Firewall has evolved from being reactive to proactive in preventing threats. From being packet filtering devices to unified threat management devices, users then witnessed the next-generation firewall (NGFW) to the much-awaited ML-Powered NGFW.
“The firewall was a packet-filtering system that inspected the information in the packets by looking at the destination address, its protocol, and the port number used,” read a Palo Alto Networks report referring to the earlier form of firewall.
Benefits of Firewall on Mac and other devices
A firewall offers protection from attacks as a CISA blog puts it – “When your computer is accessible through an internet connection or Wi-Fi network, it is susceptible to attack. However, you can restrict outside access to your computer—and the information on it—with a firewall.”
The Apple platform security offers a firewall on Mac for hardware security and biometrics, system security, encryption and data protection, and network security among others. The firewall, which is a part of the Network Security option, is one of these features. All these options help in securing the said object on the device. However, some users might want to disable the firewall on Mac.
Nearly all versions of a Mac device can be accessed in the same way to enable or disable the Mac firewall. To disable the firewall on a Mac device follow the below-mentioned steps –
- Open the Apple menu
- On the displayed menu items, click on System Preferences…
- When the list of preferences appears, scroll right to Security & Privacy.
- On the following page, select the third option, after General, and File Vault – Firewall besides Privacy.
- While on the same page as in the above step, click on the round radio button with the text Firewall: Off.
- Finally click on OK. This will complete the process to disable the firewall on Mac.
Besides the basic steps mentioned above, disabling Mac Firewall can be done with specific preferences as well. The macOS User Guide – https://support.apple.com/en-in/guide/mac-help/mh11783/mac offers versions to choose from to change its firewall setting on Mac –
Users may find steps to disable or enable firewall on macOS for Ventura 13, Monterey 12, Big Sur 11.0, Catalina 10.15, and Mojave 10.14.
How to disable firewall on Mac versions
- To disable firewall on macOS Ventura 13
- Click on the Apple menu
- System Settings
- Network in the sidebar
- Turn off Firewall.
- To disable the firewall on macOS Monterey 12
- Click on the Apple menu
- Go to System Preferences
- Click Security & Privacy
- Finally, turn off Firewall.
- To disable the firewall on macOS Big Sur 11.0
- Click on the Apple menu
- Go to System Preferences
- Then click on Security & Privacy
- Turn off Firewall.
- To disable the firewall on macOS Catalina 10.15
- Choose Apple menu
- Go to System Preferences
- Click on Security & Privacy
- Turn off Firewall.
Understanding other Firewall options on Mac
After enabling or disabling the firewall on a Mac Device, specific firewall options can be changed based on specific security requirements.
- Disable Firewall on Mac – Block all incoming connections
The option Block all incoming connections will help prevent all incoming connections to non-essential apps and services.
- Firewall Options – Add +
One may add an app or a service by clicking on the plus sign and then selecting the item on the list displayed on the screen.
- Firewall Options – Remove –
To remove an added app or service, one can select it from the list and click on the Remove option.
Apple offers a plethora of options to choose from when it comes to the Firewall. Although the Firewall like the name suggests, offers a wall between suspicious and malicious links and traffic, some may want to disable the firewall if it hinders the process in any way.
The firewall on Mac may be disabled by default however, the same steps can be followed to enable it as well by choosing the appropriate option. Read more cybersecurity news about the latest cybercrimes and threat intelligence, on The Cyber Express website.