Little Snitch Expands Its Counter Surveillance Software to Linux

The well-known macOS application Little Snitch has made its way to Linux this week, bringing its network-monitoring capabilities along for the ride. In a recent blog post, a developer from Objective Development shared some initial findings from using the app on Linux: “On Ubuntu, I found 9 system processes making internet connections over the course of one week. On macOS, we counted more than 100.”

While the Linux iteration of Little Snitch offers similar features for monitoring and blocking unwanted connections, it differs in some key aspects. Objective Development clarifies that this version is “not a security tool,” setting it apart from its macOS counterpart.

The developers pointed out that Linux doesn’t inherently enhance app privacy. For example, they observed that Firefox, which comes pre-installed on Ubuntu, was connecting to numerous servers. Even after disabling ads and tracking in the browser settings, Firefox “still connects to some of these servers.” They noted:
> “Each app behaves more or less the same way on all supported platforms. If you install Thunderbird, Visual Studio Code, or any other major player, expect the same kind of metrics you see on other platforms. I found one notable exception, though: LibreOffice. I started LibreOffice Writer just for testing, and it made no network connections at all! Quite unusual these days!”

The Linux version of Little Snitch is now available for free and supports Linux distributions running kernel 6.12 or newer.