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First Mac - should I use a firewall?

T

tctk

macrumors newbie
Original poster
I am new to the macintosh ecosystem - just got a brand-new iMac and so far, it has been a tremendous experience. However, back when I used an ugly and noisy tower running Windows, I was attacked at least once in a hour - Kaspersky blocked the IP addresses, but the intruders kept coming back. Fearing Mac OS X was still concerned by these, I installed Little Snitch, and I hated it. The lack of having to authorize everything and being assaulted by dialog boxes was the very reason I switched to Mac OS X. Is my computer really impervious to attacks and should I do something about it? Thanks in advance, for helping me and welcoming me into this forum which I hope I will contribute to. 😀
 
Even if your Mac is the only device connected to the internet, a NAT router is always a good bet. That, and the built-in firewall (not perfect, but keeps the obvious services shut down) are usually enough to shunt most of the annoying crap. Since I went away from a direct connect, I've had zero hits, and essentially "don't exist" publicly.
 
Thank you for the prompt reply. However, I use a PPPOE connection paired with a broadband modem - I guess that doesn't qualify. Might buy a NAT router, tho. Any other suggestions?
 
To clarify for the benefit of any newbie's who may visit this thread -- all routers you can buy today are NAT Routers. (NAT = Network Address Translation). They function as automatic Hardware firewalls. As long as you're going through one (either wired or wireless, it doesn't matter) you are protected from whatever the internet throws at you. In my opinion, if you are connected directly to your broadband modem, you would do well to drop $50 on a router just for this blanket protection. If cost is an issue, read-up on the built-in OS X software firewall. :apple:
 
A router is always a good investment; if you're really worried you could get a hardware firewall, but methinks if you're that worried you should stop going online in general.
 
eRondeau said:
all routers you can buy today are NAT Routers. (NAT = Network Address Translation). They function as automatic Hardware firewalls
Click to expand...



But RTFM to be sure it is enabled by default, and if not, how to turn it, AND the OTHER security features, on..... 😱
 
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