win srv 2003 R2 firewall

[Red Squirrel]

I enabled the firewall in windows and only allowed access to RDP, http, FTP, and a game server port. For some reason, all these other ports are wide open to the internet, like 1031 (RPC?) and other stuff to invite worms. I want to block all of it.

What's a good firewall for windows thats free (and wont enable itself by default) so I can close those ports? I don't have physical access to the server, so its very important that it wont enable itself right when I install it.

 

[Canterwood]

Comodo is a pretty good software firewall that will work on Server 2003.

However, you should really have that box behind a hardware firewall like a router, then you wouldn't need a software firewall at all.

 

[stash]

How are you determining that ports are open to the internet?

 

[stash]

However, you should really have that box behind a hardware firewall like a router, then you wouldn't need a software firewall at all.

Because people never attack machines from the inside right?

 

[Canterwood]

Originally posted by: stash

However, you should really have that box behind a hardware firewall like a router, then you wouldn't need a software firewall at all.

Because people never attack machines from the inside right?

So Microsoft run windows firewall on their servers then, right?

 

[stash]

Originally posted by: Canterwood

Originally posted by: stash

However, you should really have that box behind a hardware firewall like a router, then you wouldn't need a software firewall at all.

Because people never attack machines from the inside right?

So Microsoft run windows firewall on their servers then, right?

A) I don't work for MSIT.
B) I'm not going to comment on internal ops stuff like that. If it isn't on How MS does IT, then it's not intended to be shared.

 

[spyordie007]

Originally posted by: Canterwood

Originally posted by: stash

However, you should really have that box behind a hardware firewall like a router, then you wouldn't need a software firewall at all.

Because people never attack machines from the inside right?

So Microsoft run windows firewall on their servers then, right?

It depends a lot on how your servers are segmented out on your network.

If you have servers "shrined" off on a strictly ACLd VLAN there isnt much advantage to running a software firewall; on the other hand if your servers sit on the same segment as your client computers there is some merit to using a software firewall to restrict what those clients can, and cannot, connect to.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I don't have the option of putting it on a hardware firewall (its leased so I'd have to pay more). But I agree that would be the best way to do it.

To determine they were opened I did a port scan from my home machine to the server. (which is on the internet)

Turns out I configured the firewall but forgot to turn it ON (lol). I'm running another scan but turning things on usually makes them work so I should be good now.