BEST Free Firewalls

BEST Free Firewalls

Why do I need a firewall ?

I am using a paid / Pro antivirus and it is the best. Do I still need a firewall ?  Yes, because with antivirus alone,

1. Hackers can get through open ports of your computer.

2. Any one can do a port scan and find out security loop holes to get into your computer.

3. Hackers may show themselves as legitimate source accessing your computer in the network activity list.

4. After finding ways to get into your PC, hackers will install malware which are able to send your sensitve like account no.s, passwords, personal email ID etc. You can imagine how they use your credit card details once it reach them.Ya, I know all these. I have Windows Firewall, why should I bother installing a separate firewall ?

It is true that Microsoft made a smart move by adding a firewall to its latest version of Windows. But it is an inbound protection firewall. It will help you only from points 1 & 2. Hackers can still find a way to get into your system. And Windows Firewall does not check outgoing connection. If a malware gets into your PC (not necessarily through net, USB for eg.) it can send data to hackers and Windows Firewall will be a silent spectator. If you use a limited bandwidth plan (say BSNL Home 500C), most of your bandwidth will be eaten by malware and you may get a huge bill for excess usage.You are making me nervous. Ok tell me more.Simple, get a two way firewall from any trusted source. They are mainly classified into two

1. Basic Firewall

2. Firewalls with Strong HIPS Protection (What is HIPS ?

http://antivirus.about.com/od/securitytips/g/hips.htm


1. Basic Firewall


The best possible example for a Basic firewall is Zonealarm free. It is best suited for users with beginner or average experience on computers. Zonealarm free effectively safe guards your PC from inbound and outbound threats. You can add exceptions for programs like utorrent and service like file and printer sharing. Though it is very silent and ask very less user intervention, you can get a pop up alert whenever a program is try to access net from your PC. You can allow or deny this request by a single click. If you do not wish to get pop ups for that program, you can choose to remember the option (which you can modify later if necessary).

Download here
http://www.zonealarm.com/security/en-us/zonealarm-pc-security-free-firewall.htm

Best Free Firewall Software for Download: Personal Firewall by ZoneAlarm


2. Firewalls with Strong HIPS Protection

It is for user who think they are capable of handling settings of a firewall.Though you can make it silent like a basic firewall, Pro users prefer to handle the request and make sure that they are safe. Let us discuss a few extremely efficient Pro active firewalls.


a. Comodo Firewall

Comodo Firewall is considered as the best available firewall at the moment. According to independent reviews, it is more efficient than most paid firewalls. It has Defense + feature which monitors programs and make sure that they are not compromised. It consist of a memory firewall which protects you from buffer overflow attacks and a light sandbox. Users can choose the following settings Firewall Only, and Firewall with Optimum or Maximum Proactive Defense. The later being the best. You can use Clean PC mode which declares all programs in PC as safe (do not choose if you are not sure if your PC is clean or not). Even if you choose Clean PC mode there will be "my protected registry keys" and "my protected COM interfaces" which adds protection to your PC.

Download here

Firewall Antivirus Software Free Download from Comodo
http://personalfirewall.comodo.com/


b. Online Armor Free

If you want an alternative to Comodo, Online Armor free can do it for you. It has a HIPS feature enabled " Program guard " to keep you safe. You can use Run safer feature and set high risk application such as browsers, download managers, messenger clients etc (which are known to be easy entry for malware to your PC) under a limited account. The keylogger detection is one of the fine features which other free firewalls include in their pro version. If you are paranoid user, Online Armor Free can be set to give pop ups for every suspicious action on which you can make a decision.

Download here

Best Firewall Software - Stops Hackers, Malware, Viruses, Keylogger - Includes Online Banking Protection - Online Armor.

http://www.online-armor.com/

We have a few other products which are as good as discussed above. But discussing each one of them will make the thread too lengthy. So I am just listing the names here.

c. Outpost Firewall Free

32 bit
http://dw.com.com/redir?edId=3&siteId=4&oId=3000-18510_475328020&ontId=18510_4&spi=835315d7106afd616004f1f3bd2f1eeb&lop=link&tag=tdw_dltext&ltype=dl_dlnow&pid=11881839&mfgId=88619&merId=88619&pguid=USbU@goOYI0AACzoxqMAAAAg&ctype=dm&cval=NONE&destUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fdownload.cnet.com%2F3001-18510_4-75328020.html%3Fspi%3D835315d7106afd616004f1f3bd2f1eeb%26part%3Ddl-88619


d. PC Tools Firewall Plus
http://www.google.co.in/urlsa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CDsQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pctools.com%2Ffirewall%2F&ei=ONUmUeSoJ4SErQfU4DwDw&usg=AFQjCNGykYzmtVlzSQLeyRzc517UCZAaAQ&bvm=bv.42768644,d.bmk

e. Private Firewall

f. Sygate Personal Firewall 5.6.2808.
This firewall automatically protects your PC from hackers and other malicious attacks.
http://www.tucows.com/thankyou.html?swid=213160

g. Ashampoo FireWall FREE

https://www.ashampoo.com/en/usd/dld/0050/Ashampoo-FireWall-FREE/

Hope this post helped you.