Modes and profiles
Excubia's four modes (Ask, Allow silently, Block silently, Block everything), timed blocking, and the difference between the Standard and Expert profiles.
The mode decides what happens to connections without a rule; the profile decides how often Excubia asks and how many options it shows.
Modes
| Mode | What it does |
|---|---|
| Ask | asks what to do when an app without a rule tries to connect (default) |
| Allow silently | allows connections without a rule; block rules still apply |
| Block silently | blocks connections without a rule; allow rules still apply |
| Block everything | cuts your Mac off the internet: every connection is blocked, rules included |
You choose the mode in the Overview, in Settings › Protection, from the mode menu in the menu bar panel and with Shortcuts. In Block everything the shield in the menu bar is crossed out.
Timed blocking
In the menu bar panel, next to Block everything, the Block everything for a while menu offers 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour or 2 hours. Until the end time Block everything applies, then the previous mode returns; the filter ends it on time even with the app closed. End now stops it early. The widget and Shortcuts can also start timed blocking.
Profiles
You choose the profile in Settings › Profile.
- Standard (default): asks only about third-party apps, once per app. macOS, Apple software and Mac App Store apps connect without asking. A rule on an app also covers its helper processes; incoming connections aren’t checked.
- Expert: alerts per host and per helper process, and five switches in Settings › Protection:
| Option | At first |
|---|---|
| Allow Apple software | on |
| Allow signed apps (signed with Developer ID) | off |
| Check incoming connections | off |
Allow macOS components (programs in /System, /usr, /bin, /sbin, excluding /usr/local) | off |
| Allow Mac App Store apps | off |
These allowances apply in Ask mode; in Allow or Block silently the mode decides first. Rules, in any case, always come first: see Rules.