SecureBlock

Bulk Windows Firewall configuration utility.

SecureBlock is a small Windows desktop tool that lets you bulk-create firewall rules for many executables at once, instead of clicking through the Windows Defender Firewall UI for every single program.

It is primarily a learning / portfolio project that experiments with:

• Windows systems programming and the Win32 API
• Firewall configuration and security-hardening concepts
• C++ build tooling with CMake and Qt (experimental UI)

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What it does

SecureBlock automates a common hardening workflow:

1. You select a folder (for example, a game directory or a tools folder).
2. SecureBlock recursively scans for .exe files.
3. It shows a dialog listing all discovered executables, including:
   • File path
   • File size
   • Last modified date
4. You uncheck anything that should not be touched.
5. For each selected executable, SecureBlock creates a pair of Windows Firewall rules via netsh:

• One inbound rule
• One outbound rule

By default, these rules are created as blocking rules, effectively cutting off network access for the selected programs unless other rules already allow them.

Note: this repository is not a full firewall manager; it is a focused bulk-rule helper designed to reduce repetitive clicks.

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Features

• Bulk rule creation
  Pick a directory once and generate rules for all contained executables instead of configuring each program manually.

• Minimal, focused UI
  A compact Win32 / GDI+ list view dialog shows discovered .exe files with sizes and timestamps and lets you quickly confirm which ones to affect.

• Transparent splash screen
  A small GDI+ splash window is displayed on startup as a UI polish experiment.

• Firewall configuration logic in C++
  The core logic (folder browsing, file enumeration, and rule creation via netsh advfirewall) is implemented in standard C++17 and Win32 APIs.

• Experimental Qt 5/6 variant
  A modern Qt Widgets–based version (qt-version-modern/SecureBlock) is included and built with CMake, showcasing a more portable UI approach and CMake-based tooling.

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Repository layout

At a glance:

• combined.cpp
  Main Win32/GDI+ implementation: splash screen, folder chooser, .exe discovery, list dialog, and firewall-rule creation.

• resource.*
  Resources for the Win32 UI (dialog template, icon, and splash image).

• SecureBlockPro.exe
  A prebuilt Windows binary checked into the repository (convenience only; you may prefer to rebuild locally).

• minimal/
  Minimal/prototype code exploring the firewall interaction in a stripped-down form.

• qt-version-modern/SecureBlock/
  Qt 5/6 CMake project for the experimental Qt UI.

• qt-version/ and merged-premodern/
  Earlier or alternate iterations of the project kept for reference.

• command.txt
  Example g++ command line used to build a static Win32 version on Windows with MinGW.

• LICENSE
  Project license (GPL-3.0).

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Building

1. Requirements

For the classic Win32 / GDI+ version:

• Windows 10 or later (x64 recommended)
• A C++17-capable compiler (e.g. MinGW-w64 g++ or MSVC)
• Windows SDK / Win32 headers and libraries
• Administrator privileges to run the resulting executable (firewall changes require admin)

For the Qt/CMake version:

• CMake 3.5+
• Qt 5.15+ or Qt 6 (Widgets + LinguistTools components)
• A supported C++ compiler on Windows (MSVC or MinGW)
• Administrator privileges when running the app

2. Building the Qt version (CMake)

git clone https://github.com/ClaireYurev/secureblock.git
cd secureblock/qt-version-modern/SecureBlock

cmake -S . -B build
cmake --build build --config Release