Recommended Firewalls Downloads

A firewall is a dedicated appliance, or software running on another
computer, which inspects network traffic passing through it, and denies
or permits passage based on a set of rules.
Windows Firewall would
be enough, but if you just want to feel more protected with a better
outbound protection, i recommend one of these.




1. PC Tools Firewall Plus Free Edition:



This
freeware firewall won't replace user vigilance, but intermediate users
will appreciate its configurability. From the primary interface to the
packet content logs, simplicity is the key to PC Tools Firewall Plus
Free Edition.

You don't "set and forget" any good firewall. This
application makes it easy to set filtering rules, provided you know
what you're doing. That's why we don't recommend PC Tools Firewall Plus
Free Edition for novice users. This program expects you know the uses
of UDP, ICMP, ARP, TCP, and a few other computer protocols. However,
adding a new filter is as easy as answering a few questions in a wizard.


Code:http://www.pctools.com/firewall/ [Windows 2000/XP/2003 Server/Vista]





2. Comodo Firewall Pro



Old
terminology has been replaced with more intuitive terms. The new main
tabs are Summary, Firewall, Defense +, and Miscellaneous. In each,
though, there are links to relevant security issues so users can drill
down to learn more about how the firewall is performing.

There's
a new feature called the Host Intrusion Prevention System that
supposedly protects against unknown threats. Obviously, it's hard to
tell if it works unless an unknown threat gets in, but it didn't seem
to affect system performance negatively. Mostly, Comodo rears its head
most often soon after installation when Security Alerts ask about new
Internet connections as the program "learns" your computer's behavior.


Code:http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/ [Windows XP/Vista]





3. ZoneAlarm Firewall



An
effective and easy-to-use firewall program, ZoneAlarm does a great job
of keeping your PC safe from a variety of threats. ZoneAlarm uses a
simple wizard to make configuring a firewall, which seems like a
daunting task to many computer users, incredibly easy.

Maintaining
and updating settings also is a snap when you're using the stylish
interface and its simple slider controls. The program's Zones feature
allows you to assign different security levels for a local network and
for the Internet.

A great recent addition is small but quite
helpful. A new "Game Mode" lets you automatically allow or deny alerts
when you're in the middle of playing a video game. We found ZoneAlarm
very good at recognizing and automatically including settings for our
local network.


Code:http://www.download.com/3000-2092-10039884.html [Windows 2000/XP/Vista]