The last feature we'll cover when we wish to reduce our attack surface is the Windows Defender Firewall. This firewall provides two-way traffic filtering on your network. From here, you can do the following:
- Restrict network access to certain store apps.
- Block client computers from sending traffic to backend servers.
- Restrict any unsolicited communication from backend servers to frontend servers.
Your options are vast and will vary, depending on your needs.
You can find the various configuration options and more information about each of these actions at https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/threat-protection/microsoft-defender-atp/configure-attack-surface-reduction.
Now, let's explore what next-generation protection is and how it helps us to manage the security of our environment.