Apple

Mac OS X has long included a firewall, which is hard to find and confusing to configure. The new version of the firewall included in Leopard is even more perplexing, and, it turns out, not very effective. According to Heise Security:

“The Mac OS X Leopard firewall failed every test. It is not activated by default and, even when activated, it does not behave as expected.”

Discussing certain system services that are exposed to the outside world, in spite of the firewall, the article states that,

“an attacker could gain complete control over the system – with all the consequences this entails, right up to mass distribution via a worm.”

Intego was the first company to offer a personal firewall for Mac. Intego NetBarrier X4 not only offers solid protection – the Mac press has regularly given this program excellent reviews – but it is easy to use. Unlike Leopard’s built-in firewall, any Mac user can configure NetBarrier and get it working correctly, protecting their Mac from hackers, vandals and malware. Don’t worry if you don’t understand the Leopard firewall; NetBarrier X4 is the right solution for you.