What protects your computer better, Firewall or Firewall? What is the best firewall for Windows

It's no secret that most users limit themselves to only installing an antivirus to protect their computer, forgetting that in addition to the threat of PC infection, there is the threat of using the victim computer as a bot machine.

Malicious applications, penetrating a user’s computer, can collect personal data and send it to an attacker, participate in sending spam, act as a proxy server, etc.

Therefore, to more fully protect your computer, in addition to installing an antivirus, we recommend installing a firewall, firewall or firewall - these are all names for the same software.

A firewall will help protect your computer from hackers, Trojans, spyware, backdoors, rootkits, and software containing advertising (Adware), from penetration through a network or the Internet.

Ashampoo Firewall

The first in our review will be a product from German developers – Ashampoo Firewall.

The product is activated by entering a code that is sent to the user’s mailbox after registering on the developer’s website.

Immediately after installation, you will be asked to configure the program according to the available simplified “Easy Mode” or advanced mode “Expert Mode”. We recommend using the expert configuration mode.

The principle of the firewall is as follows: for each application, an allowing or denying rule must be generated, which is processed by the firewall.

If an application for which a rule is not assigned attempts to establish a connection, the firewall warns the user - offering to create a rule.

This statement is true when the firewall is in learning mode. When this mode is disabled, applications for which no rules are assigned will be blocked automatically.

Advantages:

Free;

Low consumption of system resources;

Friendly user interface;

Semi-automatic configuration is possible.

Flaws:

– not compatible with some antiviruses;

– lack of updates.

PC Tools Firewall Plus

Despite the fact that the latest version of the program was released in 2011, there are many flattering reviews on the Internet from users who still use it.

The program has convenient management of network traffic, allows you to create new rules, hide the presence of a computer on the network, and has the ability to protect settings with a password.

The firewall is installed without entering any passwords or registering, as is the case with Ashampoo Firewall.

Rules for application access are created manually.

We recommend not to postpone this procedure until later, because... After installation, Ashampoo Firewall may remember some applications and programs as unverified, as a result of which the latter may not work correctly or not work at all.

Advantages:

Free;

Simple and reliable.

Flaws:

– lack of updates;

– lack of Russian-language interface;

– setting in manual mode.

Comodo Firewall

Unlike its predecessors, we have a fairly powerful, multifunctional firewall, which is paired with an antivirus - Comodo Antivirus.

The firewall database is quite impressive and contains information on more than 13 thousand programs that have security risks.

The set of functions is standard - protection against Trojans, malicious scripts, support for monitoring incoming/outgoing traffic, as well as network activity of installed programs, DLL libraries, the ability to hide a computer on the network, control over software and driver updates.

Note! Additional features include a detailed report of system events, integration into the Windows Security Center, and the ability to run applications in a specially designated environment for their safe execution - a sandbox.

Despite the wide range of different settings, the firewall has not lost its user-friendly interface; each option has a corresponding description.

Advantages:

Free;

Possibility of batch installation of firewall and antivirus;

Simple Russian-language interface with tips.

Flaws:

– increased loading time of the operating system, loss of PC performance;

– the program is not removed from the system correctly, leaving behind a lot of “garbage”.

Outpost Firewall Pro

Software product from the Russian company Agnitum. To familiarize yourself with the capabilities of the firewall, the developer provides a free 30-day version.

The price of a licensed copy for home use for a year is 899 rubles, a license for 2 years will cost 1399 rubles.

A distinctive feature of the firewall is the ability to detect both known malicious programs and new ones that are not yet in the databases.

This function is possible thanks to a multi-level approach, which involves the use of proactive blocking based on analysis of program behavior and signature methods for detecting network activity.

In addition to the organized self-protection function of the firewall from being completely or partially disabled or modified by malicious code, the program also provides this protection for the operating system and installed programs and applications.

In general, the firewall is quite good; after spending some time on proper configuration, you can later forget about its existence; the program will provide a fairly high degree of protection for your PC.

Advantages:

Multi-level security approach with proactive protection;

The speed of the PC after installation remains at the same level;

Availability of a Russian-language interface with tips.

Flaws:

– the need to purchase a license;

SpyShelter Firewall

The program is available for review for 14 days after installation, during which time the user must decide whether the program is worth the money.

An annual license of the program will cost 25 euros, although the company provides such an advantageous offer as purchasing a lifetime license at a price of 55 euros for 1 PC.

There is also an offer for 5 PCs - the licensing price is 65 and 165 euros, respectively. The license price includes technical support for the product. Language for communication is English.

What is the best firewall ( Firewall) for Windows - this question plagues many Internet users, paid or free, software or hardware. This question can be answered immediately and almost unambiguously: the best firewall ( Firewall) this is a hardware one, but the best firewall ( Firewall) this is the one that is adjusted with straight hands...

As previously mentioned the best firewall ( Firewall) this is hardware, prices for which sometimes reach 50-70 thousand. but today’s topic will be a brief analysis of software firewalls ( Firewall) For Windows in terms of reliability/performance ratio...

Firewall (Firewall) an important element in your PC security arsenal. Unfortunately, the standard firewall ( Firewall) for Windows does not provide the desired functionality and blocks or allows only incoming connections, while all outgoing connections are allowed by default, although the reliability of the built-in Windows firewall (Firewall) without doubt.

The most popular firewalls today ( Firewall) for personal PCs this is:

You need to decide what is the decisive factor for you when choosing - ease of use or reliability/performance?! Above given list of the most common firewalls (Firewall) for Windows, in order of preference by our citizens. We will not delve into the details of each product, but will consider only the main points of the first two...

Agnitum Outpost Firewall Pro

Agnitum Outpost Firewall Pro developed by domestic programmers and is the most preferred firewall ( Firewall) among ordinary ordinary domestic users who almost never look at " Task Manager". Agnitum Outpost Firewall Pro more convenient to use and provides more extensive information about ongoing network events around your PC..

It is easy to use and provides good statistics about what is happening on the network, but ease of use does not mean reliability/performance! Ease of use " Agnitum Outpost Firewall Pro"costs the user an overexpenditure of system resources and, in some places, regular BSOD. So for example the combination NOD32 v4.0 + Outpost Firewall 2.x called regular BSOD, Outpost Firewall older ones are more voracious for system resources, especially when downloading large files over a fast network connection and from servers with good performance!

The versions of " Outpost Firewall"above the 6th in which the process" acs.exe"When downloading large files over a fast network connection and from servers with good returns, it devours from 15 and up to 50% system resources, and sometimes even higher! And here it doesn’t matter setting the rules or disabling all additional features - it devours system resources ( CPU+Memory) no matter what and even in idle state ( CPU 8-15%)!!! In version " Outpost Firewall 7.5"named" Performance Edition":)) "acs.exe"When idle, it behaves less aggressively, but the time it takes to download large files over a fast network connection and from servers with good performance still eats up from 15 and up to 50%

Version" Outpost Firewall 4"not so voracious, but crashes were often observed when changing user accounts and more! No offense to the company's programmers" Agnitum"but they are still very far from products like" Comodo Firewall Pro", "Comodo Internet Security" or " Checkpoint Firewall-1"! Whatever one may say, Western developers are achieving greater success in the software field than domestic ones...

Comodo Firewall Pro

After long wanderings in search of the best firewall ( Firewall) my choice finally settled on " Comodo Firewall Pro 3.14"which is different from" Outpost Firewall"remarkably stops attempts at incoming connections and does not wildly devour system resources - when idle it uses no more 0-2% CPU and 3-4 MV. In addition, when completely turned off or dropped, " Comodo Firewall Pro 3.14"which is unlikely, there is no access to the network, which cannot be said about " Outpost Firewall".

The program is able to independently analyze each potential threat and, if necessary, issue an appropriate warning. Wherein " Comodo Firewall"recognizes more than 10,000 different applications in various categories ( for example, “safe”, “spyware”, “adware”, etc.).

"Comodo Firewall"also has proactive protection, proactive protection includes HIPS ( Host Intrusion Prevention Systems) - a system for repelling local threats. The task of HIPS is to monitor the operation of applications and block potentially dangerous operations based on specified criteria.

Main characteristics " Comodo Firewall Pro":

• - Full constant control and protection of your personal computer from Internet attacks, Trojans, hackers, malicious scripts and other unknown threats.
• - Free updates - Comodo Firewall Pro will notify you about the availability of updates and, after your consent, will install them.
• - Full control over the activity of programs on the Internet.
• - Control over software updates.
• - Real-time traffic monitoring gives you the ability to instantly respond to possible threats.
• - Simple, intuitive multilingual interface ( including Russian).
• - Free for home and other online users.

"Comodo Firewall Pro"by default it does not provide statistics on all rejected attempts at incoming connections, but if you create certain rules and properly configure it, you can get these statistics. My choice is definitely in favor of " Comodo Firewall Pro 3.14"and I think that it will remain unchanged... Why version 3.14, and not 4.x or 5.x? - yes, because version 3.x concentrates the most basic functions without unnecessary bells and whistles and is less demanding resources than 4.x or 5.x?...

According to the website matousec.com, Comodo products continue to occupy first positions among test participants: http://www.matousec.com/projects/proactive-security-challenge/results.php

The truth in " Comodo Firewall Pro"there are no such useful features as blocking active elements and the statistics are poor, but this drawback in favor of saving system resources can be compensated for by the Firefox browser and the AdBlock + NoScript plugins, and if necessary, we will collect statistics with other programs...

wipfw

wipfw is an analogue of the ipfw console firewall, but only for Windows. It has more features compared to the standard firewall from Windows XP. Can limit the number of connections from a specific IP address or range of IP addresses. It is possible to identify packets by the set flags SYN, FIN, etc.

I ran into a serious problem. Young Windows was good, but it had a huge number of dangerous vulnerabilities that made it easy for hackers to penetrate the system. The only way out of the situation was to develop separate software that would monitor network activity and stop unwanted traffic.

Microsoft developed its own firewall and integrated it into Windows. Today we know this application as Windows Firewall. Unfortunately, the built-in firewall turned out to be not very reliable. Your computer still needs third-party applications to ensure network security. Here are the best free firewalls that will give you that security.

ZoneAlarm Free Firewall

ZoneAlarm Free Firewall - one of the oldest and most famous firewalls. Its first version was released back in 2000, and the latest one was released in January 2017. The firewall can hide open ports, detect suspicious traffic and disable malware. ZoneAlarm Free Firewall also regularly communicates with the DefenseNet server, from where it obtains information about the most current threats. The firewall can protect the user’s PC when working through public Wi-Fi points. The only disadvantage of ZoneAlarm Free Firewall is that it may conflict with other programs that provide network security.

Comodo Firewall

If you don't like firewalls that bother you with too frequent notifications, you should pay attention to Comodo Firewall . This program is quite “silent” and does not bother the user over trifles. Meanwhile, Comodo Firewall is quite reliable. The firewall monitors your network and compares system and application data with a huge list of dangerous files. Currently, this list contains information about more than 2 million threats. It is replenished daily.

PeerBlock

While many firewalls attempt to provide comprehensive protection, PeerBlock serves only one purpose. This firewall blocks access to your computer from known dangerous addresses. This is an excellent choice if you want to protect your privacy from ad networks, tracking software, government or private anti-piracy organizations, and other Internet nasties. PeerBlock automatically updates the list of potentially dangerous addresses, but you can also change it manually.

TinyWall

TinyWall - a lightweight and silent firewall that does not irritate the user with pop-ups and notifications. Essentially, TinyWall can be considered a plugin that improves the performance of the built-in Windows firewall. The program is perfect for beginners, since it does not have any complicated settings.

OpenDNS

OpenDNS is not a downloadable firewall, but an Internet service that provides publicly accessible and secure DNS servers to everyone. You just need to specify the correct data in your router settings so that all your traffic goes through these servers. This is very convenient for users whose home network has many Internet-connected devices, especially smart home gadgets.

Anti NetCut3

If you often need to use public Wi-Fi, firewall Anti NetCut3 can help you protect your system when connecting to a compromised point. This program is designed with the sole purpose of monitoring a specific network connection. All you have to do is specify which adapter to monitor. This could be a Wi-Fi adapter if you are connecting over the air, or a network card if you are accessing the Internet via cable.

Firewalls are an important part of security software, and users are always trying to offer something new from it. However, Windows has come with its own good firewall since Windows XP SP2, and in most cases this is more than enough.

According to Chris Hoffman, author of Why (and When) You Shouldn't Install a Third-Party Firewall, you don't necessarily need a full security package like Internet Security. All you really need to install on Windows 7 is an antivirus, and Windows 8 and 8.1 now come with their own antivirus. Let us consider this point of view in more detail.

The primary function of a firewall is to block unsolicited incoming connections. Firewalls can intelligently block different types of connections; for example, they may allow access to network file shares and other services when your laptop is connected to your home network, but not allow it when it is connected to a public Wi-Fi network in a cafe.

A firewall helps block connections to potentially vulnerable services and controls access to network services, especially file shares, but also other types of services that are only available on trusted networks.

Before Windows XP SP2, which upgraded Windows Firewall to run by default, Windows XP systems connected directly to the Internet took an average of four minutes to become infected. Worms like Blaster could connect directly to anyone. Because Windows didn't have a firewall, it allowed the Blaster worm in.

A firewall would protect against this threat, even though the underlying Windows software was vulnerable. Even if a modern version of Windows were vulnerable to such a worm, it would be extremely difficult to infect a computer because the firewall would block all incoming traffic.

Windows Firewall does the same job of blocking incoming connections as a third-party firewall. Third-party firewalls, such as those used in complex antivirus programs, may make themselves known more often in manual mode, informing you with pop-ups that they are running and asking you for permission to make an incoming connection, but Windows Firewall constantly does its work in the background.

It is enabled by default and will remain enabled unless you manually disable it or install a third-party firewall. You can find its interface in the Windows Firewall section of the Control Panel.

When a program needs incoming connections, it must create a rule in the firewall or show a pop-up dialog box and ask for permission.

By default, Windows Firewall does only what it needs to do: block incoming connections. It has some more advanced features, but they are in a hidden, less user-friendly part of the interface.

For example, most third-party firewalls give you the ability to easily control which applications on your computer can connect to the Internet. When an application makes an outgoing connection for the first time, such a firewall displays a pop-up dialog. This allows you to control which applications on your computer can access the Internet by blocking connections from certain applications.

Power users may like this feature, but it probably won't suit casual users. They will have to determine which applications should be allowed to connect, and may block the connections of background update processes, preventing associated software from receiving updates and putting them at risk. This is also a very serious problem because you will have to acknowledge requests every time another application tries to connect. If you really don't trust a program that is trying to get onto the Internet, you probably shouldn't be running that program on your computer in the first place.

However, if you need control over your outgoing connections, you'll probably benefit from a third-party firewall, such as the free Comodo Firewall. It will also offer an interface where you can more easily view statistics, firewall logs, and other information.

For most users, using a third-party firewall simply adds unnecessary complexity.

Windows Firewall actually has more features than you might expect, although its interface is not very user-friendly:

• Windows has an advanced firewall configuration interface where you can configure it. You can create rules that block certain programs from connecting to the Internet or allow a program to communicate only with certain addresses.
• You can use a third-party program to extend the functionality of the Windows Firewall, causing it to prompt you for permission every time a new program tries to connect to the Internet. Among the programs that work in conjunction with the Windows Firewall are Windows 8 Firewall Control or Windows Firewall Control.

A third party firewall is a power user tool and is not a required component of security software. Windows Firewall is reliable and trustworthy. While people may debate the virus detection rate of Microsoft Security Essentials or Windows Defender, Windows Firewall does a job as good as other firewalls at blocking incoming connections.

Found a typo? Press Ctrl + Enter

A firewall, or as it is also called a firewall, firewall and firewall, monitors and controls system connections between your computer, the network and the Internet in order to promptly detect and prevent attacks and intrusions. Programs of this class are especially useful in cases where it is necessary to control the Internet activity of installed applications.

No other free product makes the user more sad than a firewall. And the reason is simple, the process of finding a suitable firewall necessarily involves a process of trial and error. A good firewall should protect the system without being too intrusive or difficult to manage and configure. This review will provide you with the best free firewalls (according to this site) available today. Like all reviews, recommendations and advice are made based on the experiences of different people. Therefore, if you have ideas or interesting opinions, they are always welcome.

Note: The reader should understand that powerful firewalls with flexible rules settings always require knowledge in the field of network design. However, even in their case there must be a more or less clear way of administration.

There are two types of firewalls - programs and hardware devices. Firewalls, which come in the form of programs (which are discussed in this article), are installed on your computer and run in the background to closely monitor system activity in real time. As with many security features, to avoid potential conflicts that may even involve manually deleting files from boot drives, it is recommended to install only one firewall. Hardware firewalls are usually a special device with embedded logic and filtering-optimized modules (for example, special processors whose instruction set includes operations with IP addresses). You can use software and hardware firewalls together. For example, modern routers typically include a built-in firewall and, depending on the type of router, it may not only be firmware (as device programs are called), but also partially implemented at the chip level.

Having a basic firewall has long been critical to keeping your computer safe, which is why many antivirus programs are gradually incorporating some firewall functionality. Simple firewalls, like the default Windows Firewall, allow you to restrict access to your system and personal information, silently protecting you from incoming threats. As part of the review, we will look at several basic firewalls that allow you to protect Windows a little better than a standard security tool can do, for example, they monitor attempts by programs to open outgoing connections to the Internet (this action refers to outgoing threats).

Note: The reader should understand that the standard Windows firewall provides fairly limited capabilities for protection against outgoing threats. Third-party apps usually offer a wider range of features.

Proactive firewalls offer more advanced protection, including intrusion detection and prevention systems based on the collection of statistics on program behavior and heuristic analysis, which allows them to protect the computer from a wider range of threats. These firewalls strive to create strong two-way protection, stopping not only incoming threats, but also protecting you from programs transmitting your personal information to the Internet. The disadvantage of such firewalls is that they are more difficult to use and require more money.

It is important to understand that today, having a firewall and antivirus (either separately or as a single solution) is considered the minimum required basic approach to keeping your computer safe.

Note: There is a lot of useful security information available throughout the site, such as an overview of intrusion detection and prevention programs for home use.

Tips and precautions:

• Before installing security products, including antiviruses and firewalls, you should consider creating a full disk image. By creating such an image, you can restore your system back to its previous state in cases where, after installing and configuring protection tools, critical errors appeared in the system, for example, due to incorrect installation of components or you changed critical system settings. In addition, images allow you to cope with complex viruses or simply random conflicts in the system. For example, some system drivers may simply be incompatible with each other, causing your system to suffer. Starting with Windows Vista Ultimate, the system includes a standard backup and recovery tool, but you can also use free programs to create a disk image.
• To verify the complete removal of third-party firewalls and other security tools, it is recommended to use uninstallers, since services, registry entries, and other system objects may remain after removal.

Basic firewalls and firewalls

Preface or a few words about the built-in windows firewall

The built-in Windows Firewall is a more common choice of users, as it allows you to protect your computer from incoming threats and does not bombard you with pop-up messages. Also, the Windows firewall does not require installation (we are talking about versions of Windows where a firewall is included by default) and practically does not conflict with other programs. In addition, many average users cannot properly respond to pop-up notifications due to a lack of basic network knowledge.

So if you need to scan your system for viruses and you do not want (need) the additional capabilities of third-party firewalls, in other words, the level of risk is very low, then Windows Firewall may be exactly the solution you need due to its simplicity and undemanding.

Alternatively, you can download a third-party firewall and replace the standard Windows firewall with the base one for easier control of outgoing connections and for additional features. Most two-way firewalls are limited to simple questions like allow or deny Internet access for unknown programs. And also, many firewalls automatically configure access to a pre-configured list of programs (often this list includes most popular applications) and save your decisions in their database. So, after some time, you will hardly see any notifications.

And as an option, you can also use proactive firewalls by first disabling heuristics and analysis in them. In addition, this option may be even more suitable, since proactive firewalls, due to their complexity, simply contain a larger list of preliminary rule templates and access settings.

This is a well-made firewall for controlling outgoing and incoming operating system connections, which is suitable for users of any level. ZoneAlarm protects the system from intrusions and also controls program access to the Internet. The firewall has an easy to understand interface. You can configure security settings to suit your own needs, including shared (public) files and printers, network settings, and more. You can even turn off the firewall if necessary (by the way, the standard Windows firewall lacks quick access to this feature). All configuration is done using simple controls (sliders and others), so in most cases you will only need a few clicks. To make it easier for users to get used to the program, when they first start, ZoneAlarm offers to scan installed programs and set access permissions/denies for them. Please note that this first scan does not always allow you to set the access correctly.

The first time after installation, you will have to monitor and adjust the actions of ZoneAlarm to make sure that all programs have a sufficient level of Internet access. But, pop-ups are very simple and are presented in an "allow/deny" format with a checkbox to remember the selected action. Even novice users can easily figure it out (the name of the programs will also be indicated in the message).

You can set the program control level that suits you. Low level involves learning mode (the firewall remembers all programs that use the network), disabling protection and a minimum number of pop-up windows. The middle level assumes that any access to a trusted network or the Internet will be done with permission. High level is not provided in the free version of ZoneAlarm. You can set any of the levels at any time. Using the "Smart Defense Advisor" module, Firewall will suggest the most commonly accepted option for non-rule programs by users around the world. You don't have to use this module (although it will be very useful for beginners).

Setting up Internet zones includes a trusted zone, which implies a local network with shared files, printers, etc., and an Internet zone for access from the network. Each zone has a simple control format of 3 options: "no security" (firewall disabled), "medium" (exchange/sharing of resources such as files and printers) and "high" (allows use of the network, but blocks someone on the network accessing your system). Medium level is recommended for home networks with more than one operating system, and for cases where devices (routers, routers) require this. A high level is recommended for single machines with Internet access (for example, there is only one computer at home and there is no internal network), as well as for public places where you are going to access the network (WiFi in restaurants and so on).

Overall, ZoneAlarm Free offers basic two-way protection with stealth mode and anti-phishing protection. However, the firewall lacks heuristic and behavioral modules, as well as the ability to allow/block access between programs.

It is worth noting that from version to version, the firewall becomes a little lighter in terms of functionality. Perhaps this is only a temporary dynamic, but still.

It will be a good choice for those who aim to use the built-in Windows firewall. Despite its name, the program is compatible with Windows XP and higher. In a few words, Windows 10 Firewall Control allows you to more conveniently and simply configure blocking and application access to the Internet in the standard Windows firewall. This firewall also adds a better way to manage outgoing connections. It is based on the Windows Filtering Platform, which also powers the standard firewall. Therefore, unlike most other firewalls, the application does not install any drivers on the system. The user interface is made very simple and clear. It displays only what the program can do, i.e. a block with settings to “allow/deny” access and nothing more.

There are three modes in total - “normal”, “allow all” and “disable all”. The latter mode completely disables access to applications, regardless of firewall settings. The "allow all" mode is self-explanatory, meaning unhindered Internet access for all applications (similar to turning off the firewall). If you do not need to test something, then normal mode is recommended - Internet access for programs will be provided depending on individual settings.

In normal mode, when the program tries to access the Internet for the first time (after installing W10), a pop-up window will appear with information about the application, publisher, etc. You can allow or deny access either one-time or permanently. If you select the first option, the next time you start the program the window will appear again.

In addition to pop-up windows for selecting Windows 10 Firewall Control actions, small windows also appear in the lower right corner of the screen with access information (access blocked/allowed, etc.). These notifications can be turned off in Settings.

That's basically all this firewall can do. The disadvantages include the fact that you will have to configure access for all your applications, from the browser to the antivirus, which can be somewhat annoying in its routine. However, Windows 10 Firewall Control allows for much easier and more convenient control over the built-in Windows firewall than the operating system offers.

It is a lightweight firewall that is based on the standard Windows firewall. It is completely free of pop-ups, so this firewall may be ideal for those who need a "set it up and go do other things" solution. The installer for this program weighs only about 1 MB. Installation is simple, but, unfortunately, does not include the ability to select the installation location. After installation, the firewall runs in the background with an icon in the system tray. All program functions are accessible only from the system tray - there is no “main window” interface in it. In the pop-up menu, the user can select the necessary items, in particular, firewall mode, general network activity, add/exclude applications/processes and call up a dialog with firewall settings.

The firewall settings dialog box is also quite modest. General settings, with the ability to set a password to protect settings. A section that specifies applications that are allowed to connect to the network. There is also a "Detect" function that will try to detect known applications so that the user does not have to add programs manually. In addition, TinyWall can recognize related processes of one application. For example, if you have a program that runs several processes, then by adding the program to the white list, all open related processes will also have access to the Internet.

It should be noted that when adding a program to the exclusion list, the application is not limited to UDP and TCP traffic. Depending on the nature of the program, it may be more prudent to limit it to, for example, only "outgoing" traffic.

The Special Exceptions tab allows the user to set additional parameters. In particular, choose to allow or block access for system services. If you are not very computer savvy, it is recommended to leave the settings as they are. On the maintenance tab, you can import/export settings, check for versions, and also go to the developer page.

Overall, TinyWall is a lightweight firewall that is a good choice for those looking for an unobtrusive and easy to manage firewall.

Firewalls and firewalls with intrusion detection and prevention systems

Preface or a few words about firewalls with intrusion detection and prevention systems

The following firewalls and firewalls provide better network protection and also support various options for intrusion detection and prevention systems. Every firewall comes with default settings, so very few adjustments may be required depending on the user's needs

The firewalls in this section require more knowledge and time from the user to set up and become familiar with than basic firewalls, but they provide a higher level of protection.

When choosing a suitable firewall, you should not rely on publicly available independent testing and other statements, since during testing the effectiveness is checked at maximum settings, while most users have a simpler level of protection (after all, you want to use the Internet, and not sit in trench with access to one site). Therefore, most firewall developers strive to ensure maximum “friendliness” of functionality, sometimes with a lower level of security settings (disabling monitoring of some indicators).

Please take these circumstances into account.

This is a solid firewall for those users looking for a full-featured security package. This product is mostly intended for experienced and tech-savvy users. Its intrusion detection system is called "Defense+" and matches or even exceeds the capabilities of paid products. Komodo firewall provides quite a lot of control and settings, which will especially appeal to curious and restless users whose task is to ensure the maximum level of security.

Comodo includes protection against buffer overflow attacks and a lightweight sandboxing option that allows you to check unknown applications and program installations to see how their launch will affect the computer's operating system. Using a sandbox limits the negative effects of malware. Komodo contains a long list of known, trusted applications, but if an unknown application tries to gain access through the firewall, Comodo will first restrict the program and ask you what to do with it. In addition, all the functionality to control ports, protocols and configurations will be at your disposal.

During installation, you will have three options to install the firewall - "firewall only", "firewall with an optimal set of proactive protection" and "maximum proactive protection" (i.e. "Defense+", as mentioned earlier). After installation, Comodo automatically selects "Safe Mode", which will result in numerous pop-up notifications for applications that are not included in the list of trusted programs. If you select allow/deny and choose to remember the response, Comodo will create and save a custom rule for the application, which you can always edit from the general list.

If you select Clean PC Mode, Defense+ will automatically mark all applications on your drive as safe. Please note that if there is a virus among the programs, it will also be considered safe, so use this function carefully and only in cases where you are really confident in the safety of the programs. However, these applications will still be monitored, albeit at a minimal level - checking Comodo protected objects (registry and COM interface), monitoring established rules, etc. Any files you add will be automatically added to the review list, flagged as potentially unsafe, and running them will result in pop-up messages as if you were using Safe Mode, until you set rules.

Comodo reduces the frequency of alerts by automatically identifying programs as safe based on Internet access rules. However, you can further reduce the number of Defense+ alerts using one or more methods:

• Immediately imply your answer as "remember answer" for all warnings. In other words, when any application is launched for the first time, the answer will immediately be assumed to be a permanent solution. However, you must use this setting carefully, as from time to time applications need to temporarily grant or deny access
• Add programs to lists of safe or trusted files
• Use clean computer mode. It is recommended to first make sure that the programs on your disk do not contain viruses and Trojans

Overall, Comodo Firewall is a powerful firewall with a lot of flexible settings, which is perfect for providing a high level of protection. However, it is aimed at those users who have some knowledge of Windows device and networking. Beginner users are strongly advised not to use this firewall.

The former commercial firewall is now free without restrictions. This proactive, multi-layered security solution includes behavioral blocking technology that monitors and checks for viruses, spyware, malware, process and application security, the registry, and more along with standard firewall protection. Private Firewall can certainly be called a multifunctional firewall with an intrusion detection and prevention system.

The program's user interface may seem a little confusing and cumbersome. There are a lot of customizable options, so sometimes it can feel a bit lacking in sorting. Of course, each section contains quite a lengthy reference with explanations, but still. The training mode allows you to allow all program actions within 180 seconds, which is ideal for quickly setting up rules for newly installed programs (no need to create dozens of rules for each port, protocol and address). However, be prepared that the first launch of the firewall may lead to blocking of a number of seemingly well-known programs.

You can set different security levels (high, low, and custom) for your internal network and the Internet. In other words, for example, if you have a couple of computers or a printer on your home network, then there is no point in limiting them in the same way. You will also have three profiles at your disposal - Home, Office and Remote. You can set the appropriate settings for each and easily switch as needed, especially useful for laptops. Another useful feature is that you can block outgoing mail in one click, which is convenient when you have launched an email client and don't want the application to send emails randomly or on a schedule.

Overall, Private Firewall is a fairly effective firewall that has fairly good ratings on the Internet. However, the graphical interface and ease of use will be more appreciated by tech-savvy users. A beginner will simply be confused.

The firewall is a good choice for users who want flexible security settings without compromising ease of use. Its interface is carefully organized and retains its functionality (it can be easily navigated by ordinary users). For example, alerts are simplified but just as functional, so you can quickly and easily set up rules or apply actions. In addition, the firewall remembers all responses in pop-up messages without the need to create additional rules, notifies you of all configured rules in training mode, and notifies you of all automatically applied rules, for example, for browsers when changing versions.

The free version lacks many of the additional features of the paid version, such as the ability to disable an active connection. However, there are plenty of opportunities. You can choose 5 levels of protection, ranging from completely blocking connections to allowing all actions, including the average manual learning mode "Rules Wizard". In addition, the Outpost firewall controls various dangerous application activities, including memory injection, driver loading, and access to critical system objects (registry, files). Also, the Outpost database includes quite a lot of pre-configured rule templates, so setting up Internet access for applications will most often consist of a couple of mouse clicks.

The installer will ask you if you want the firewall to train for a week (using auto-learning mode and manual training "Rules Wizard"). In this mode, the firewall will automatically set rules for known safe applications.

Overall, Outpost Firewall Free is a good choice for those looking for a balance of functionality and interface.

The firewall differs from its counterparts in that it comes with additional security modules, namely the registry, pop-up blocker and parental controls - something like a packaged solution. Firewall is less customizable than the previous firewalls listed in the review, but many standard sections are still available. Three levels of protection - off (turns off the firewall), custom (allows you to configure rules for connections) and high (blocks all connections). Each section in the program interface is designed quite cleanly. Alerts generally provide clear and concise information.

The registry protection module provides control and security of the registry for modifications, with the ability to configure specific sections. The Parental Control module, as the name suggests, limits the available list of sites, but you need to manually add each site. The module problem is in logic. You can only allow certain websites, you cannot just block individual sites. The pop-up blocker monitors browser behavior and blocks pop-up ads and more. All three of these additional modules can be disabled individually. AVS Firewall also comes with a monitoring utility so you can check the amount of network traffic passing through for each application.

During the installation of this firewall, the installer automatically installs the AVS Software browser. Unfortunately, there is no option to opt out, but after installation you can remove it separately without any consequences for the firewall.

Overall, AVS Firewall is a pretty good firewall that will appeal to those who need to provide more security than in the case of basic firewalls, and who do not want to delve too deeply into the specifics of the network design.

Note: AVS Firewall is no longer supported by the manufacturer.

Other firewalls and firewalls for Windows

Although it is rare to see older operating systems, such as 98 or Me, they still should not be left unprotected, especially if they are not hidden behind other systems with firewalls. Therefore, if for some reason you use them, then here is a small list of firewalls and firewalls for Windows 95-2000. Please note that these firewalls are no longer supported by the manufacturers and may contain errors or lead to problems that, most likely, no one except you will consider. However, having an opportunity is better than not having one.

• Sygate Personal Firewall (Windows 2000/XP/2003) [no longer supported]
• NetVeda Safety.Net (Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP, requires registration) [no longer supported]
• Filseclab Personal Firewall (Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000/2003/XP 32-bit) [no longer supported]