Windows Firewall Control (WFC) by BiniSoft.org

OK thanks for your reply.

It was answered by aldist.

 

It's not a firewall, it's a GUI for the Windows Firewall only.

Probably you saw the read only already (for restricted accounts) ... ALL what need elevated privilegues is read only now for restricted accounts. You even can edit there something in rules but YOU CAN'T SAVE then.

 

I initially wanted to disable that dialog, but then I thought, maybe someone wants to make a copy/paste from it, so it made more sense to disable the Apply button.

 

@alexandrud

Yes, please leave it! I makes sense this way.

 

This is what I mean't by the Read Only setting.

 

@wolfrun

That has NOTHING todo with THIS Windows Firewall Control (WFC), that's another program.

This program here (WFC) is also read only since last two releases (as explained above) for restricted accounts.

Else I also don't understand what you mean ... sorry.

 

No problem. Anyway I have moved on. Thanks for your reply.

 

This is a very powerful program that complements Windows Firewall. Thanks for all your hard work on this. I had problems with the program and you were very nice to deal with, again, thanks.

 

!!!PROBLEM SOLVED!!!
I got the reason for my problem:
I looked into the windows user account setting and there is the "account type" Default (grayed out) and Admin (active) with the explaination: there has to be an "admin user" on the computer. So I am an "administrator" with UAC restrictions and end up with the "full access mode" of wfc.

I didn't realized, that I am an administrator with no (default) administrator rights...


Hello,

I have a problem with the "Request Elevation" thing.

I want to use the restricted "read only" mode, but I always end up in "full access mode".

After complete uninstall and reinstall wfc, or fresh installation in a virtual machine, I don't get into the "restricted mode".

I done the setup routine in multiple ways, but end up in the same unrestricted mode:
1. Downloaded the last wfc6setup V6.9.9.3
2. Started "wfc6setup" with a simple double click
3. Pressed the "install" button
The installation program ask for elevation
I grant the elevation
4. After installation I pressed the "exit" button
5. I used the new created "malwarebytes windows firewall control" icon
No elevation prompt is shown
I get full access to all settings
I get no "request elevation" button

If I use the task bar icon, I have full access, there is no "request elevation" option.

It makes no difference in step 4 for me, If I use the "run" button instead of the "exit" button.

The windows UAC-control is maxed out, to ask always for elevation.
The user account has no default admin rights.

How to use the wfc installer, to get into the restricted "read only" mode?
Thank you.

My system uses the german version of Windows10 22H2

 

@WaMister

And you use a restricted windows account (user)? If you use a non-restricted windows account (admin), then WFC don't use restricted functions.

 

!!!PROBLEM SOLVED!!!
I got the reason for my problem:
I looked into the windows user account setting and there is the "account type" Default (grayed out) and Admin (active) with the explaination: there has to be an "admin user" on the computer. So I am an "administrator" with UAC restrictions and end up with the "full access mode" of wfc.

I didn't realized, that I am an administrator with no (default) administrator rights...

Thank you.

 

No problem

 

After activating the real admin account with:
net user administrator * /active:yes (which asks for a new password)
I was able to change my account type from "Administrator" to "Default"

 

If the user account is in the Administrators group, then no restriction in WFC. If the user account is in the Users group, read-only mode applies automatically.

 

Hi,

just after installing the new 6.9.9.3 i found a strange problem never seen before. When WFC ask for new connection authorization, all button are grayed out except ask later.
This make impossibile to authorize new application or applications that has changed.
My setup is:

Win11 22H3 full updated
User account as "normal user" without admin privilege (for security reason), I can elevate the privileges with admin password if is needed

also, when I try to "elevate" the WFC GUI, the application simply close itself.

With 6.9.9.2 this problems didn't exists, there is a way in the meantime, to switch back to previous version?

Thank you

 

@alexandrud,
I don't know if I'm wrong...
but it seems to me that once the elevation of privileges has been carried out, this "elevation" remains active until the PC is restarted or until WFC is restarted...

Perhaps, if it were possible, it would still be appropriate for the elevation to remain active in time... I don't know: 1min... 5 min... with an indication showing these active but temporary privileges...

 

@Claudio R

At least at the moment, this behaviour is by design.

Would be a good idea, BUT probably not easy to implement ...

Let us wait for Alexandru ...

 

Export all rules, this will be your backup. Install v6.9.9.2 on top of v6.9.9.3, rules and settings will be inherited.

 

Before closing itself it should prompt the UAC prompt to elevate a new instance. Does this happen? If UAC is cancelled, it does not close itself. If the UAC is accepted then the existing instance closes and a new elevated one is started. Can you check in WFC log under Event Viewer if there is logged any error? Thank you.

I don't know if there is any software that does this. Usually elevation is per action or per whole execution of the software. Elevating just per action (each time a notification pops up, would be annoying). There is no plan to auto close the elevated instance just to restart back the standard user account instance (while you are in the middle of editing a rule). Even WFwAS, once elevated stays elevated until restart for the same reasons, you don't want an abrupt restart while you are in the middle of something.

WFC installer does not allow updating a newer version by an older version. To be able to do this you would have to manually set the version in Windows Registry to a previous version so that WFC installer will continue.

 

Hi, where Ican download the 6.9.9.2 version? any file downloaded from download page seem install the 6.9.9.3, even if I previously removed the application.

 

I agree on the impossibility of being able to set a timer but, you must recognize that leaving "high privileges" can also cause problems, especially after intervention by IT technicians on situations that need to be corrected.

At the moment I have indicated/recommended, at the end of the elevation intervention on the user's PC, to execute a batch file for this purpose:

taskkill /im wfcui.exe /F
taskkill /im wfcs.exe /F
"C:\Program Files\Malwarebytes\Windows Firewall Control\wfcUI.exe" -mp
EXIT

​

PS: I also thought that this batch could be integrated into the main panel interface... If you think it's feasible we can also talk about it

Error: The only way is to restart the local PC...

 

From here: https://binisoft.org/download/old/6992/wfc6setup.exe

Please go back in Event Viewer and check the Details tab of the event, not the General tab. The General tab gives only the error, but the Details gives the whole EventData. It should contain the reason why it fails.

 

This request makes no sense to me. Prior to version 6.9.9.2 (between 2010-2024), standard user accounts were allowed to make changes to Windows Firewall (which was a good thing for home power users, but was exploitable by bad actors). Now you say that an IT technician might forget wfcUI.exe elevated after his intervention, leaving the standard user account perform actions which he is not supposed to do. How did the IT technician solve this problem before version 6.9.9.2?

There is no need to kill WFC service, nor to restart the machine. To remove elevated privileges, after an IT intervention, you just need to close wfcUI.exe and restart it again. On restart it will have the privileges of the logged in account, which is the standard user account.

 

Below what i found:


Unexpected error while signaling first instance.
System.IO.IOException: Pipe interrupt. in System.IO.Pipes.PipeStream.WinIOError(Int32 errorCode) in System.IO.Pipes.PipeStream.WriteCore(Byte[] buffer, Int32 offset, Int32 count) in WindowsFirewallControl.Utils.SingleInstanceManager.SendArguments()