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macOS Ventura Firewall issues/security concerns

What happened:


  • Tested on macs with M1, M2 and Intel.
  • Had built in Firewall turned ON with "Block all incoming connections" turned ON.
  • Checked Firewall settings some time later and "Block all incoming connections" were turned OFF + "Control Center" was added to Firewall list with "Allow all incoming" set.
  • Removed "Control Center" and turned back ON "Block all incoming connections".
  • Quit Settings app. 
  • Opened Settings app and behold..."Block all incoming connections" turned off and "Control Center" added back with "Allow all incoming".
  • Quitting Settings app always turns "Block all incoming connections" OFF. "Control Center" didn't come back after removing it couple times though...


My concerns:


  • Is it malware doing that, am I infected?
  • Is it macOS issue?


My first thought was that I got some kind of malware. I hope not, but at this point I can't rule this out though I am really cautious about cybersec and I don't have ANY third party apps installed on my mac.


There are little to none information about this. Couple posts that state similar findings but with no resolution of any kind.


Could it be Apple developers doing something in a hacky way, like with the "ssh-...wrapper" in Privacy settings after every upgrade to make something work that would not work otherwise?


I am usually really concerned about cybersec of my devices so I check over some settings often and seeing this really bugs me. If Firewall keeps turning "itself" off it's a massive security issue in my book.


I honestly don't expect any resolving comments, but would be nice to figure this out.


Please don't post "How macOS Firewall works" articles, I really am not gonna reed them since Firewall turning self off is in no way justifiable from a security point of view.

Posted on Feb 27, 2023 6:58 AM

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6 replies

Feb 28, 2023 2:07 AM in response to Denvermacmom2

Thanks for your reply.

Looks like macOS Ventura might be having some software issues then. I hope it's not malware :/

For my M chip macs I re-flashed them and in the process "downgraded" to macOS Monterey since the built in recovery, after wiping drives, offer Monterey instead of Ventura. I guess they haven't yet updated Ventura to be compatible with built in recovery for M chip macs. Intel though is...so I was not able to do downgrade on that...and I don't want to bother with manual download and install :/

Will keep it offline for some time then...

Ah, and yes, macOS Monterey doesn't suffer from this. So far both my M1 and M2 devices have not yet messed with the Firewall settings.



Mar 28, 2023 4:41 PM in response to rick_de

The built-in firewall really doesn't do anything, even if it had stayed enabled. Whether those icons are green or red makes no difference. I realize people tend to get very upset over this, but that's just the way it is. It's just a fake, "for show" app. It simply doesn't do anything. Its primary purpose is to give people something to click on in hopes that they won't try to install some scam app they find on the internet.

macOS Ventura Firewall issues/security concerns

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