It's no secret that most users limit themselves to installing antivirus to protect their computer, forgetting that in addition to the threat of PC infection, there is a threat of using the victim computer as a bot machine.

Therefore, in order to more fully protect your computer, in addition to installing an antivirus, we recommend that you also install a firewall, firewall or firewall - these are all names for the same software.

Ashampoo Firewall

The first product in our review will be the product of German developers - Ashampoo Firewall.

Product activation is carried out by entering the code that comes to the user's mailbox after registering on the developer's website.

Immediately after installation, you will be prompted to configure the program according to the available simplified "Easy Mode" or the advanced "Expert Mode".

The principle of the firewall is as follows: for each application, an allow or deny rule must be formed, which is processed by the firewall.

In the event that an application for which a rule is not assigned tries to establish a connection, the firewall warns the user - offering to create a rule.

This statement is true when the firewall is in learning mode.

When this mode is disabled, applications for which rules are not assigned will be blocked automatically.

Advantages:

Free;

Low consumption of system resources;

Friendly user interface;

Can be set in semi-automatic mode.

Flaws:

Not compatible with some antiviruses;

The firewall is installed without entering any passwords or registering, as is the case with Ashampoo Firewall.

Rules for application access are created manually.

We recommend not to postpone this procedure until later, because. After installation, Ashampoo Firewall may remember some applications and programs as unverified, which may cause them to work incorrectly or not work at all.

Advantages:

Free;

Simple and reliable.

Flaws:

Lack of updates;

Lack of a Russian-language interface;

Manual setting.

Comodo Firewall

Unlike its predecessors, we have before us a fairly powerful, multifunctional firewall, which is paired with an antivirus - Comodo Antivirus.

The firewall database is quite impressive and contains information about more than 13 thousand programs that have security risks.

The set of functions is standard - protection against Trojans, malicious scripts, support for monitoring incoming / outgoing traffic, as well as network activity of installed programs, DLL libraries, the ability to hide a computer on the network, control over software and driver updates.

Note! Additional features are a detailed report of system events, integration into the Windows Security Center, the ability to run applications in a specially dedicated environment for their safe execution - a sandbox (Sandbox).

Despite a wide range of various settings, the firewall has not lost its friendly interface, each option has a corresponding description.

Advantages:

Free;

Possibility of batch installation of firewall and antivirus;

Simple Russian-language interface with tips.

Flaws:

Increased operating system boot time, loss of PC performance;

The program is not correctly removed from the system, leaving behind a lot of "garbage".

Outpost Firewall Pro

A software product from the Russian company Agnitum. To get acquainted with the capabilities of the firewall, the developer provides a free 30-day version.

The price of a licensed copy for home use for a year is 899 rubles, a license for 2 years will cost 1399 rubles.

A distinctive feature of the firewall is the ability to detect both known malicious programs and new ones that are not yet in the databases.

This feature is possible thanks to a multi-level approach, which involves the use of proactive blocking based on the analysis of the behavior of programs and signature-based methods for detecting network activity.

In addition to the organized self-defense function of the firewall from complete or partial shutdown or modification by malicious code, the program also provides this protection for the operating system and installed programs and applications.

In general, the firewall is quite good, after spending some time on proper configuration, you can later forget about its existence, the program will provide a fairly high degree of protection for your PC.

Advantages:

Layered security approach with proactive protection;

The speed of the PC after installation remains at the same level;

The presence of a Russian-language interface with tips.

Flaws:

SpyShelter Firewall

The program is available for review within 14 days after installation, during which time the user must decide whether the program is worth the money.

The annual license of the program will cost 25 euros, although the company provides such a great deal as buying a lifetime license at a price of 55 euros for 1 PC.

There is also an offer for 5 PCs - the licensing price is 65 and 165 euros respectively.

The price of the license includes technical support for the product. The language for communication is English.

Note! In addition to the standard functions inherent in other firewalls, incl. the presence of proactive protection, it should be noted and more advanced features - protection against creating screenshots from malware from the screen, webcam, sound recording from the built-in microphone. There is a function to encrypt keystrokes.

Advantages:

Availability of proactive protection;

Installing the program does not affect the performance of the system;

Flaws:

The need to purchase a license;

English interface.

Windows 7 firewall

Firewall for Windows 7: an overview of the best programs

Firewall Windows7- the topic of our today's article, in it we will consider it and find out the answers to the following questions:, How to turn on the firewall in Windows 7 and how to configure the firewall. Firewall or firewall- this is the same thing, the firewall is also called a firewall, so having learned how to work with a firewall, you will learn how to configure Firewall and Firewall Windows 7.

Do I need a Windows 7 firewall

Windows 7 Firewall - this is a special utility program designed to control network interfaces, controls the access of programs to the Internet, is a kind of protection against viruses and prevents their spread. For many computer users, the firewall seems completely unnecessary, so they immediately disable it, just as they immediately disable the annoying

Almost all modern anti-virus programs come with a firewall. When you install a third-party antivirus, the built-in firewall stops working in order to prevent problems associated with conflicts between 2 programs.

There are also simple antiviruses that do not contain a built-in firewall, the same antivirus from Microsoft -Security Essentails, does not contain a built-in firewall.

When Windows 7 is installed, the firewall is automatically enabled and configured by default. For many PC users, these settings are enough.

We will look at ways to increase the security of a computer by making changes to the firewall settings, determining what it should let through and what to block.

In order to get to the menu in the Windows 7 firewall settings, where you can turn it off and on, you need to open it.

How to open firewall in Windows 7

The easiest way to find the firewall in Windows 7 is to use the search through the start menu. To do this, click on the "Start" button in the lower left corner of the screen and type Firewall in the search bar and click on the icon that appears "Windows Firewall" which is highlighted in the screenshot below:

How to turn off the Windows 7 firewall?

After the firewall page opens, select "Turn Windows 7 Firewall on or off" from the left menu

Disabling Windows 7 Firewall

By clicking on the Turn Windows Firewall on or off tab, you will be taken to a page where you can both turn Windows 7 Firewall on and off by simply selecting the menu item "Turn off Firewall (not recommended)", and you can choose to turn off both only for your home network, and for everyone else.

As you understand, you can turn on the Windows 7 firewall (if it is turned off) in the same way, you just need to check the menu item "Enable Windows Firewall".

By the way, in the same window you can uncheck various notifications when the firewall blocks new programs.

Disabling the Windows Firewall service

To optimize the operating system, it is also recommended to disable the Windows 7 Firewall service. The easiest way is to use the menu search again "Start". Type in the search bar "Services" and click on them to open them.

In order to quickly find the Windows Firewall service, click on any service once and press the letter B on the keyboard, you will immediately find the service we need and double-click on it to open it.

On the Status line, click About become. Open the Launch Type drop-down menu and select Disabled and press OK.

A dialog box will appear asking you to restart your computer right now, or you can exit without restarting by doing it a little later.

Congratulations, you have learned how to disable the Windows 7 firewall.

In order to enable the Windows 7 firewall, follow the same steps in reverse order.

Windows 7 firewall exceptions

When a firewall blocks applications, or for example, a firewall sometimes blocks access to the Internet network for some games, there is a fairly simple way to remove this restriction and give full access to the Internet access for this application, on this network that you are connected to.

To do this, on the firewall (firewall) page, select the menu item in the left menu: Allow programs to run through Windows Firewall.

Configuring the Windows 7 Firewall

Blocking outgoing traffic

To improve computer security, which is sometimes especially necessary, you can use the method of completely blocking outgoing traffic, i.e. such traffic, which is sent from your computer to a remote server, is only allowed for certain required applications and their respective services.

To configure the Windows firewall, you must go to the tab Extra options in the firewall window.

Select Windows Firewall with Advanced Security in the left menu, then in the right column, click on the item "Properties"

Menu will open firewall properties, in which you can block all outgoing traffic, on the tab Outgoing connections.

From the drop down menu select "Block" and click OK.

Permission for programs after blocking

After all outgoing Internet connections have been blocked, you can create a rule that will allow some programs to connect to the Internet. For example, let's create a rule allowing the browser to connect to the Internet.

In order to create an outbound connection rule, select "Rules for outbound connection", and in the action column select "Create rule":

A wizard for adding a new rule will appear, in which you need to click Next →

On the next page, using the Browse button, add the path to the application, in our case, to the Google Chrome browser.

To find the path to the location of the desired exe file, you can use the search or look in the properties of the shortcut, the path to the application is always indicated there.

Mark as in the screenshot below and click Next

In the next step, you must enter a name for the rule and, if necessary, its description.

That's all, the new firewall rule has been successfully created and is working, as evidenced by the green checkmark next to the rule.

Outcome

This article was devoted to various ways to configure the Windows 7 firewall, looked at how to enable and disable it, which should help you so that you can configure it yourself.

Do not neglect safety. Pay a little attention to setting it up and you can avoid various troubles in the future.

Thank you for like! Good luck!

The section "Firewalls" contains free programs to protect your computer from threats coming from the local and Internet networks. The firewall controls all traffic passing through it, and blocks suspicious connections, and does not allow viruses to enter the computer. If you are an active Internet user, then the use of a firewall is mandatory.

GlassWire - network activity monitor and protection

A program for monitoring and displaying network activity. It has a firewall function - allows you to block incoming and outgoing traffic. The application helps to analyze all network connections and detect malicious ones. Maintains detailed statistics for each incoming and outgoing connection.

Simplewall - small but powerful firewall

A tiny network activity protector that makes it easy to manage the Windows Filtering Service (WFP). Works on the basis of a white list (allowed, what is checked) or based on a black list (block everything that is checked). A lightweight application to protect the system from threats from the network, paired with a free antivirus (for example, Kaspersky Free) will be a reliable protection for your computer.

Privatefirewall - reliable protection against viruses and internet...

a free firewall that provides proactive comprehensive protection against various network threats and dangerous applications. The firewall is able to detect and block any activity that is typical for known viruses, hacker and phishing attacks. Any programs seeking to gain access to the network will be blocked and only the user of the computer will be able to unblock them.

Windows Firewall Control - manage settings built-in...

The program allows you to quickly allow / block other programs from accessing the network, completely disable all connections, configure additional rules for the built-in Windows firewall, view current active network connections, and much more.

Windows 10 Firewall Control - Internet protection for Windows...

Windows 10 Firewall Control is a free utility for managing built-in network protection in the new Windows 10 operating system. Controls application access to the Internet, monitors network activity and generates a detailed report.

Windows7 Firewall Control - manage the built-in brand...

A program that will help control applications trying to access the Internet. Uses the mechanism of the built-in Windows XP/7/8/Vista firewall, while offering additional options for controlling program access to the local network and the Internet.

ZoneAlarm - free antivirus and firewall

Free protector for your computer, antivirus and firewall. Includes the following protection tools: Antivirus/Anti-Spyware, Two-Way Firewall, Anti-Phishing/Site Status Toolbar, Advanced Download Protection and Online Banking Protection.

Today we will talk about free firewalls (firewall), the better to protect your system in the absence of extra funds for protection. We offer three popular software products at your discretion: Ashampoo Firewall Free, PC Tools Firewall Plus and Online Armor Free.

Let's start with the product Ashampoo Firewall Free developed by Ashampoo, it has an easy and informative interface, there is Russian in the list of languages, which will make it easy to set it up.

To get started, just visit the manufacturer's website, register, receive an activation code by e-mail, which must be entered in the program and that's it.

The program has two modes of operation: simple and expert. Of course the second mode is better, but even on a simple one you will get decent protection.

The program consists of five modules: Rules (setting the parameters of Internet connections), Statistics and Log (in them you will find information about the operation of the program and the state of your protection), Configuration (using it you can configure the program inside), utility (contains a pop-up blocker). windows, process manager, auto start, Internet surfing history)

The principle of operation of the firewall (firewall) is that the program informs the user about unauthorized actions, suggesting that a rule be applied to him. It also contains a learning function and, if necessary, can block all connections.

Next on our list is PC Tools Firewall Plus. It is also absolutely free and in Russian. It has very good reviews in the fight against keyloggers and blocks unauthorized downloading of information from your computer by Trojans.

The advantage of the program is the installation without any registration. Firewall (firewall) provides a hidden presence on the network, protects the connection with passwords. You can also manually configure connection settings. The program creates lists of IP addresses, verified ports and analyzes network traffic.

Another interesting software product Online Armor Free was created by Emsisoft-GmbH. This software product has just the same huge set of tools to combat virus threats, network attacks, hidden scripts.

Pro active protection controls the operation of the program. Online Armor Free scans the system and detects dangerous applications by marking them.

It has a convenient and easy navigation, allows you to make lists for ports, domains, IP addresses, and suspicious programs in startup. It has the ability to classify sites for potential threats.

Windows 7 Firewall Control Plus is a small free program that will help you control applications that try to access the Internet. The program uses the mechanism of the built-in Windows XP/7/8/Vista firewall, while offering additional features to control the access of programs to the network and the Internet.

Outpost Firewall Free is one of the best network defenders that is designed to protect your computer from threats coming from the Internet - scanners, Internet worms, etc.

SoftPerfect Personal Firewall is a free network firewall designed to protect your PC from attacks from the Internet or through a local network. SoftPerfect Personal Firewall offers customizable security using custom rules for packet filtering.

Comodo Firewall is one of the best firewalls out there. The manufacturers of this program, unlike others, offer the full version of the defender against network and Internet threats, for free. Comodo Firewall is easy to manage and aimed at inexperienced users.

Comodo Firewall.

Comodo's free personal firewall for Windows XP and Vista. Part of Comodo Internet Security. Program features: proactive defense; protection against Internet attacks; buffer overflow protection; protection against unauthorized access; protection of system files and registry entries from internal attacks. Proactive protection includes HIPS (Host Intrusion Prevention Systems) - a system for repelling local threats. The task is to control the operation of applications and block potentially dangerous operations according to specified criteria.

Official site: http://personalfirewall.comodo.com/inte ... ewall.html

A free firewall created using a community solution. Designed to protect personal computers running Windows 2000 and XP. The meaning of a community solution is that a large group of network security experts prepare and share settings for work, which are constantly updated, taking into account the emergence of new applications. These security settings can be downloaded for free from the community site. This approach of the developers should allow even the most unprepared user in security issues to easily configure their firewall for its optimal operation, i.e. protect your computer as much as possible.

Official site: http://force.coresecurity.com

Online Armor (Online Armor Security Suite)

Combines convenience and ease of use, reliability of protection. The program perfectly performs the function of maximum protection and provides an opportunity to get an excellent user experience. Online Armor won the "Best Firewall of 2008" award.

Official website: http://rus.tallemu.com

PC Tools Firewall Plus

This is a free, easy-to-use yet effective personal firewall for Windows that protects the information stored on your computer from unauthorized access from local networks or the Internet. By controlling the operation of various applications, it blocks the attempts of trojans, backdoors, keyloggers and other malicious programs to harm your computer and steal your confidential information.

Official site: http://www.pctools.com/ru/firewall

There are many organizations on the Internet that have specialized in spying on users. Some surf for marketing reasons, others spy on users of file-sharing networks to record illegal activities. At the same time, honest users also come across such organizations. Fortunately, most of these organizations use static IP addresses, which makes it easy to block them. The Peer Guardian program is very good at blocking these IPs. Supports lists of addresses to be blocked, automatic updates from the black list on the Internet. Blocks all kinds of protocols TCP, UDP, ICMP, etc.

Official website: http://phoenixlabs.org/pg2

An effective and easy-to-use firewall that blocks hackers and other unknown threats while working on a local network or on the Internet. Flexible settings and a user-friendly interface will help you quickly protect your computer. In ZoneAlarm, you can set the security level for each program individually or use general settings for all programs. With this firewall, you can instantly block the access of programs trying to connect to the network and the Internet, automatically check e-mail attachments. The ZoneAlarm firewall is free for personal and non-commercial use (including government and educational institutions).

Official site: http://www.zonealarm.com/security/en-us ... wnload.htm

GeSWall (GentleSecurityWall)

A useful, free firewall that protects your computer from intrusions and malware by isolating vulnerable applications. Application isolation is based on an access restriction policy that effectively prevents all kinds of known and even unknown attacks.

Official site: http://www.gentlesecurity.com

Outpost Firewall Free 2009

Provides reliable protection, in addition, you get advanced protection against unauthorized program activity, which helps block unknown threats. Main features: two-way firewall; protection that cannot be turned off by hackers; application monitoring; has an intuitive interface; low requirements for system resources; network activity monitoring; support for Windows Vista and 64 bit architecture.

Official site: http://free.agnitum.com

Firewall (firewall), or as it is also called a firewall, firewall and network screen, monitor and control system connections between your computer, network and the Internet in order to detect and prevent attacks and intrusions in a timely manner. Programs of this class are especially useful in cases where it is necessary to control the Internet activity of installed applications.

No other free product is more tedious for the user than a firewall. And the reason is simple, the process of finding the right firewall necessarily involves a process of trial and error. A good firewall should protect the system without being too intrusive or difficult to manage and configure. In this review, you will be given the best free firewalls (according to this site) available today. Like all reviews, recommendations and advice are made taking into account the experience of different people. Therefore, if you have ideas or interesting opinions, they are always welcome.

Note: The reader should understand that powerful firewalls with flexible rule settings always require knowledge in the field of network design. However, even in their case there should be a more or less clear way of administration.

There are two types of firewalls - programs and hardware devices. Firewalls, presented in the form of programs (which will be discussed in this article), are installed on your computer and run in the background in order to closely monitor the actions of the system in real time. As with many security tools, to avoid potential conflicts, up to manually deleting files from boot drives, it is recommended to install only one firewall. Hardware firewalls are usually a special device with hardwired logic and modules optimized for filtering (for example, special processors whose command system includes operations with IP addresses). You can use software and hardware firewalls together. For example, modern routers, as a rule, include a built-in firewall and, depending on the type of router, it can not only be included in the firmware (as device programs are called), but also partially implemented at the chip level.

Having a basic firewall has long been critical to your computer's security, which is why many antiviruses are gradually including some of the firewall functionality. Simple firewalls, like the default Windows Firewall, allow you to restrict access to your system and personal information, silently protecting you from incoming threats. As part of the review, we will consider several basic firewalls that allow you to protect Windows a little better than a standard security tool can, for example, monitor attempts by programs to open outbound Internet connections (this action applies to outbound threats).

Note: The reader should understand that the standard Windows firewall provides a rather limited ability to protect against outgoing threats. Third party apps usually offer a wider range of options.

Proactive firewalls offer more advanced protection, including intrusion detection and prevention systems based on the collection of statistics about the behavior of programs and heuristic analysis, which allows them to protect your computer from a wider range of threats. These firewalls aim to create strong two-way protection, stopping not only incoming threats, but also protecting you from programs transferring your personal information to the Internet. The disadvantage of such firewalls is that they are more difficult to use and require more.

It is important to understand that today, having a firewall and antivirus (individually or as a single solution) is considered the minimum necessary basic approach to keep your computer secure.

Note: A lot of useful security information can be found on various parts of the site, such as an overview of intrusion detection and prevention programs for home use.

Tips and Precautions:

• Before installing security products, including antiviruses and firewalls, you should consider creating a full disk image. By creating such an image, you can restore your system back to the previous state in cases where critical errors appeared in the system after installing and configuring protection tools, for example, due to incorrect installation of components or if you changed critical system settings. In addition, images allow you to deal with complex viruses or just random conflicts in the system. So, for example, some system drivers may simply be incompatible with each other, which will cause your system to suffer. Starting with Windows Vista Ultimate, the system includes a standard backup and restore tool, but you can also use free disk imaging programs.
• To check the complete removal of third-party firewalls and other protection tools, it is advised to use uninstallers, since services, registry entries and other system objects may remain after removal.

Basic firewalls and firewalls

Preface or a few words about the built-in windows firewall

The built-in Windows Firewall is a more frequent choice of users, as it allows you to protect your computer from incoming threats and does not bombard you with pop-up messages. Also, the Windows firewall does not require installation (we are talking about versions of Windows where the firewall is included by default) and practically does not conflict with other programs. In addition, many average users cannot properly respond to pop-up notifications due to a lack of basic knowledge of the network device.

So if you need to scan your system for viruses and you don’t want (need) the additional features of third-party firewalls, in other words, the risk level is very low, then Windows Firewall may be exactly the solution you need, due to its simplicity and undemanding.

Alternatively, you can download a third-party firewall and replace the default Windows Firewall with the basic firewall for easier outbound control and additional features. Most two-way firewalls are limited to simple questions like allow or deny access to the Internet for unknown programs. And also, many firewalls automatically configure access to a pre-configured list of programs (often this list includes most popular applications) and save your decisions in their database. So, after some time, you will see almost no notifications.

And as an option, you can also use proactive firewalls, after disabling heuristics and analysis in them. In addition, this option may even be more suitable, since proactive firewalls, due to their complexity, simply contain a larger list of preliminary rule templates and access settings.

This is a well-designed firewall to control outgoing and incoming connections of the operating system, which will suit users of any level. ZoneAlarm protects the system from intrusions, and also controls the access of programs to the Internet. The firewall has an easy to understand interface. You can customize security settings to suit your needs, including shared (public) files and printers, network settings, and more. You can even turn off the firewall if necessary (by the way, quick access to this feature is insanely lacking in the standard Windows firewall). All customization is done using simple controls (sliders and others), so in most cases it will take you a few mouse clicks. To make it easier for users to get used to the program, at the first start, ZoneAlarm prompts you to scan installed programs and set permissions / denials for them. Please note that this first scan does not always allow you to correctly set access.

The first time after installation, you will have to monitor and adjust the actions of ZoneAlarm to make sure that all programs have a sufficient level of Internet access. But, the pop-ups are very simple and are presented in the "allow/deny" format with a flag to remember the selected action. Even novice users can easily understand it (the message will also indicate the name of the programs).

You can set the program control level that suits you. The low level assumes a learning mode (the firewall remembers all programs that use the network), disabling protection and a minimum number of pop-ups. The middle layer assumes that any access to a trusted network or internet will be with permission. The high level is not provided in the free version of ZoneAlarm. You can set any of the levels at any time. Using the "Smart Defense Advisor" module, the firewall will suggest the most accepted option for programs without rules by users around the world. You can choose not to use this module (although it will be very useful for beginners).

Setting up Internet zones includes a trusted zone, which implies a local network with shared files, printers, and others, and an Internet zone for access from the network. For each of the zones, a simple management format is provided from 3 options "no protection" (firewall off), "medium" (sharing / sharing resources such as files and printers) and "high" (allows you to use the network, but blocks someone on the network to access your system). The medium level is recommended for home networks with more than one operating system, and for cases where it is required due to devices (routers, routers). A high level is recommended for single machines with Internet access (for example, one computer at home and no internal network), as well as for public places where you are going to go online (WiFi in restaurants, and so on).

Overall, ZoneAlarm Free offers basic two-way protection with stealth mode and anti-phishing protection. However, the firewall lacks heuristic and behavioral modules, as well as the ability to allow/block access between programs.

It is worth noting that from version to version, the firewall is a little "easier" in terms of functionality. Perhaps this is just a temporary dynamic, but still.

It will be a good choice for those who aim to use the built-in Windows Firewall. Despite its name, the program is compatible with Windows XP and above. In a nutshell, Windows 10 Firewall Control allows you to more conveniently and easily configure the blocking and access of applications to the Internet in the standard Windows firewall. This firewall also adds a better way to manage outgoing connections. It is based on the Windows Filtering Platform, which is also based on the standard firewall. Therefore, unlike most other firewalls, the application does not install any drivers on the system. The user interface is made very simple and clear. It displays only what the program can do, i.e. block with "allow/deny" access settings and nothing else.

In total there are three modes - "normal", "allow all" and "disable all". The last mode completely disables access to applications, regardless of the firewall settings. The "allow all" mode speaks for itself, that is, unhindered Internet access for all applications (similar to turning off the firewall). If you don't need to test something, then normal mode is recommended - Internet access for programs will be provided depending on individual settings.

In normal mode, when the program tries to access the Internet for the first time (after installing W10), a pop-up window will appear with information about the application, publisher, and more. You can allow or deny access either once or permanently. If you select the first option, then the next time you start the program, the window will appear again.

In addition to the Windows 10 Firewall Control action pop-ups, small windows also appear in the lower right corner of the screen with access information (blocked / allowed access, and so on). These notifications can be turned off in the settings.

This is basically all that this firewall can do. The disadvantages include the moment that you have to configure access for all your applications, from the browser to the antivirus, which can be somewhat annoying with its routine. However, Windows 10 Firewall Control allows much easier and more convenient control over the built-in Windows Firewall than the operating system offers.

It is a lightweight firewall that is based on the standard Windows firewall. It is completely pop-up-free, so this firewall might be ideal for those who need a "set it up and do other things" kind of solution. The installer of this program weighs only about 1 MB. Installation is simple, but, unfortunately, does not contain the ability to select the installation location. Once installed, the firewall runs in the background with an icon in the system tray. All functions of the program are available only from the system tray - there is no "main window" type interface in it. In the pop-up menu, the user can select the necessary items, in particular, the firewall mode, general network activity, add/exclude applications/processes and call up the firewall settings dialog.

The dialog box with the firewall settings is also quite modest. General settings, with the ability to set a password to protect settings. A section that specifies the applications that are allowed to connect to the network. There is also a "Detect" feature that will try to detect known applications so that the user does not have to manually add programs. In addition, TinyWall can recognize related processes of the same application. For example, if you have a program that starts several processes, then by adding the program to the white list, all open related processes will also have access to the Internet.

It should be noted that when adding a program to the exclusion list, the application is not limited by UDP and TCP traffic. Depending on the nature of the program, it may be more prudent to restrict it to, for example, "outgoing" traffic only.

The Special Exceptions tab allows the user to set additional options. In particular, choose to allow or block access to system services. If you are not very good with computers, it is recommended to leave the settings "as is". On the maintenance tab, you can import/export settings, check for versions, and go to the developer page.

All in all, TinyWall is a lightweight firewall that is a good choice for those looking for an unobtrusive and easy-to-manage firewall.

Firewalls and firewalls with intrusion detection and prevention systems

Foreword or a few words about firewalls with intrusion detection and prevention systems

The following firewalls and firewalls provide better network protection and also support various implementations of intrusion detection and prevention systems. Each firewall comes with default settings so very few adjustments may be needed depending on the user's needs.

Firewalls in this section require more knowledge and time to set up and familiarize the user than basic firewalls, but they can provide a higher level of protection.

When choosing a suitable firewall, you should not rely on publicly available independent tests and other statements, since as part of testing, efficiency is checked at maximum settings, while most users have a simpler level of protection (after all, you want to use the Internet, and not sit in trench with access to one site). Therefore, most firewall developers strive to provide maximum "friendliness" of functionality, sometimes with a lower level of security settings (disabling monitoring of some indicators).

Consider these circumstances.

This is a solid firewall for those users who are looking for a full featured security package. This product is more intended for experienced and tech-savvy users. Its intrusion detection system is called "Defense+" and matches or even exceeds the capabilities of paid products. Komodo firewall provides a lot of control and settings, which will especially appeal to curious and restless users whose task is to ensure the maximum level of security.

Comodo includes protection against buffer overflow attacks and a lightweight sandboxing option that allows you to check unknown applications and program installations for how their launch will affect the computer's operating system. The use of a sandbox limits the negative effects of malware. Comodo contains a long list of known, trusted applications, but if an unknown application tries to gain access through the firewall, Comodo will first restrict the program and ask you what to do with it. In addition, all the functionality to control ports, protocols and configurations will be at your disposal.

During installation, you will have three options for installing the firewall - "firewall only", "firewall with optimal set of proactive protection" and "maximum proactive protection" (i.e. "Defense +", as mentioned earlier). Upon installation, Comodo automatically selects "Safe Mode" which will result in numerous pop-up notifications for applications that are not on the list of trusted programs. If you select Allow/Deny and choose to remember the answer, Comodo will create and save a custom rule for the application, which you can always edit from the general list.

If you select Clean PC Mode, Defense+ will automatically mark all applications on your drive as safe. Please note that if there is a virus among the programs, then it will also be considered safe, so use this function carefully and only in cases where you are really sure that the programs are safe. However, these applications will still be monitored, albeit at a minimal level - checking Comodo protected objects (registry and COM interface), monitoring established rules, and so on. All added files will automatically be added to the list for review, marked as potentially unsafe, and running them will result in pop-up messages as if you were using safe mode until you set the rules.

Comodo reduces the frequency of alerts by automatically detecting programs as safe based on Internet access rules. However, you can further reduce the number of "Defense+" alerts by one or more methods:

• Immediately imply your answer, like "remember answer", for all warnings. In other words, when any application is first launched, the answer will immediately be assumed to be a permanent solution. However, you must use this setting carefully, as applications need to temporarily grant or deny access from time to time.
• Add programs to the lists of safe or trusted files
• Use clean computer mode. It is recommended that you first make sure that the programs on your disk do not contain viruses and trojans.

In general, Comodo Firewall is a powerful firewall with a lot of flexible settings, which is great for providing a high level of protection. However, it is designed for those users who have some knowledge of Windows device and networking. Novice users are strongly advised not to use this firewall.

The former commercial firewall is now free with no limits. This proactive, layered security solution, along with standard firewall protection, includes behavioral blocking technology that monitors and checks for viruses, spyware, malware, process and application security, registry, and more. Private Firewall can certainly be called a multifunctional firewall with an intrusion detection and prevention system.

The user interface of the program may seem a little confusing and cumbersome. There are many customizable options, so sorting can sometimes feel lacking. Of course, each section contains a fairly voluminous help with explanations, but still. The learning mode allows you to allow all actions of programs within 180 seconds, which is ideal for quickly setting up rules for newly installed programs (no need to create dozens of rules for each port, protocol and address). However, be prepared that the first launch of the firewall may result in the blocking of a number of seemingly known programs.

You can set different security levels (high, low, and custom) for the internal network and the Internet. In other words, for example, if you have a couple of computers or a printer on your home network, then it makes no sense to limit them in the same way. You will also have three profiles at your disposal - home (Home), office (Office) and remote (Remote). You can set the appropriate settings for each and easily switch as needed, especially useful for laptops. Another useful feature is that you can block outgoing mail with a single click, which is handy when you're running an email client and don't want the app to randomly or on schedule send emails.

In general, Private Firewall is a fairly effective firewall that has fairly good ratings on the Internet. However, the graphical interface and ease of use will be more appreciated by tech-savvy users. The newbie just gets confused.

A firewall is a good choice for users who want flexible security settings without sacrificing usability. Its interface is carefully organized and retains its functionality (normal users can easily handle it). For example, alerts are simplified but just as functional, so you can quickly and easily set up rules or apply actions. In addition, the firewall remembers all responses in pop-up messages without the need to create additional rules, notifies you of all configured rules in learning mode, and notifies you of all automatically applied rules, for example, for browsers when changing versions.

The free version lacks many of the extra features of the paid version, such as the ability to disable an active connection. However, the possibilities are quite sufficient. You can choose from 5 levels of protection, ranging from completely blocking connections to allowing all actions, including the "Rules Wizard" medium manual learning mode. In addition, the Outpost firewall monitors various dangerous activities of applications, including memory injection, driver loading, access to critical system objects (registry, files). Also, the Outpost database includes a lot of pre-configured rule templates, so setting up Internet access for applications will most often consist of a couple of mouse clicks.

The installer will ask you if you want the firewall to learn for a week (using the "Rules Wizard" auto-learning mode and manual learning). In this mode, the firewall will automatically set rules for known safe applications.

All in all, Outpost Firewall Free is a good choice for those looking for a balance between functionality and interface.

Firewall differs from its counterparts in that it comes with additional protection modules, namely the registry, pop-up blocker and parental control - something like a package solution. Firewall is less customizable than the previous firewalls listed in the overview, but many of the standard sections are still available. Three levels of protection - off (turn off the firewall), custom (allows you to configure rules for connections) and high (blocking all connections). Each section in the program interface is quite clean. Alerts generally provide clear and concise information.

The registry protection module provides control and security of the registry for modifications, with the ability to customize specific sections. The parental control module, as the name suggests, limits the available list of sites, but you need to manually add each site. Module problem in logic. You can specifically allow certain websites, you can't just block individual websites. The pop-up blocker monitors browser behavior and blocks pop-up ads and more. All three of these add-on modules can be disabled individually. AVS Firewall also comes with a monitoring utility so you can check the amount of network traffic passing through for each application.

During the installation of this firewall, the installer automatically installs the AVS Software browser. Unfortunately, there is no way to refuse, but after installation you can remove it separately without any consequences for the firewall.

All in all, AVS Firewall is a pretty good firewall that will appeal to those who need to provide more security than basic firewalls and who don't want to delve too deeply into the specifics of the network device.

Note A: AVS Firewall is no longer supported by the manufacturer.

Other firewalls and firewalls for Windows

While it's rare to see older operating systems like 98 or Me, they shouldn't be left unprotected either, especially if they aren't hidden behind other firewalled systems. So if for some reason you use them, here is a small list of firewalls and firewalls for Windows 95-2000. Please note that these firewalls are no longer supported by manufacturers and may contain errors or lead to problems that, most likely, no one but you will consider. However, having an opportunity is better than not having it.

• Sygate Personal Firewall (Windows 2000 / XP / 2003) [Deprecated]
• NetVeda Safety.Net (Windows 95/98 / Me / NT / 2000 / XP, requires registration) [No longer supported]
• Filseclab Personal Firewall (Windows 95/98 / Me / NT / 2000/2003 / XP 32-bit) [No longer supported]