Key Takeaways:
- Ensuring only approved traffic flows through devices managed by Intune
- Helps block unauthorized inbound/outbound connections
- Reducing exposure to threats on internal networks
- Ideal for enterprises needing granular control over traffic in corporate LANs, VPNs, or hybrid environments.
Let’s discuss How to Enable Private Network Firewall to Filter Network Traffic using Intune. Enable Private Network Firewall is a foundational security control within the Microsoft Intune Endpoint Security framework. This setting specifically targets the Private network profile on Windows devices.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
How to Enable Private Network Firewall to Filter Network Traffic using Intune
This policy can be configured for different reasons. Security standards like CIS (Center for Internet Security) and NIST mandate that the host firewall must be active on all network profiles. Disabling it on Private networks creates a massive “blind spot.”
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- Ways to Allow an App through Windows Defender Firewall
- Check Firewall Policy Reports from Intune
Start Policy Creation in Intune Portal
With your credential you can easily sign in Intune Portal. Then you can configure Hypervisor Enforced Code Integrity policy for your managed devices. For this go to Devices > Configuration >+ Create > +New Policy.
Policy Profile Creation
It is the next step step you have to do for policy Creation. In profile creation you must select platform and profile type. Here I would like to configure the policy to Windows 10 and later platform and settings catalog profile. Then click on the Create button.
Give Name and Description for Policy
Naming the policy is the primary step that help admins to identify the policy later. This is important and necessary step that allows you to know the purpose of the policy. Here is Name is mandatory and description is optional. After adding this click on the Next button.
Select Hypervisor Enforced Code Integrity Settings
With Settings Picker, you can use the Configuration Settings Tab. On this tab, you can click on the +Add Settings hyperlink to get the Settings Picker. The settings picker shows huge number of settings. Here, I would like to select the settings by browsing by Category. I choose Firewall\Enable Private Network Firewall.
Enable Private Network Firewall
By setting this to Yes (True) in Intune, the organization “locks” the setting. The end-user cannot go into Windows Settings and turn the firewall off, ensuring consistent security posture regardless of the user’s technical skill.
Disable Private Network Firewall
If an organization uses a third-party security suite (e.g., CrowdStrike, SentinelOne, or Palo Alto Cortex) that manages its own host firewall, they may set the Windows Firewall to No (False) to prevent software conflicts.
Add Scope Tags
With scope tags, you create a restriction to the visibility of the Private Network Firewall. It helps to organise resources as well. Here, I would like to skip this section, because it is not mandatory. Click on the Next button.
Assignments Tab for Selecting Group
To assign the policy to specific groups, you can use the Assignment Tab. Here I click, +Add groups option under Included groups. I choose a group from the list of groups and click on the Select button. Again, I click on the Select button to continue.
Review + Create Tab
Before completing the policy creation, you can review each tab to avoid misconfiguration or policy failure. After verifying all the details, click on the Create Button. After creating the policy, you will get a success message.
Monitoring Status
The Monitoring Status page shows whether the policy has succeeded or not. To quickly configure the policy and take advantage of the policy sync the assigned device on Company Portal. Open the Intune Portal. Go to Devices > Configuration > Search for the Policy. Here, the policy shows as successful.
Event Viewer Details
Event Viewer helps you check the client side and verify the policy status. Open the Client device and open the Event Viewer. Go to Start > Event Viewer. Navigate to Logs: In the left pane, go to Application and Services Logs > Microsoft > Windows > Windows Defender > Operational.
| Event Viewer Details |
|---|
| Microsoft Defender Antivirus Configuration has changed. If this is an unexpected event you should review the settings as this may be the result of malware. Old value: HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Defender\CoreService\WdConfigHash = 0x2B0A1A47 New value: HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Defender\CoreService \WdConfigHash = 0x8AE7087D |
Removing the Assigned Group from How to Private Network Firewall
If you want to remove the Assigned group from the policy, it is possible from the Intune Portal. To do this, open the Policy on Intune Portal and edit the Assignments tab and the Remove Policy.
To get more detailed information, you can refer to our previous post – Learn How to Delete or Remove App Assignment from Intune using by Step-by-Step Guide.
How to Delete Private Network Firewall
You can easily delete the Policy from the Intune Portal. From the Configuration section, you can delete the policy. It will completely remove it from the client devices.
For detailed information, you can refer to our previous post – How to Delete Allow Clipboard History Policy in Intune Step by Step Guide.
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Author
Anoop C Nair is a Workplace Technology solution architect with 25+ years of experience. Microsoft Certified Trainer. Microsoft MVP from 2015 onwards for consecutive 11+ years! He is a blogger, Speaker, and Founder of HTMD Community and HTMD Conference. His main focus is on Device Management technologies like Intune, Windows, and Cloud PC. He writes about technologies like Intune, SCCM, Windows, Cloud PC, Entra, and Microsoft Security.