I have the firewall turned on in Lion but was wondering if it's bad to also have it in the DSL modem (Westell); there it's currently set on "Off" (for a desktop in a remote location so I'm not too worried about security but still).
Thx
(This is in the context of trying to open/forward a port in Transmission which I haven't been able to figure out how to do [it used be open/green].)
Mac Pro, Mac OS X (10.7.5), 6GB RAM, 2x3GzDCIntXeon, 500GB ExHD
Actually, it would be much more secure to have it on at the router. You can leave both on if you want.
Actually, it would be much more secure to have it on at the router. You can leave both on if you want.
ok yes that was my impression (that the hardware firewall is better) i just wasn't sure you could have both
When it's enabled at the router, no one on the outside can see any device attached to it. That's partly what a good router firewall does. With only the Mac's firewall on, any hacker who happens to ping your Mac can see it. Then it's just a matter of whether or not they can get past it. Which is not easy to do. OS X uses a very robust firewall. But better they can't see it in the first place.
Note that firewalls keep intruders out. They cannot prevent you, the user, from installing malware.
Bad to have firewall on router on as well?
