Windows Firewall#Windows Vista

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 attacked a large number of Windows machines, taking advantage of flaws in the RPC Windows service.{{ref|ms03-026}} 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/study-unpatched-pcs-compromised-in-20-minutes/|title=Study: Unpatched PCs compromised in 20 minutes|date=August 17, 2004|first=Robert|last=Lemos|work=CNET|publisher=CBS Interactive}} 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,{{cite web|url=http://support.microsoft.com/kb/875357|title=Troubleshooting Windows Firewall settings in Windows XP Service Pack 2|date=October 19, 2004|work=Support|publisher=Microsoft|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041020065757/http://support.microsoft.com/kb/875357|archive-date=October 20, 2004}} and switched it on by default since Windows XP SP2.

One of three profiles is activated automatically for each network interface:{{cite web|title=Network Location Awareness|url=https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc753545(v=WS.10).aspx|publisher=Microsoft|work=TechNet|date=November 2, 2007}}

• 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 addresses 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.{{cite web|url=https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc785939.aspx|title=Internet Connection Firewall security log|work=TechNet|publisher=Microsoft|date=January 21, 2005|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081110043733/http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc785939.aspx|archive-date=November 10, 2008}}

Windows Firewall can be controlled/configured through a COM object-oriented API, scriptable through the netsh command,{{cite web|title=Appendix B: Netsh Command Syntax for the Netsh Firewall Context|url=https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb490617.aspx|publisher=Microsoft|work=TechNet|date=December 17, 2004}} through the GUI administration tool{{cite web|title=User Interface: Windows Firewall with Advanced Security|url=https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd448573(v=WS.10).aspx|publisher=Microsoft|work=TechNet|date=January 20, 2009}} or centrally through group policies.{{cite web|title=Deploying Windows Firewall Settings With Group Policy|url=https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb490626.aspx|publisher=Microsoft|work=TechNet|date=December 17, 2004}} All features are available regardless of how it is configured.

In the unreleased Windows Neptune, the firewall was introduced{{fact|date=April 2018}}. It is similar to the one found in Windows XP.{{cite web|url=http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-xp/help/networking/using-windows-firewall |title=Windows Firewall |publisher=Microsoft |work=Windows|access-date=2015-11-30|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611031556/http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-xp/help/networking/using-windows-firewall|archive-date=June 11, 2011}}

Image:Windows Firewall XP SP2.png.|alt=]]

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.{{cite web|url=http://www.microsoft.com/technet/community/columns/cableguy/cg0204.mspx|title=Manually Configuring Windows Firewall in Windows XP Service Pack 2|date=February 2004|work=TechNet|publisher=Microsoft}} A number of additions were made to Group Policy, 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){{cite web|url=http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/maintain/mangxpsp2/mngsecps.mspx#ECAA|title=Deploying Windows XP Service Pack 2 using Software Update Services|date=August 18, 2004|work=TechNet|publisher=Microsoft|quote=Factors to consider when using SUS to deploy Windows XP SP2}} 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, which was not supported by its predecessor, Internet Connection Firewall.{{Cite web|url=https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb726938.aspx|title=To configure IPv6 Internet Connection Firewall|date=February 2, 2006|website=TechNet|publisher=Microsoft}}

Windows Vista improved the firewall to address a number of concerns around the flexibility of Windows Firewall in a corporate environment:{{cite web|url=http://www.microsoft.com/technet/community/columns/cableguy/cg0106.mspx|title=The New Windows Firewall in Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008|date=January 2006|work=TechNet|publisher=Microsoft}}

• 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 and viruses 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 contains the same firewall as Windows Vista. The firewall in Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7 contains some improvements, such as multiple active profiles.{{cite web|url=https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc755158%28WS.10%29.aspx|title=What's New in Windows Firewall with Advanced Security|date=October 26, 2009|work=TechNet|publisher=Microsoft}}

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.

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. Specialized tools like [https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9PG2X0R1ZQ9V Firewall Log Viewer for Windows] offer a more user-friendly interface and additional features for analyzing these logs.

• List of Microsoft Windows components
• Security and safety features new to Windows Vista
• Personal firewall
• Comparison of firewalls

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1. {{note|ms03-026}} These multiple vulnerabilities were fixed by Microsoft over the course of several months; Microsoft security bulletins [https://web.archive.org/web/20050225010955/http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS03-026.mspx MS03-026], [https://web.archive.org/web/20040603065110/http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS03-039.mspx MS03-039], and [https://web.archive.org/web/20041229114456/www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS04-012.mspx MS04-012] cover this in more detail.

• [https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/network/bb545423.aspx Windows Firewall with Advanced Security] on Microsoft TechNet

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