More Than One "Settings" Menu

If you’ve ever had to connect a monitor or set of headphones to you computer, you probably are familiar with Windows’ “Settings” page, where you can edit most everyday settings for your Windows computer. However, there are most settings pages where you can edit additional settings, including settings on how your computer handles your data. That’s right: you can still improve your security without having to type a single command or run a line of code with these menus!

Menu 1 >> Settings

• Toggle Windows Firewall State: A firewall is a network security system that allows and blocks incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predetermined security rules. (More about tweaking said security rules later.)

Navigate to Privacy & security > Windows Security > Firewall & network protection. Click on your active network (Domain, Private, or Public) and ensure the Microsoft Defender Firewall switch is toggled On.

• Restrict Inbound App Access: This restricts the amount of access that potential untrusted apps have to send data and communicate through your Windows firewall.

Under Firewall & network protection, click Allow an app through firewall. Ensure untrusted or unnecessary applications do not have permissions checked for Public networks.

• SmartScreen for Apps & Files: SmartScreen is a software program made by Microsoft that runs in the background and checks for suspicious and malicious apps and downloads from the web. SmartScreen will prevent you or send you a warning when you attempt to download a detected file.

Menu 2 >> Control Panel

• Enable Advanced Firewall Profiles: This is an alternate way to enable (and disable) the Windows firewalls.

Open Control Panel > System and Security > Windows Defender Firewall. On the left panel, click Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off. Set both Private and Public network locations to Turn on Windows Defender Firewall, and check Block all incoming connections, including those in the list of allowed apps when connected to untrusted public Wi-Fi.

• Block Inbound/Outbound Network Ports: This is where you could tweak the specific firewall rules that I was talking about earlier.

From the Control Panel firewall menu, click Advanced settings (or search for WF.msc). This opens the dedicated firewall console:

1. Click Inbound Rules or Outbound Rules on the left menu, then click New Rule... on the right.

2. Select Port and click Next.

3. Select TCP or UDP, enter the specific ports to block (e.g., enter 445 for SMB file sharing, or 3389 for Remote Desktop), and click Next. (For more about ports, you can refer to my past post)

4. Select Block the connection, apply it across Domain, Private, and Public profiles, name the rule, and click Finish.

Menu 3 >> Local Security Policy

You might have to download Local Security Policy; that’s what I had to do because it doesn’t come with Windows OS all the time.

If you do have it, press Win + R, type secpol.msc, and press Enter.

• Configure Password Policies: This enforces password requirements for logging into your computer.

These are some suggestions for the password settings:

1. Minimum password length: Set to 12 or 14 characters to resist brute-force attacks.

2. Password must meet complexity requirements: Set to Enabled (forces uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and special characters).

3. Enforce password history: Set to 5 or 10 remembered passwords so users cannot immediately reuse previous passwords.

4. Maximum password age: Set to 60 or 90 days to force regular credential updates.

• Configure Account Lockout Policies: These settings tell Windows how many chances you have until you’re “locked out” of your computer, similar to how your phone will lock you out.

Account lockout threshold: Set to 3 or 5 invalid logon attempts. This locks the account automatically if someone attempts to guess your password.

Account lockout duration: Set to 15 or 30 minutes (or 0 to require an administrator reset).

Reset account lockout counter after: Set to match the duration window (e.g., 15 minutes).

That’s all for now, thanks for reading! -Brandon