Built-in Personal Firewall (Mac OS)

Important Note: Some Schools and Centers manage firewalls via their own network servers. Faculty and staff should speak with their Local Support Provider (LSP) to determine if and how their firewall is being managed.

The Apple Mac OS built-in personal firewall helps to protect your Macintosh from some network attacks. The firewall provides an added level of protection against malicious activity by examining and restricting network traffic to your computer. Information Systems & Computing (ISC) recommends using the built-in firewall in conjunction with other good security practices such as promptly applying Mac OS security patches and setting the current version of Norton AntiVirus for regular, automatic updates.

The Apple Mac OS built-in personal firewall is commonly used with few issues at the University. If you need assistance activating your firewall or if you encounter problems with your firewall, please consult with your local support provider (LSP) as a first step.

Availability

The Apple Mac OS built-in personal firewall is included with the operating system.

Configuration

To activate/configure your system's firewall, do the following:

• From the Apple Menu, select System Preferences... and click the Sharing pane. Click on the Firewall tab. Click the Start button and close System Preferences.

• From the Apple Menu, select System Preferences... and click the Security pane. Click on the Firewall tab. Choose your preferred button and close System Preferences.

Support

Primary computing support is usually located in the schools, units, and residences, close to the faculty, staff, and students being served. Contact lists are available for:

• Faculty Support
• Staff Support
• Student Support

To look up your local support provider, select your University affiliation above. You may also call First Call at 215-573-4778 to request a referral if you are not sure who to contact.

Related resources

• The Penn Information Security web site.