Privatefirewall 7.0 - VERSION 7.0.20.39

Gonna try it!!

 

Go to the Help drop down -> select About PrivateFirewall 7.0, there will be a link to check for updates. I've installed directly over the old versions successfully, and it maintains your settings. Auto update would be nice, but it still seems to be a work in progress.

 

Image restore and reinstall everything from scratch

 

i have my laptop internet bridged so i can connect to xbox live but i can't get firewall to recognise the connection and have to turn firewall off to get xbox live to connect. any help please..

 

Unfortunately, I don't have any experience with the gaming issues you're describing. Maybe one of the more gaming console savvy members will be able to help.

 

Okay I have given PFW another brief trial. It hasn't changed much since I trialed it last March.

+ PFW still has DSA (Dynamic Security Agent) component which it now refers to as SAD (System Anomaly Detection). The SAD component is unlike any other HIPS & will catch some "suspicious behaviors" that other HIPS might not detect. Don't sell this somewhat "unorthodox" component short. A few years back I used it for several months as the only HIPS on my laptop, & it kept me out of trouble several times.

+ PFW's configurable HIPS-type coverage is as shown below . . .

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For comparison here are configurable HIPS-type coverages from another FW+HIPS, namely Outpost...




NOTE: The current beta of OP adds HIPS-type coverage of files (namely, "file and folder lock") which will enable protection of locally-stored assets against corruption, modification or illegal access by other users or malware.
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For further comparison here are some of the coverages provided by a *full-scope HIPS*, namely Malware Defender...

1- Application rules


2- File rules (several options are in the drop-down menus, NOT just the ones shown in the screenshot). . .


continued next post

 

(continuation of full-scope HIPS screen shots)

3- Registry rules (several options are in the drop-down menus, NOT just the ones shown in the screenshot). . .


4- Overview of MD's several other coverages/tabs. . .

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These screenshots do not tell everything about the apps they illustrate, but they do provide a goodly amount of info as to the relative scope of these 3 applications with respect to HIPS & Anti-leak.

 

bellgamin, the System Anomaly Detection is not the whole HIPS component. It's just a part of the whole HIPS component, just as it was back when DSA was standalone. DSA also had System Anomaly Detection in addition to Application Monitor, Process Monitor, Registry Monitor and Email Anomaly Detection. It has the same parts now. The difference is that now it monitors more registry keys and attack vectors.

As far as the full-blown HIPS is concerned, you consider a HIPS program full-blown when it provides the means to tweak every aspect of it (add custom files/folders and registry keys/values to protect, etc.)? If that's the case then Privatefirewall wouldn't indeed be considered 'full-blown'. But then again in that case Online Armor also can't be considered a full-blown HIPS. Same thing applies to Outpost Firewall as well.
I don't know what you consider them to be, but to me they are full-blown HIPS products. What I consider to be such a HIPS program is one that monitors enough attack vectors to be able to protect me without me having to add anything myself. If the product is able to protect me well out of the box (or maybe with a few minor tweaks in its options), then that product does its job and that's what matters and is enough for me to consider it a full-blown HIPS.
Although maybe I'm wrong and there is something more important that I'm missing.

 

The configurable HIPS component of PFW is the first screenshot in my post #31.

Please read the boldfaced NOTE following the second screenshot of Outpost in post #31: The current beta of OP adds HIPS-type coverage of files (namely, "file and folder lock") which will enable protection of locally-stored assets against corruption, modification or illegal access by other users or malware. Notice also OP's "Host Protection" listing -- the 1st screenshot in the series for OP. Notice also the screenie of OP's "Critical System Objects Control" which (AFAIK) is not covered, per se, by other FW+HIPS apps. Ergo, while OP's HIPS is not as full-scope as Malware Defender & CIS's D+, OP is definitely getting *broader in the HIPS* with its soon-to-be-released new version.
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FW+HIPS combos include but are not limited to: Online Armor, Outpost, Private Firewall, CIS (D+), & Defense Wall.

By the way, Malware Defender is a HIPS+fw inasmuch as MD does enable certain controls over incoming & outgoing connections. I put MD's firewall as lower-case "fw" because it is not so configurable as the other firewalls I have listed -- but behind an SPI-capable router it's enough of a firewall to stand on its own -- in my opinion.

As to which FW+HIPS is "best" for any given user, it depends on many factors including but not limited to: (a) Are you behind an SPI-capable router? (b) How "risky" are your surfing habits? (c) How much of a disaster would it be if your computer's integrity, &/or your private information, were seriously compromised? (d) How proficient are you at correctly dealing with the alerts that often occur when using a HIPS?

 

Seems to be terrible at protecting the registry. Malware can be launched to modify critical registry keys and Privatefirewall does nothing about it. The task manager can even be disabled and it does nothing.

 

Does the anti-executable component fail similarly, or does it actually prompt for all unsigned executables as it should?

 

The anti-exe stuff seems to work fine. It just seems to do absolutely nothing for protecting the registry.

 

Dynamic Security Agent was a nice light firewall that worked just fine. No input really needed. Yes, it had some sort of HIPS. but not really like a classic HIPS & when it asked a question it was like at the next log on & then it was something like "something has changed if you want to keep the settings please advise. So by then I had forgotten what I did or did not do. I never really liked the HIPS if it was a HIPS. Then along comes Private Firewall still the same goofy HIPS which I do admit got a little more intense as the product evolved. The Firewall ran light but the HIPS still confused me. For a while I tried turning it off but I still would get these goofy pop ups somewhere down the line. I would then observe while the Firewall started out light in memory usage memory would go up up up after awhile. My last attempt was to turn off the HIPS which in my estimation was terrible anyway & try an outboard HIPS like RTD Defender well that did work but sometimes it interfered with FDISR which I sadly had to quit using. So when it started to interfere I just installed Outpost Pro which actually does everything just fine. I am glad that this firewall suits some of you but I prefer Online Armor or Outpost Pro or even Comodo. Those firewalls really do have good HIPS!

 

The memory usage issue was a bug that was fixed with a Windows hotfix and eventually a Service Pack.

The anti-exe never worked for me in Vista.

 

would privatefirewall be compatible with threatifre?

 

Yes it works with threatfire. I've used it before without issue.

 

Isn't protecting the registry from malware already on your computer the job for a (real time) antimalware program? Or do you mean that provatefirewall doesn't stop remote users from accessing and changing your registry?

 

IMO the discussion regarding registry protection pertains to the HIPS component of the product rather than the firewall itself.

 

Privatefirewall has been updated to version 7.0.20.40

 

SAD? An unfortunate naming decision on their part?

Good firewall and HIPS imo. Very light for what it does.

 

is there a separate 64 bit installer for private firewall? or is the installer both for 32/64bit

on my vista 64bit comptuer i installed it but it installed into the program files(x86). is that normal?

and did anyone else get an option to install ID vault free when installing private firewall?

 

Yes.

Yes.

 

Ah... so here it came from. That was a big accident. I'd suggest to avoid the ID Vault thing at all means. More info on this thread.

 

yea i didnt install it with private firewall.....good thing. since when did privacyware start bundling their firewall with bloatware?(i.e. id vault by white sky)

 

No idea... I admit I was not careful enough when installing it, since I basically didn't expect any such junk bundled with the FW. Uninstalled PF later on as well, it's good and light and all, but way too HIPSy for my liking.