How do I close an open port?

If you are certain that the port is really open and the port scanning site has determined your correct IP address (contact us for information about how you can detect whether a port is open or closed), please follow these instructions to close the port:

* Make sure the Firewall is not running in Disabled or Allow Most mode.

* Open the Firewall main window and select View > Layout. Make sure that Open Ports is selected. Press OK.

* Select View > Advanced and select the Number option in Display port as.

* Expand the Open Ports category in the left pane to display the applications that are listed there.

* Follow down the Local Port column of the right pane and search for the port number you want to close, for example "XYZ".

* Right-click the line and select Create Rule on the shortcut menu to create the rule for the application that 'owns' the port (the one in the Process Name column on the same line).

Lavasoft Personal Firewall fills in all the required data automatically; you only need to specify the connection direction and the action to be performed once the rule is triggered.

* In the Rule description field click on the Undefined keyword next to Where the direction is and specify the Inbound connection direction.

* Finally, in the Select Actions with which the rule will respond field, select Block it (and optionally Report it).

* Name the rule appropriately (in the Rule name field) and click OK to save it.

* You should now see the new rule in the list of the application rules (Options > Application, double-click the application in the list).

IMPORTANT: If there are other rules for the same application, select the rule you have created and click the Move Up button until the rule appears at the top of the list. Click OK and then Apply.

* Try to see whether the port scanner can now detect the port.

Note: Having a port open does not mean that it should always be blocked. If you are operating a web/ftp server for public usage Having a port open does not mean that it should always be blocked. If you are operating a web/ftp server for public usage for example, a port scanner will detect these ports as open. You must not close these ports because users will not be able to "see" your web/ftp server.