I have Kaspersky for MAC as virus/malware/wi-fi protection and it's constantly warning me that my connection is public and anyone on the planet can "probe" my network.
If you are behind a normal router (with
NAT and a
stateful firewall), this is not a thing. Not on any computer.
Keep in mind that many of the security companies sell fear. The nags are to get you to buy the premium products.
Also be aware their are no viruses for Macs.
Yes, there is some adware and malware....but much much less than for Windows. Most Mac users use no AV software, and have no issues. If you feel uncomfortable with that, consider some products that are less intrusive. Avira and Sophos have nag free, yet no cost tools....as do others. For malware alone, MalwareBytes has a free tool that works well too, though it will nag a bit to upgrade to the paid version.
Your money and effort are better spent—for all machines on your network—on a good, modern router that will block most threats at the perimeter, so they can't get to any device.
As for the differences on Win box, it's not really the network settings (specifically) that are different between public and private, it is the
network discoverable settings, like file sharing, screen sharing, printer sharing, etc. On a Mac, these are all located in the
System Preferences/
Sharing preference.
With these off, they are not discoverable, and not usable. Even with these sharing options on, a password is needed, so a limited risk.
If you were on a
public network (say a coffee shop) you could uncheck most or all of the Sharing options....would be essentially the same as selecting
Public in Windows. Or to say it another way, selecting
Public on Windows
unchecks these things for you automatically. On a Mac, you would uncheck all that you don't need manually.
But at home, or on any private network you trust, no need; no machine outside the network can see your Mac, or any machine on the LAN (assuming a decent router/firewall).
Generally speaking, best practice on all platforms is to only turn on services and sharing options you need to use. The less that is on (open) the less there is to detect or attack. So if you don't need any of the sharing options on, leave them all off. Done.
