Windows 8 In Depth

Configuring Windows Firewall

The purpose of Windows Firewall is to examine all incoming network data, looking for attempts to connect to your computer. Windows Firewall maintains a list of networking services for which incoming connections should be permitted, within a given range of network addresses. For example, by default, on a private network, Windows Firewall permits file-sharing connections only from computers on the same “subnet” or LAN as your computer. Attempts by users outside your immediate network to contact your computer are rebuffed. This prevents Internet users from examining your shared files. (Outgoing requests, attempts by your computer to connect to others, are not restricted.)

Note

You might ask, why don’t the spyware ...