Free Firewall Software

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The links for the free firewall software products listed and described below will take you to the detailed information and download page for that specific free firewall software item. In addition to being able to protect your desktop some of the products are suitable for use as network firewalls.

VISTA NOTE: There seems to be agreement that the built in Windows Vista Firewall fails to provide any real outbound security. This is a real surprise since it has been long accepted that the XP Firewall was quite worthless for the same reason and they have had years to improve this aspect. One article from PC World related to this issue can be found here. This may be resolved at some point in the future but in the meantime you need a firewall that can protect from inbound and outbound vulnerability. Two free choices that work with Vista are noted below and more will be added as we test them.

Kerio Personal Firewall  (Sunbelt)
Multi award winning! Kerio downloads initially as full version firewall then after 30 days it shuts down advanced features but will continue to run with reduced functionality for free. A valid email is required.

GhostWall  (Ghost Security)
GhostWall is a firewall which allows you to restrict the communications between your computer and others. Unlike other firewalls which have forgotten their main role, GhostWall is simply a firewall, mainly designed to replace the standard Microsoft firewall with better features and performance.

PC Tools Firewall Plus  (PC Tools)
PC Tools Firewall Plus is a powerful personal firewall for Windows® that protects your computer by preventing unauthorized users from gaining access to your computer through the Internet or a network. By monitoring applications that connect to the network Firewall Plus can stop Trojans, backdoors, keyloggers and other malware from damaging your computer and stealing your private information. This firewall is Vista compatible. .

Outpost Firewall  (Agnitum)
The free version of Outpost Firewall offers a basic protection solution for casual web surfers including connections monitoring and surfing protection. A valid email is required.

Safety.Net (NetVeda)
Internet security, content security, advanced firewall protection and trust controls. Will block unwanted or harmful applications from accessing your network. You can define granular user or computer specific access controls based on site, content, PICS ratings and time of day.

Filseclab (Filseclab)  This firewall allows you to control which programs can access the internet and when. It offers an automated rules wizard that will prompt you for action whenever it detects an incoming or outgoing connection that does not match any of the existing rule sets. You can then choose to grant or deny access, and automatically establish a rule for it.

SoftPerfect Personal Firewall (SoftPerfect Research)  
This firewall is designed to protect your PC against attacks from the Internet or via a local area network. It offers customizable security using user-defined rules for packet filtering. Note: The SoftPerfect Personal Firewall is not designed for novices (requires some networking knowledge to configure properly).

ZoneAlarm  (Zone Labs)
Basic PC protection for the home user. Guards your perimeter from inbound and outbound threats  but with only the basic network and program protection capabilities of the more advanced products in their #1 rated product line. This firewall is Vista compatible.

SensiveGuard  (BrightTime) 
This product is made up of powerful network firewall software and a real-time file-guard to protect your PC against viruses, spyware, Trojans, and hackers. It protects both inbound and outbound network, guards critical system and personal files. It intelligently detects malicious operation from user operation by assessing whether the operation is initiated by user using the local keyboard or mouse and take appropriate security actions.

Comodo Firewall v2.3 (Comodo Group) 
This is not a reduced function product, in fact their newest features have resulted in some of the most sophisticated protection capabilities available in any solution - paid or free. They use this product to promote the other security products that they do sell. A valid email is required. Review test results show it to be the best firewall available free or paid!

Core Force (Core Security)
CORE FORCE (Beta) 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.

Primedius Firewall Lite (Primedius)
Prevent intrusions, stop unwanted entries to and communications from your computer.

R-Firewall  (r-tools technology)
R-Firewall is an effective and easy-to-use solution to secure your on-line activity. It protects a computer connected to a local network and/or to the Internet against any intrusions, attacks, trojans, spyware, and other external and internal threats.

Jetico Personal Firewall v2.0 beta (Jetico)
This freeware product provides three layers of protection and gives you detailed, configurable event logs, reports, plus the option to view and edit the firewall configuration. Review test results show it's the #2 best firewall available free or paid!

SafeZone  (MinuteGroup)
This firewall blocks external connections by analysis and routing of network traffic. It  can be customized to isolate, record and warn the user of all hacking attempts. SafeZone will protect you from the latest worms attacks preventing the creation of a backdoor into your system, which can allow an attacker to connect to your computer. In addition SafeZone examines out-going information according to predefined criteria to ensure that only authorized content leaves the computer. (Also available as paid version- we do not know how the two versions differ.)

Ashampoo  (Ashampoo)
The Ashampoo FireWall makes it easy for anyone to set up an effective, free firewall. Its Configuration Assistant guides you through every step of the setup process. Easy Mode makes using it a breeze. You don't need any special technical knowledge, and everything is explained clearly. Even with its additional security tools, Ashampoo Firewall is a tiny program that uses very little memory and computer resources.

Always be cautious when using an unknown firewall product to protect sensitive or mission critical data or if using the product as network firewall software. There are dozens of freeware firewalls that we have not listed because they have never been evaluated by anyone or in any other way proven themselves as reliable.

WIndows operating system compatibility as noted above are just guidelines and may not be correct or current. Check the download site of the product before assuming it will work with your system. (Vista notations will be added to products as soon as we find that they are Vista compatible.)

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