[KB3327] Configure firewall profiles and zones in ESET Cyber Security Pro (2024)

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KB3327

Issue

Create multiple firewall profiles for use on different networks
Automatically switch between profiles when you enter or leave a zone
Configure yourfirewall profiles
Define your zones

Details

In ESETCyber Security Pro you can create firewall rules and exceptions that are specific to a firewall profile. Firewall profiles, when used in combination with the Zone and Rule editor, allow ESET Cyber Security Pro to switch profiles automatically when traveling between multiple networks. For example, if you travel to and from work and access public networks while out of the office, but do not require the use of certain rules while at your office, you can create profiles for office and public use. When ESET Cyber Security Pro detects the IP address from your office network, it will only enforce the rules included in your office profile. When you access a public network with a different IP address, the firewall will automatically switch to your public profile and enforce the rules that you have in place for that profile.

Solution

I. Configure your firewall profiles

Open ESET Cyber Security Pro.
Click Setup → Firewall and click Setup next to Network traffic filtering.
Figure 1-1

Click the Profiles tab (see Figure 1-2).
The default profiles are Home, Public and Work. You can customize one of these profiles or create a new profile based on the settings from an existing profile. To create a new profile, select the existing profile that you want to base the settings for your new profile on, type a name for your new profile into the New profile name field and click Clone.
Figure 1-2

Select Interactive from the Filtering Mode drop-down menu and exit the Firewall window.
Figure 1-3

When prompted by the firewall, select Remember action (create rule) from the drop-down menu, make sure that your new profile is selected from the Profile drop-down menu and then click Allow or Deny to create a new rule for that profile.
Figure 1-4

Creating new zones for use with your new profile

If the network connection you are on when you create a new firewall profile is not part of an existing zone, you will be notified that a new network connection has been detected. Select your new profile from the Profile drop-down menu, select the check box next to Remember network, expand Show settings and select the radio button next to Add network to a new zone. Click OK to create a new zone and associate it with your new profile. You can also select the radio button next to Add network to an existing zone to include this network in a zone that you have already created.

Figure 1-5

Once you have created the rules that you want to use with this profile, click Setup → Firewall→ Setup and select Auto with exceptions from the Filtering Mode drop-down menu. You will no longer be prompted when the firewall detects new network traffic.

Continue to the Define your zones section below for instructions to create a new zone without creating a dedicated profile for that zone.

II. Create your zones

In addition to zones that are automatically detected, you can add zones based on IP address, subnet, WiFi network or interface. Once created, you can set any zone to use the rules from any one of your profiles, or create a new profile with a set of rules specific to this zone. To add a new zone, follow the steps below:

OpenESET Cyber Security Pro.
Click Setup →Firewall.

Click Configure rules and zones.
Figure 2-1

Click the Zones tab and click Add.
Figure 2-2

Type a name for your new zone into the Name field and select the profile that you want to apply in this zone from the Sets profile drop-down menu (see Figure 2-3).
Use the Activator drop-down menu to define whether ESET Cyber Security Pro recognizes this new zone based on IP address, subnet, WiFi network or interface. Once you select the type of activator you want to use, complete the fields necessary for that activator (for example, if you selected IPv4/IPv6 address, type the IP address for this zone into the Address field) and click Add. ESET Cyber Security Pro will now switch to the corresponding profile any time that you enter this zone.
Figure 2-3

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Last Updated: Sep 27, 2023

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