Best free firewall?

Andr3w

Andr3w

Andr3w

Soldato
Joined
6 Oct 2004
Posts
20,265
Location
England
Hey,

Which is the best FREE firewall out there to use?Apart from the windows firewall which i dont want to use lol
 
NathanE is right, Windows firewall is very good blocking inbound attacks but doesn't offer outbound protection. This is actually the true meaning of a firewall.

If you want outbound protection then you will need a third party software but make sure it is secure by using a couple of online firewall tests (all of which Windows firewall passes by the way). However, it may be better to use the Windows firewall with a third party host intrusion detection system such as Online Armour, Safe'N'Sec or System Safety Monitor which will not only notify you of outbound connection attempts but offer protection from other nasties such as trojans and spyware etc..

However, it isn't entirely necessary and people can get totally paranoid about online protection. In my view, and I am sure NathanE will agree, is use the Windows firewall, a good antivirus and a good antispyware and you will be very safe.

I use the Windows firewall with Avast and Ewido, minimal resources, maximum protection. 'Nuff said. :)
 
Yup, Windows Firewall or a NAT + some anti-virus/anti-spyware is all you need. One provides inbound and the other provides outbound protection.

Firewalls like ZoneAlarm really are pointless because after a while the user just keeps clicking "Yes/Accept" to all the so-called 'security alerts' and that is a bigger security risk than what was there originally.

If you're a bit of a Windows power user (e.g. the sort of user that loads an suspect EXE up in Notepad or a debugger and does a quick scroll through to get an idea of what it really does before running it) you can get away with no "protection" at all.

One of the best protections comes free just by turning on Automatic Updates in Control Panel and rebooting when it asks to.
 
I'm using windows firewall, mainly because im on a firewall router/modem anyway. But secondly, it keeps ram usage to a minimum. I don't know why but i hate too many processes running in the background >_> I have 18 at the moment, with no programs running.
 
AJUK said:
The best free one was Sygate but the evil Symantec Corp. have ruined that.
Click to expand...

You can still get Sygate for free. Version 5.6 just search for it on Google "sygate personal firewall free download". Can't put a link up because most of them are competitors. :)
 
G-MAN2004 said:
You can still get Sygate for free. Version 5.6 just search for it on Google "sygate personal firewall free download". Can't put a link up because most of them are competitors. :)
Click to expand...
You sure it's 5.6?

I thought 5.5 was Sygate's last version of their firewall? :eek::o
 
All I use is Nod32, windows firewall and the firewall built into my router. Also common sense, except that fails when another member of the family use the pc :/
 
is it not pointless running the windows firewall when you're behind a router? they both do exactly the same job and that's hide you from the outside world. :p
 
markysparky said:
Don't use windows firewall its like having no firewall at all. There is a reason its free
Click to expand...

Yes and that reason was the continuing failure of Windows to keep out malicious software and user dissatisfaction resulting from this.Not because it's pants.

By the way,what do you base this assesment on?
 
markysparky said:
Don't use windows firewall its like having no firewall at all. There is a reason its free
Click to expand...

you quite clearly have no idea what you are talking about. :p

i've relied on the windows firewall since day one and not once has it let me down. i'm using a usb modem at present so i do need it and it does a great job hiding me from the outside world. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom