Category: At least Windows XP Professional with SP2

Defines the set of Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) message types that Windows Firewall allows. Utilities can use ICMP messages to determine the status of other computers. For example Ping uses the echo request message. If you do not enable the “Allow inbound echo request” message type Windows Firewall blocks echo request messages sent by Ping running on other computers but it does not block outbound echo request messages sent by Ping running on this computer. If you enable this policy setting you must specify which ICMP message types Windows Firewall allows this computer to send or receive. If you disable this policy setting Windows Firewall blocks all the listed incoming and outgoing ICMP message types. As a result utilities that use the blocked ICMP messages will not be able to send those messages to or from this computer. If you enable this policy setting and allow certain message types then later disable this policy setting Windows Firewall deletes the list of message types that you had enabled. If you do not configure this policy setting Windows Firewall behaves as if you had disabled it. Note: If any policy setting opens TCP port 445 Windows Firewall allows inbound echo requests even if the “Windows Firewall: Allow ICMP exceptions” policy setting would block them. Policy settings that can open TCP port 445 include “Windows Firewall: Allow file and printer sharing exception” “Windows Firewall: Allow remote administration exception” and “Windows Firewall: Define inbound port exceptions. “Note: Other Windows Firewall policy settings affect only incoming messages but several of the options of the “Windows Firewall: Allow ICMP exceptions” policy setting affect outgoing communication.

Allows Windows Firewall to record information about the unsolicited incoming messages that it receives. If you enable this policy setting Windows Firewall writes the information to a log file. You must provide the name location and maximum size of the log file. The location can contain environment variables. You must also specify whether to record information about incoming messages that the firewall blocks (drops) and information about successful incoming and outgoing connections. Windows Firewall does not provide an option to log successful incoming messages. If you are configuring the log file name ensure that the Windows Firewall service account has write permissions to the folder containing the log file. Default path for the log file is %systemroot% -> system32 -> LogFiles -> Firewall -> pfirewall. log. If you disable this policy setting Windows Firewall does not record information in the log file. If you enable this policy setting and Windows Firewall creates the log file and adds information then upon disabling this policy setting Windows Firewall leaves the log file intact. If you do not configure this policy setting Windows Firewall behaves as if the policy setting were disabled.

Prevents Windows Firewall from displaying notifications to the user when a program requests that Windows Firewall add the program to the program exceptions list. If you enable this policy setting Windows Firewall prevents the display of these notifications. If you disable this policy setting Windows Firewall allows the display of these notifications. In the Windows Firewall component of Control Panel the “Notify me when Windows Firewall blocks a new program” check box is selected and administrators cannot clear it. If you do not configure this policy setting Windows Firewall behaves as if the policy setting were disabled except that in the Windows Firewall component of Control Panel the “Notify me when Windows Firewall blocks a new program” check box is selected by default and administrators can change it.

Allows you to view and change the inbound port exceptions list defined by Group Policy. Windows Firewall uses two port exception lists: one is defined by Group Policy settings and the other is defined by the Windows Firewall component in Control Panel. If you enable this policy setting you can view and change the inbound port exceptions list defined by Group Policy. To view this port exceptions list enable the policy setting and then click the Show button. To add a port enable the policy setting note the syntax click the Show button. In the Show Contents dialog box type a definition string that uses the syntax format. To remove a port click its definition and then press the DELETE key. To edit a definition remove the current definition from the list and add a new one with different parameters. To allow administrators to add ports to the local port exceptions list that is defined by the Windows Firewall component in Control Panel also enable the “Windows Firewall: Allow local port exceptions” policy setting. If you disable this policy setting the port exceptions list defined by Group Policy is deleted but other policy settings can continue to open or block ports. Also if a local port exceptions list exists it is ignored unless you enable the “Windows Firewall: Allow local port exceptions” policy setting. If you do not configure this policy setting Windows Firewall uses only the local port exceptions list that administrators define by using the Windows Firewall component in Control Panel. Other policy settings can continue to open or block ports. Note: If you type an invalid definition string Windows Firewall adds it to the list without checking for errors and therefore you can accidentally create multiple entries for the same port with conflicting Scope or Status values. Scope parameters are combined for multiple entries. If entries have different Status values any definition with the Status set to “disabled” overrides all definitions with the Status set to “enabled” and the port does not receive messages. Therefore if you set the Status of a port to “disabled” you can prevent administrators from using the Windows Firewall component in Control Panel to enable the port. Note: The only effect of setting the Status value to “disabled” is that Windows Firewall ignores other definitions for that port that set the Status to “enabled. ” If another policy setting opens a port or if a program in the program exceptions list asks Windows Firewall to open a port Windows Firewall opens the port. Note: If any policy setting opens TCP port 445 Windows Firewall allows inbound ICMP echo request messages (the message sent by the Ping utility) even if the “Windows Firewall: Allow ICMP exceptions” policy setting would block them. Policy settings that can open TCP port 445 include “Windows Firewall: Allow inbound file and printer sharing exception” “Windows Firewall: Allow inbound remote administration exception” and “Windows Firewall: Define inbound port exceptions. “

Allows administrators to use the Windows Firewall component in Control Panel to define a local port exceptions list. Windows Firewall uses two port exceptions lists; the other is defined by the “Windows Firewall: Define inbound port exceptions” policy setting. If you enable this policy setting the Windows Firewall component in Control Panel allows administrators to define a local port exceptions list. If you disable this policy setting the Windows Firewall component in Control Panel does not allow administrators to define a local port exceptions list. However local administrators will still be allowed to create firewall rules in the Windows Firewall with Advanced Security snap-in. If you wish to prevent all locally created rules from applying use the Group Policy Object Editor snap-in and configure Computer Configuration -> Windows Settings -> Security Settings -> Windows Firewall with Advanced Security to specify that local firewall rules should not apply.

Allows unsolicited incoming messages from specified systems that authenticate using the IPsec transport. If you enable this policy setting you must type a security descriptor containing a list of computers or groups of computers. If a computer on that list authenticates using IPsec Windows Firewall does not block its unsolicited messages. This policy setting overrides other policy settings that would block those messages. If you disable or do not configure this policy setting Windows Firewall makes no exception for messages sent by computers that authenticate using IPsec. If you enable this policy setting and add systems to the list upon disabling this policy Windows Firewall deletes the list. Note: You define entries in this list by using Security Descriptor Definition Language (SDDL) strings. For more information about the SDDL format see the Windows Firewall deployment information at the Microsoft Web site (http://go. microsoft. com/fwlink/?LinkId=25131).

Allows you to view and change the program exceptions list defined by Group Policy. Windows Firewall uses two program exception lists: one is defined by Group Policy settings and the other is defined by the Windows Firewall component in Control Panel. If you enable this policy setting you can view and change the program exceptions list defined by Group Policy. If you add a program to this list and set its status to Enabled that program can receive unsolicited incoming messages on any port that it asks Windows Firewall to open even if that port is blocked by another policy setting such as the “Windows Firewall: Define inbound port exceptions” policy setting. To view the program list enable the policy setting and then click the Show button. To add a program enable the policy setting note the syntax click the Show button. In the Show Contents dialog box type a definition string that uses the syntax format. To remove a program click its definition and then press the DELETE key. To edit a definition remove the current definition from the list and add a new one with different parameters. To allow administrators to add programs to the local program exceptions list that is defined by the Windows Firewall component in Control Panel also enable the “Windows Firewall: Allow local program exceptions” policy setting. If you disable this policy setting the program exceptions list defined by Group Policy is deleted. If a local program exceptions list exists it is ignored unless you enable the “Windows Firewall: Allow local program exceptions” policy setting. If you do not configure this policy setting Windows Firewall uses only the local program exceptions list that administrators define by using the Windows Firewall component in Control Panel. Note: If you type an invalid definition string Windows Firewall adds it to the list without checking for errors. This allows you to add programs that you have not installed yet but be aware that you can accidentally create multiple entries for the same program with conflicting Scope or Status values. Scope parameters are combined for multiple entries. Note: If you set the Status parameter of a definition string to “disabled” Windows Firewall ignores port requests made by that program and ignores other definitions that set the Status of that program to “enabled. ” Therefore if you set the Status to “disabled” you prevent administrators from allowing the program to ask Windows Firewall to open additional ports. However even if the Status is “disabled” the program can still receive unsolicited incoming messages through a port if another policy setting opens that port. Note: Windows Firewall opens ports for the program only when the program is running and “listening” for incoming messages. If the program is not running or is running but not listening for those messages Windows Firewall does not open its ports.

Allows administrators to use the Windows Firewall component in Control Panel to define a local program exceptions list. Windows Firewall uses two program exceptions lists; the other is defined by the “Windows Firewall: Define inbound program exceptions” policy setting. If you enable this policy setting the Windows Firewall component in Control Panel allows administrators to define a local program exceptions list. If you disable this policy setting the Windows Firewall component in Control Panel does not allow administrators to define a local program exceptions list. However local administrators will still be allowed to create firewall rules in the Windows Firewall with Advanced Security snap-in. If you wish to prevent all locally created rules from applying use the Group Policy Object Editor snap-in and configure Computer Configuration -> Windows Settings -> Security Settings -> Windows Firewall with Advanced Security to specify that local firewall rules should not apply.

Turns on Windows Firewall. If you enable this policy setting Windows Firewall runs and ignores the “Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Network -> Network Connections -> Prohibit use of Internet Connection Firewall on your DNS domain network” policy setting. If you disable this policy setting Windows Firewall does not run. This is the only way to ensure that Windows Firewall does not run and administrators who log on locally cannot start it. If you do not configure this policy setting administrators can use the Windows Firewall component in Control Panel to turn Windows Firewall on or off unless the “Prohibit use of Internet Connection Firewall on your DNS domain network” policy setting overrides.