Personal Backup X5 Now Backs Up To and From FTP/SFTP Servers

Mac users want to back up their files to and from a variety of locations, and Personal Backup X5 helps them do so. Intego today announced the release of Personal Backup X5 10.5.2, a free update to its popular data protection software. This new version provides performance enhancements, and also offers the ability to back up files to and from FTP and SFTP servers.

Most people who have their own web sites access these sites via FTP, or file transfer protocol. With Personal Backup X5, users can now back up to and from their FTP server, using standard FTP or SFTP (SSH file transfer protocol). To do this, users merely choose Network Drive as either a source or destination for a Personal Backup X5 script, then enter the server’s address (beginning with ftp:// for a standard FTP server, or sftp:// to use secure FTP). Personal Backup X5 doesn’t need to mount the FTP server in the Finder in order to make its backups. These scripts can be scheduled, so users can run a daily backup of files on their FTP server, or back up personal files to an SFTP server at any preset time.

Personal Backup X5 10.5.2 is available now. This version is a free update for all users of Personal Backup X5, and is available for download via NetUpdate, Intego’s automatic update tool. For more information, or to download a demo version of Personal Backup X5, go to this page. For more information about this update, read the press release.

More Complaints Over Apple’s Delayed DNS Patch

Yet another article (deftly titled “Apple in a bind over its DNS patch?”) points out that Apple still hasn’t patched the serious DNS flaw that we have written about several times. The problem is that Apple depends on third-party software, the Berkeley Internet Name Domain (BIND) DNS Server, and this software’s recent releases “may be unstable for some users”. Another problem is that BIND is “used on the vast majority of name serving machines on the Internet.”

Security researchers say it is more important to install patches for this DNS vulnerability than worry about the performance problems it may cause. While Apple may be lagging because of this performance, their delay is, alas, par for the course: at times, it takes Apple as much as three months to patch open source software elements that are used in Mac OS X.

$20 Mail-In Rebate for Purchase of VirusBarrier X5 Dual Protection

If you’re running Windows on your Intel-based Mac, you need Intego VirusBarrier X5 Dual Protection. It’ll give you serious protection from all known viruses, whether they’re aimed at Mac or Windows.

From now through the end of the year, you can purchase VirusBarrier X5 Dual Protection from the US Apple Store (online or retail) and get $20 back from a mail-in rebate.

To purchase from the online Apple Store, use this link. If you have a retail Apple Store near you, just look for the Virus Barrier X5 Dual Protection boxes with a rebate sticker, or download and fill out the rebate form you can find here.

Check Your DNS Server

A lot has been written about the recently discovered DNS vulnerability (including this article we wrote three weeks ago.) But it seems that plenty of DNS servers haven’t been updated. This means that many Internet users are still at risk from this flaw, and you simply won’t know when you type a URL or choose a bookmark whether it’s going to the correct site. If you’re trying to go to a bank, PayPal, eBay or another site where you may need to enter sensitive personal information, you may get hijacked with potentially serious consequences.

Security researcher Dan Kaminsky, who uncovered this vulnerability, runs a blog where he discusses this and other issues, but also offers a way to check your DNS server. To test your DNS server, just click the Check My DNS button in the right-hand column of the site.

In most cases, this server is run by your ISP; if it turns out there’s a problem, you should contact your ISP and prod them to patch their server. At least, if your DNS server is at risk, don’t visit any site where you need to enter sensitive information.

Real Player Needs Security Update, But It’s Hard to Tell Exactly Why

Real Software has released an update to its Real Player software, saying that there are four new vulnerabilities, one of which affects the Mac version of the software. But it’s a bit confusing. The company has posted a matrix to try and help users understand what’s wrong with each version, but it’s pretty hard to follow. Secunia calls these vulnerabilities “highly critical” but lumps them all together, rather than rating each one individually. Suffice it to say that you’re probably better off updating to version 11 of Real Player if you don’t already have it. If you ever use the software, that is.

Use Always-On Encryption with Gmail

Google has announced a new feature in Gmail whereby you can choose to have a permanent encrypted connection to Gmail, no matter which computer you use to access the site.

Google uses “https to protect your password every time you log into Gmail, but we don’t use https once you’re in your mail unless you ask for it (by visiting https://mail.google.com rather than http://mail.google.com). Why not? Because the downside is that https can make your mail slower.” The difference in speed is moot, so it is a good idea to use HTTPS (secure HTTP) whenever you are on a public computer. This is a good idea if you “regularly log in via unencrypted wireless connections at coffee shops or airports or college dorms.”

So Google has added a setting which will always redirect an HTTP connection to an HTTPS connection. In the Settings section of the Gmail page, look at the Browser connection setting, and check Always use https.

From then on, all your connections to Gmail will be protected. Google says that they are in the process of adding this feature to other Google services, such as Google Apps.