[BlackBlade]

Firewalls

The following firewalls were reviewed (in no particular order)

• ZoneAlarm Free Firewall
• Comodo Firewall Pro 3.0
• PC Tools Firewall Plus 3.0
• Ashampoo Firewall Free 1.20
• Jetico Personal Firewall v.2
• Outpost Firewall Pro
• Sunbelt Personal Firewall
• Microsoft's built in firewall on Windows

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ZoneAlarm Free Firewall- This firewall is one of the most popular free firewall softwares out there. ZoneAlarm has a very large user base, and has consistently scored high on independent ratings. This product is not natively free; it is basically a stripped down version of ZoneAlarm's other paid-for firewalls. It only contains a basic firewall controller. It does not offer automatic updates.

Comodo Firewall Pro 3.0- Comodo is a company that is newer to the PC security industry. They started off selling SSL certificates and other web-based security products. They have now evolved to offer a free firewall, anti-virus, and anti-malware programs. Comodo Firewall Pro has some features that many paid-for software lacks, such as its “Defense +” security monitoring system. This offers automatic updates to all of its systems.

PC Tools Firewall Plus 3.0- PC Tools is a company that specializes in programs that all PC users need to have. Their free firewall has basic protection and advanced filtering rules. A simple UI allows you to gain access to most functions in very few clicks. This does not offer automatic updates.

Ashampoo Firewall Free 1.20- This uniquely named company opened up its once paid-for firewall to the public by making it free. This firewall boasts a small memory footprint as well as a design that 4 year-olds will understand. Ashampoo Firewall Free also offers “Novice” and “Expert” modes for those who want more control over what their firewall does to their system. This also comes with other utilities such as a start-up manager and a file shredder. I could not find any information on updates within the system.

Jetico Personal Firewall v.2 – Jetico Personal Firewall v.2 is just that, a personal firewall. This program does not need a flashy UI to work. It is simply an IPTables firewall with a small footprint. This firewall acts more like how popular server firewalls (like AFP) work by using a list of known good and bad IP addresses, and bocking all of your PC's ports until you manually open them. This does not offer automatic updates.

Outpost Firewall Pro- From the security company Agnitum, Outpost Firewall Pro is a pay-for firewall option that is usually tailored at larger businesses and organizations. It it made for security in a large scale, and adapts to any changes in the network to ensure that you are always protected. This program also comes with an anti-spyware utility.

Sunbelt Personal Firewall- Sunbelt acquired the Kerio Personal Firewall after Kerio wanted to dump the project. This is a pay-for firewall that offers an average array of functions and offerings. It can block web advertisements, and warns you if you try to access a phishing site. This is not Vista compatible yet and, as far as I saw, offers no automatic updates.

Microsoft's Built In Firewall- The firewall the began to ship with Microsoft's Windows XP SP2 was also in this review. Microsoft took some initiative to secure its Windows platform, but how well does this system really stand up to the test? Updates are handled by Microsoft Update.