I have been researching the process of hardening Windows 7 and am currently trying to find the guidance to address the Windows Firewall and ports that should be closed/stealthed. At this point in time I am particularly focused on ports 135, 137-139, and 445 as these seem to be of greatest concern. Any advice or information would be helpful.

Hi awhitecar, Consider 135/139/445 since those are essential ports - and yes those are ports also being use by known malware of certain vulnerability weakness vector. I would recommend IDS inbetween your system. And a controlled leash by astringent auditing of machines required to use those ports and disable to those who doesnt. :) MVP Windows Security

NetBIOS ports 135, 137, 139 and 445: Used for file and printer sharing as well as MS Exchange e-mail. If your PC is the only one on the local network and the local printer isn't shared over the network, then it should be fine if you choose to block those port - Windows 7 - Security risks: Netbios, port exposure & remote access removal MowGreen Windows Expert IT Pro - Consumer Security *-343-* FDNY NEVER FORGOTTEN

MowGreen, The link you provided for me isn't working, can you try it again..

Such are the vagaries of the internot. <w> Try the first post in this thread: Security risks: Netbios, port exposure & remote access removalMowGreen Windows Expert IT Pro - Consumer Security *-343-* FDNY NEVER FORGOTTEN