This MacNews Category Review looks at firewall softball for Mac OS X. Products covered include DoorStop X Firewall, Firewall Builder, Flying Buttress, IPNetRouterX, Little Dutch Moose, NetBarrier, Norton Internet Security, Vicomsoft InterGate and Who's There? Firewall Advisor.

DoorStop X Firewall

[url=http://www.opendoor.com/]The DoorStop X Firewall[/url] protects your Mac from undesired access from the Internet and logs both allowed and denied access attempts. It enhances the firewall built into Mac OS X and works with Mac OS X Server as well.

[url=http://www.pliris-soft.com/]Firewalk X[/url] is software for maintaining and configuring the built-in Mac OS X firewall.

Firewall Builder

[url=http://www.netcitadel.com/]Firewall Builder[/url] is a multi-platform utility for configuring and managing firewalls.

Flying Buttress

[url=http://personalpages.tds.net/~brian_hill/]Flying Buttress[/url] is designed to make using the network firewall built-in to Mac OS X quick and easy. By using BrickHouse to configure your computer's firewall, you can help prevent unauthorized villains from gaining access to your computer via your Internet connection.

IPNetRouterX

[url=http://www.sustworks.com/]IPNetRouterX[/url] is a way to share your cable modem, xDSL, or dial-up internet connection with your entire LAN. With IPNetRouter, you can use multiple IP interfaces at the same time (such as Ethernet and OT/PPP for example), and specify additional routes for communicating with more than one IP gateway. IPNetRouter is a solution including a built-in DHCP Server, NAT with inbound port mapping, and IP filtering to setup your own firewall. Other features include support for PPPoE and QuickTime streaming. I

Little Dutch Moose

[url=http://www.wundermoosen.com/]The Little Dutch Moose[/url] is a utility for configuring the built-in Mac OS X firewall in order to block IP addresses found making illegal requests.

NetBarrier X4

[url=http://www.intego.com/home.asp]NetBarrier X4[/url] offers a four-level line of defense -- firewall, anti-vandal, Internet filter and privacy, and monitoring . It offers both pre-defined security rules for mainstream users and customization for power users and network administrators.

Norton Internet Security

[url=http://www.symantec.com/index.htm]Norton Internet Security for Macintosh[/url]provides three great products in one suite. Norton Personal Firewall is your maximum defense against hackers by monitoring all Internet connections to your Mac, logging and alerting you to attempted intrusions. You can use the default settings or customize Norton Personal Firewall to meet your specific security needs. Norton AntiVirus is anti-virus software. You can use it to find and repair infected files, protecting against macro and Mac viruses from Internet downloads, file servers, and shared disks. Norton AntiVirus also allows you to scan for viruses in incoming email attachments. Symantec's LiveUpdate technology lets you keep both programs updated over the Internet. Norton Internet Security also includes Aladdin iClean, which frees disk space and removes unneeded Internet clutter such as cookies, cache files, and logs.

Vicomsoft InterGate

[url=http://www.vicomsoft.com/]Vicomsoft InterGate[/url] is a Firewall solution that simultaneously connects an entire LAN to the Internet sharing a single Internet account and connection (modem, xDSL, Cable, ISDN, Leased lines). InterGate includes a transparent caching server that speeds up Internet browsing for network users. InterGate also incorporates router technologies such as: NAT (Network Address Translation) for sharing IP addresses and Internet access; a DHCP Server supporting up to 1,000 clients; content filtering based on the CyberNOT list of restricted sites; a DNS caching server for speeding up Internet host location; a Remote Access Server including security allowing incoming connections to a LAN and firewall protection for LAN users.

Who's There? Firewall Advisor

[url=http://www.opendoor.com/]Who's There? Firewall Advisor[/url] lets you view, understand and react to access attempts detected by your firewall. It provides advice and helps you take action to combat access attempts and enhances the DoorStop X Firewall, Mac OS X's built-in firewall and others