The operating systems allow us to use the computer conveniently. Until this date, there are more than ten operating systems present from Microsoft. You can choose any at your convenience.
It happens many times with a user that a program initiates automatically in the background and takes up a major portion of the CPU, which ultimately slows down the speed. Hence, you become unable to do simple chores on the computer. The solution to this problem is blocking the program.
This article will tell you “How to block a program in the firewall.” So keep reading to find out more.
What is a firewall?
A firewall is a program, which blocks other programs and access to your computer. Generally, it is a watchdog for your system. And it works as a security program. With a firewall, you can limit the program access to the internet, which stops certain programs to upload and download the data. Moreover, a firewall can also stop a program file on your computer from execution. This way, you can allow every program to execute under your will. Due to a firewall, you can also block access to your computer from the network.
Types of firewall
There are three types of firewalls. The detail is below.
- Packet filters
- Stateful inspection
- Proxy server firewalls
Let’s dive into a little detail.
Packet filters
These firewalls control the access by analyzing packets going inside or outside. The packets are allowed access on a pre-determined criterion like allowed IPs, port number, and packet types. The packet filtering technique is suitable only for small networks. But for big networks, the data becomes more complex. That’s why packet filtering technique fails. Moreover, packet filtering firewalls cannot stop all attacks. Especially when an attacker uses a layering technique.
Stateful inspection
Stateful packet inspection is also called dynamic packet inspection. It is a powerful firewall architecture, which analyses and examines data from end to end. These firewalls are smart and intelligent. That’s why these firewalls stop all unauthorized traffic by analyzing packet headers. You can call it more secure than packet filtering firewalls. The large networks rely on stateful packet inspection.
Proxy server firewalls
These are also called application-level gateways. And these are the most secure firewalls. They filter the messages from the application layer. These firewalls do protocol awareness analysis and then allow the traffic to pass through. You can call these firewalls as the strongest firewalls a network can get.
How to block a program in the firewall (windows 7,8,10)?
If you want to block a program, then you must follow the steps.
- Open your computer.
- Now, you have to press a key combination.
- You must press the Windows logo button and R key simultaneously.
- It will open the Run dialog.
- Now, you have to type wf.msc.
- After that, you need to press enter.
- It will open Windows Firewall with advanced security window.
- Now, you need to click on the “outbound rules,” which will be on the left side of the window.
- Now, you have to click on the “new rule” on the right side of the menu.
- It will open the “New Outbound rule wizard.”
- Now, you have to select “Program” in the rule type window.
- After that, you need to click on the next.
- In the “Program window,” you need to type the full path and file name of the program you want to block. Or you can browse the Program file.
- Now, you need to click on the next.
- Now, an “Action” window will open.
- You need to select “Block the connection.”
- After that, you need to click next to continue.
- In the ‘Profile” window, you need to select all the options.
- After that, you must click next.
- In the “Name” window, you need to give a new name to the rule like “Block explorer.exe.”
- After that, you must click on the “finish” button.
- Now, you have successfully blocked the program.
- You can do this process for any program on your computer.
Does the firewall stop viruses?
The goal of a firewall is to prevent your computer from malicious software and malware. Viruses are malicious software. That’s why a firewall will try to stop them. But, if a virus is complex and layered in applications, then it can also penetrate through your protection. The easy solution to this problem is to update your firewall and install the latest antivirus.
Firewalls stop all known viruses in the system. But these are unable to new viruses that attack the vulnerabilities.
Why is the firewall needed?
Every computer is vulnerable to threats and attacks. That’s why a security program is needed to protect the system. A firewall stops basic attacks and limits all traffic activities according to the criteria. Moreover, a firewall is the basic line of protection of a computer against all types of attacks.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: How to block a program in Windows 10?
Ans: You can block programs in Windows 10 by using Windows Defender Program. The steps are as follows.
- You need to click the start button.
- After that, you must type a Firewall.
- This search will give you results.
- You must select the Windows defender program from the search results.
- You can choose to allow a program or block the program in the Windows defender program.
Q2: How do I block a website in Windows 10?
Ans: You can bock websites in Windows 10 by using host files. The procedure is described below.
- You need to open the host file in notepad or any other text editor.
- You need to find the line “127.0.0.1 localhost.”
- You must type the URL of the website below this line.
- Now, save and close the host file.
- After that, you need to restart your computer for the changes to take place.
Q3: How do I block data from certain apps?
Ans: You must open settings. And scroll down to the bottom where data usage is mentioned for all apps. Now, you can select the app for mobile data, and you can restrict the app too.