Extend Control Over Windows Firewall

[Janez 507]

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Hi friends,

 

I've been using Windows Firewall Control to extend control over default Windows 10 Firewall for quite a while. Despite some mixed comments on various forums since Malwarebytes acquired it, I've had positive experience with it. You can block it's own access, no problem and it was never doing anything on its own.

However, Windows 10 update 20H2 introduced a nasty bug that randomly reboots your PC even when a 3D application is running, so instead of downgrading I decided to try and upgrade to build 21H1. This in turn unfortunately broke WFC. I was unable to edit or delete any rules after 21H1 update.

Therefore, instead of jumping through bunch of hoops again in order to downgrade back to 1909, I decided to explore and try to find another program that would suit my needs, which were:

• For program to see all existing rules set in Windows 10 Firewall, including ones that Windows Update and MS Store create.
• Ability to edit and delete all those rules.
• Ability to stop programs and applications from changing existing rules and/or creating their own rules.
• I was NOT looking for a defense suit, only to augment existing Windows Defender Firewall since it cannot do some of the things above.

 

I tried bunch of programs from various "Our mega, ultra, super-duper Top X" lists and results varied from utter WTF is this, just why? to, hmm... not really what I'm looking for. Moreover, most of the programs I tried were trying to ping home more then Windows 10 itself.

Finally though, I found pretty much exactly what I was looking for and then some even. On Wilders Security Forums, a character called David is running this Private Win10 open-source project on GitHub. Even the icon is funny little pun. Setup executable lets you either extract a portable version or do a full installation.

In addition to it basically being an extension of Windows 10 Firewall, it also provides a GUI for various registry tweaks such as disabling Cortana or managing telemetry (logging and transmission) and it restores those tweaks if Windows overrides them. It can also monitor connections and is able to create rules on the fly for those connections. Naturally, you also have some options like disabling or undoing unauthorized rules and choosing either blacklisting or whitelisting filtering. Which is great because obviously, this whole things was about blocking everything, allowing something rather then the other way around, which is Windows default btw.

 

All in all, this is a great little tool to add to your arsenal. Coupled with StevenBlack's static blacklisting through hosts you can have pretty good system wide, vanilla privacy and ad blocking solution with expected level of defense, all with relatively minor maintenance and ease of use. You can use Unified-Hosts-AutoUpdate BITS/PowerShell based script to easily update the hosts file and adjust it to your needs through ignore and custom text files.

 

For web browser based solutions, see this thread Dark Browser Themes - Stop Burning Your Eyes right here on BIF.

 

Anyway, that's all for today, if you have found any other gems, please share them and remember, your best safety is your trigger finger - don't click shit and you won't get shit.