Windows Firewall (officially called Microsoft Defender Firewall in
Windows 10 version 2004 and later) is a
firewall component of Microsoft Windows. It was first included in
Windows XP SP2 and
Windows Server 2003 SP1. Before the release of Windows XP Service Pack 2, it was known as the "Internet Connection Firewall."
Overview
When Windows XP was originally shipped in October 2001, it included a limited firewall called "Internet Connection Firewall". It was disabled by default due to concerns with backward compatibility, and the configuration screens were buried away in network configuration screens that many users never looked at. As a result, it was rarely used. In mid-2003, the
Blaster worm
Blaster (also known as Lovsan, Lovesan, or MSBlast) was a computer worm that spread on computers running operating systems Windows XP and Windows 2000 during August 2003.
The worm was first noticed and started spreading on August 11, 2003. The ...
attacked a large number of Windows machines, taking advantage of flaws in the
RPC Windows service. Several months later, the
Sasser worm did something similar. The ongoing prevalence of these worms through 2004 resulted in unpatched machines being infected within a matter of minutes. Because of these incidents, as well as other criticisms that Microsoft was not being active in protecting customers from threats, Microsoft decided to significantly improve both the functionality and the interface of Windows XP's built-in firewall, rebrand it as Windows Firewall, and switched it on by default since Windows XP SP2.
One of three profiles is activated automatically for each network interface:
*''Public'' assumes that the network is shared with the World and is the most restrictive profile.
*''Private'' assumes that the network is isolated from the Internet and allows more inbound connections than ''public''. A network is never assumed to be ''private'' unless designated as such by a local administrator.
*''Domain'' profile is the least restrictive. It allows more inbound connections to allow for file sharing etc. The ''domain'' profile is selected automatically when connected to a network with a domain trusted by the local computer.
Security log capabilities are included, which can record
IP address
An Internet Protocol address (IP address) is a numerical label such as that is assigned to a device connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication. IP addresses serve two main functions: network interface i ...
es and other data relating to connections originating from the home or office network or the Internet. It can record both dropped packets and successful connections. This can be used, for instance, to track every time a computer on the network connects to a website. This security log is not enabled by default; the administrator must enable it.
Windows Firewall can be controlled/configured through a
COM object-oriented API, scriptable through the
netsh command, through the
GUI administration tool or centrally through
group policies. All features are available regardless of how it is configured.
Versions
Windows Neptune
In the unreleased
Windows Neptune, the firewall was introduced. It is similar to the one found in Windows XP.
Windows XP
Windows Firewall was first introduced as part of Windows XP Service Pack 2. Every type of network connection, whether it is wired, wireless, VPN, or even FireWire, has the firewall enabled by default, with some built-in exceptions to allow connections from machines on the local network. It also fixed a problem whereby the firewall policies would not be enabled on a network connection until several seconds after the connection itself was created, thereby creating a window of vulnerability. A number of additions were made to
Group Policy
Group Policy is a feature of the Microsoft Windows NT family of operating systems (including Windows 8.1, Windows 10, Windows 11) that controls the working environment of user accounts and computer accounts. Group Policy provides centralized mana ...
, so that Windows system administrators could configure the Windows Firewall product on a company-wide level. XP's Windows Firewall cannot block outbound connections; it is only capable of blocking inbound ones.
Windows Firewall turned out to be one of the two most significant reasons (the other being
DCOM activation security) that many corporations did not upgrade to Service Pack 2 in a timely fashion. Around the time of SP2's release, a number of Internet sites were reporting significant application compatibility issues, though the majority of those ended up being nothing more than ports that needed to be opened on the firewall so that components of distributed systems (typically backup and antivirus solutions) could communicate.
Windows Firewall added
IPv6
Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) is the most recent version of the Internet Protocol (IP), the communication protocol, communications protocol that provides an identification and location system for computers on networks and routes traffic ...
, which was not supported by its predecessor, Internet Connection Firewall.
Windows Vista
Windows Vista
Windows Vista is a major release of the Windows NT operating system developed by Microsoft. It was the direct successor to Windows XP, released five years earlier, which was then the longest time span between successive releases of Microsoft W ...
improved the firewall to address a number of concerns around the flexibility of ''Windows Firewall'' in a corporate environment:
* The firewall is based on the
Windows Filtering Platform.
* A new
management console snap-in named ''Windows Firewall with Advanced Security'' which provides access to many advanced options, and enables remote administration. This can be accessed via Start -> Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Windows Firewall with Advanced Security, or by running "wf.msc"
* Outbound packet filtering, reflecting increasing concerns about
spyware
Spyware (a portmanteau for spying software) is any malware that aims to gather information about a person or organization and send it to another entity in a way that harms the user by violating their privacy, endangering their device's securit ...
and
viruses
A virus is a submicroscopic infectious agent that replicates only inside the living cells of an organism. Viruses infect all life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea. Viruses are found in almo ...
that attempt to "phone home". Outbound rules are configured using the management console. Notifications are not shown however for outbound connections.
* With the advanced packet filter, rules can also be specified for source and destination IP addresses and port ranges.
* Rules can be configured for services by its service name chosen by a list, without needing to specify the full path file name.
*
IPsec is fully integrated, allowing connections to be allowed or denied based on security certificates,
Kerberos authentication, etc. Encryption can also be required for any kind of connection.
* Improved interface for managing separate firewall profiles. Ability to have three separate firewall profiles for when computers are domain-joined, connected to a private network, or connected to a public network (XP SP2 supports two profiles—domain-joined and standard). Support for the creation of rules for enforcing server and domain isolation policies.
Windows Server 2008 and Windows 7
Windows Server 2008
Windows Server 2008, codenamed "Longhorn Server" (alternatives: "Windows Vista Server" or "Windows Server Vista"), is the seventh major version of the Windows NT operating system produced by Microsoft to be released under the Windows Server b ...
contains the same firewall as Windows Vista. The firewall in
Windows Server 2008 R2
Windows Server 2008 R2, codenamed "Windows Server 7" or "Windows Server 2008 Release 2", is the eighth major version of the Windows NT operating system produced by Microsoft to be released under the Windows Server brand name. It was release ...
and
Windows 7
Windows 7 is a major release of the Windows NT operating system developed by Microsoft. It was Software release life cycle#Release to manufacturing (RTM), released to manufacturing on July 22, 2009, and became generally available on October 22, ...
contains some improvements, such as multiple active profiles.
Windows 10
Changes to this component in Windows 10 are:
* The change of name to Windows Defender Firewall that occurred in the September 2017 update, known as the
Fall Creators Update (codename Redstone 3).
* Firewall service (mpssvc) cannot be stopped anymore.
Log files
Windows Firewall maintains a log file at "%windir%\system32\logfiles\firewall\pfirewall.log" by default. This log file can be viewed with any text editor, such as
Notepad
A notebook (also known as a notepad, writing pad, drawing pad, or legal pad) is a book or stack of paper pages that are often Ruled paper, ruled and used for purposes such as note-taking, Diary, journaling or other writing, drawing, or scrapbooki ...
. Specialized tools lik
Firewall Log Viewer for Windowsoffer a more user-friendly interface and additional features for analyzing these logs.
See also
*
List of Microsoft Windows components
*
Security and safety features new to Windows Vista
*
Personal firewall
References
Notes
# These multiple vulnerabilities were fixed by Microsoft over the course of several months; Microsoft security bulletin
MS03-026MS03-039 an
MS04-012cover this in more detail.
External links
Windows Firewall with Advanced Securityon
Microsoft TechNet
Microsoft TechNet was a Microsoft web portal and web service for IT professionals. It included a library containing documentation and technical resources for Microsoft products, a learning center providing online training, discussion forums, an ...
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