What are the risks of allowing applications through a firewall?
There are two ways of allowing an application through a firewall. Both of them are risky:
When you add an application to the list of allowed applications in a firewall – sometimes called unblocking – or when you open a firewall port, you allow a specific application to send information to or from your PC through the firewall, as though you've drilled a hole in the firewall. This makes your PC less secure and might create opportunities for hackers or malware to use one of those openings to get to your files or use your PC to spread malware to other PCs.
Generally, it's safer to add an application to the list of allowed applications than to open a port. A port stays open until you close it, but an allowed application only opens the "hole" when needed.
To help decrease your security risk:
Only allow an application or open a port when you really need to, and follow the steps to remove applications from the list of allowed applications or close ports that you no longer need.
Never allow an application that you don't recognise to communicate through the firewall.
Show all
Tap or click to open Windows Firewall.
Tap or click Allow an application or feature through Windows Firewall.
Tap or click Change settings.
You might be asked for an admin password or to confirm your choice.
Clear the checkbox next to the application that you want to remove from the list of allowed applications, then tap or click OK.
Tap or click to open Windows Firewall.
Tap or click Advanced settings.
You might be asked for an admin password or to confirm your choice.
In the Windows Firewall with Advanced Security dialogue box, Tap or click Inbound Rules.
Select the rule that you want to disable, then, in the right pane, tap or click Disable Rule.