Firewall For Mac

What is a Firewall?

If you are new to computing, this is something you should know. Mac users may be familiar with firewall for Mac, as it is built into the system. No matter what kind of computer you are using it should have a fire wall. It’s literally a gatekeeper for your computer. A firewall keeps the shady stuff out, while allowing legitimate traffic to reach your computer without any hassle.

Mac Firewall

Unlike Windows based computers, Apple computers provide an extra level of protection. The Apple Mac OSX firewall actually contains two firewalls to keep users protected.

Apple has taken appropriate steps to protect Mac users, however, there have been instances where a specially designed virus ("Ping of Death"), was able to penetrate the Macintosh firewall security, causing the system to crash. Unfortunately, Mac systems are not 100 percent safe against viruses.

Out of millions of computers in the world working 24x7, there is a very small chance that your system would be attacked. But, sadly, the fact is that there are hackers out there who do little else but search for vulnerable computers. This possibility becomes more prevalent when you work off of unsecured WiFi networks, such as those in coffee shops.

In these hot spots, you are continually exposed to the threat of being hacked. The consequences of a hacked system could be immense. You might lose valuable data, or even financials. You could become a victim of identity theft. Thus it would be wise to install antivirus software on your Mac in addition to the firewall that is provided by Apple computers.

Unix Based Firewall for Mac

Apple computers has protected all OS X versions for Mac with a Unix based firewall. This firewall is called the "ipfw." This firewall is based on the logic of packet filtering. What this does is check all the incoming and out going packages by a large set of predefined rules. This ensures that nothing fishy is going on.

In addition to the "ipfw," there is a socket filter firewall named Leopard. It may also be referred to as the application firewall. This checks an exhaustive list of program applications before it decides whether or not to allow the traffic inside your Mac. In the event the program is not on the list, this firewall for Mac asks you for permission.

The bottom line is that whenever you use a computer - be it PC or Mac - you should always have an extra level of security to protect it from vulnerabilities.

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