Windows 10 Firewall Control (Sphinx-Soft) Discussion Thread

Introducing: Windows 10 Firewall Control

Homepage (when ready, actual: Windows 8 Firewall Control)
http://www.sphinx-soft.com/Vista/

You can get the fully working technical preview hier, incl. license for testing purpose
http://vistafirewallcontrol.freeforums.org/the-latest-betas-releases-t6.html
Same URL for the complete changelog.

short briefing about new features:
- ready for windows 10
- new connection pane (similar to TCPview -> https://technet.microsoft.com/de-de/sysinternals/bb897437.aspx) with the ability to create rules from this pane, whois
- new: logging allowed-rules, can be disabled in each program rule
- new: disable blocked logging in event-viewer and logfile
- new: symbols for enabled/disabled status: ballons, allowed, blocked (in the program pane)
- new: stats for allowed/blocked percentage in the program pane
- new: stats indicates active or inactive program
- new: import/export buttons in the settings pane - the xml file now contains almost all settings (not verified yet, but its much larger than before)
- some new strings for translation, were hardcoded before

no screens available for now, i have it working on win7 32&64bit, windows 8 & 10 pending, hope some1 of you can do.

to mention - the new "allowed" logging is a bit annoying if not disabled - it is shown in the ballon tips and in the event pane. should be disabled by default. any other is a nice improvement.

some hint for new comers
http://www.sphinx-soft.com/Vista/pict/zone_rule.jpg
right side the result "allowed/blocked" is only for this rule
the "zone result" down left handles the complete handling of this collection.
* blocked by default: no question, just a ballon or event
* allowed by default: allow if no rule matched, but dont bother
* blocked&question: blocked by default but ask what to do (can be very annoying)
* allowed&question: allow if no rule matched, but ask for a zone (can be very annoying)

i am using since version 5 but as long it functions proper i dont care, but this option left a behind anytime i hope i got that clear for you.

 

Sphinx is third party. They've been around for several years.

 

~ Removed OT Remarks ~

So it looks like Windows 10 Firewall Control still blocks everything by default?

 

default rules - yes. but as explained above you can configure to allowed/allowed+question. or you pre-define your program list.

 

« Sphinx is third party. They've been around for several years. «

The computer firewalls are all a front end of WFP ( Windows filtering platform ) since VISTA,

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/aa366510(v=vs.85).aspx

 

nevertheless this Windows Firewall Control from sphinx uses its own rules, it dont set any in the windows firewall, thats one of the big differences to eg WFC from alexandrud oder ZoneAlarm.
WFP and its service "BFE" distributes its events and this firewall catches those events.

but i noticed here an important difference between v8 and v10 now - v10 also popups with the rule deployment even when mode override is ticked (allow all). furthermore AdwCleaner is now recognized as "aut2exe" and not as "adwcleaner". "aut2exe" is the description and thats a feature from the autoit compiler. the result of that popup a blocked application. tested with a clean installation. i should ask spinx-soft - annoying while override

 

Going to reply to this thread since it's the last dedicated thread I could find for SphinxSofware's Windows [7/8/10] Firewall Control.

I had to find a new firewall since Emsisoft's Online Armor no longer works properly on Windows 10 and is discontinued.

I'm using the portable version of Sphinx's WFC and it is the lightest firewall app out there. Less than 5MB RAM usage.

Most freeware firewall apps out there either:
1. Does not offer a prompt for incoming/outgoing connections (Tinywall)
2. Are RAM-hungry (Binisoft's Windows Firewall Control, Windows Firewall Notifier)
3. Does not offer decent built-in whitelist rules

Sphinx's WFC also detects Windows Store apps in Windows 10, so you are able to control whether a Windows Store app should be blocked or not. Other firewalls had trouble detecting these apps.

The one flaw with Sphinx's WFC is the interface is a little outdated. Kind of reminds me of old-school Napster. And you'll probably want to either disable or change the default prompt sound.

But, I think I've definitely settled on a new firewall! The freeware version is good enough for my needs.

 

I just installed the SphinxSoft Windows Firewall Control on Windows 10 and am finding my way around. I would agree the UI is a little primitive, but I like the simplicity. It seems fairly straightforward. Do you know if there's a tutorial for it?

Edit: yes, the prompt sound had to be changed. The default is quite irritating. Fortunately it's very easy to use any .WAV file.

 

When using Sphinx Windows 10 Firewall Control the Windows Firewall remains ON. This is not the case with other firewalls such as Comodo which turn off the Windows Firewall, and suggests that Sphinx WFC is a front-end.

 

I didn't need a tutorial since the UI was pretty basic. But, they do have a YouTube video with no talking:
https://youtu.be/goo5OvgJoZs

I also took a look at their help file, which you can find from the system tray context menu.

I'd say that's a plus and is probably why it's so lightweight.

 

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately I uninstalled the free version when I discovered that it limited the number of apps it would manage. It started blocking and when I tried to change the "zone" it said I needed the pro version. I might have considered going "pro" eventually if the free version was fully functional.

 

the actual pre has <200k in memory for both threads. but the first startup is a bit long while reading all rules. nevertheless it blocks when windows is starting up, when service is running it uses the rules. if some kill the service no access is available, web is dead. it needs to end regular but only with admin rights possible. but this conclusion is valid for any firewall if it has no self protection.

ps view the comparison chart and take the full trial time. ofc it has not all the features like KIS or similar offer but sometimes its bot needed. i have created my own zones which extends the built-in zones. or more granular.

 

Hmm, I have no limits to the number of apps I can manage.

In the free version, it does restrict editing of Windows system apps (like Windows Explorer) though. These apps are always enabled, you cannot disable connections without upgrading, which is fine for me.

I found that I don't really need custom Zones functionality at the moment. I can live with the defaults (Enable All, Disable All, Incoming Only, Outgoing Only).

 

Thanks for the feedback. I may have to reinstall and see if the problem recurs. Basically it blocked one of my email clients and then wouldn't let me switch it to the browser zone or "enable all" zone.

Edit: I reinstalled it and figured out what I was doing wrong It's working well so far.

 

I've been using the free version of Sphinx Windows 10 Firewall Control for a few days now and it works quite well. FYI it does nag occasionally for the user to buy a license.

 

Hmm, I haven't seen a nag yet. It maybe because I use the portable version. Will report back if I do see a nag.

 

I've tryed Binisoft (no notifications for free) and Tinywall and I've assumed Sphinx in the best for me. Disabling all outbound connections, you have notifications for each app try to connect for the first time. Just a question: WF seems to have all the aoutbound connection enabled, even if they are not (because the gui of Sphinx alert me when an app is trying to connect out)..Is this ok?

 

I was a comodo clinet, but now when a try to install the new versione my win10 freeze

 

He said « nevertheless this Windows Firewall Control from sphinx uses its own rules »

No ... WF10C use the Windows rules, like Linux use Netfilter rules with GUFW gui.

« WFP is designed to replace previous packet filtering technologies such as Transport Driver Interface (TDI) filters, Network Driver Interface Specification (NDIS) filters, and Winsock Layered Service Providers (LSP). Starting in Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista, the firewall hook and the filter hook drivers are not available; applications that were using these drivers should use WFP instead


With the WFP API, developers can implement firewalls, intrusion detection systems, antivirus programs, network monitoring tools, and parental controls »

 

write a correct cite or leave it, none knows to whom you are refering

i hope you a proof for that wrong statement.

and if you quote websites - put a source link!
https://msdn.microsoft.com/de-de/library/windows/desktop/aa366510(v=vs.85).aspx

 

"Windows10FirewallControl is based on Windows Filtering Platform (WFP), the security core of Windows8/7/Vista/2008, completely and does not install any third party kernel drivers. The Built-in Firewall is based on the same WFP as well. The both products work independently entirely. You can switch the Built-in Firewall ON or OFF at your option due to complete product independence."

http://sphinx-soft.com/Vista/faq.html

~ Removed Off Topic Remarks ~

 

So can we set free version to ask for each app's connection when there aren't any rules present for that ?