Base Filtering Engine

The Base Filtering Engine (BFE) service manages firewall and IPsec policies and implements user-mode filtering. Stopping or disabling the BFE service significantly reduces the security of the system and results in unpredictable behavior in IPsec management and firewall applications.

The BFE is the core of the Windows Filtering Platform in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. This service is installed by default and its startup type is Automatic. When the Base Filtering Engine service is started in its default configuration, it logs on by using the Local Service account.

The BFE service is dependent upon the following system components:

  • Remote Procedure Call (RPC)
  • DCOM Server Process Launcher
  • RPC Endpoint Mapper

The following components are dependent upon the BFE service:

  • Internet Key Exchange (IKE) and Authenticated Internet Protocol (AuthIP) IPsec Keying Modules
  • Internet Connection Sharing (ICS)
  • IPsec Policy Agent
  • Routing and Remote Access
  • Windows Firewall

This service should not be disabled.

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