One sign of OS X ’s overall security savvy is that it has its own work up - in firewall , which is pretty good . But there are many other firewall add - on apps for the Mac , including Brian Hill ’s Flying Buttress 1.4 , Intego ’s NetBarrier X4 , Open Door Networks ’ DoorStop X Security Suite , SustainableSoftworks ’ IPNetSentryX 1.3.1 , and Symantec ’s Norton Personal Firewall 3.0.3 ( see table below below for details ) .
Guarding the gates
How good will these apps keep your Mac ? In blocking traffic , the differences between these products are razor - thin . They all block defective connection traffic and protect your Mac just as they should . But there are two areas where a couple of these apps diminish short .
drudge await for a computer to exploit may pink yours to see if it ’ll reply ; if it does , the answer lets them know what operating organization your electronic computer is running — an excellent starting point for their nefarious games . In our testing , Apple ’s build up - in firewall , Flying Buttress , and Norton all run out the bonce about which OS our test organisation used .
The other trap we found in some of these tools is that basic firewalls just admit or obstruct traffic passing through your meshwork ports . But some programs offer another level of trade protection — intrusion sleuthing . They examine incoming traffic to see whether it ’s doing anything unusual and monish you if they detect anything untrusting . IPNetSentryX and NetBarrier are the only programs we looked at that have invasion - detection dick .
While these program are similarly skilled in protecting your Mac , they differ in informality of exercise . While each one get you specify which web ports you want to impede or allow for open , NetBarrier and Norton make it particularly unsubdivided ; IPNetSentryX , on the other script , requires some ripe web noesis to set up properly .
And each of these apps provide some variety of reporting system , from canonic school text documents that log access attempts to e - mailed notification .
Firewall software compared
( A ) Comes with Mac OS X.
Macworld’s buying advice
When it come to keeping snoops out of your Mac , OS X ’s firewall is all most users really demand . It ’s safe , secure , and free . But its interface is awfully introductory ; for any advanced conformation , you ’ll have to head to Terminal .
Intego ’s NetBarrier X4 gets our nod as the best OS X firewall , thanks to its ease of shape , carload of utile feature , and excellent support . Norton Personal Firewall and DoorStop X Security Suite are also excellent options but extend fewer features . I in person wish ( and use ) Flying Buttress . But its lack of logical supporting and its limited documentation make it a poor choice for the average exploiter .
IPNetSentryX is in a social class all its own . It ’s an intrusion - detection program that ’s really designed for web professional person who know what to face for on their networks and who have a thorough knowledge of TCP , UDP , and IP . If you ’re wondering what I ’m talking about , IPNetSentryX is not for you . But if you ’ve just commence to salivate , it will be a muscular improver to your internet surety tool cabinet .
[ Jeffery Battersby is a connection psychoanalyst at the law firm of Finkelstein & Partners in Newburgh , New York . ]
