Re: What is the trick to get Windows XP firewall to stay on (after a reboot)?

From: Triffid (triffid_at_nebula.net)
Date: 01/03/05 

Date: Mon, 03 Jan 2005 13:03:55 -0500

Leythos wrote:
> In article <ia7Cd.3424$7n1.168982@news20.bellglobal.com>,
> triffid@nebula.net says...
>
>>I recently switched my home systems from NT4 SP6a to XP Pro SP2
>>(slipstreamed), and the firewall is indeed enabled by default.
>>
>>However, I see no evidence of it blocking anything - it will
>>occasionally pop up and say "To help protect your computer, Windows
>>Firewall has blocked some features of this program", but it lies.
>
>
> The firewall only does INBOUND blocking and only based on the rules that
> it has - by default it will block all inbound except on it's own subnet
> - there is also a patch for Dial-Up users where it was allowing ALL
> internet access inbound for dial-up users.
>
> It does not do outbound blocking - you should really read up on
> something before you trust it and before to slam it.

I am fully aware the Windows Firewall only *claims* to do inbound
blocking, but it doesn't even do that.

In the active mode FTP example I gave, on a fully patched system
(including the dial-up patch KB886185) running default rules, Windows
Firewall pops up and *claims* to have blocked the *inbound* data
connection (TCP/20) from the FTP server, but clearly it has not since
the client receives the data.

This misleading behavior occurs regardless of whether the FTP server is
on the local subnet or elsewhere.

Relevant Pages

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  • Re: What is the trick to get Windows XP firewall to stay on (after a reboot)?
    ... I see no evidence of it blocking anything - it will ... > Firewall has blocked some features of this program", ... it has - by default it will block all inbound except on it's own subnet ... there is also a patch for Dial-Up users where it was allowing ALL ...
    (comp.security.firewalls)