Often there are situations in which a particular program is connected to the network at startup. And if anti-virus utilities completely justify such arbitrariness by checking the relevance of virus databases and signatures and thereby ensuring security, then PC owners have to actively struggle with some applications. This may be due to non-disable update checking, the appearance of advertising banners within the program, or a decrease in computer speed. Users have the ability to prevent the program from accessing the Internet using both the built-in tools of the operating system and third-party applications.
Standard Windows Tools
The most common operating system allows applications to block network access in many ways. Consider them below.
Windows Firewall
The most common, easiest and most convenient way is to use the Windows Firewall. You can start its configuration from the "System and Security" section, which is located in the "Control Panel". In the upper left corner, click on the link "Advanced options". In the new window, open the "Rules for outgoing connection" tab, where a list of available rules for all Windows services will be displayed. Here, already in the upper right part of the screen, is the "Create Rule" item, by clicking on which you can choose what it is specifically created for. You should select the top line of "Programs", click "Next", and then select the path to the executable file of the application. In the next window, the option “Block connection” is checked by default, it must be left unchanged, then the profile is selected (it is better to leave everything active), in the final the user will be asked to give the rule a name and a brief description as a hint. The “Finish” button completes the setting. A line with a new rule will appear at the top of the list, which will prohibit the program’s Internet access.
Similarly, it is worth doing with advertisements for applications that need an Internet connection to work. In this case, not the entire program is entered into the rule, but only the IP address to which it refers. And this address, of course, is not advertised. Therefore, the “Resource Monitor” utility integrated into the Windows task manager comes to the rescue, which allows you to track the network activity of a specific program at specific addresses. It looks like this.
In the settings of the new rule, it should be noted not “Programs”, but the item “Custom”, and on the left tab, select “Protocols and ports”. In the next window, you need to drive the clarified IP into the field of remote IP addresses, and then similarly complete the setup.
IP Security Policies
Initially, it may seem that the method is incredibly complicated and, as a rule, many users cannot prohibit the program from accessing the Internet, seeing countless menus that open and obscure terms. Despite the fact that the method is intended specifically for experienced users or technical specialists, it will not be difficult for an ordinary person to understand this policy. Using this function, you can prevent a program from accessing the Internet, either fully or partially.
The Security Rule Wizard is located in the Administration section. After starting, an empty window is displayed, by clicking RMB on which you need to select "Create IP Security Policy". Further actions do not require any technical skills, since the system uses the "Security Policy Wizard", which will guide the user through all the opening menus and windows. All the default values are not required to be changed, as certain actions that can cause complexity will need to be performed only at the stage of creating IP filters:
- "Source of IP traffic" - here it should be noted "My IP address".
- "Assign IP traffic" - select "Specific IP address or subnet."
- Enter the IP found by the Resource Monitor into the form.
- Select the type of protocol - you need to install "Any".
- Complete the Wizard.
The next step is the lock itself. It is performed by selecting the filter you just created and creating the rule "Filter action", where you need to select the "Block" item. After completing this step, the created policy will be displayed in a previously empty window. It is necessary to call its context menu and select "Assign" in it, after which it will take effect.
How to block access to the Internet by third-party utilities?
At the disposal of users there is a considerable selection of various security utilities with wider capabilities than the Windows firewall. Some of them are part of anti-virus products, some are separate applications. PC owners choose products from different manufacturers: Kaspersky, Dr. Web, AVG, Comodo, McAffee, etc., but they all have similar functionality and, most importantly, a convenient and simple interface, so the user can easily prevent the program from accessing the Internet and configure many other security settings.