FWP_E_WRONG_SESSION (0x8032000C): Wrong Session Call

Quick answer for advanced users

Restart the Base Filtering Engine service (BFE) from an elevated command prompt: net stop BFE && net start BFE. If that fails, reboot and check which third-party firewall or VPN driver is conflicting.

What's actually happening here

The Windows Filtering Platform (WFP) manages network traffic filtering via sessions. Each session is tied to a specific process context—think of it as a dedicated tunnel for firewall rules. The error FWP_E_WRONG_SESSION (0x8032000C) means a caller tried to modify or query a WFP object from a session that doesn't own it. This isn't a user mistake; it's a bug in software that calls WFP APIs incorrectly—usually a driver, a firewall, or a VPN client.

I've seen this most often with third-party firewalls (looking at you, ZoneAlarm and Comodo) that hook into WFP after a system resume or a network profile change. The driver's session context gets stale, and when it tries to update rules, Windows tells it to get lost. Another common trigger: upgrading Windows 10 to 11 without fully removing old network security software first.

Numbered fix steps

1. Identify the culprit — Open Event Viewer (eventvwr.msc), go to Windows Logs > System. Filter for source BFE or WFP around the time of the error. Look for a Process ID (PID). Use Task Manager to match that PID to a service or app. Usually it's something like McAfeeSecurity.exe, ZoneAlarm.exe, or a corporate VPN client.
2. Restart the Base Filtering Engine — Open Command Prompt as admin. Run: net stop BFE && net start BFE. This tears down all stale WFP sessions and rebuilds them from scratch. The BFE service is the parent of all WFP sessions—rebooting it forces every filter driver to re-register. If the error came from a transient glitch, this fixes it in seconds.
3. Reboot clean — If step 2 fails, restart the machine. Hold Shift while clicking Restart to force a full shutdown (fast startup can skip reinitializing some drivers). A cold reboot resets all kernel-mode sessions that might be orphaned.
4. Update or reinstall the offending software — Once you know which program triggers the error (from step 1), uninstall it completely using Revo Uninstaller or the vendor's cleanup tool. Reinstall the latest version from the official site. Old versions of Private Internet Access, NordVPN, and Comodo Firewall are known offenders here—their WFP callbacks don't handle session migration after sleep or network changes.
5. Reset WFP state via netsh — If the error persists, reset WFP manually: netsh wfp reset. This clears all WFP filters and reinitializes the platform. Warning: it resets your Windows Firewall rules to defaults—you'll lose custom inbound/outbound rules. Back them up first with netsh advfirewall export.

Alternative fixes if the main one fails

• Run SFC and DISM — Corrupted WFP system files can cause session mismatches. Run DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth then sfc /scannow from an admin command prompt. I've seen a bad update break FWPkcl.sys, leading to this exact error.
• Check for driver conflicts — Open devmgmt.msc, expand Network adapters. Right-click each virtual adapter (VPN, firewall, hypervisor), select Uninstall device and check Delete the driver software. Reboot and let Windows reinstall clean drivers. Virtual adapters from VMware and VirtualBox sometimes inject WFP callbacks that don't clean up after suspend.
• Disable third-party firewall temporarily — Stop the service, not just the UI. Use sc config [service_name] start= disabled then reboot. If the error disappears, you've found your culprit. Re-enable and update or replace it.

Prevention tip

Only one piece of software should manage WFP filters at a time. Running Windows Defender Firewall and a third-party firewall and a VPN client and a network monitor like Wireshark with npcap is asking for session collisions. Pick one stack: either rely on the built-in Windows Firewall with netsh advfirewall rules, or use a single third-party product. Never mix. If you need Wireshark, use WinPcap instead of npcap—it doesn't hook into WFP at the same level.

Real example: A client's corporate Windows 11 machine got this error every time he connected to a hotel Wi-Fi after resume from sleep. His company's VPN (a rebranded OpenVPN with a custom WFP driver) plus Malwarebytes Premium (which also hooks WFP) were fighting over session IDs. Uninstalling Malwarebytes and forcing the VPN driver to re-register via a net stop/start BFE script on resume fixed it for good.