Block All Incoming Except my Website Access

Block All Incoming Except my Website Access

Block All Incoming Except my Website Access
Block All Incoming Except my Website Access
2025-05-10 07:02:18
Model: ER7206 (TL-ER7206)  
Hardware Version:
Firmware Version:

Hi

 

I want to disable and block all incoming traffic to my network and NAS behind my firewall. But I have a web server running on NAS so I onyl want that to be accessible via my external IP.

 

Is there any way to achieve this?

 

If I create a BlockAll rule in access control and create a port forwarding rule to NAS then the BlockAll takes precedence. If I also create a Allow HTTP firewall rule still the Block rule takes precedence and does not allow HTTP access to NAs. 

 

What to do?

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#1
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13 Reply
Re:Block All Incoming Except my Website Access
2025-05-12 02:18:53

Hi @Colonic 

Thanks for posting in our business forum.

Colonic wrote

Hi

 

I want to disable and block all incoming traffic to my network and NAS behind my firewall. But I have a web server running on NAS so I onyl want that to be accessible via my external IP.

 

You sure all incoming?

Or simply the NAS?

 

https://community.tp-link.com/en/business/forum/topic/696340

 

In standalone mode, you have the option to use the IP-port ACL. In controller mode, you don't have it. You gotta use the switch ACL to support that. 

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#2
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Re:Block All Incoming Except my Website Access
2025-05-12 04:57:45

  @Clive_A thanks for your reply. My firewall is at my home network and so a standalone. Wired internet is connected from firewall to the deco mesh and deco acts as access point for wifi at home. My NAS is connected to the VLAN port of firewall via ethernet.

 

what I need is block all incoming traffic to my home network (on all VLANs) but only exception is my website hosted on my NAS so people should still be able to access my website from WAN while every other type of incoming from WAN to my LAN should be blocked.

 

Is it possible using th Firewall Access Control and a combination of port forwarding or however else is it possible? For security I want to keep all incoming blocked but allow website traffic only.

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#3
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Re:Block All Incoming Except my Website Access
2025-05-12 06:06:43 - last edited 2025-05-12 06:07:41

  @Colonic 

 

the firewall blocks everything from the internet and into your LAN default, if you want to have access to something from WAN to LAN you have to port forward. The exception is if you have removed NAT on the router but then you don't need to port forward either.

 

 

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Re:Block All Incoming Except my Website Access
2025-05-12 08:34:50

  @Clive_A 

 

controller mode does support IP-group and IP-Port Group on gateway ACLs in both WAN IN and LAN>WAN directions, which i think is applicable here

Main: ER8411 x1, SG3428X x1, SG3452 x1, SG2428LP x1, SG3210 x1, SG2218P x1, SG2008P x3, ES208G x1, EAP650 x6 Remote: ER7206 v2 x1, ER605 v2 x3, SG2008P x2, EAP650 x2, ES205G x1 Controller: OC300
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Re:Block All Incoming Except my Website Access
2025-05-12 09:11:29

Hi  @GRL 

GRL wrote

  @Clive_A 

 

controller mode does support IP-group and IP-Port Group on gateway ACLs in both WAN IN and LAN>WAN directions, which i think is applicable here

Thanks for the notice. That's true.

Not sure when that was added. Not sure if it is the controller update that included that or the router. As I recall, this batch of firmware did not mention any of this feature.

Yeah, it's there now.

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Re:Block All Incoming Except my Website Access
2025-05-13 01:55:10

  @Clive_A IP group based routing is no good as IP addresses are never fixed from internet and I want my website to be accessible from anyone 

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Re:Block All Incoming Except my Website Access
2025-05-13 01:57:09

  @Colonic 

Colonic wrote

  @Clive_A IP group based routing is no good as IP addresses are never fixed from internet and I want my website to be accessible from anyone 

If you port forward it, it is by default accessible to anyone.

Unless you enforce the ACL scheme.

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Re:Block All Incoming Except my Website Access
2025-05-13 20:24:00 - last edited 2025-05-13 20:29:13

  @Colonic 

 

 

You can still achieve this with IP group ACLs

 

rule 1:

allow > wan in > ip_any > internal_ip_address

 

rule 2

deny > wan in > ip_any > ip_any

 

This will block everything getting to your lan except the specified internal_ip_address

 

BUT- what I dont know, and Clive may be able to answer, is if these are applied before any port forwarding rules or not.  I do not know if port forwarding will just overide any gateway rules.  I dont think they do, but not 100% sure.

Main: ER8411 x1, SG3428X x1, SG3452 x1, SG2428LP x1, SG3210 x1, SG2218P x1, SG2008P x3, ES208G x1, EAP650 x6 Remote: ER7206 v2 x1, ER605 v2 x3, SG2008P x2, EAP650 x2, ES205G x1 Controller: OC300
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Re:Block All Incoming Except my Website Access
2025-05-14 03:03:32

Hi @GRL 

Thanks for posting in our business forum.

GRL wrote

  @Colonic 

 

 

You can still achieve this with IP group ACLs

 

rule 1:

allow > wan in > ip_any > internal_ip_address

 

rule 2

deny > wan in > ip_any > ip_any

 

This will block everything getting to your lan except the specified internal_ip_address

 

BUT- what I dont know, and Clive may be able to answer, is if these are applied before any port forwarding rules or not.  I do not know if port forwarding will just overide any gateway rules.  I dont think they do, but not 100% sure.

I recall that WAN IN is separate from the LAN.

To me, the first rule is not necessary. Port forwarding exposes the local service. And it is by default accessible to anyone.

Simply creating the second rule would not make a difference for the LAN. They should be accessible inside the LAN.

(I did not try this but based on my past experience, they don't interfere. When I port forward and test the block rule.)

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Re:Block All Incoming Except my Website Access
2025-05-14 06:52:22

  @Clive_A 

 

I just tested this

 

Opened up NAT port forwarding TCP 80 + 443 to controller

 

With a wan-in deny ip_any > ip_any rule, was still able to access controller from WAN. 

Looks like the port forward does take precedence and is processed before this gateway rule

 

Interestingly, however

 

with a wan-in deny ip_any > ip_port_group (controller IP, ports 80,443) rule, could not access controller from WAN

 

Main: ER8411 x1, SG3428X x1, SG3452 x1, SG2428LP x1, SG3210 x1, SG2218P x1, SG2008P x3, ES208G x1, EAP650 x6 Remote: ER7206 v2 x1, ER605 v2 x3, SG2008P x2, EAP650 x2, ES205G x1 Controller: OC300
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#11
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