Firewall protection settings in Norton 360 check your PC's Internet connection to protect it from unwanted communication activity and Internet intrusions.

The following table describes the five available Firewall protection setting tabs:

General Settings

Use the Firewall General settings to turn Firewall protection, Firewall alerts, Stateful Protocol Filter, or Browser Protection on or off.

Program Rules

Norton 360 monitors when the programs installed on your PC access the Internet. It compares the programs' activities to a "safe" list that Symantec provides. This helps ensure that no malicious program activity goes from your PC to the Internet.

In this list, you can select which programs should be monitored.

Traffic Rules

The Firewall Traffic Rules determine how the firewall handles incoming and outgoing network connections of various kinds. You can change the settings to allow or deny specific types of connections with your PC.

Network Locations

Norton 360 classifies network locations as either Trusted or Restricted.

Your PC has unrestricted access to Trusted network locations. For example, if your PC is networked with others, they would be on the Trusted list.

Your PC has limited access to Restricted network locations. If Norton 360 incorrectly classifies any locations that you consider safe or unsafe, you can move those locations to the appropriate category.

Intrusion Prevention

The Intrusion Prevention System in Norton 360 automatically detects and blocks Internet attacks. It uses a list of "signatures" that identify specific forms of attack. You can enable or disable individual signatures.

Norton Firewall general settings

Use the Firewall Traffic Rules tab in the Firewall Protection Settings window to turn firewall protection on or off and to turn the display of firewall-related alerts on or off.

Firewall protection allows most programs access to the Internet for common activities, such as Web browsing, or sending and receiving email. It blocks Internet access for certain activities that may be harmful to your PC or your data, such as the networking techniques used by spyware.

Turning off the Norton 360 firewall protection while you are connected to the Internet can expose your PC to risks.

When firewall alerts are on, Norton 360 displays alert windows whenever it blocks a program's Internet access. If you do not want to see such messages, turn off firewall alerts.

Stateful Protocol Filter automatically allows Internet traffic that matches the connections when an application opens. Check this option to do the following:

* Analyze the network traffic that enters your computer
* Block the suspicious applications that try to connect to your computer

Turning on Browser Protection checks for the Internet Explorer 6 and Internet Explorer 7 browser vulnerabilities.

To turn on or turn off firewall protection

1. In the Norton 360 main window, click Settings.
2. In the Settings window, click Firewall Protection.
3. In the Firewall Protection Settings window, click General Settings.
4. On the General Settings tab, do one of the following:
* To turn on the firewall, check Turn on Firewall.
* To turn off the firewall, uncheck Turn on Firewall.
5. Click Close.

To turn on or turn off firewall alerts

1. In the Norton 360 main window, click Settings.
2. In the Settings window, click Firewall Protection.
3. In the Firewall Protection Settings window, click General Settings.
4. On the General Settings tab, do one of the following:
* To turn on firewall alerts, check Turn on Alerts.
* To turn off firewall alerts, uncheck Turn on Alerts.
5. Click Close.

To turn on or turn off Stateful Protocol Filter

1. In the Norton 360 main window, click Settings.
2. In the Settings window, click Firewall Protection.
3. In the Firewall Protection Settings window, click General Settings.
4. On the General Settings tab, do one of the following:
* To turn on Stateful Protocol Filter, check Turn on Stateful Protocol Filter.
* To turn off Stateful Protocol Filter, uncheck Turn on Stateful Protocol Filter.
5. Click Close.

To turn on or turn off Browser Vulnerability Protection

1. In the Norton 360 main window, click Settings.
2. In the Settings window, click Firewall Protection.
3. In the Firewall Protection Settings window, click General Settings.
4. On the General Settings tab, do one of the following:
* To turn on Browser Vulnerability Protection, check Turn on Browser Vulnerability Protection.
* To turn off Browser Vulnerability Protection, uncheck Turn on Browser Vulnerability Protection.
5. Click Close.

To reset the firewall settings options

1. In the Norton 360 main window, click Settings.
2. In the Settings window, click Firewall Protection.
3. In the Firewall Protection Settings window, click General Settings.
4. Under General Settings, click Reset.
5. In the confirmation dialog box, click Yes.
6. Click Close.

Opening Firewall protection settings

When you install Norton 360, it sets the Firewall to provide appropriate protection for most users. You can customize the Firewall settings if your PC has specific network requirements.

Only experienced users should customize the Firewall protection settings.

To open the Firewall protection settings

1. At the top of the main Norton 360 window, click Settings.
2. In the Settings window, click Firewall Protection.

About Firewall Traffic Rules

Use the Firewall Traffic Rules tab in the Firewall Protection Settings window to specify how Norton 360 handles specific kinds of network communications. These rules provide protection for known Internet risks.

To turn off a rule

* To the left of any rule in the list, uncheck its checkbox.

To turn on a rule

* To the left of any rule in the list, check its checkbox.

To add a new rule

1. Click Add.
2. Follow the instructions in the Add Rule window that appears.

To change an existing rule

1. Click a rule.
2. Click Modify.
3. Make your changes in the Modify Rule window that appears.

To remove a rule

1. Click a rule.
2. Click Remove.
3. Click Yes to confirm the removal.

To change the position of a rule in the list

1. Click a rule.
2. Do one of the following:
* Click Move Up.
* Click Move Down.

About Firewall Program Rules

Use the Firewall Program Rules tab in the Firewall Protection Settings window to restrict the kinds of Internet communications that individual programs can employ.

Only experienced users should modify the Firewall program rules.

To change access settings for a program

1. In the Access column, in the drop-down box adjacent to the program that you want to change, select the type of Internet access that you want to assign to the program. Your options are:
* Allow
* Block
* Custom
* Auto
2. Click Close.

To change rules for a program

1. Click a program.
2. Click Modify.
3. Make your changes in the Program Rules window that appears.
4. Click OK.

To remove a program from the list

1. Click a program.
2. Click Remove.
3. Click Yes to confirm the removal.
4. Click Close.

To rename a program in the list

1. Click a program.
2. Click Rename.
3. Type a new name or description for the program, and then click OK.
4. Click Close.

To turn off a rule

1. Click a program.
2. Click Modify.
3. To the left of any rule in the list, uncheck its checkbox.
4. Click OK.

To turn on a rule

1. Click a program.
2. Click Modify.
3. To the left of any rule in the list, check its checkbox.
4. Click OK.

To add a new rule

1. Click a program.
2. Click Modify.
3. In the Program Rule window, click Add.
4. Follow the instructions in the Add Rule window that appears.
5. Click OK.

To change an existing rule

1. In the Program Rules window, click an existing rule.
2. Click Modify.
3. Make your changes in the Modify Rule window that appears.
4. Click OK.

To remove a rule

1. In the Program Rules window, click an existing rule.
2. Click Remove.
3. Click Yes to confirm the removal.
4. Click OK.

To change the position of a rule in the list

1. In the Program Rules window, click an existing rule.
2. Do one of the following:
* Click Move Up.
* Click Move Down.
3. Click OK.

About the Intrusion Prevention System

The Norton 360 Intrusion Prevention System monitors your Internet connection for attempts to access your PC and its information without your permission. It uses a list of signatures that identify known methods of Internet attack. Such attacks attempt to use vulnerabilities in the operating system or programs that run on your PC.

Turning off the Intrusion Prevention System or any of its signatures leaves your PC more vulnerable to Internet attack.

To turn off Intrusion Prevention detection
1. Above the signature list, uncheck Turn on Intrusion Prevention.
2. In the pop-up window that appears, in the drop-down list, select how long you want to turn off Intrusion Prevention, and then click OK.

To turn on Intrusion Prevention detection
* Above the signature list, check Turn on Intrusion Prevention. To turn off an individual signature
* At the left of the signature that you want to turn off, uncheck the checkbox. To turn on an individual signature
* At the left of the signature you want to turn on, check the checkbox.

About network locations

When you connect your PC to a network, Norton 360 detects the connection and begins monitoring communications between your PC and that network. It can either block or permit communication with that network, depending on the Location settings.

To trust a network

1. In the Norton 360 main window, click Settings.
2. In the Settings window, click Firewall Protection.
3. In the Firewall Protection Settings window, click Network Locations.
4. Do one of the following:
* To trust an unassigned network, on the Active tab, click a network.
* To trust a restricted network, on the Restricted tab, click a network.
5. Click Trust.
6. In the Properties dialog box, do one of the following:
* To assign shared access, click Allow file sharing on this network [recommended].
* To assign open access, click Allow all network activity on this network.

You can also type a description of the network, if necessary.
7. Click OK.
8. In the Firewall Protection Settings window, click Close.

To trust a computer

1. In the Norton 360 main window, click Settings.
2. In the Settings window, click Firewall Protection.
3. In the Firewall Protection Settings window, click Network Locations.
4. On the Trusted tab, click Add.
5. In the Enter Trusted Computer dialog box, type the IP address or MAC address of the computer that you want to trust, and then click OK.
6. In the Firewall Protection Settings window, click Close.

To restrict a network

1. In the Norton 360 main window, click Settings.
2. In the Settings window, click Firewall Protection.
3. In the Firewall Protection Settings window, click Network Locations.
4. Do one of the following:
* To restrict an unassigned network, on the Active tab, click a network.
* To restrict a trusted network, on the Trusted tab, click a network.
5. Click Restrict.
6. In the confirmation dialog box, click Yes.
7. In the Firewall Protection Settings window, click Close.

To restrict a computer

1. In the Norton 360 main window, click Settings.
2. In the Settings window, click Firewall Protection.
3. In the Firewall Protection Settings window, click Network Locations.
4. On the Trusted tab, click Add.
5. In the Enter Trusted Computer dialog box, type the IP address or MAC address of the computer that you want to trust, and then click OK.
6. On the Trusted tab, click the computer you added.
7. Click Restrict.
8. In the confirmation dialog box, click Yes.
9. In the Firewall Protection Settings window, click Close.