9.3.2 (L1) Ensure 'Windows Firewall: Public: Inbound connections' is set to 'Block (default)'

Information

This setting determines the behavior for inbound connections that do not match an inbound firewall rule.

The recommended state for this setting is: Block (default)

If the firewall allows all traffic to access the system then an attacker may be more easily able to remotely exploit a weakness in a network service.

Solution

To establish the recommended configuration via GP, set the following UI path to Block (default) :

Computer Configuration\Policies\Windows Settings\Security Settings\Windows Firewall with Advanced Security\Windows Firewall with Advanced Security\Windows Firewall Properties\Public Profile\Inbound connections

Impact:

None - this is the default behavior.

See Also

https://workbench.cisecurity.org/benchmarks/14291