Firewall Overview

A firewall is a gateway that limits access between networks in accordance with local security policy. UCSD requires that you must have a properly enabled firewall on your computer in order to connect to any server on the Campus network.  EdCom also recommends you maintain a firewall for the following reasons:

1. As a way to protect your computer from unwanted and unsolicited network traffic.
2. To ensure the privacy of your personal information.
3. To prevent backdoor programs from monitoring your keystrokes.

While Firewalls are built into all current Operating Systems, they still need some figuration to ensure their effectiveness. The directions to do so can be found in the tables below.

PC - Windows	Enabling Instructions
Windows 7 - Basic	Built-in firewall
Windows 7- Advanced	Built-in firewall
Windows XP - Basic	Built-in firewall
Windows XP - Advanced	Built-in firewall

Mac	Enabling Instructions
Mac OS X 10.6	Built-in firewall
Mac OS X 10.2 - 10.5	Built-in firewall

For more information, see the Firewall Overview page on the UCSD Blink website.