Making Sure Your Computer's Firewall Is Enabled

Managed machines are updated by DoIT.  Everone else should make sure they are running Windows Updates periodically to take care of exploits and make sure their Windows firewall is turned on since some viruses attempt to turn it off.

This KB Article References:
Symantec (No Longer Available)
This Information is Intended for:
Instructors, Researchers, Staff, Students

Windows

  1. To turn on your Windows firewall (or make sure it's on), press the Windows key on your keyboard and type "firewall" > choose Check Firewall Status
    Screenshot of Windows Start Menu showing the Check Firewall Status control panel option

Mac

  1. To turn on your Mac firewall (or make sure it's on), click on the Apple at the top left of your screen and choose System Preferences
    Screenshot of the Mac Menu Bar, showing System Preferences
  2. Click Security & Privacy
    Screenshot of the Mac System Preferences window showing security and privacy being selected
  3. Click Firewall and make sure it's turned on.
    Screenshot of the Firewall tab under Security and Privacy on Mac OS
This Content Last Updated:
01/26/2026

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Customer Engagement and Support
Customer Engagement and Support Help Portal
This KB Article References:
Symantec (No Longer Available)
This Information is Intended for:
Instructors, Researchers, Staff, Students
Estimated Read Time:
1 minutes
This Content Last Updated:
01/26/2026