The VideoLAN Forums

Here's the setting in VLC I'm looking for: "disable all network activity?" [check yes], done. VLC is now permanently in "offline mode." Does this simple setting exist?

Don't really care if the setting disallows incoming connections as well. I'm a recent convert coming from win7 and really missing the application-based firewall which worked so well. gufw is like a fisher-price firewall compared to the windows firewall and custom ipsec rules you could setup with the MS snap-in console. The "accepted solution" appears to be extremely inconvenient, especially when the "arguments" to VLC will be whatever media file is double-clicked.

The other possible solution is an experiential firewall that you need to compile yourself. I don't understand the words: "Quick start: Run lpfw as root. Run python gui/gui.py as regular user." I'm assuming that translates to: "sudo lpfw" and then I don't know what the python bit is.

I noticed in /usr/bin, vlc and vlc-wrapper permissions can be set to a different group. Following the above instructions again, can you simply select group "ni" here for both items and then you're done permanently? They're currently on group "root".

There are no such settings in VLC. That wouldn't work as some of the network access is via third party libraries.

There are no such settings in VLC. That wouldn't work as some of the network access is via third party libraries.

I don't really buy that. The libraries still run under the context of the VLC application no? In win7 it was so easy to block, just select vlc.exe, put a deny on it, and it's not making any outgoing connections, at least for playlist files. So far I've spent so many hours trying to find application firewalls in Linux -- curiously they don't seem to exist. Douane is about the closest I've came, but it acts like an alpha release, especially in non-systemd environments. APF = abandonware.

SELinux = NSA.
AppArmour seems notorious for breaking things. So I haven't even tried these yet.
Firejail shows somewhat promise, although again passing args to VLC == double-clicking media so I don't really see how that works.

It's like this guy asks, have I looked hard enough?

I'll be waiting for your patch since you obviously know better.

I'll be waiting for your patch since you obviously know better.

Your requested lucky 7 lines of code:
It's alive...IT'S ALIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Ahaha. Topic closed.