Private Firewall??

Discussion in 'other firewalls' started by Ibrad, Mar 2, 2010.

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  1. Ibrad

    Ibrad Registered Member

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    I am in the process oh hunting down a 3rd party firewall for my machine. Those of you who have read some of my old posts know I recommend staying with the Windows Firewall, well I am hooking up our homes printer to all the machines and the windows firewall on the machine connected to the printer won't allow print sharing. I followed all directions online and the only way all the other PC's would print to the printer is if Windows Firewall is off. I had Online Armor installed on that machine but my family got tired of all the popups. I am in the process of deciding between PC Tools Firewall plus and Private Firewall, I used PCTFW before so I know about it but I have never tried Private Firewall so I have a few questions about it.

    Is it heavy?

    Is it simple to setup and set port rules?

    Does it auto update?

    I read it has a memory leak on Vista with SP1, other than updating to Sp2 which my windows update has not offered me what do I need to do to fix the memory leak?

    Any known issues with Panda Cloud?
     
  2. SourMilk

    SourMilk Registered Member

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    No
    Yes
    Yes
    ?
    No

    SourMilk out
     
  3. Ibrad

    Ibrad Registered Member

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    Sorry for asking this if it's impossible to fix, I thought I read somewhere it gave the link to a update that you could install to fix the leak (not an SP2 link)
     
  4. zip

    zip Registered Member

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    I highly recommend Privatefirewall.

    I recommend the 3 day learning mode.

    I like both ZA Free & Privatefirewall, so I use ZA Free on XP & Privatefirewall on Windows 7 64bit.

    Both firewalls work great on XP & 7 64bit, because I like both I compromise by using one on computer & one the other :D

    I haven't used Panda Cloud, some of the horror stories scare me.:eek:

    There was a problem with avast! 5, but that is fixed in the latest version of Privatefirewall.:)
     
  5. Ibrad

    Ibrad Registered Member

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    Thanks everyone for all the thoughts on the program. I found some old posts about the PrivateFirewall memory leak and some of the posts say the hot fix fixed it while others say it changed nothing :rolleyes:
     
  6. Espresso

    Espresso Registered Member

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    If you search for the old threads about DSA (Dynamic Security Agent) you should find a link to the hotfix.

    The HIPS component doesn't work under x64.

    It's a pretty good firewall but the interface is flaky.
     
  7. whitedragon551

    whitedragon551 Registered Member

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    I use it. It works good, its very light, I use with NOD32. The only thing I wish it had was auto update. It doesnt even have an update checker built in so its required to check out the website every now and then.
     
  8. Brocke

    Brocke Registered Member

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    i wonder how they make their money keep it free now.
     
  9. Ibrad

    Ibrad Registered Member

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    They sell their tech to Webroot.
     
  10. Brocke

    Brocke Registered Member

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    so webroots firewall is private firewall ?
     
  11. Ibrad

    Ibrad Registered Member

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    Correct :thumb:
     
  12. Espresso

    Espresso Registered Member

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    Webroot uses an older version, however. Privacyware has other enterprise products as well.
     
  13. zip

    zip Registered Member

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    When the Webroot firewall became free it was a teaser to get people to try Webroot's other software.

    I tried the Webroot firewall, but didn't like it.

    Then when I got my new laptop I went in search for a firewall for my 7 64bit system.

    Pickings were slim & not good. At first PC Tools Firewall Plus seemed good, but it's bugs started to show.

    I then I heard Privatefirewall was now free. I turned down trying Privatefirewall since Webroot was a rebrand of it.

    In desperation for a good 64bit firewall I gave Privatefirewall a try. I was pleasently surprised.:)

    Now there are three acceptable fw's for 64bit systems.

    1) Privatefirewall (best)

    2) Finally there is a version of ZoneAlarm Free that works good on 64bit!

    3) Windows Firewall Control
     
  14. Espresso

    Espresso Registered Member

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    Comodo works great on x64 and has a working HIPS, unlike PrivateFirewall.
     
  15. zip

    zip Registered Member

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    I would surf the internet without a firewall before I would put Comodo back on my computers!

    BTW, HIPS & "leak tests' are over rated.

    Of all the years I used ZA Free I never got infected due to a fw "leak".
     
  16. whitedragon551

    whitedragon551 Registered Member

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    Private FW > Comodo. Its much lighter and a its a great basic firewall that has plenty of options for the average user.
     
  17. kjdemuth

    kjdemuth Registered Member

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    "Privatefirewall provides Application Security by providing detailed alerts for incoming and outgoing application-specific Internet traffic. Privatefirewall also models and monitors system behavior to identify and block activity characteristic of known malware, hacking, phishing and other threat types"
    Sounds like a IDS/HIPS to me.
     
  18. Espresso

    Espresso Registered Member

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    If the tests in question mirror techniques used by a piece of malware that you might double-click, then it's nice to know that your HIPS can block its actions. You don't need the top performer for most malware, but having a HIPS that protects against as many vulnerabilities as possible lessens your chances of system compromise.

    A firewall "leak" generally refers to a vulnerability that allows malware to establish outgoing communication with an external server, whether directly, code injection, file replacement, etc. It's assumed that you're already infected.

    If you don't care about "leaks" from the outside, then I don't even know why you even bother with a firewall.
     
  19. fax

    fax Registered Member

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    Offtopic OPEN
    Its probably the only way left for software houses to convince novice users to buy a software firewall and/or premium support in such a crowded market... ;)
    Offtopic CLOSE
     
    Last edited: Mar 7, 2010
  20. s23

    s23 Registered Member

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  21. country2

    country2 Registered Member

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    Anyone knows if they plan on getting HIPS to work in W7 64 bit? I checked their website and don't even see anything about it not working but see many posts here about it..thanks!
     
  22. whitedragon551

    whitedragon551 Registered Member

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    I believe the HIPs portion of their FW is working fine on x64. Their website clearly states:

    Im pretty sure the System Anomaly Detection is the HIPS portion and it worked fine on my x64 Win7 Pro install.
     
  23. burebista

    burebista Registered Member

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    From here:
     
  24. 19monty64

    19monty64 Registered Member

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    I'm testing out Privatefirewall & PandaCloud for a couple of weeks now, and have found the combo to be the lightest so far. Easiest to set up also. No conflicts, CPU-spikes or issues using them. I'm in XP/SP3 though, but no mem-leaks here.
     
  25. 19monty64

    19monty64 Registered Member

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    Okay then, but the leak discussed is an occurance that happens after an infection. Like when a "virus" gains access to your addy book and tries to eMail the virus to your friends in your name. Having a "leak-proof" firewall is for the benefit of damage-control AFTER an infection...
     
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