Windows 7 / Networking

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Windows Firewall with Advanced Security

Windows Firewall with Advanced Security (WFAS) allows you to create nuanced firewall rules. For most users, the options available with Windows Firewall will be enough to keep their computers secure. If you are a more advanced user, however, you can use WFAS to:

• Configure inbound and outbound rules. Windows Firewall does not allow you to create rules based on whether traffic is inbound or outbound.
• Configure rules that apply based on protocol type and port address.
• Configure rules that apply based on traffic that addresses specific services, rather than just specific applications.
• Limit the scope of rules so that they apply based on traffic's source or destination address.
• Configure rules that allow traffic only if it is authenticated.
• Configure connection security rules.

You can access the WFAS console either by typing Windows Firewall with Advanced Security into the Search Programs And Files text box on the Start menu or by clicking the Advanced Settings item in the Windows Firewall control panel. The WFAS console displays which network profiles are currently active. As is the case with Windows Firewall, different collections of rules apply depending on which profile is active for a particular network adapter. In this case, it is because the computer on which this screen shot was taken is connected to a domain network through its wireless network adapter and to the Internet through a universal serial bus (USB) cellular modem. You could enable a rule that allows traffic on port 80 for the Domain Profile but not enable it for the Public Profile. This would mean that hosts contacting this computer through the wireless network adapter would be able to access a Web server hosted on the computer, whereas hosts attempting to access the same Web server through the USB cellular modem's Internet connection are blocked.