Top Personal Firewalls - Network Firewall Software
One of the easiest, least expensive ways to guard a
home network from attack is to set up a personal firewall. The top
firewall software products listed below afford good network protection
and help maintain personal privacy. Even those who have home routers
probably need the additional protection that a personal firewall offers.
While these products all target the Windows environment, Symantec also
sells the Norton Personal Firewall for Macintosh.
Before
being discontinued by Symantec as a product, Sygate Personal Firewall
software offered solid network protection, activity logging, and
automatic email notifications. Free for personal use, it supported
advanced configuration options without being overly difficult to use.
The PRO edition (no longer available) includeed guaranteed VPN support,
an unlimited number of security rules, ability to import/export settings
to multiple computers, and one year of free upgrades.
Zone
Labs provides a free ZoneAlarm download, too. The Pro edition adds
email attachment protection similar to that offered by antivirus
software, password protection, and ICS/NAT support. ZoneAlarm runs in
Stealth Mode, making your PC literally "invisible" on the Internet.
Though missing some of the more advanced personal firewall controls, its
user interface includes handy features like the "Stop" button.
Some
claim that Norton's graphic interface isn't as easy to use as some
other products in this category. Symantec doesn't offer a free trial
version of this personal firewall software product either. Still, it
continues to improve, and a new Home Network Assistant feature
simplifies administering security across the home LAN. The Norton
Personal Firewall software is solid and from a reputable company.
McAfee's
software is sold on a one-year subscription basis rather than on
one-time purchase, a feature that may appeal to some, but no free trial
exists. McAfee also possesses a comparatively small footprint and a
central "Control Panel" style of user interface. Product updates occur
"live" over the Internet. McAfee does not support Windows ICS networks
or the IIS Web server.
5. BlackICE™ PC Protection
BlackICE
was the first mainstream personal firewall software product and remains
an all-around top choice. Its high-quality user interface, logging
capability, and support for auto-blocking of traffic from specific
network addresses are great features for beginners and more advanced
networkers alike. BlackICE PC Protection is an end of life product no
longer receiving support from its vendor (IBM).
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