Best Free Firewall

Installing a firewall on your computer is one of the most effective ways to protect it from attacks or other possible causes of damage to your system. However, there are several types of firewall programs (paid or free versions) to choose from that it is important to evaluate them one by one before settling for a choice.

Free firewall programs are also capable of offering maximum protection for computers. Although paid versions understandably offer more protection, your choice of the best free firewall programs can make a huge difference.

Importance of a Firewall

A firewall is an important security component for your computer. Its main responsibility is to monitor the communication going in and out of your computer network, while also preventing any possible threats or source of attacks from infiltrating through your network. The main focus of protection that is offered by a firewall (whether hardware or software firewall program) is the internet applications (or apps, for short).

Installing a firewall in your computer is therefore critical in your PC’s security. Even a simple firewall can make a whole lot of difference in limiting access to your system and keep other networks from accessing your personal information. However, a firewall does not simply limit itself to incoming threats but also makes prompts whenever there are websites that require outgoing connections to other websites.

Below are some of the best free firewall programs that are highly recommended for their ability to provide maximum protection on your computer.

Windows Firewall

This is the most basic type of firewall program for the PC users. Before this personal firewall was included in the Windows XP Service Pack 2, there was the Internet Connection Firewall. However, it was not available on the Windows PC by default, which makes your computer vulnerable to threats.

Since then, several types of Windows firewall had been released into the market and there are specific programs depending on which Windows OS you are using. There are also several free third-party firewalls available for Windows PC users. The features vary according to the OS used but you can expect basic security features from common sources of attacks.

Online Armor Personal Firewall

There are paid and free versions available for Online Armor Personal Firewall that would suit your computer’s protection requirements and budget. However, the free version stands out for its user-friendly interface that was designed to be easy for average PC users to understand and take full advantage of.

It is also a solid option for anyone looking for the best free firewall programs. It did an outstanding job with the HIPS test and features a unique “run safer” feature wherein PC users can identify applications considered to be risky for the system. This will help to limit the amount of screen pop-ups whenever you access programs and applications on the internet. Online Armor Personal Firewall also enables you to perform a search on your PC to see if there are any unknown programs in your system so you can take appropriate action on them (block or allow).

Outpost Firewall

The Outpost Firewall is a super powerful free firewall, which makes it one of the best in the industry today. Considered as one of the best free firewall programs, this was developed by Agnitum and promises computer users with user-friendly interface and full support for common operating systems.

There is an extensive configuration options available for the Outpost Firewall that it would be a perfect fit even for advanced computer users. In comparison to other free firewall programs, it has the ability to recognize and configure more programs that Zone Alarm does. There is no need to set up additional configuration in order to enjoy incoming and outgoing protection from threats.

Comodo Firewall

This is considered as one of the best free firewall programs due to a lot of reasons. First off, it features a memory firewall and light sandbox component that minimizes the level of attack that your computer can get from unknown applications or new software installations. This is also recommended to prevent buffer overflow attacks.

If you are looking for a full featured software suite, then Comodo Firewall is an excellent choice. The best feature about Comodo is that it is simple enough for lightly skilled users to take advantage of, while it is also suited for advanced users. It has a robust application monitoring feature known as Defense+ to ensure maximum security performance. If you would like to customize its security settings to suit your needs or if you want to maximize your level of protection, Comodo also supports this feature.

The best feature available in the Comodo Firewall is the sandbox protection, which prevents malware from negatively affecting your computer. There is a list of recognized applications that are safe for the system so when any application that is not part of the list attempts to enter through the firewall, then it alerts the user of the possible danger. In fact, this firewall will deny access to that application, thus saving your computer from any threats. The user is then prompted on what to do with the application once it is denied. This is where experienced users can explore with how to maintain control over the protocols, ports, configurations, and other essential settings to your computer’s firewall.

To save yourself from trouble in the future by posting the same alerts even for those applications that you have identified as safe, it is also possible to use a few methods to make the behavior of Defense+ more accurate. First, you can allow the firewall to remember the answer you have posted on the popup alerts. Choose the appropriate settings on the dropdown box when you make your choice on the application in question, which could either be ‘trusted’ or ‘blocked’. Another method is to add the application into your list of files considered as “safe” for your computer. Once you recognize a particular application, no future alerts will be provided by the firewall. And finally, use you can select the “Clean PC Mode” on your firewall. Simply right click the icon for Defense+ Security Level and scan any malware to ensure that your computer is free from threats.

Zone Alarm

Another excellent free firewall service that you can use for your computer’s protection is Zone Alarm. This type of firewall was first released way back at early 2000’s and has been one of the leading names for PC users when looking for protection on their system. Although their basic version is available free for use (limited to non-commercial use only), it is outstanding in its ability to provide basic protection.

There are two types of possible sources of threats being monitored by this free firewall program: incoming and outgoing internet applications or connections. Whenever it identifies something suspicious or unfamiliar on the internet, there is a useful and easy to understand dialog that provides the user with options on how to deal with the problem. Since the firewall program is only designed to alert you (the user) of threats on your computer, unless otherwise you have previously identified certain applications as dangerous, then you can determine for yourself whether it is safe to proceed with the communication on the internet. To make it easier for you in the future and avoid the constant pop-ups, you can select the “remember this setting” option.

There are several new versions available from Zone Alarm, which is automatically generated whereas before you need to download and install it.

Choosing the best free firewall program for your computer is critical for the system’s security. Since your computer is considered as a personal investment, it is important that you know how to protect your investment. Since these firewall programs are available for free, you need not worry about the expense to get the protection you need.

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