

The best solution I've found has been to use Windows Firewall Control (WFC) which has been acquired by Malwarebytes as of 2018.


Windows Update is joined by Firefox, Chrome and many others that feel entitled to ensure that they can send and receive network traffic without asking your permission. The problem is that any program that runs with Administrator privileges is allowed to silently change Windows Firewall rules. Windows Firewall Control is a program that will automatically delete or disable Windows Firewall rules that you didn't approve by using the Secure Rules functionality. TL DR: It's not possible to stop programs with Administrator access from changing firewall rules.
