Securing Retail Terminals: A Guide to the File Based Write Filter Management Tool for POSReady 7

The File Based Write Filter (FBWF) tool in Windows Embedded POSReady 7 redirects all writes targeted for a protected volume into a volatile RAM cache (overlay). This keeps the underlying operating system and data tamper-resistant and pristine.

The system administrator’s core responsibilities for managing the FBWF tool involve installation, command-line and GUI operations, configuration management, and persistence workflows. 1. Installation Requirements

By default, POSReady 7 includes the underlying FBWF Provider, but the management interface packages must often be added manually.

Feature Activation: Use the Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) command-line tool to add the FBWF package from your installation media.

WMI Provider: Install the WMI provider package (WinEmb-FBWF-WMI-Provider.cab) to allow remote management scripts or configuration managers to monitor the system.

Management Tool: Download and deploy the Official File Based Write Filter Management Tool to get the system tray GUI. 2. The Core Management Tool (GUI)

The FBWF Management Tool runs as an out-of-band utility that populates a notification area (system tray) icon upon system startup.

Tooltip Status: Hovering over the tray icon reveals which volumes are actively protected and lists any pending actions.

Overview Dialog: Left-clicking the icon displays detailed volume statistics and the current size of the RAM overlay cache.

Configuration Interface: Right-clicking the icon and choosing “Configure…” opens the administrative control panel to manage write parameters. 3. Command-Line Architecture (fbwfmgr)

Administrators primarily use the fbwfmgr command via an elevated command prompt to script behavior or build Group Policies. Requirement Check Filter Status fbwfmgr /displayconfig Immediate visibility Enable FBWF fbwfmgr /enable Requires system restart Disable FBWF fbwfmgr /disable Requires system restart Protect a Volume fbwfmgr /addvolume c: Requires system restart Add Exclusion Exception fbwfmgr /addexclusion c: \Data\Log.txt Active on next reboot Commit Changes Immediatelly fbwfmgr /commit c: \Data\Log.txt Commits current overlay cache entry to disk 4. Setting File and Registry Exclusions

Unlike the block-based Enhanced Write Filter (EWF) which locks down entire partitions, FBWF allows selective write-throughs.