Firewall Software:


Notes:
Caution should be used in which programs are allowed internet access as well those that are denied, though many should be obvious such as Internet Explorer, your default email program, etc. In some cases blocking access can cause other problems with your computer's programs.

The below overviews are based on research from forums, websites and other reviews and condensed into pill form for a quick overview. These are not reccomendations or criticisms but presented for informational purposes.

After our short overviews are several resource links for more indepth reading on these and many more firewalls.

Review the resource links and be sure to check and see if there are any problems that might relate to your computer's configuration and applications before installing any software. Hey as always "make a backup"...grin...


Overviews:

ZoneAlarm Plus and ZoneAlarm Pro
Zone Labs Inc.
http://www.zonelabs.com

The regular or standard version is free to individuals and nonprofit organizations, though it lacks some of the features of the Plus or Pro version. But hey it's free and works well for the casual user who justs wants a good firewall. Plus it lets you try out ZoneAlarm before purchasing one of the other versions.

The Pro version adds pop-up blocking, and cookie control. If you don't need these then just think about ZoneAlarm Plus and save a few dollars on your purchase. ZoneAlarm has a built in setup wizard for ICS, zone based blocking and more..

There are 3 zones for security of your network: Trusted, Internet and Blocked. ZoneAlarm's Alert Advisor provides information about programs that it knows trying to access the internet. ZoneAlarm's focus is on trusted addresses and you need to know which IP addresses to trust. It also detects and monitors intrusions.

The interface is very good but could still be improved some. This program does have preconfigured application lists, attack tracking, protection against email borne viruses and worms. ZoneAlarm was a 2000 and 2001 CNet.com's editors choice. Some sources reported problems with compatibilty with some computers configuration.



McAfee Personal Firewall Plus
http://www.mcafee.com

The design is suited for those with little computer or network knowledge, though the application alerts that appear after installing the software can be confusing for the new user. Other sources reported the alerts process to be easy to use and the user interface to be excellent. I guess this depends entirely upon the user.

These alerts or prompts are from programs trying to access the internet. The program is asking the user to allow the application to have access to the internet or not. Many of the firewalls do this, but some do it with a better user friendly interface than others.

Once access is granted or denied then the rule is set. It does allows banning access from specific addresses that may repeatedly try to access your computer from the internet, such as a possible attacker. When editing the access options you can allow: full access, outbound access only, or block access.

Overall setup is straight forward and fairly easy and also allows trusted access for your local network if you have one. According to some, it could have more options for advance users.



Norton Personal Firewall
http://www.symantec.com
http://www.symantec.com/sabu/nis/npf/

Easy to install, stealths all ports like many of the firewalls and includes many of the other features such as intrusion detection and tracing hack attacks. Easy to use provided you don’t mess with the settings too much, except for advance users that is. Also has automatic updates.

Some reviews report the more advance settings are harder to access because they are nestled several screens and mouse clicks deep.

If money is not a problem and you need virus protection, then you might want to consider Norton's Internet Security package since it has even stronger intrusion protection and it includes their anti-virus software.
They have always been a very popular choice.



Sygate Personal Firewall
Sygate.com

Free version available for home users.
Easy installation, good strong protection, many of the features as the above packages, though some reviews seem to think it was lacking in some areas, while other reviews preferred it to those same packages.

Has plenty of setting for advance users, though they might confuse the beginner some. Phone support is expensive on a per incident basis which is a drawback. They do have an online support forum though.
Sygate was a frontier in firewall software and very well know for their products.



BlackICE PC Protection
http://blackice.iss.net/

This is another popular package that has been around for a long time. It too has many good reviews, several features that some of the others lack, and a nice interface for viewing stats and any possible attacks that might be occurring. The details may not be as specific as some of the other firewalls, but it also reports some details (according to reviews) that the other firewalls don't. It has four levels of access protection whereas some of the others are only three levels.

Also some corrections have been made to the latest release to eliminate some bugs/security issues that were in some previous versions.
Another strong contender.



Tiny Personal Firewall
http://www.tinysoftware.com

They have a free version available for home users.
Reviews vary on this product. Easy to install, but some reviewers feel it could have better user interacitvity.

It's not as much a resource hog as some of the other packages but has several of the same features. Good protection, and if you are not a control freak then it could be the firewall for you. Some reviews report it having some advance configuration options now.



OutPost
http://www.agnitum.com

They have a free version available.
This is a newcomer to the software firewall arena. The initial reviews I have seen were very positive. It has many of the same features as the most popular programs listed in various reviews on the net plus some, according to some reviews. It also includes plug ins, only these are plugins that can be developed by any outside developer and not just the original company.

They also have a comparison chart of their product to several other popular firewalls. Of course keep in mind they compiled the chart.
http://www.agnitum.com/php_scripts/compare.php
This is a very comprehensive chart worth viewing for all the features in the most popular firewalls.
This is certainly one firewall to consider.


My personal favorite is ZoneAlarm Pro which I have used for two years on our home office network of machines. But I must confess I'm looking real hard at the newcomer in OutPost when the time comes for an upgrade or need to change.



Resources for additional research

Use the below links to research and make the best decision for your system and needs. Again beware of any mentioned problems with paticular programs or systems that might apply to your situation by checking out the "Opinions/Complaints Links". Of course keep in mind everyone has problems with some products that other people swear by. Guess that's what makes this world interesting. (Individuality and human nature)


Software Firewall Links And Resources


FirewallGuide.com - This site is a MUST visit. Many reviews, links and much more related to firewalls. Over 30 firewall products listed!


HackFix.org - Has reviews and help for firewalls, trojan horses, viruses and more. Below is the link for their firewall comparison page.
http://www.hackfix.org/software/firewall.html


TheGuardianAngel.com - Their home page promotes safety, security and privacy online. Comparison chart of various firewalls is at the below link.
http://www.theguardianangel.com/firewall_comparison.htm



Opinions/Reviews/Complaint Links

ZDNet.com - Use their search to find by product name. Look for a reveiw of the product. Go to the review, then look for the user reviews link.

CNet.com - Use their search to find by product name. Look for a reveiw of the product. Go to the review, then look for the user reviews link.

epinions.com - Use the search button and search by product name.

TheComplaintStation.com - Use the alphabet at the top of the page to go to a listing of products by name.

BadDealings.com - Use the search button to search by product name.

ComputerGripes.com - Visit this site for reports of problems with software by a person who voices their complaints about certain products.



I know my machine has been hacked. What should I do now?

Well you probably don't want to hear this, but the best and safest solution is to re-install your operating system, get any updated patches and then restore the data files from a current backup for your application files. I would suggest also changing passwords that you use and be sure that you have firewall and anti-virus software installed and updated. If you restore backed up files then you need to scan everything after doing the restore as well.


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