#Mac os firewall how to#
#Mac os firewall software#
#Mac os firewall plus#
#Mac os firewall mac#

In addition, if you see connections that are taking place with an app or service youвЂ™re not familiar with or do not have installed, you might have cause for concern. What you want to look for are repeated blocked attempts from or to specific apps or services on your Mac.

The following image shows a fairly clean log file, with just the iTunes app вЂњlisteningвЂќ and вЂњconnectingвЂќ through the firewall: Clicking on that log file displays a list of all actions that have occurred. Once youвЂ™ve launched Console, go to the left sidebar of the app, look under Files, and then find appfirewall.log under /var/log. It can be found in the Utilities folder thatвЂ™s located in the Applications folder, or easily accessed from the Finder by selecting Go > Utilities. The Console utility in OS X is used to view log files that are created by most system services for the purposes of troubleshooting problems. Your next step is to look at the OS X firewall log, and there are two different ways to do that.

#Mac os firewall software#

The second check box allows software that is signed byВ a valid certificate authority to provide services to your computer (this should be checked), and the last check box makes it impossible for malicious users to even know that your computer exists by turning off responses to test applications that make use of ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol).ДЄt this point, letвЂ™s assume that your OS X firewall has been enabled since you first turned on the computer and youвЂ™re still seeing some odd things happening.

#Mac os firewall plus#

You can add specific applications to the вЂњopenвЂќ connection list by clicking the plus вЂќ + вЂќ sign below the list of allowed connections, then selecting the apps from your Applications folder.

You can choose to block all incoming connections, which provides the highest level of security from intruders, just by checking the top checkbox. Clicking it displays something similar to the following: You shouldnвЂ™t need to change options for the firewall, but if you do, thereвЂ™s a Firewall Options button for just that purpose. If it isnвЂ™t enabled and youвЂ™d like to turn it on, simply click the Turn On Firewall button that is in the same location as the Turn Off Firewall button in the image. YouвЂ™ll know immediately if the firewall is turned on or not if itвЂ™s on, thereвЂ™s a green light and a text notification that the firewall is on (see image below). To enable the OS X firewall, go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy and then click on the Firewall tab.

#Mac os firewall mac#

For example, things like email, information coming into a web browser via the http protocol, and video streaming connections all have specific ports assigned to them, and your Mac - even with the firewall turned on - lets those services work normally. To start with, whatвЂ™s a firewall? Simply stated, itвЂ™s an application that closesВ all or specific internet protocol (IP) ports on your internet connection, allowing only incoming connections that are necessary to the regular operation of your Mac.

#Mac os firewall how to#

HereвЂ™s how to do the same if youвЂ™re feeling as paranoid as I wasвЂ¦ To do this, I watched the OS X firewall log to see what was happening each time the symptoms occurred. But after a few days of perplexing symptoms I decided IвЂ™d better see whether someone or something wasВ actually attempting an attack. Now, IвЂ™m one of those people who always enablesВ the OS X firewall, so the chances of a hacker attack actually occurring were probably pretty slim. Before the holidays, I was running into an odd problem with my new iMac, and when I mean вЂњoddвЂќ, I mean that it was acting as if someone was trying to access my Mac from somewhere else.