Safe Computing - Macintosh Firewalls
Macintosh Firewalls
A firewall is a device, generally a software program for desktop computers, that monitors and controls network traffic. The Mac OS X operating has an easy to use, secure firewall built right into the operating system.
To enable the firewall, simply go to Apple → System Preferences → Sharing → Firewall. To enable the firewall, simply click Start.
To allow your computer to act as a server for a particular service, simply make a check next that service in the list. Please note: client access is not affected by the firewall. So, for example, to make an outgoing SSH connection, you do not need to enable SSH in the firewall. You'd only need to enable SSH if you are running an SSH server (allowing remote access from other computers).
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Last updated: 9/19/07