Firewall - Packet rules

Manage these settings from: ☰ Menu ▸ Settings ▸ Protection ▸ Firewall ▸ Packet Rules

The Packet rules screen enables you to view and manage Firewall rules that control whether network traffic is allowed or blocked according to the information contained in network packets. This information may include network protocols, source or destination IP addresses, and local and remote ports. Firewall uses packet rules to control network traffic using specified connection parameters, while Application Rules only control traffic according to individual rules for programs or services.

Note: we recommend you only make alterations to packet rules if you have advanced knowledge of firewall concepts. Firewall is already configured to provide the appropriate firewall protection in most cases.

Review packet rules

Default packet rules provide the extra security needed when your Firewall is in Public mode, which is the Network profile you should set when you are connected to a public network, such as in a cafe or at an airport. Other predefined packet rules are created when you change the setting of a rule on the System rules screen. Most predefined packet rules cannot be edited.

The following fields define each packet rule, however, certain fields are not applicable depending on the Protocol setting:

  • Enabled: indicates whether the rule is active.
  • Name: displays the name of the rule.
  • Action: indicates whether the rule allows or blocks the corresponding traffic.
  • Protocol: indicates the network protocol used by the corresponding traffic. One protocol may be selected, or All if the rule applies to all protocols. The availability of certain packet rule parameters depends on the technical specifications of protocols. Therefore, some fields may be unavailable when certain protocols are selected. The most common protocols are at the top of the drop-down menu.
  • Direction: indicates whether the rule applies to incoming (In) or outgoing (Out) connections, or to connections in both directions (In/Out). Depending on whether the rule is configured to allow or block network traffic (in the Action field), rules set to In allow or block connections from external servers or other network devices, and rules set to Out allow or block connections from your PC. For TCP, UDP, or ICMP protocols, this field corresponds to the direction of the first received packet only.
  • Address: indicates the source or destination IP address the rule applies to. The rule may apply to a single IP address, multiple IP addresses (separated by commas), or an IP address range (starting with the lowest IP address and separated with a dash). If the field is blank, the rule applies to all IP addresses.
  • Local port: indicates whether the rule applies to connections that use the specified network port number on the local IP address of your PC's network interface. The rule may apply to a single port number, multiple ports (separated by commas), or a port range (starting with the lowest port number and separated with a dash). If the field is blank, the rule applies to all local ports. This option is only available for some network protocols.
  • Remote port: indicates whether the rule applies to connections which use the specified network port number on the remote IP address of the external server or another network device. The rule may apply to a single port number, multiple ports (separated by commas), or a port range (starting with the lowest port number and separated with a dash). If the field is blank, the rule applies to all remote ports. This option is only available for some network protocols.
  • ICMP Type: indicates the control message (represented by a code number) that the rule applies to. The rule may apply to a single code number, or multiple codes (separated by commas). This option is only available for connections based on the Internet Control Message Protocol. The code numbers of control messages are listed in the technical specifications of the ICMP (RFC 792).
  • Profile: indicates whether the rule applies when your Firewall is in Public, Private, or both (All) Firewall Network profiles.

Create custom packet rules

We strongly recommend only advanced users make changes to packet rules, however, if you need to add a new packet rule, follow these steps:

  1. Click Add.
  2. Scroll to the bottom of the screen to see the new row that appears, and customize the packet rule fields as necessary. Read more...
  3. Click OK to save the new packet rule.

To modify an existing rule, click the relevant row, and edit the fields as necessary. To delete a rule, click the relevant row, then click Remove.

Note: most predefined packet rules cannot be edited.

Change packet rule priorities

Packet rules are listed in order of priority, which means that although multiple rules may relate to one packet, the rule that appears highest in the table is always applied first. You can change the priority of a rule by selecting the relevant rule in the table and using the following buttons:

  • Click Move up to give the rule higher priority in the list.
  • Click Move down to give the rule lower priority in the list.

Troubleshoot issues

If you are unable to make a shared folder or printer accessible to other PCs in the network, follow these steps from the Packet rules screen:

  1. Locate the Windows Networking In and Windows Networking Out rules in the table.
  2. Check the settings of each rule in the following fields:
    • Enabled: ensure that the box is ticked.
    • Action: ensure that the field is set to Allow.
  3. Click OK.

If the issue persists, the Action field for one or both of the rules is not set to Allow, or one or both of the rules do not appear in the table, follow these steps:

  1. Go to ☰ Menu ▸ Settings ▸ Protection ▸ Firewall ▸ System Rules.
  2. Switch the Allow Windows File and Printer sharing rule to Not Configured.
  3. Click OK, then reopen the System Rules screen.
  4. Switch the Allow Windows File and Printer sharing rule back to Enabled.
  5. Click OK, then restart your PC.