SimpleWall Is A Simple Tool To Block Applications From Using The Internet
Jahed Stetter
I would like to block everything, even including windows update and other software updates.
I would like to allow only one web browser like firefox, chrome or opera.
How can I set up a config like this in windows Firewall?I see for blocking application but seems you need to add one by one and it is a tedious task.
SimpleWall is a simple tool to block applications from using the Internet
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Then, I set up the "white list" - meaning the list of good destinations that I want to allow.
A list of applications that I'd like to grant network access to them. Only application in this list will be able to communicate.
Notice that whitelisting is different than blacklisting, in that whitelisting blocks everything and then allows a few things later. With that definition in mind, everything is automatically blocked and cannot be used.
You want to Block all Inbound and all Outbound connections by default. You can do this using Windows built-in Firewall. The way to do this (though somewhat hidden away way) is to change the settings as follows in these 3 easy steps:
You can import/export rules by right clicking the same as in screenshot above and selecting Export Policy. It imports/exports the whole thing. So you can experiment, disabling rules and making your machine more secure. For example my settings are as follows (excluding my programs):
TinyWall
TinyWall takes a different approach from traditional Firewalls. It does not display popups that "urge users to allow". In fact, it will not notify you of any blocked action at all.
Instead of showing popups, TinyWall makes it easy to whitelist or unblock applications by different means.
For example, you can just initiate whitelisting by a hotkey, then click on a window that you want to allow. Or, you can select an application from the list of running processes.
Most importantly, with the no-popup approach, the user will only notice that a program has been denied internet access when he can't use it anymore.
Consequently, users will only unblock applications that they actually need and none more, which is optimal from a security standpoint.
White List creation Instruction:
You should block everything except DNS and web browsers, for doing this go to the Advanced settings -> firewall settings and enable "Do NOT show popup alerts" and change the dropdown to Block Requests. This will block anything that doesn't have a rule created for it.
3- To allow your browser go to Advanced settings -> firewall settings -> applications rules then add whatever browser you want to allow access,
Add a new rule and give it the allow Web Browser or Allowed Application ruleset.
4- For windows update, I'm not exactly sure which processes need access to the internet so maybe someone else can give us some insight.
I think the main exe is under C:\Windows\System32\wuauclt.exe but it also uses svchost.exe.
Paranoid Mode
Trust no one! In Paranoid mode, no software can access on the Internet or network, without your prior consent. Only applications which you trust get Internet access.
The problem with disabling all outbound connections is that Windows Firewalldoes not notify you when processes try to establish outbound connections.This means that you will have to check logs to find out about it, or usefor better control the freeWindows Firewall Control.
I investigated Windows Firewall and it appears its outgoing traffic filtering module is working in blacklist mode only. In other words, it checks the connection against all rules and if it finds no matching rule, it allows the connection.
While your question is about Windows Firewall only, perhaps you find it useful to know that there are third-party personal firewalls that can indeed operate in whitelist mode. Comodo Internet Security, ESET Internet Security and ZoneAlarm can be configured to operate in whitelist mode.
When I say configured, I mean you should change their default configuration. For example, in case of Comodo Internet Security, you must switch to the policy-based mode. Also, by default, Comodo Internet Security permits Windows Store apps to have internet access but you can revoke that too.
Windows Firewall Control is a powerful tool which extends the functionality of Windows Firewall and provides new extra features which makes Windows Firewall better.
It runs in the system tray and allows the user to control the native firewall easily without having to waste time by navigating to the specific part of the firewall.
This is a tool to manage the native firewall from Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7, Server 2016, Server 2012. Windows Firewall Control offers four filtering modes which can be switched with just a mouse click:High Filtering - All outbound and inbound connections are blocked. This profile blocks all attempts to connect to and from your computer.
With Surfblocker you can easily restrict internet access at specified times or on demand.
You can allow and block websites and limit which programs and features have access to the internet. For example, you can allow only e-mail and and work or study related websites.
You can also simply password protect internet connection or set it to be automatically disabled after a specified amount of time. Of course, you can also block harmful and hazardous content automatically.
Best tool to manage Windows Firewall natively is Windows Firewall Control. It is just as lightweight and simple as simplewall. There are no other decent solutions for managing Windows Firewall natively. The app I linked is closed-source, however the developer is very active on this forum:
Windows Firewall Control (WFC) by BiniSoft.org Wilders Security Forums
yes we do offer advanced features behind a pay wall, but everything privacy is free for everyone!
and a good business model is important to keep the software actively developed and aligned with the users.
As for the minimal telemetry: WFC can be blocked from accessing the internet [when it asks for it for the first time] by WFC itself, so no telemetry is possible:
wtc109921 2.01 KB
I decided not to block it, because the developer said regarding the telemetry:
The following data is sent once a day to Malwarebytes: program version, os version, os architecture (x64, x86), os language (english, german, etc), filesystem (ntfs, fat32), process run as administrator or not, computer is joined into a domain or not, machine id. No personal data is collected. These are used for statistics data to see how many users of WFC exist. Depending on the number of existing users, WFC will continue to receive new features or not. A reduced number of installations will probably stop the development of WFC, a large number will probably continue the development.
For example, the folks at Portmaster have been extremely nice and patient with their users. I got the Pro subscription way back when it was in the kickstarter phase, but unfortunately I never really liked it for similar reasons that @3QVvxrhnYZ mentioned: awkward interface hard to make sense of, needs a lot of setup and tuning, random connection issues, etc. Sorry @Raphty
It should be noted that Simplewall wrongly breaks Windows Update by default.
Be sure to enable it again: GitHub - henrypp/simplewall: Simple tool to configure Windows Filtering Platform (WFP) which can configure network activity on your computer.
You could leave them in your living room for everyone to see.But that would be careless.
You could build an atomic bomb shelter in the middle of the woods.But that would overdo it.
A safe in your house is probably a better solution.
We need different solutions for different needs - there simply is no perfect solution for everyone.You are the only one who knows the value of your diamonds and who is after them.So only you can decide which solution is best for you.
Understanding your threat model might be difficult at first, but it will save you a lot of time and help you avoiding wrong decisions.This comparison blog showcases the strengths and weaknesses of the Portmaster and Simplewall and hopes to assist you in your decision making.
An auditable and open source code builds a high level of trust in the software. Instead of having to trust a privacy policy of the company, people can check the source code and see what it really does on a technical level.
The beauty with this is, the bigger the community around a software gets, the more secure it becomes, often outperforming proprietary software. Zero-day exploits and long-forgotten vulnerabilities become rarer since someone from the community usually discovers them.
The Portmaster and Simplewall are both free and open source, with great communities involved. They are also both transparent about their funding. Simplewall is donation based while Portmaster has a clear business model.
The installation process for both Simplewall and Portmaster is straightforward. You simply download an executable which will handle the installation for you. Both provide the option to automatically start on boot to assist you in maintaining your established connection rules.
The Portmaster runs in the background by default to protect your privacy, but when you start Simplewall, it will automatically block all programs and ask you for permission for each one that tries to connect to the Internet.
One of the most effective strategies for blocking unwanted connections is to maintain and keep track of filter lists, which Portmaster does for you. Thousands of ads, trackers and malware domains are already blocked by default. These lists are gathered from open source intelligence and are also used by browser extensions, the Pi-hole, etc.
Generally speaking, you can observe that Portmaster and Simplewall view a connection in different ways. Simplewall filters traffic based on individual apps or IP addresses, while the Portmaster filters connections based on domains, IPs or apps.
Nonetheless, there are some useful features, such as dragging and dropping an executable to disable its Internet access. Simplewall is effective at its job, but requires a lot of manual configuration to achieve privacy.
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