Firewall device management payload settings for Apple devices

You can configure the Firewall settings for users of a Mac that enrolls in a device management service. Use the Firewall payload to turn on the firewall in macOS to prevent unwanted connections from the internet or other networks.

The Firewall payload supports the following. For more information, see Payload information.

Supported payload identifier: com.apple.security.firewall
Supported operating systems and channels: macOS device.
Supported enrollment methods: Device Enrollment, Automated Device Enrollment.
Duplicates allowed: True—more than one Firewall payload can be delivered to a device.

You can use the settings in the table below with the Firewall payload.

Setting	Description	Required
Enable Firewall	Enables the firewall on managed Mac computers.	Yes
Block all incoming connections	Select to prevent incoming connections to nonessential apps.	No
Add specific incoming connection settings	Add apps to either allow or block them from connecting to your network and the internet.	No
Enable stealth mode	Select to prevent managed Mac computers from responding to probing requests that can be used to reveal their existence. The Mac still answers requests from authorized apps, but unauthorized requests such as ICMP (ping) get no response.	No
Turns on logging macOS 12.0.1 or later	Turns on logging for the Firewall.	No
Logging options macOS 12.0.1 or later	Define the type of logging: brief, detailed, or throttled	No
Automatically allow built-in software to receive incoming connections macOS 12.3 or later	Allow built-in apps and services that are signed by a valid certificate authority to be automatically added to the list of allowed apps, without the user’s authorization.	No
Automatically allow downloaded signed software to receive incoming connections macOS 12.3 or later	Allow downloaded apps and services that are signed by a valid certificate authority to be automatically added to the list of allowed apps, without the user’s authorization.	No

Note: Each device management service developer implements these settings differently. To learn how various Firewall settings are applied to your devices, consult your developer’s device management service documentation.

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Apple Platform Deployment

Firewall device management payload settings for Apple devices