What is the firewall protection of Panda and how do I set it up?

The firewall protection included in Panda is a filter that can protect your PC and prevent unauthorized entry of intruders. It is also an effective means to ensure safe navigation on the Internet.

The firewall filters connections not only in and out of the computer when it connects to the Internet, but it also intervenes in established connections between your computer and other computers on the network with which you can exchange files and share folders and printers among other things.

As a general rule, to make the security settings a simple process, the firewall protection will assign permissions to applications automatically whenever possible, assessing the risk posed by this application in question and the type of communication that the application wants to establish.

However, exceptionally, when the application or user attemps to connect and according to the direction of the communication, the firewall will request permission to authorize the connection via pop-up.

Steps to enable the firewall protection

1. Click the Firewall widget of the main window.
   
   
   
2. Move the switch to ON to enable the firewall protection.
   
   
   
3. Select the location from which you are connected to the Internet: home, work or public place connection. There are different levels of protection based on the location of the PC. When your PC is connected to a network, for example, the firewall protection will apply a different level of security depending on the type of network in question.
4. Click Settings.
   
   
   

Configuring Program Control

In the Program Control settings screen you can determine, assign and prioritize specific user rules or factory settings for different programs. Furthermore, the firewall configuration will be completed with the configuration you define via pop-up whenever a connection or network attempt is detected.

Whenever you get an intrusion attempt pop-up, please ensure that you only authorize the connection to programs you trust. If you are unsure about the program, it is best not to allow the connection. Nonetheless, these permissions can always be modified through the firewall settings afterwards.

Configuring user rules

Follow these steps to configure the user rules:

1. From the Program control window, click the Add button to access the Edit Rule window.
   
   
   
2. Enter the name of the rule.
3. Select if the rule will apply to A specific program or to All programs. If the rules only applies to a specific program, press the Select button to select the program.
4. Click the Action option to select whether to allow or deny the direction of the communication:
   
   
   • Allow outbound
     The program can connect to the Internet but will not accept external connections by other users or applications.
   • Allow inbound
     The program will accept external connections from programs or Internet users, but will not have outbound permissions.
   • Deny outbound
     The program will NOT be able to connect to the Internet.
   • Deny inbound
     The program will not accept external connections from programs or Internet users.
5. Select if the firewall settings for this rule applies when you are connected to the Internet from your home, work or a public place.
6. Finally, select the protocol, port or port ranges, and IP addresses or ranges of IP addresses.
7. To edit or delete a rule, select it and then click the appropriate button.
8. To increase or decrease the priority of application of a rule, click the arrows. The rule will move up or down.

Factory settings rules

Factory rules are control rules recommended by our experts and affect the communication of certain applications. Through factory rules you can establish connection rules that will affect the entire system. These rules have a lower priority than user rules.

To configure factory rules, check the Enable rules recommended by our lab box located below the Program control option.