Using the Windows 8 Firewall

Synopsis: Connecting your computer to the Internet can make it is potentially visible to every other computer that is connected to the Internet. The Windows Firewall can protect your computer by controlling the flow of communications into and out of your computer, thus making it more difficult for another computer to gain access to it or use its services.

When your computer is connected to the Internet it can be vulnerable, and malicious users may be able to gain access to it.

The Windows Firewall can help to make your computer more secure by permitting or blocking inbound or outbound communications according to a set of rules. These rules are based on a list of allowed apps. Windows 8 maintains this list when you install or uninstall software, but you can also update it manually if necessary.

When you install Windows 8 the firewall is switched on by default. To access the firewall and check its status start to type “control panel” at the Windows 8 Start Screen and when you see “Control Panel” in the list click or tap on it. Select the “System and Security” category and the window will contain a section similar to this.

In the “Windows Firewall” category click or tap “Check firewall status” and you will be able to see the firewall status.

Note that the rules for the firewall will often be different for private and public network profiles. In the example here the computer is connected to a private network and the firewall is on. The rules that are being applied will be those for a private network.

On the left, you can see the option “Turn Windows Firewall on or off”.

Usually, Windows 8 maintains the list of allowed apps for you, but sometimes you may need to intervene.

If an app needs access to the Internet but it is blocked, you can add it to the list of allowed apps. You can access the list of allowed apps via the Windows Firewall category as shown above. Alternatively, on the Start Screen start to type “firewall” and then select “Settings” in the search panel on the right. When you see “Allow an app through Windows Firewall” in the list click or tap it and you will see the list of allowed apps.

Click or tap “Change Settings”, scroll down to the relevant app and use the check boxes to allow communication on private networks, public networks or both. When you have finished making changes, click “OK” at the bottom of the window.

It is highly recommended that you keep Windows 8 Firewall switched on at all times. However, if you are using a third party security product such as one from McAfee or Norton and that product contains a firewall, the Windows 8 Firewall should be switched off as it is not necessary to have two firewalls in use and they could actually conflict with each other. In fact, the major third-party products usually take control of the firewall for you, but when such a product is installed you should still check that its firewall protection is switched on.

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