Undoubtedly, many users of Windows-based computer systems have noticed that these operating systems have their own security measures in the form of a firewall, also called a firewall. True, very few people imagine what it is. Now we will look at this issue, explaining briefly why a Windows firewall is needed. In addition, some instructions will be given on how to configure it or similar applications.

What is a firewall on a computer?

Let's start, perhaps, with the translation of this term itself. The Russian-language name comes from the English word firewall, which can be literally translated as “wall of fire.” What is a firewall on a computer? Yes, just a means of preventing foreign threats from entering the system, which may be contained in information stored on removable media (if applications require communication), but most often coming from the Internet when connected.

In simple terms, this is a tool that allows you to filter the system's connections, so to speak, with the outside world, granting permission to run programs, either specified by default or from a list created by the user himself. Let's try to figure out how to configure a firewall. No special knowledge is required here.

Simple settings

Before you begin to solve the problem of how to set up a Windows firewall, you should remember that there are two types of such screens: personal and network (only software, not hardware, will be considered). As is already clear, a personal firewall is used exclusively on individual user terminals, and network firewalls are configured by the system administrator to protect the local network and all computers located in it as a whole.

We won’t touch on firewalls now, but will talk about how to set up a personal firewall. Typically, after installing Windows, this tool is enabled by default and runs in the background. In principle, it is not recommended to disable it, except in cases where there is a conflict with the installed anti-virus software. But, as a rule, such situations are very rare, since firewall and antivirus work using different principles.

To quickly view the settings, you just need to go to the Control Panel and select the “Windows Firewall” section. As you will see, by default the settings are set in such a way that all incoming connections are blocked. This only means that when a request is made to connect to the user terminal from outside, the program simply refuses. But many spy applications work based on external requests. So it’s better not to touch anything in the main settings.

Exclusion lists

However, sometimes situations arise when, in order to install or continue to operate a firewall application, you need to disable it or at least add the program to the so-called exclusion list (but only if it was obtained from a reliable source that can be trusted unconditionally). Otherwise, security is not guaranteed.

When launched, such a program, if necessary, refers directly to the developer’s official resource. This may be due, for example, to installing updates or any additional components.

That's not the point. How to configure a firewall in this case? Yes, very simple. You need to find the exception parameters in the section itself. There are two ways to do this: either view the entire list of programs and mark those that need to be included, or use the “Add program” command, then specify the EXE file (and its location) responsible for launching this application, and then simply save the changes .

By the way, the same applies to open ports. And to add IP addresses, you need to set up a so-called special list in which they will be specified.

Third-party firewall programs

Naturally, the “native” Windows firewall is not the ultimate dream. Today you can find a lot of similar programs that differ in their capabilities. It goes without saying that there are paid and free apps. As a rule, commercial software products designed for maximum protection of corporate networks are paid.

What to use?

It is better to use commercial firewalls, as is already clear, for system administrators who know a lot about fine-grained advanced settings of networks and programs of this type. Only in this case can maximum protection be ensured.

Well, for the average user, the standard Windows firewall is enough. The main thing is that it is turned on, that's all.