OSX Firewall

Hello All,
I would like to know is the MacOSX firewall really necessary? I thought I read some conflicting views. I feel
like I've been conditioned to turn it on for all eternity. One other thing if you'll indulge me, is Little Snitch a good
idea? and does it affect the performance of MacOSX? Sorry if these questions seem elementary, but they've
be burning for awhile. Thanks!
Joseph

MacJoseph wrote:
 I would like to know is the MacOSX firewall really necessary?
It's a added security layer. It should be on. It's only a incoming Firewall.
MacJoseph wrote:
 is Little Snitch a good idea? and does it affect the performance of MacOSX?
OS X's performance isn't bothered by Little Snitch.
Little Snitch is a outgoing Firewall that catches the behind the scenes action going on behind your back.
So lets say you downloaded this program and it calls out over the internet 20 times a day, that shoudl raise a flag because if it's just checking for updates, why 20 times a day?
Apple's Addressbook used to contact Apple's servers, which was a bit strange, until it was found out it was part of the .Mac and syncing contacts. It doesn't do that anymore.
So LittleSnitch keeps honest people honest.
Now when you visit a webpage sometimes ports get opened up and strange connections are going on, Little Snitch will warn you of those and you can stop the connection.
If you get malware on your system unawares, Little Snitch will catch the "phoning home" before it starts, just keeping you in the loop.
Most "Standard users" don't need to do anything but use their computers, it's for those those who just like to keep taps on things.

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    Message was edited by: K J

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