Windows Firewall

A firewall is a security system that acts as a protective boundary between a network and the outside world. Windows XP SP2 includes Windows Firewall, software that functions in much the same way for each individual client computer.

Windows Firewall comes installed on Windows XP Professional SP2 and is highly configurable. It is enabled by default and helps protect against network attacks. Windows Live OneCare also monitors Windows Firewall, and provides a single console to check the overall security status of your PC. The rest of this document will show you how to change Windows Firewall settings through the Windows Security Center, which is found within the Control Panel.

Note Windows Firewall is not intended to replace the functionality of a network firewall. Windows networking is enabled and allowed to pass Windows Firewall, which means that you can still communicate with other network computers, print, and access network shares. A network firewall is still recommended to protect the ports that are opened by these functions

Securing Windows XP Professional in a Peer-to-Peer Networking Environment

Introduction

Peer-to-peer networking can increase productivity by making it easy to share information and resources on your network. However, the ability of computer users to control access to their computers can leave them vulnerable to information theft, loss, or inadvertent sharing of files. Therefore, in addition to enforcing a company computing policy you should make sure you and your employees understand the basics of Windows peer-to-peer networking and security.

With the threat of malicious code—such as worms, viruses, Trojan horses, and spyware—and hackers, it is critical to take immediate action to lock down desktop and portable computers. This document explains how to implement security measures for a small or medium-sized business environment where peer-to-peer networking is used. These recommendations help ensure that your computers running Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional with Service Pack 2 (SP2) are more secure, while ensuring that users can continue to be efficient and productive on their computers.

Objective of This Document

After you familiarize yourself with the information in this document, you should be able to increase the security of a peer-to-peer workgroup.