I typed, the rainbow ball would spin forever, highlight & delete partial words, and would totally crash. I downloaded an anti Virus app for Mac; scanned my system [took forever]; ending w/a report of 55 VIRUSES!! Many files could not be scanned too. My Mac HD Encrypted Logical Partition Drive un-mounted at least two times, and there's one too many files than there should be. But the file name was not shown, only that the count is off. HELP?
Message was edited by: SFO.13

While I am no fan of Best Buy and would not buy a lightbulb from them I doubt you issues have anything to do with your iMac and more to do with your lack of experience and simply getting bad advice. Judging by you post I suspect you have loaded your computer down with a lot of crapware and that has caused it's problems. For example running antivirus apps on a Mac not only is a waste of time, it's a waste of money, system resources and will eventually create more problems that it solves. Please begin educating yourself on the subject by reading Thomas Reeds articles on the subject, Thomas is a frequent and knowledgeable contributor to these forums. You can find his webpage at http://www.reedcorner.net/tech-guides/
The good news is here are absolutely no, zero, zippo viruses for OS X. There are other types of malware available (for example trojans) however they differ greatly from viruses in that the use has to download and install them, whereas viruses do not work that way. OS X is not like MS Windows and is extremely secure.
My suggestion at this point would be to clean your computer of the crapware (including antivirus apps) however before doing so please download and install EtreCheck and post its report. Then we can see how your computer has been configured and begin to give you some advice on the next steps.

Stealth mode connection attempts? Reason for Open DNS in router settings?

Console is giving me repeated messages (many times per minute) that read
"Stealth Mode connection attempt to UDP xxxx from 208.67.222.222:53"
That's a little scary to the uninitiated! I've done some rummaging here and across the net on this. I understand little of what I found or how to stop this. I understand that the 208.67.222.222 is Open DNS related. I was glad to discover that as I originally thought some malicious computer somewhere was trying to gain access to my MacBook Pro. I thought I'd delete the DNS servers to see if that would help, but they are greyed out in the Preferences--Network--DNS panel and cannot be removed.
From what I've investigated, those Open DNS servers are set in the router. I know how to change or delete those, but maybe I shouldn't. In fact, maybe someone can remind me why I put them in there in the first place (years ago). I vaguely recall some advantage to using Open DNS (faster?), although I'll confess that, of late, too often mistyped web addresses go to an Open DNS page, which is a nuisance.
In any event, I'd like to do something that would stop the stealth mode "attacks". While I'm sure I could ignore it, maybe it's eating up some browser or network time. It also seems odd that it would go on and on!

Thanks for some info on this. Should I only see it then, when I'm in a browser? Or, when wi-fi is on? I'm assuming that the Mac may be checking what time it is, although it seems a little too frequent for that! (3 times a minute? Well, maybe that's about right, but then Apple and Open DNS should coordinate so that this message doesn't show up.)
I did find this: http://forums.opendns.com/comments.php?DiscussionID=1785
Does that make sense? It's completely benign? And doesn't waste CPU cycles?
One problem with all this stealth mode logging is that it fills up the Console message window! It thus means that there is gobs of stuff I have to wade through to see if there really is something going on from the outside!
I did find two oddballs in there (I don't think they were open DNS as they weren't 208s), so the firewall is doing something.

Is Open DNS a good choice

We are having problems with very slow download speeds from our server company, and they blame it on Airport. A couple of people online have suggested using Open DNS as an alternative. Does anyone have advice pro or con on this?
Thanks

Mike,
I started using Open Dns in February of this year. I love it. The reason why I changed was because my isp was jerking around with installing their own search engine. (to grab extra income from search referals) I was getting a lot of redirects, especially when I was going to one of my primary financial sights. Since going to Open Dns, all of these redirects ceased to exist. I also use it for my 10 year old Dell PC which I use as a back up, and believe it or not, it is noticeably faster with the Open Dns. I elected to install it in each of my computers, even though you can actually install it in yor router, if you have one.
I like their security feature, and have mine set on medium. The medium setting blocks adware, *****, and even the swinsuit advertisements for Sports Illustrated. I do find that their logging capability for blocked sites to be a nice feature also, especially if you have kids using your computers. I would say that it is the best thing I've ever gotten for free. But you are doing the right thing by investigating it before making any decisions about its use. Of course, if you don't like it, you can always go back to using what you have now.
Carolyn Samit, who posts on this board, is the person who clued me in about O Dns.

A Concern About Open DNS

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