Fireball CyberProtection Suite v 2.0
Fireball CyberProtection Suite is a multi-functional firewall and PC protection suite. It provides complete analysis of all network and internet traffic and allows you to allow and restrict network communications between your computer and the outside world. Fireball combines a personal firewall, intrusion detection system, privacy controls, system assessment, parental controls, and an IPSec VPN in a single integrated software suite. The features can shield you from Trojan horse programs, OS attacks, data leakage, email worms, invasion of privacy and even annoying pop up ads and spam. Fireball provides real-time identification of malicious activity and can screen e-mail messages, attachments, filter web sites, block ads and harmful code and more. In addition, Fireball proactively audits the Windows operation system for missing security patches and can download them automatically. The suite also includes an IPsec VPN client that allows a computer to connect into a business network or corporate LAN (CheckPoint, NetScreen, Sonicwall, Cisco VPN...). Fireball offers a user friendly interface and an interactive mode to allow or block applications that attempt to access the internet.
OS: Windows 98, ME, 2000, XP.
Outpost Firewall Pro v 2.0.238
Agnitum Outpost is the first personal firewall for Windows developed with Open Architecture. The Open Development Process proved its efficiency with the development of the Internet and with Linux. Agnitum Outpost is also the first personal firewall that supports plug-ins. Sample plug-ins are included to show how this technology can easily be employed for such tasks as Intrusion Detection, Advertisement Blocking, Content Filtering, E-mail Guard and Privacy Control. Agnitum Outpost is equipped with every feature a personal firewall should have. Outpost supports all the latest security techniques and features such as: Full Stealth Mode, Anti-Leak, and MD5 Authentication. The firewall does not require initial configuration and starts protecting your system as soon as it is installed. Compatible with dial-up, DSL, ISDN, Cable, T1 or Satellite as well as network setups and connection sharing. The Pro version offers more functionality than the freeware version, and will appeal to advanced users and novice alike.
OS: Windows 98, ME, NT 4.0, 2000, XP.
Armor2net v 3.1
Armor2net is a personal firewall with additional popup blocking and spyware detection and removal. It allows you to grant internet access on a per application basis, so that only programs that you are aware of can use your connection. You can view the list of current connections in an easy to understand display and choose to disconnect any of them if needed. Each connection displays the application that is using it, as well as the connected endpoint. Armor2net also provides a Stealth option that will block all access to your machine, however this feature is not compatible with networked computers, since Armor2net does not provide options allow certain connections or IP addresses. The firewall capabilities are basic and the popup killer missed most popups during our test, so it is of little value. The spyware removal feature scans your system for known adware/spyware programs and offers you to remove selected items. It includes a backup feature that allows you to restore the files if you experience any problems. Overall, the program is very easy to use and inexpensive. Worth a try for home users that want to keep an eye on their Internet connection and prevent unauthorized use of malware or spyware programs.
OS: Windows 98, ME, 2000, XP.
PortsLock v 1.3
PortsLock is a firewall that offers user-level access controls for Windows NT/2000/XP. It integrates with the Windows user authentication system and once installed, administrators can assign permissions to TCP/IP connections, just as they would in managing permissions on an NTFS partition of a hard disk. PortsLock lets you control which users can access what TCP/IP based protocols (HTTP, FTP, SMTP, POP3, Telnet, etc.) on a local computer, depending on the time of day and day of the week. You can also set allowed/denied TCP/UDP ports and IP addresses for incoming and outgoing connections. PortsLock is completely transparent to users and only Windows administrators are allowed to set rules. Administrators that are familiar with IPsec, can think of this as a user-specific IPsec configuration, where user A can be allowed access to the web during business hours, but denied FTP traffic and user B can only access sites within the corporate network etc. Additional features include optional traffic auditing (per user setting), remote access and automatic deployment to remote machines. PortsLock is intended for network administrators and requires good knowledge of TCP/IP networking.
OS: Windows NT 4.0, 2000, XP.
Kaspersky Anti-Hacker v 1.0
Kaspersky Anti-Hacker is a personal firewall that checks all incoming and outgoing data streams only permits actions that are safe or have been authorized by you. It runs at application level, allowing you to grant or deny specific behavior to selected programs. The program uses easy to understand rule definitions, rather than complicated port and protocol configurations whenever possible. You can choose from 5 different security levels that are available as presets and also customize the rules and create new ones according to your personal security requirements. Like most personal firewalls, Kasperski Anti-Hacker also comes with a learning mode, that prompts the user each time an application uses the internet for the first time and based on your answers, it automatically creates the rules for you. The low-level data interceptor allows information filtration before it is processed by other applications and provides intrusion protection from the latest forms of hacker attack, including Ping Of Death attacks, Land-attacks, TCP and UDP port scanning and DoS attacks. SmartStealth protects your ports and makes the systems become fully invisible to the outside. Additional features include a connection monitor, port monitor, detailed logging and more.
At this time Kaspersky Anti-Hacker is not compatible with ADSL modems.
OS: Windows 98, ME, NT 4.0, 2000, XP.
My Firewall Plus v 5.0
My Firewall Plus is an advanced, bi-directional intrusion defense system that is easy to use and configure. It protects your computer by stopping potential intruders from gaining access to your system and data. At the same time, it prevents hidden or unknown software from connecting to the Internet without your consent. You can allow or block each program from using the internet, or choose to be prompted each time the application attempts to connect. Additional features include traffic display, advanced rule configuration, application security signatures and more.
OS: Windows 98, ME, NT 4.0, 2000, XP.
ZoneAlarm Pro v 3.1
ZoneAlarm Pro automatically blocks known and unknown Internet threats. For home users, small-business owners and corporate employees working remotely, ZoneAlarm Pro offers the highest level of protection and control. The pro version of ZoneAlarm provides comprehensive, customizable settings, that let you tailor security controls to your exact needs. Unlike conventional firewalls, ZoneAlarm pro monitors outgoing application traffic as well as incoming traffic, this means that you are protected from any malicious programs that may use your internet connection from inside your system to communicate with the outside world. You have the option to grant and deny access on an per-application basis, customizing the protection for your system. A unique signature integrity check insures that you cannot be fooled by imposters, pretending to be a trusted application. In addition, unlike the free version, the Pro version offers password protection, automatic Mobile PC Protection, Email Attachment Protection for 37 different file types (the free version only 1) and can control your security by blocking IP addresses that run port scans.
OS: Windows 98, ME, NT 4.0, 2000, XP.
pcInternet Patrol v 2.0.0.2
pcInternet Patrol is a unique personal application firewall that offers protection with minimum user involvement. Unlike other personal firewalls, that rely on the user to decide whether an application is good or bad, pcInternet Patrol analyzes the files and verifies them with an online database. The program works by constantly monitoring all running applications and as soon as one of them is trying to connect to the Internet, pcInternet Patrol jumps into action and check the online database to see if the program is trustworthy or not. If no match is found, it will forward the application or module to the central server where it will be checked and verified. While this hands-off protection may be very convenient for novice users, it does not offer much flexibility and solely relies on the integrity of the central database. In addition, a potentially harmful program could be run without problem as long as the database does not return any negative result. This could potentially provide a false sense of security to the user. During our installation, pcInternet Patrol found numerous program that it did not recognize. They were submitted to the remote server for investigation, however in the meantime we remain clueless as to what their status may be.
The program is service based and costs $12 a month if you want to keep it beyond the evaluation.
OS: Windows 98, ME, NT 4.0, 2000, XP.
Privatefirewall v 3.0
Privatefirewall is a Personal Firewall and Intrusion Detection Application that eliminates unauthorized access to your PC, at home, the office, or on the road. Privatefirewall also constantly monitors the sensitive areas of a PC where intrusion can occur, including browser security settings, network settings etc. and reports on their status. The program is easy to install/use and provides protection right "out of the box". The interface will accommodate advanced users as well as novice users, it does not overload you with options and features, yet provides access to powerful rule settings and filers for advanced users via the right click menu. Privatefirewall offers everything that you'd expect from a personal firewall, including Internet traffic (packet) filtering, port scanning, IP tracking, SecurePOP email protection, and a proprietary Application Control Engine, which monitors all applications that access the Internet. The program also offers a choice of 3 different profile settings for at home, at work and on the road, which makes it especially interesting for Notebook users that frequently connect to other networks.
OS: Windows 98, ME, 2000, XP.
Visnetic Firewall WorkStation v 1.01
Visnetic Firewall (formerly Ambra Firewall) is a rules-based firewall that examines each packet being sent, inside and outside of the network to verify whether the packet is allowed or denied access through the firewall. It works with stand-alone, networked or changing environments. Visnetic Firewall offers customized security through user-defined rule creation and the ability to configure devices individually. Examples of a device include an internal network interface card (NIC), an external NIC linked to a cable modem connecting to the Internet, or a Dial-Up Adapter used to connect to an ISP (Internet Service Provider). The rules can be complex, but are easy to create due to the graphical interface that allows you to select and specify the option. Additional features include optional Email Notification on rule violations, password protection, logging and more.
Stateful inspection delivers firewall protection beyond pure packet filtering. Rather than simply verifying the packet source and destination, Stateful Inspection ensures the legitimacy of the packet by matching its presence to an actual request. For example, rather than accepting all ping replies, Visnetic Firewall will permit a ping response only following a confirmed ping request.
Visnetic comes with a very detailed setup wizard that will automatically generate the custom settings for you based on a series of simple questions and answers about how you use the internet etc. of course, you can also choose to configure it manually or edit the wizard generated rules later.
OS: Windows 98, ME, NT 4.0, 2000, XP.
Deerfield Personal Firewall v 1.0.10
Deerfield Personal Firewall is a software security measure for any computer that connects to the public Internet or a private network. It features an application filtering firewall (outgoing) as well as incoming traffic restrictions and 3 different pre-set levels of protection. In addition to the filtering features, DPF also performs a security check on your system and suggest areas of improvement (browser, network, DCOM and others). Deerfield Personal Firewall allows you to categorize traffic into security zones, similar to the Internet Explorer zones and maintain 3 different profiles, depending on your location (Home, Office, on the road). The application level firewall allows you to specify which programs are allowed to use the internet, and even go further and specify the type of traffic allowed on a per-application basis. The program comes with a nice array of features and many options to customize the filtering, but unlike it's competitors, it is more complicated to use and does not offer automatic rule creation, so if the default settings block certain traffic, you will have to edit the profile manually rather than clicking an "always allow" type button. Network geeks will find some nice and unique features, novice users may have a hard time getting it to work properly.
OS: Windows 98, ME, NT 4.0, 2000, XP.
Jammer v 2.0
Jammer is an application firewall that allows you to grant or deny access to any software that attempts to use your internet connection. You can build a list of trusted applications or specify which programs will have to ask permissions every time they attempt to connect. Jammer also monitors the Windows Registry, any attempt to modify critical sections results in a warning message on your screen letting you cancel the alteration. Jammer also includes scanning detection modules that discover intruders when they first probe your connection. In addition, the program provides information about current connections, running processes and a list of all auto-start registry entries.
OS: Windows 98, ME, NT 4.0, 2000.
