PC Tools Firewall Plus sits between your computer and your Internet connection, controlling both downloading and uploading traffic and warning you whenever it detects unexpected Internet access or traffic in either direction.

This firewall is surprisingly easy to use; you can start right away, without having to configure anything, something that beginners will be grateful for. These novice users will also be happy to see that the basic functionality of PC Tools Firewall Plus can be tweaked in terms of approved or blocked programs, in the Applications area. However, if you prefer to have more control over the program, you can always use the Advanced Rules section. There's also the possibility to switch between Normal user and Expert user, either during installation or in the program's configuration menu. In this way advanced users will get more detailed messages from the firewall and will also be able to tweak it further.

The program logs all network activities, as well as the number of packets and bytes blocked. But there's one thing I missed: the possibility of having several security levels (like in ZoneAlarm, for example) with which you can quickly change the program's settings.

All the functions in PC Tools Firewall Plus are easily accessible in the firewall's eye-catching interface, just by clicking on their correspondent buttons on the left side. The main window features direct access buttons to the most important areas in the program as well.

With PC Tools Firewall Plus both novice and advanced users can effectively protect their computers by choosing which apps should access the Internet and also blocking any unauthorized attemps to break into your PC.

Download PC Tools Firewall Plus 4.0.0.35 in Softonic

Jetico Personal Firewall software provides you with security against hackers who try to access your PC when you are connected to the Internet. Having inherited the Open architecture principles from BestCrypt, the Jetico Personal Firewall allows you to construct a strong yet accurate security policy and provides clear control over your network connections.

Three-layer protection:

Low-level (Network packet filter)

This checks the validity of network packets and parameters such as source & destination addresses, protocol, etc. Using this process, Jetico Personal Firewall can make your computer invisible to a non-trusted network. By selecting the Optimal Protection Policy, your computer becomes "stealthy". Any security probing tests (for example, ShieldsUp! tests) by internet hackers will report that your computer does not exist.

Application-level (Network events filter)

This checks and enables you to monitor network/internet connection requests made by applications. If you are not sure why an application wishes to send or receive data from the Internet you can limit or block the activity.

User-level (Process activity filter)

This notifies you of and prevents dirty tricks by Trojans and other malicious programs. (A Trojan can inject its own code into programmes on your computer and send data about you to a third party. e.g. a Trojan in Internet Explorer could transmit details of your browsing preferences.)

Download Jetico Personal Firewall 2.0.2.4 in Softonic

Firewalls can be frightening things to work with if you don't know how to configure them - blocking traffic you need and letting in those that you don't.

Privatefirewall is a comprehensive firewall that monitors your system 24/7. It has a highly intuitive interface that makes it one of those firewalls that you can use easily. It's easy to use for beginners although it will also appeal to advanced users because it has so many configurable options if you want them. If you do need help configuring these, the program has an extensive online documentation on the author's homepage. You can choose from three levels of firewall security which range from protection at home, at work, travel and mobile equipment. It monitors up to eleven areas divided into four areas: network, DCOM, browser and access control. These levels can be customized and completely preconfigured, but if you wish, you can set your own configuration rules made to your liking and tailored to your needs. The program features packet filtering, port analysis, tracking IP, e-mail etc in addition to developing detailed reports on monitoring results.

An excellent and powerful firewall that will fulfill the needs of all but the most demanding users.

Download Privatefirewall 6.0 in Softonic

The problem with third party firewalls is that sometimes they just simply become a nuisance. Blocking traffic that you want, and rejecting those you need such as daily updates and P2P software. I was therefore pleased to find that Comodo Firewall falls into none of the above categories – simple, effective and discrete, this is definitely one of the better firewalls out there.

Like all firewalls, this program basically filters ingoing and outgoing traffic to your PC. However, in the case of Comodo, it also monitors components such as driver files that are used to initiate network connections as well as other running processes to check for problems. Of course, it also features standard options like port scanning, adjustable security levels and trusted networks etc. The interface is not particularly attractive but it’s easy to find your way around which is the most important thing.

One outstanding feature of Comodo is that you can set it as part of your PC’s boot sequence which means that it’s activated before any pesky program or intruder can access your network connection. It also does not seem to slow down connection speeds like some firewalls do – ZoneAlarm is particularly guilty of this. Many users report on forums that they changed to Comodo for this reason alone,. It’s also much lighter on CPU resources than the former and you won’t find it hogging your RAM.

On the downside, it doesn’t seem very efficient at remembering permissions. On several occasions, it kept asking whether to grant permission to connections that I’d already authorised just seconds earlier. Better to be safe than sorry but this did get a bit annoying.

Overall, Comodo Firewall is easy to use for novice users, but includes enough advanced TCP options for advanced users to customise it for specialised networks. Considering it’s absolutely free – you only need to complete a free registration after 30 days use – this is an excellent firewall.

Download Comodo Firewall Pro 3.0.25.378 in Softonic

Browsing the Internet can be a dangerous activity if you don't have the appropriate tools to protect your system, such as a firewall.

FortKnox Personal Firewall sets a powerful filter between your Internet connection and your computer, controlling every bit of traffic that moves in any direction, both in uploads and downloads. You can therefore make sure your PC is protected from hackers, Trojans, spyware and other sorts of unauthorized access, as every time there's any kind of strange behavior, FortKnox will display a desktop notice to let you know.

The program features an exhaustive settings menu – which I personally found a bit too complex for a "personal" firewall that's aimed at home users. From there you can configure filters, create security rules, see which apps have access to the Internet and review your traffic logs.

FortKnox Personal Firewall also includes several skins to customize its interface and a real-time traffic monitor that helps you control your bandwidth usage.

Though a bit too complex for the home user, FortKnox Personal Firewall is still a good choice to guarantee security in domestic environments.

Download FortKnox Personal Firewall 2008 3.0.195.0 in Softonic

BlackICE teams a personal firewall with an advanced intrusion detection system to constantly watch your Internet connection for suspicious behavior. BlackICE responds immediately by alerting you to trouble and instantly blocking the threat.

BlackICE's Application Protection quickly and invisibly defeats dangerous programs that attackers deliver through instant messaging, email, or even your Web browser! BlackICE stops these destructive programs before they do harm-like damaging your PC or launching email attacks against your friends and co-workers.

BlackICE automatically detects and blocks attacks through a comprehensive inspection of all inbound and outbound information to your computer. And BlackICE PC Protection is constantly working to secure your dial-up, DSL, and cable modem from hackers 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

Download BlackICE PC Protection 3.6cqn in Softonic

iolo Personal Firewall blocks unwanted communication to and from your PC, keeping your private information safe from hackers, cyber-criminals, and identity thieves. The proprietary IntelliDefense system takes out the guesswork normally associated with firewalls by using a comprehensive database to automatically decide which programs are safe and which are not.

Now you can securely work or play without the hassle of being constantly prompted to monitor your PC’s traffic. An intuitive interface lets you quickly set up varying communication security levels, designate certain computers and Web sites as "trusted", block or allow access for specific applications, and much more.

Download iolo Personal Firewall 1.1.10.7 in Softonic

FirewallPAPI is a specialised firewall that specifically routes traffic that uses the TCP and UDP protocols. It does this using three key parameters - the IP of origin, destination and the input and output port that's being targeted.

Key to the attraction of this firewall is the fact that is extremely light on resources. In fact, all it really does is send packets of data to the three key areas mentioned above to continually test their integrity. Once it detects a strange or irregular response, it automatically triggers the alarm. The downside of this however is that since it's in continual packet sending mode, it can have a slight slow down effect on your PC and internet connection speed.

This application has mainly been developed for users who want to create their own rules because none are installed by default meaning the firewall needs quite a bit of customisation before you can use it.

For those that are confident of firewall configuration and want a lightweight solution, FirewallPAPI is a solid solution but beginners should stay clear.

Download FirewallPAPI 1.4 in Softonic

8Signs Firewall is a software firewall for administrators wanting to protect a Windows Internet server, and power users who want complete information and control over their network security. Stateful inspection firewalls determine whether packets can get through the firewall based on the protocol, port, and source and destination addresses.

8Signs Firewall allow you to trap hackers, slow down the spread of worms and stall spammers by creating tarpits. A tarpit is a trap for troublesome outsiders. Your system accepts TCP connections but never replies and ignores disconnect requests. This can leave ports scanners and hackers stuck for hours, even days.

8Signs Firewall detects the seven most common forms of port scans, alerting you with a log entry and optionally automatically banning the IP address of the scanner, ensuring that they are "cut off" before they can discover any useful information about your system.

A SYN Flood is a common type of denial of service (DoS) attack used against servers. When launching a SYN Flood, an attacker bombards you with so many connection requests that your computer is unable to accept legitimate connections, effectively shutting down your web, email, FTP or VPN server. 8Signs Firewall employs SYN cookies to protect you from SYN Flood attacks.

Using the remote administration component of the Server version of 8Signs Firewall v2.x, you can now remotely administer any 8Signs Firewall using an encrypted communications link. 8Signs Firewall lets you block IP addresses or ranges of addresses to prevent unwanted connection attempts.

Using 8Signs Firewall’s HTTP Filtering, you can prevent intrusion attempts targeted at your web server by screening requests and automatically banning the offender’s IP address, preventing further access.

Download 8Signs Firewall 3.02 in Softonic

For the uninitiated, a firewall is an application that sets up a metaphorical fire-proof wall around your PC that prevents any nasty digital invaders getting through. In this case, CoGen Personal Firewall keeps a detailed log of all the connections and attacks that take place in the computer, can look for Trojans in the memory of the PC and displays in real time information on all the connections that there are active and running processes.

The software also gives you details of programs that run on Windows Startup and allows you to disable any of these if necessary. CoGen is pretty simple to operate and once configured will detect any program that tries to access the Internet, popping up a window that gives you the option of confirming or denying it. This can get a little annoying at times, but luckily the application boasts a 'Trusted Zones' facility that allows you to grant permenent access to certain programs. All in all, a very useful piece of kit for keeping you protected.

Download CoGen Personal Firewall 2007 in Softonic

Unlike many firewall products, ZoneAlarm products protect your PC from unauthorized inbound and outbound communications.

When a hacker tries to access your PC, that's an unauthorized inbound communication. A hacker can gain access to your Internet-connected PC in several ways, such as through an e-mail attachment or a link included in a phishing e-mail. A basic PC firewall can automatically identify and block such communications.

If a hacker succeeds in accessing your PC, he could install software designed to capture and transmit your personal data (such as online banking passwords). The transmission of that data back to the hacker is an unauthorized outbound communication. Unlike most basic PC firewalls, ZoneAlarm products automatically identify and block unauthorized outbound communications.

Download ZoneAlarm Firewall Free 7.0.362.000 in Softonic

Outpost’s Network Activity Monitor watches every connection between your computer and the Internet, alerting you immediately to any communications that may be unauthorized so you can take appropriate action. It automatically blocks network probes, zombie attacks, and other remote attempts to access your PC, using its continually-updated intrusion definitions database.

Outpost Firewall PRO Benefits:

NEW! Protection from spyware and identity theft

New anti-spyware capabilities built into the program protect your computer against the rapidly increasing threats from spyware and ID theft. Spyware cannot enter, activate on, or transmit information out of computers protected by Outpost 3.0. The ID Block feature lets you determine which specific items of personal information, for example bank account numbers, are blocked from ever leaving the computer.

Know what's happening on your PC at all times

Outpost’s Network Activity Monitor watches every connection between your computer and the Internet, alerting you immediately to any communications that may be unauthorized so you can take appropriate action.

Automatic, intelligent protection against hacker attacks

Outpost’s Attack Detection automatically blocks network probes, zombie attacks, and other remote attempts to access your PC, using its continually-updated intrusion definitions database.

Control how applications communicate

Outpost’s Component Control, Hidden Process Control, and Open Memory Control let you decide what applications and processes on your PC are allowed to do and what - if any- outbound connections they may make. Spyware can’t phone home from an Outpost-protected PC.

Understand the threats

Every time Outpost 3.0 asks you for information regarding action to be taken, the new Smart Advisor helps you to choose the best course of action by displaying context- sensitive hints and live advice. So you’ll never need to wonder whether you’ve made the right security decision, and you’ll learn something new about firewall security every time.

Download Agnitum Outpost Firewall Pro 4.0.1007.7323 in Softonic

GFI LANguard Network Security Scanner (N.S.S.) checks your network for all potential methods that a hacker might use to attack it. By analyzing the operating system and the applications running on your network, GFI LANguard N.S.S. identifies possible security holes. In other words, it plays the devil's advocate and alerts you to weaknesses before a hacker can find them, enabling you to deal with these issues before a hacker can exploit them.

Download GFI LanGuard Network Security Scanner 8.0 Beta in Softonic

Outpost’s Network Activity Monitor watches every connection between your computer and the Internet, alerting you immediately to any communications that may be unauthorized so you can take appropriate action. It automatically blocks network probes, zombie attacks, and other remote attempts to access your PC, using its continually-updated intrusion definitions database.

Outpost Firewall PRO Benefits:

NEW! Protection from spyware and identity theft

New anti-spyware capabilities built into the program protect your computer against the rapidly increasing threats from spyware and ID theft. Spyware cannot enter, activate on, or transmit information out of computers protected by Outpost 3.0. The ID Block feature lets you determine which specific items of personal information, for example bank account numbers, are blocked from ever leaving the computer.

Know what's happening on your PC at all times

Outpost’s Network Activity Monitor watches every connection between your computer and the Internet, alerting you immediately to any communications that may be unauthorized so you can take appropriate action.

Automatic, intelligent protection against hacker attacks

Outpost’s Attack Detection automatically blocks network probes, zombie attacks, and other remote attempts to access your PC, using its continually-updated intrusion definitions database.

Control how applications communicate

Outpost’s Component Control, Hidden Process Control, and Open Memory Control let you decide what applications and processes on your PC are allowed to do and what - if any- outbound connections they may make. Spyware can’t phone home from an Outpost-protected PC.

Understand the threats

Every time Outpost 3.0 asks you for information regarding action to be taken, the new Smart Advisor helps you to choose the best course of action by displaying context- sensitive hints and live advice. So you’ll never need to wonder whether you’ve made the right security decision, and you’ll learn something new about firewall security every time.

Download Agnitum Outpost Firewall Free 1.0.1817.1645 in Softonic

Designed for home and small office settings, Prisma Firewall software provides a reliable solution to intrusion prevention, a personal firewall for individual PCs. Using multi-layered protection, Prisma filters the traffic at network packet level as well as controls the applications network access.

Prisma Firewall is a necessity for all desktop computers connected to Internet. Prisma Firewall protects your computer and personal information from intruders, data thieves, and other internet threats. Within a private network, Prisma Firewall protects the computer from attacks of internal users.

Displays information about current opened connections (tcp/udp) and historical data about your network traffic. Also, you are able to close connections (only for tcp) or kill process (only if you have the proper rights).

Prisma lets you manage each application's internet access. You can manually Add/Edit/Remove a rule. Also, a dialog will pop-up each time an application, that is not present in your rule list, will try to access the internet. If you want you can set Prisma Firewall to display an alert each time an application access to internet is being blocked by your current Protection Level or a Filter.

Download Prisma Firewall 1.5 in Softonic

NeT Firewall is a comprehensive firewall solution built to protect Windows-based systems not currently protected by a firewall. Stateful inspection technology tracks each packet traversing the firewall and makes sure that they are legitimate.

A stateful inspection firewall also monitors the state of the connection and compiles the information in a state table ensuring that the source and destination of each packet is valid. NeT Firewall is more secure than application-based personal firewalls, yet less expensive than high-end firewalls, providing comprehensive intrusion protection.

Download NeT Firewall 2.4 in Softonic

DefenseWall HIPS (Host Intrusion Prevention System) is the simplest and easiest way to protect yourself from malicious software (spyware, adware, keyloggers, rootkits, etc.) when you surf the Internet! Using the next generation proactive protection technologies, sandboxing and virtualization, DefenseWall HIPS helps you achieve a maximum level of protection against malicious software, while not demanding any special knowledge or ongoing online signature updates.

DefenseWall HIPS divides all applications into 'Trusted' and 'Untrusted' groups. Untrusted applications are launched with limited rights to modification of critical system parameters, and only in the virtual zone that is specially allocated for them, thus separating them from trusted applications. In the case of penetration by malicious software via one of the untrusted applications (web browsers etc), it cannot harm your system and may be closed with just one click! With DefenseWall HIPS, Internet surfing has never been so simple, safe and easy. Try it today, and you will be convinced!

Download DefenseWall 1.72 in Softonic

The security framework provided by
Core Force is leveraged by a community of security experts that share their security configurations for a growing list of programs. These security profiles can be downloaded by any user of Core Force from the community Web site and they're also completely open so that they can be peer-reviewed to minimize security hazards. The community approach to endpoint security also allows end-users who are not security experts to work in a secure environment.

Core Force 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.

Core Force can be used to:

• Protect your computer from compromises by worms, virus and email-borne malware
• Prevent your computer from being used as a staging point to amplify attacks and compromise others
• Prevent exploitation of known bugs in the operating system and applications running on your computer
• Prevent exploitation of unknown bugs (0-day) in the operating system and applications running on your computer
• Detect and prevent execution of adware, spyware, trojan horses and other malware on you computer

Download Core Force 0.91.135 in Softonic

This is a Firewall which runs in socket layer - Winsock firewall is a filter which checks all the network packages against the specific rule set. Winsock firewall can be used to check and block Spywares, Adwares, etc.. running in your PC and stealing your privacy!!! With developers, this is a good example of basic firewalls. It is too simple for a developer to understand the architecture of the firewall.

Download iSafer 3.0.0.1 in Softonic

ArezPort is designed to scan all the ports you select on your computer system to see if they are open or closed.

Features:

• Check any of the 65,000 ports on your computer system.
• Report back to you on open and closed ports.
• One of the fastest port scanners available.
• Completely free of charge.
• Uses very little resources.
• Built on the .NET Framework v1.1 SP1 so our software is secure and reliable.

Download ArezPort 1.5 in Softonic