Using Firewall Protection - McAfee TSA00M005PAA - Total Protection Service Product Manual

Using Firewall Protection

Firewall protection checks for suspicious activity in communications sent between client
computers and network resources or the Internet. As the administrator, you can define what
constitutes suspicious activity and how firewall protection responds to:
• IP addresses and communication ports that attempt to communicate with your computer.
You can specify whether to allow or block communications from other IP addresses on your
network or outside your network, or you can identify specific IP addresses and ports to
allow or block.
• Applications that attempt to access the Internet. You can use McAfee's recommendations
for safe Internet applications, or you can identify specific applications to allow or block. You
can also select firewall protection's response to detections of unrecognized applications.
Firewall protection has two primary modes: users configure firewall settings and an
administrator configures firewall settings. The McAfee default policy is configured to let client
computer users decide which communications and applications firewall protection allows. The
administrator setting puts all or partial control with the administrator.
NOTE: To ensure the highest level of protection for your network, McAfee recommends that an
administrator configure the firewall protection settings in one or more policies, which are then
assigned to client computers. When an administrator sets firewall protection, it is important
that the applications and communications that are important to your users are allowed before
deploying the policy. This ensures that no important communications are blocked.
Contents
Connection type and detections of incoming communications
Firewall protection mode and detections of unknown applications
The role of IP addresses
The role of system service ports
Firewall configuration
Configuring policy options
Configuring custom connections
Installing and enabling firewall protection at the policy level
Managing detections
Reports for firewall protection
Best practices (firewall protection)
Frequently asked questions
82 McAfee Total Protection Service Product Guide