mac firewall

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So I was messing around on my mac 09 uni body and just notice in system under firewall that it was turned off, I immediately turned it on, but now im worried about how long its been off. I usually just browse leisurely on my mac book and mostly use it to sync my iPhone and iPad. Should I be worried or is there something i can scan my machine with? Also I have been on a hotel wifi with my mac. I am wondering how the firewall got shut down cause I thought it shipped with it on.
 
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Turn it back off - the default. Use it if you connect to public internet sites such as cafes, that hotel etc.
 
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chas_m

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Many people haven't really got the slightest clue what a firewall is and what it does (or more importantly, doesn't do).

* it doesn't protect you from viruses. The mac doesn't have any.
* it doesn't protect you from malware/scareware/trickware
* it doesn't make your connection secure
* it doesn't stop people from spying on the stuff you send out over a wireless network
* it doesn't prevent remote hacking into your computer. Your Mac does that, not the firewall.

Here's what a firewall DOES do:
1. It protects against Denial of Service (DOS) attacks. Fairly rare these days, usually directed against websites not individuals.

2. It can provide a log of computers/IP addresses that ATTEMPTED to sniff your security. Because you are on a Mac, they didn't get anywhere, and wouldn't have even if the firewall was off.

So, the moral of the story: the software firewall doesn't really do anything to protect you, assist you or help you in real-world conditions. It can, however, conflict with hardware firewalls and cause issues with programs that need to connect to the internet.

Thus, the "best practice" and the way Apple set it are one and the same: leave it off unless you have a very specific reason why you need it on.
 
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Many people haven't really got the slightest clue what a firewall is and what it does (or more importantly, doesn't do).

* it doesn't protect you from viruses. The mac doesn't have any.
* it doesn't protect you from malware/scareware/trickware
* it doesn't make your connection secure
* it doesn't stop people from spying on the stuff you send out over a wireless network
* it doesn't prevent remote hacking into your computer. Your Mac does that, not the firewall.

Here's what a firewall DOES do:
1. It protects against Denial of Service (DOS) attacks. Fairly rare these days, usually directed against websites not individuals.

2. It can provide a log of computers/IP addresses that ATTEMPTED to sniff your security. Because you are on a Mac, they didn't get anywhere, and wouldn't have even if the firewall was off.

So, the moral of the story: the software firewall doesn't really do anything to protect you, assist you or help you in real-world conditions. It can, however, conflict with hardware firewalls and cause issues with programs that need to connect to the internet.

Thus, the "best practice" and the way Apple set it are one and the same: leave it off unless you have a very specific reason why you need it on.

Where do I find these firewall logs?
 

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