Title: What does “Network Hardening” do and will it affect my internet speed?

[GabrielScott]

Hi,
In the Antivirus section I noticed an option for “Network Hardening”. What does it actually change on my system? Will it slow down my internet connection or break my online games?

[mrwebfeeder]

Hello!
Network Hardening is designed to reduce your exposure to risky network activity by tightening certain security-related parameters. Typical effects include:

• Blocking or limiting known unsafe ports or unsolicited inbound connections.
  
• Enforcing stricter rules for services that don’t need to be reachable from the internet.
  
• Reducing the surface that malware and scanners can use to interact with your machine.
  

In normal conditions, it should not noticeably affect your internet speed or legitimate traffic, such as web browsing or games. However, if you use special applications (custom servers, uncommon ports, peer-to-peer tools), you might need to:

• Test them after enabling Network Hardening.
  
• If something stops working, temporarily disable Hardening or adjust your Firewall rules for that specific app.
  

For the average user, it’s a safe way to increase protection with minimal impact.