Protect your system from hackers for free

Wed, 01/09/2008 - 23:52 — Ciprian

This is the last article in our series about free security solutions for Windows Vista. In this article I will talk about firewalls and present to you the free alternatives I have managed to find for you. Unfortunately, there are not too many free firewalls for Windows Vista so this article will be pretty short compared to the others.

Comodo Firewall Pro 3.0 - is one of the best internet firewalls available for Windows Vista. It can easily compete with any other commercial alternative. Unlike other free security solutions, Comodo is not a stripped down version of a commercial product. It offers a full set of protection features like any other good firewall. I have been using it for quite some time and I am very satisfied with it. The only downside of this firewall is the fact that it offers so many configuration & protection options that could scare a beginner. A geek like myself definitely loves all the control options but a beginner might have a hard time understanding everything. Even so, if you want to dedicate some time to learning how Comodo Firewall Pro 3.0 works, you will end up having top notch protection for free.

PC Tools Firewall Plus 3.0 - is another free firewall which offers all the basic protection features. The interface is very easy to learn & use even for beginners. It also offers some advanced configuration options which will please intermediate or advanced users. Even though it doesn't compare to the firewall provided by Comodo, it is a pretty decent solution which will please many users.

ZoneAlarm Firewall 7.1 - this product is the free and stripped down version of ZoneAlarm Pro. This version is a basic network and program firewall. Even so, it is still more efficient than the standard Windows Vista firewall. Compared to it, the interface is very easy to learn & use and the offered protection seems to be better. One of the nice features in ZoneAlarm Firewall 7.1 is the 'Game Mode' which temporarily suppresses most alerts while you play a video game on your computer. If you are a gamer you will surely appreciate this feature.

There are other interesting alternatives that might interest you. For example, AOL is offering AOL Internet Security Central for free if you create an AOL account. This solution is based on an older version of McAfee which offers complete protection against viruses, spyware and hackers.
Also, there are some companies which have a partnership with TrialPay and offer their premium products for free, if you enroll their program and try or buy one offer from any of TrialPay's premier partners. This way you can 'purchase' for free solutions such as Agnitum Outpost Firewall PRO or ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite.

If you know other free firewalls that work on Windows Vista, don't hesitate to leave a comment.

Comments

Thu, 01/10/2008 - 05:16 — Corrine

Windows Vista Firewall

Don't forget, the Microsoft firewall on Windows Vista is a two-way firewall, an improvement over the XP SP2 firewall. Microsoft MVP, Donna Buenaventura has a nice tutorial on the Windows Vista Firewall: http://dozleng.com/internetsecurity/?p=133

With regard to the free version of ZoneAlarm, be careful if you elect to install it because the ASK Toolbar is pre-checked. See http://securitygarden.blogspot.com/2007/12/beware-of-zonealarm.html

There are additional free Windows Vista Compatible Firewalls listed in http://vistabookmarks.blogspot.com/2007/03/windows-vista-compatible-fire...

Corrine
Microsoft MVP - Windows Security

Take a walk through my Security Garden -- http://securitygarden.blogspot.com/
Have Windows Vista? Get Bookmarks at http://vistabookmarks.blogspot.com/

Fri, 03/14/2008 - 17:42 — Borderscot

Computer Protection

I am looking for advice. I have been looking atprotecting my system from hackers and I am not sure whether what I have enough. I am using Avast On-Access Scanner 7 which to date seem fine. Is this giving me all the protection I need.

I am far from an expert so any help will be appreciated. I am wondering if what I have protects me against Spyware, Viruses and Hackers. If not, what do you suggest. I also have a CD for F-Secure which my computer engineer took out when I was having trouble with my PC so is NOT installed.

Tue, 09/16/2008 - 23:20 — Eldar (not verified)

Free security firewalls

I've used all firewalls as described above, but I would like to add that Webroot does have a decent free firewall too, which works on Vista.
Not exactly Comodo, but in the same league as PC Tools.
This company has been taken over by Symantec, so you may expect that it won't remain free forever.

@Borderscot: First and foremost you need protection from the outside, as well as the inside.
That's why a firewall is a must, same as an antivirus.
You could however add a router with an SPI-firewall and if you want more security, you could add a software firewall to be alerted on outgoing connections.

As for F-Secure, it's a good suite, although not everyone can run it, due to its high demands.
It can slow your system to a crawl because of its 5 engines.
On the other hand it does offer very good protection.

Your choice, but I would stay with Avast (free). You only need to add a firewall.
Please take note to shut down the Vista firewall (disable the service) prior to installing another, since it's not recommended to run two firewalls. The same applies to antivirus programs.

As for anti-spyware, you could use SUPERAntispyware (SAS) or Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware (MBAM). Both have a free and a paid version. :-)
I use both, but only SAS Pro is running realtime.

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