Your view on the best free firewall

If you were to choose a free firewall to install on your PC what would it be. Also what do you think is the best free firewall out there in terms of protection, system resources, config, ease of use, setup and to work in conjunction with other security software like that of antivirus, spyware removers etc.

 

I think the best free PF alone is the just swallowedup Sygate. But in conjunction with Process Guard, I think GhostWall is the best free PF.

 

You will probably get as many opinions on that as there are people answering the thread, but.....I would choose:

Zonealarm Free 4.5.594

It's not the most recent version but they might find it less buggy, for now, than their newer versions, as long as
they don't need Plus/Pro-type features.

 

I use ZoneAlarm Free v6.1.737.000.
The main reason is its simplicity, its purity, its quality and its silence.
An excellent Firewall for less-knowledgeable users, my favorite group of users.

 

Third Brigade CHX. For every use.
For Home computing, use also Appdefend or something like that.

Regards
joter

 

Hi,
I'd go for Sygate.
Mrk

 

Ditto for Sygate...

 

If you have some knowledge, try the excellent CHX-I

If not, the very light and efficient NetVeda Safety.Net...

 

i put my vote on zonealarm since its simple and application based.

 

For first time PC owners with little or no experience about firewalls, I would vote for ZA or ZAP, for advanced users, CHX.

 

At the risk of being redundant, I would have to place a vote for ZA also, as the best free one. Simply because it's easy to use and offers good protection.

 

It doesn't seem to be unusual to have problems with ZA, though.
I had dropped connections and lock-out on my old desktop with 5.5, and six BSOD'd m laptop and turned itself off spontaneously on my new desktop. That is a small sample, not a survey but also not very promising. Lots of moaning historically about ZA, inarguably, in many forums.

I am using Kerio 4.2.2 and I imported the "BZ ruleset" designed for 2.x.
Not one crash. Not one lockup, quiet, pretty pleased with it.

Before Kerio I liked Netveda pretty well. It seems to be due for an update anytime. Filseclab was good too but it was the only firewall other than ZA that did not like my desktop. It, oddly enough, did the same thing that ZA did - just turned itself off, the icon disappeared from the task bar and there was no way of restarting the application without rebooting.

My vote from what I have tried:
Kerio 4.2. with BZ ruleset
tied for second would be Filseclab and Jetico (which should have a new version in the next month or so if there tech. support is to be believed).

I have read and heard good things about the McAfee firewall. It is not technically free but it is if you wait for a free rebate sale at your local software whorehouse.

Just my two cents.

 

Or even not-so-advanced users like me. I like being able to mold the firewall around my specific setup, internet connection, etc.

 

I personally like windows XP SP2 firewall, does everything I need, but then I am very savvy and dont install junk, run as limited user accounts etc...

I do like CHX, would be my number alternative.
If you require outbound protection, then I would say Look n Stop, Zone Alarm for the Dumb user.

 

No offence, but Windows XP SP2 firewall is a cardboard that does nothing but make people feel safe. It only blocks inbound traffic which means it only does half of the job which means the firewall is half complete hence it's rubbish. However in your case you say it does the job you require, so stick with it but IMO nobody should use it.

Look 'n' Stop is also rubbish. I installed it for about 30 minutes ran some port scan tests and the results showed some ports remained open, so straight to Add/Remove programs I went. ZA is junk as well. ZA and its best mate Symantec should have their products banned. Although ZA is good it is a resource HOG as it Symantec!

If you want MAXIMUM security, install SmoothWall. But dont be a n00b and install it on your only PC, it can cause damage to your data, so make sure you read the FAQ. So if you have a spare PC around chuck SmoothWall on and you can say bye, bye to all those low life hackers.


Peace.

 

Sorry to say, even though I use Linux, the firewall advise is totally ridiculous for average home PC users, you need an extra PC and knowledge of Linux to set it up, not at all cost effective or a viable solution for most. ZA takes 17 mb and does the job well, free or pro and you don't need extra PC, CHX provides almost Linux firewall level inbound and that too free consuming roughly 2.8mb, good enough for most. A router too does a swell job of inbound protection at a fraction of a cost for a PC, that too only to be used for firewalling so there are good and viable and free choices in Windows world far less complex for us average users.

 

I have two PCs here, one with Kerio 4.2.2 and one with Windows XP firewall and both are running smoothly with no intrusions at all in the past year or more. That doesn't mean that Windows XP firewall is "rubbish", nor does it mean that Kerio 4.2.2 is also "rubbish", but it does mean that both of those firewalls must be protecting my PCs well enough for me to have survived so long.

I'm by no means a "high risk" internet user, so either firewall is well up to the task for my purposes. For others who have similar low-risk habits, I wouldn't hesitate recommending the Windows XP firewall as it has extremely low resource usage and requires virtually no input from the user, which in my mind is MUCH better than something like Jetico which gives so many alerts that you're eventually reduced to OK-ing every alert, which means you're no better protected than you would have been with the XP firewall anyway...

As far as I'm concerned, the Windows XP firewall is the only Microsoft security product which I trust, and which does exactly what it's supposed to do with no added bloat.

 

CORE FORCE - Free

http://force.coresecurity.com/index.php?module=base&page=download

CORE FORCE can be used to:

Protect your computer from compromises by worms, virus and email-borne malware
Prevent your computer from being used as a staging point to amplify attacks and compromise others
Prevent exploitation of known bugs in the operating system and applications running on your computer
Prevent exploitation of unknown bugs (0-day) in the operating system and applications running on your computer
Detect and prevent execution of adware, spyware, trojan horses and other malware on you computer
CORE FORCE provides inbound and outbound stateful packet filtering for TCP/IP protocols using a Windows port of OpenBSD's PF firewall, granular file system and registry access control and programs' integrity validation. These capabilities can be configured and enforced system-wide or on a per-application basis for specific programs such as email readers, Web browsers, media players, messaging software, etc.

 

That happens with the default rules set. Load the enhanced rules set. Then all the leaktests show stealth.

 

I agree. I've been using it for quite a while and I'm finding it more than adequate.

Of course, people are quick to point out its lack of outbound control but I'm more concerned about keeping things from entering in the first place. Plus, I keep a copy of TCPView handy to monitor my connections.

For further reading, click the link below. It's an article written by Christian Huitema - General Manager of Wireless and Mobility Networking at Microsoft.

The Windows XP/SP2 Firewall

 

Jetico is very good. Needs many input at the beginning, but after his learning period, it remains silent and protects very well (in and out)

 

I know it's very good - I merely used it as one example of a firewall which requires repeated input from the user, but as a firewall, Jetico is excellent. The point is that if you really only want to get on with using a PC and don't have the inclination to pander to the demands of a firewall, the Windows firewall is better than one that learns and keeps popping up warnings. Trust me, I've watched people using them.

 

Yep, that's always the best way to be. If your habits are good and safe like you say, then the Windows Firewall is fine, or also just a router if you don't have XP.

 

Hi kilo,

It sounds attractive... but are there any threads or users comments or links that you can give us bout this firewall?

Sometimes... its more better to try "tested and proven" softwares than be sorry. You know what I mean... Experts comments and users reviews are very important especially for beginners.

 

I personally like Kerio 2.1.5(runs under 5 MB of RAM) or CHX-I(my personal favorite for now)