Firewalls are must-have protection and Macs are no exception. Regardless of the operating system or hardware you choose, you still need to use a firewall. All versions of Mac OS X include a built-in firewall, but you will need to enable it or make a few tweaks for optimum security. Here's how to configure the firewall on Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) and 10.6 (Snow Leopard).
Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: 5 minutes
Here's How:
- Click the Apple icon in the upper left portion of the screen and choose System Preferences.
- Double click to open the Security icon and then select the Firewall tab.
- Click Advanced.
Note: If the Advanced button is grayed out, click the lock to enter your password. - Within the Advanced screen, check each of the following:
- Enable Firewall Logging
- Enable Stealth Mode.
- Click OK then close the Security window to preserve the changes.
Tips:
- New to Macs or looking for general Mac info? Be sure to check out Tom Nelson's macs.about.com.