School suddenly has a problem with portable apps

Well, the false positive got their panties in a knot. Tell them, plain and simple, that PA doesn't write to the hard drive. Also, don't quote me, but I don't think infected files will run through the suite. Somebody'll have to confirm/correct me.

It couldn't hurt to say their software sucks.

Load the file to Virustotal.com, and print the result, if possible.

It's all about the control. They don't much care what you run as long as they can monitor you and what you click on, your cookies, your history file and so on. PortableApps seriously impedes their ability to keep tabs on you. Sadly, that's what it's all about.

-IP

The school is also REALLY paranoid about viruses and thought that I was messing up a program with some program on my flash drive. They told me I had to remove all my apps from my flash drive or just not use it at all.

I chose not to use it at all and keep all my portable apps.

Just got out of high school myself and due to undergoing some very special circumstances all throughout it, I am well used to getting a point across to school administration. Perhaps I can assist further and craft you an argument that you can pass along verbatim or just use it for yourself.

As far as I can see, there are three main issues here.

First, the alleged virus.

This is most definitely what is known in the tech world as a "false positive". This means that the program operates in a way or simply appears to be similar to a virus, when in fact, it is not one. The main reason for this with PortableApps is their use of a program known as UPX, or the Universal Packer for eXecutables to help shrink the size of the program in order to make better use of the relatively limited capacity of thumb drives. What this program does is almost identical to placing a file into a .zip file, in that it makes that file smaller. However, this packing makes the file hard for the virus scanner to recognize which causes the virus scanner to respond in a manner similar to "this file is trying to hide something, it must be hiding something malicious", which is entirely untrue. PortableApps.com prides itself in its reputation as completely free, including virus-free. Most of these false positives are quickly corrected as soon as the virus program updates its definition files. There are no viruses here.

Second, the installation of "unauthorized applications"

While I don't see this explicitly addressed here, if it is against the school's technology use policy to install programs, then this may be an issue. However, one of the absolute, immutable standards here is that the host computer cannot be PERMANENTLY modified IN ANY WAY. Now, many of these programs do write files and settings to the computer as they run, but this is not malicious. Also, these applications are REQUIRED to clean up after themselves, so when the program exits, there are no changes to the computer. If you were to install a program locally (normally), this would not be the case, as the program would be left there on the computer, with all of its settings and files, possibly affecting how the computer runs or doing such things as monitoring the use of the computer in the future (such as spyware). This is absolutely not the case with these applications. When the program closes, it as if it was never there.

Third, the administration's ability to monitor your activity

No system administrator with any number of computers to manage anywhere monitors all of the computers by logging in to every one and reading every log for every user. These actions are all centralized, and as such, the school's ability to monitor your actions is not affected by your use of these applications. Say for example your internet browsing. True, the school cannot read your history on the computer, because you take that with you on your flash drive. But that isn't what they read anyway. They see network usage logs, which are made at the network level.

Think of it this way. Your school is an office building with a gated fence. Inside that fence is your school and its computers. Outside that fence is the internet. You sit down at a desk every day and work, but when you want to get online, what you do is write out a memo and the office lackey goes out through the fence to the internet to bring back the page you want and bring it to your desk. One day you decide the company forms are far too complicated, so you print your own forms that contain all of the information needed, but in a much more readable format. Your boss comes to you and tells you that since you have started using your own memo forms, they can no longer monitor what you are sending for. Well, this isn't true because your boss never reads the memos, what he really does is gets a sign-in sheet from the gate guard who tracks everything that goes in and out. Even though you're using different memo forms, the gate log is still 100% the same. That's how network usage logging works.

Now, the reason proxy sites are a no-no is because, to go back to my previous analogy, it's like having the lackey go out and get a page from the ACME corporation, but ACME products are against company policy, so the lackey goes out and gets the page but then wraps it up in a BETA corporation packing box. Now when he goes through the gate, he tells the guard that he has a box from BETA corporation which is just fine. In internet terminology, what this looks like is that up in the address bar--the place where you type www,google,com or www,portableapps,com (using commas to avoid automatic link parsing)--rather than seeing those addresses, what you see is www,abcd,com/biglongrandom*(&$)#*%394s'flh.... So your network admin sees www,abcd,com when you were REALLY at www,xyz,com, which is a means of keeping the school from seeing that you were at www,xyz,com when you weren't supposed to be. This is something done by a website, not a portable application. However, PortableApps.com does nothing of the sort. At the very least, your school needs to reclassify this website. PortableApps.com is NOT a proxy website. It never has been. It never will be. It is a legitimate software website.

Now back to the school's ability to monitor your computer usage.

1. Portable applications do not in any way bypass network monitoring (the "gate guard"). Your web browsing history is 100% as visible as it would be using the browser installed on the computer using the same settings.

2. PortableApps.com is NOT a proxy site, nor does it help users to subvert web filtering. There have been a few forum threads of users asking for help to do so, and the community here has not gone out of its way to help them, and from what I've seen, they didn't really get an answer.

3. If your school uses VNC as you seem to think, then they are able to see 100% of what they could see if they were sitting right over your shoulder. You can't monitor any more closely than that.

4. The specification here for host cleanup does not include the MRU (Most Recently Used) list. This means that although all of the settings for the program are cleaned up, there is still a log on the computer that indicates what program was run and when. If they wanted to know what programs you ran, it's there.

5. The argument that "we know you did something but we don't know exactly what" applies to normal program use as well. There is no way that they have the time or resources to know EXACTLY what every user on every computer is doing all the time. However, they can get a decent idea, and portable apps do not hinder this process.

Now, while it is understandable that your school's administration and system admins have important jobs to do and can't take the time to make exceptions for every single student's usage habits, blanket bans out of ignorance are only acceptable in the very short term. There is no such thing as a secure, networked computer, period. However, you don't see them pulling the plug on the internet, do you? There are threats everywhere, but jumping at shadows leads to backwards thinking. Present your case in a reasonable manner, and show them that you're not trying to subvert their system. DEFINITELY don't use the "your software sucks" line, because then you'll just come across as a rebel and a punk, which gets you nowhere. If that doesn't work, perhaps you could put them in contact with John but I'm not sure how he'd feel about that so try reasoning with them yourself first.

Good luck

q

As one who has been bitten by an autorun/autoplay that made something run automatically that I didn't want to run, I tend to consider them security risks, no matter whether they have been corrupted by a Trojan or not. (I don't suppose you could get things to work if you deleted the autorun file?)

It sounds like the autorun alarm brought your habits to their attention. Too bad.

If they are going to play their "control" game, I'd recommend against trying to bypass the policy behind their backs. You can get into too much trouble for something that is very innocent. With their policy all they have to say is "you tried to run something not on the list", not "you tried to run something that damaged our network". In other words, they get you for violating the policy, not for doing something bad, which means they elevate policy violation to the level of sabotage and theft, regardless of whether you actually do or mean any harm.

One way of thinking of this is that they are teaching you what it is like in the "real world", where things aren't always fair. Your ideal career might take you to a company where they have similar unfair or ignorant policies, and you might do well to get used to it now, not do risky things like trying to bypass their restrictions.

Which leaves as your only alternative (to using the software they have selected for you) that you petition to have the PA platform and apps added to the list of approved apps. Maybe not all of them, but certainly the ones that are well known and tested, have clear licensing terms, and do things better and more securely than their choices (e.g. Firefox). The same would apply to other software. Make a specific educational case for it, such as how you would use it as a learning tool, and how it is better as an educational tool than their choice, how the licensing is clear and won't cost them anything (in other words, point out that the FOSS licensing model is an antidote to misuse of more restrictive software and can be a part of a strong moral stand against piracy). Acknowledge that the school administration has a responsibility to make sure the computers are not misused, and that they have the right to control their own network, no matter how arbitrary that control might be. Emphasize the security of the PA apps, the fact that they are cryptographically-signed (so they could be safely added to most "allow" lists), do a consistency check upon launch, and are thoroughly tested. Get one or two teachers to endorse your petition, both from a security/usability/technical perspective, and from the perspective of "petition for redress of grievance". Be prepared to give up some PA tools (e.g. the autorun function, or tools that might block their surveillance or get you through their firewall restrictions to a proxy), perhaps even identifying them yourself. Suggest ways they could monitor the apps for compliance, or even point out how that might be easier with these apps than their choices.

I predict that your school will use the "teach them that the real world is not fair" approach and deny your petition, but you might be lucky. At the very least you can get the experience of creating that sort of petition and working through the bureaucratic nonsense that goes with it. Definitely a learning experience. You might be able to get extra credit for it. {grin}

In Spain in general, internet security is VERY relaxed. It wasn't in my shcool. I knew if I used PApps, someone would call my attention. I, before doing anything, asked the propietary of the computers for the permission to use PApps, because they were faster even running of a slow pen drive (as mine) and much faster than his pirated & virus-bloated Xp SP1, M$ Office & Explorer (anyway, there were outdated FF 1.X & 2.X installed in the computers but we weren't allowed to install extensions). He even recommended all my classmates to get a pen drive & install there at home PApps (even he was almost totally ignored, damn them), because he also knew PApps.

13579According to them, it was stated in the network agreement that I signed that I had to use the software they provided, though I remember reading through said agreement and it said nothing about that. I've asked to see a copy.

I could have sworn it was in this thread I read about the woes of a PA.c user who had been denied/refused access to PA.c apps based on a no-compete agreement signed by the owner of the computer network with Microsoft, but in reviewing the posts here, I don't see that stated explicitly. Could have sworn it was here. Unless it was edited?

Anyway, a no-compete is a nasty agreement, but they do exist, e.g. Microsoft would license dozens or perhaps hundreds of copies of Windows and Office to an organization like a public school, with the stipulation that software that competes with Microsoft software, e.g. OpenOffice and AbiWord, or Firefox, not be used on those machines.

If that were the case, you really wouldn't have a limb to stand on; as even though the flash drive is your property, it's executing code on a machine not authorized to run it. Even less would "but Firefox is better than Internet Explorer" be a valid reason. While true, it's entirely beside the point.

It's hard to develop a strong analogy for this situation, but in my best attempt, I offer the Xbox 360. Pretty impressive machine. Tri-core PowerPC with three cores running at 3GHz, 512MB GDDR3 RAM shared by both GPU (on board, I think it's a 500MHz Raedon of some measure) and CPU. Full HD support, 1080p video with up to 6 channels of audio, not quite Blu-Ray level, but near enough. Impressive hardware indeed. You could do a lot with that running Windows, and then you could load Firefox or whatever you wanted, but Microsoft doesn't want you running Windows on it; they sell you an Xbox 360 primarily and solely to play games, because the console is sold at a steep loss, and they expect to make the money back by selling you games for it, which are overpriced, but they make up for the console being underpriced. Again, it's not a very good analogy, but it's the best I got.

I am just glad I've never used a computer under a no-compete agreement. Of course if the no-compete applies to the OS and the Office suite, you can of course get under and around that by booting to a live Linux distro. Unless the cost of the computers was comped by Microsoft as well... and unless the no-compete says you can't have any computers in your network running non-Microsoft operating software. Guess it depends upon how the no-compete was written. Which is why you should never "conditionally" own something like a computer; it should be "yours" outright, if you can help it.

It all just comes down to respect, my point, what I'm getting at, and that's why I love what they do here at PortableApps.com; you can run your software your way on any Windows PC in the world, and the launcher takes steps to respect the computer it runs on.

@13579

How'd it go?

I'm a little late on the boat but opinion still stands. I feel your pain but why are you so concerned? Is it because someone told you that you couldn't? if you don't like the rules, don't use them. You shouldn't be on the computer at school anyway...
...Here's a tip, how about you ask them why they allow users to put USB drives in the computers in the first place...then you can take the right away from everyone.

Hi, I go to a trade High School myself, and am in a trade that revolves around computers. I just want to wish you good luck, considering how lucky I have it, because even my teacher has marveled at the things I had (including letting her access her e-mail because the blocker blocked it lol) see the problem with admins and school security is they don't want you doing anything illegal, and lots of people would use these to get to p*rn, anything, but hey I can get wherever I want with an https proxy on IE! by the sounds of it you weren't using this as a way to shirk off or what-not, so I only hope you don't get in trouble. Schools have bad kids, and because if what the bad kids do, it restricts the creative freedoms of the good kids, and it sucks we have some people like that but we do, and hopefully your bossy admins can see that you are not one of them (We are lucky to have a few admins, quite nice in fact, actually I've played Halo with him XD and even my Information Technology teacher gets annoyed by him he can be a little trigger happy, but I believe, him have gone to my school, realizes there will allows be a way around things, and luckily in our case, only the smart ones (such as me *brags*) know the ways, and who knows, maybe you in the end might convince someone you know more than them for once, cause some people just were never kids with creative ideas and interests themselves.)