How to Add Exceptions to the Firewall in Norton Security

By Andrew Schrader

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Firewalls filter Internet traffic to and from your computer to protect against malicious content, like malware or spyware. Placing firewalls at most or all Internet ports and connections can help safeguard sensitive information. You can configure firewalls in Norton Internet Security to block or allow traffic to and from various programs, based on specific criteria. Although you may have global rules set that restrict programs from accessing the Internet, you can create rules and exceptions for specific ports, programs and protocols.

Adding Programs to Program Control

Step 1

Open Norton Internet Security and click the "Settings" option.

Step 2

Click the "Network" option in the Settings window and select "Smart Firewall," located in the left-hand side of the window.

Step 3

Click the "Configure" button in the Program Control field.

Step 4

Click the "Add" button in the Program Control window to enter the "Select a program" pop-up window. Browse your computer for the ".exe" file associated with the program you want to add as an exception. Click "Open."

Step 5

Examine the program's reputation and Norton's recommended access setting. Click the "Options" drop-down button and choose "Always Allow" to always allow Internet access to the program, or "Manually Configure" to create rules to control Internet access. If you choose "Manually Configure," you must follow the instructions on the pop-up wizard to configure the rule.

Program Rules

Step 1

Change rules for a specific program by clicking "Settings" in the Norton Internet Security" window.

Step 2

Click the "Network" option and select "Smart Firewall."

Step 3

Click "Configure," located in the Program Control field.

Step 4

Browse the Program column and select the desired program. Click the "Modify" button.

Step 5

Click the "Add" button in the Rules window to enter the Add Rule Wizard.

Step 6

Click the "Allow" button in the first panel of the Add Rule Wizard window. Click "Next."

Step 7

Select the type of communication you want to allow. Choose from "Connections to other computers," "Connections from other computers" and "Connections to and from other computers." Click "Next."

Step 8

Choose the computers to which the rule will apply. Choose "Any computer," "Any computer in the local subnet" or "Only the computers and sites listed below." Specify any computers or web addresses to which to apply the rule, if necessary. Click "Next."

Step 9

Select one of the following protocol options: "TCP," "UDP," "TCP and UDP," "ICMP," or "All."

Step 10

Select one of the following port options: "All types of communication (all ports, local and remote)" or "Only communications that match all types and ports listed below." Click "Next."

Step 11

Click the "Create a Security History Log Entry" button so a check mark appears if you want to create a history in the firewall event log.

Step 12

Click the "Apply this rule" button to apply the new rule to "IPv6 NAT Traversal traffic." Click "Next."

Step 13

Enter a name for your rule and click "Next."

Step 14

Review the new rule settings. Click "Finish" and "OK" to save your rule.

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