Editing the Net Defense Security Level

The Net Defense security level determines what traffic is allowed and blocked. You can set Net Defense security options for all network access, or you can differentiate between trusted networks and untrusted networks.

A trusted network is a network that you believe is safe, such as your company’s intranet or your home network. An untrusted network is a network that you don’t know is safe, such as those in hotels, Internet cafes, or free Wi-Fi locations.

To edit the Net Defense security level:

1       Click the Settings button.

2       Click Net Defense, then click the General tab.

3       Select a Security Level:

§        To allow all network activity, select Allow All. Selecting Allow All is like turning the firewall off. All incoming and outgoing traffic is allowed.

§        To allow some network traffic when you are on a trusted network, select Trusted Network. Net Defense blocks incoming network traffic and allows outgoing access based on the Application list. File and printer sharing is allowed.

§        To allow some network traffic when you are on an unfamiliar network, such as at a hotel, select Untrusted Network. Net Defense blocks all incoming traffic and allows outgoing access based on the Application list. File and print sharing is blocked.

§        To block all network activity, select Block All. Net Defense blocks all incoming and outgoing traffic.

4       If you selected Trusted Network or Untrusted Network in the previous step, click Advanced Rules to create specific rules for firewall use.

5       To start Net Defense when you start your computer, select the Automatically load Net Defense at startup check box.

6       To block all incoming and outgoing traffic while your computer’s screen saver is on, select the Block all traffic while screen saver is active check box.

7       To hide the Net Defense firewall icon in the notification area, select the Hide Net Defense tray icon check box.

8       Click OK.

You can also change the Net Defense security level using the Net Defense firewall icon, located in the notification area.

To change the Net Defense security level using the Net Defense firewall icon:

§       In the notification area, right-click the Net Defense icon.

§       Choose a security level.

The Net Defense icon in the notification area changes based on the security level.

The Net Defense icon in the notification area also includes two arrows. The arrow that points to the right indicates outgoing traffic. The arrow that points to the left indicates incoming traffic.

See Also

Setting Advanced Rules

Editing the Net Defense Application List

Editing Network Neighborhood Access

Enabling E-mail Notification of Firewall Activity

Editing Net Defense Security Settings

Editing Net Defense Log Settings