Desktop Firewalls

A firewall is an application that examines network traffic flowing in and out of your computer. It can be configured to restrict harmful traffic and keep logs of potential attacks. A built in firewall program is available on Windows XP with Service Pack 2 and Vista, and Mac OS X. Each firewall application has a set of tools that allow you to permit or block certain processes from running. If you enable your desktop firewall, you will need to become familiar with these tools in order to enable certain features such as remote desktop, FTP ,etc. Double check your computer to ensure that the built-in firewall is enabled!

To enable the firewall in Windows XP or Vista:

1. Open the Control Panel
2. Click Windows Firewall
3. Click ON

To enable the firewall in Mac OS X:

1. Click Apple
2. Click System Preferences
3. Click Sharing
4. Click Firewall
5. Click Start