Free Personal Software Firewalls

Free firewall software to protect your computer from unwanted intrusions

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Free Personal Firewall Software

Firewall software allow you to protect your computer from intrusions from the Internet as well as warn you when programs try to connect to Internet from your computer. It has become increasingly popular with numerous programs installing spyware that try to call home without your knowing. Some of these free firewalls are free only for personal use.

Note that this page does not list products like Norton Internet Security 2009, which provide all-round protection (antivirus, antispyware, firewall, etc) for up to 3 computers for 2 years.

Disclaimer

The information provided on this page comes without any warranty whatsoever. Use it at your own risk. Just because a program, book, document or service is listed here or has a good review does not mean that I endorse or approve of the program or of any of its contents. All the other standard disclaimers also apply.

Free Software Firewalls

PC Tools Firewall Plus: This is a free personal firewall for Windows that provides inbound and outbound filtering. The firewall allows you to create application rules (only to allow or disallow an application) and rules for the packet filter (where you can configure the ports allowed, etc). There are no limitations on the free version. (They survive by selling an all-in-one Internet Suite that not only provides a firewall but also an antivirus, an antispyware and spam protection.)
Outpost Firewall Free: This free version has a subset of the features of the commercial Agnitum Outpost Firewall Pro. It's meant only for personal use. The program has a bidirectional firewall, application behaviour ("behavior" in US English) monitoring, configurable firewall rules, and self-protection (ie, to protect itself from being terminated by malware). Although it lacks the attack detection, log viewer, IP blocklists, antispyware protection (etc) of the full version, it's still seems like a firewall with lots of useful features. This is a Windows firewall.
ZoneAlarm: ZoneAlarm is an easy to use and free personal firewall that is used by many people on the Internet. The free version allows you to decide which applications you can allow to access the Internet, but does not allow you to block specific IP addresses. (Look carefully before you click - the "basic PC protection" link is the one that is free.) This is a Windows firewall. If you want comprehensive protection for your computer, you might want to consider their commercial offering, ZoneAlarm Security Suite which includes a firewall as well as antivirus, antispyware, antitrojan , identity theft protection, phishing and spam blocker, etc.
Comodo Internet Security: Comodo Internet Security is a Windows firewall and antivirus suite that filters both inbound as well as outbound traffic. Among its features are the ability to detect application hijacking attempts via its application and component behaviour monitor, self protection against termination attempts by malware, protection of your PC during startup, etc. The free edition has a subset of features of the commercial Comodo Internet Security Pro (which includes Wi-Fi protection, remote live expert help, etc).
SoftPerfect Personal Firewall: SoftPerfect Personal Firewall is a rule-based Windows network firewall that filters IP and non-IP traffic, supports configurations for multiple network adaptors, has a learning mode and comes with a set of predefined rules.
GhostWall: GhostWall is a packet filtering firewall with low resource usage and latency. It works on both 32 bit and 64 bit Windows.
Guarddog: Guarddog is a firewall configuration utility for Linux iptables. It also lets you maintain and modify the firewall in place. It uses a "what is not explicitly allowed, is denied" philosophy. The software is released under the GNU GPL.
WIPFW: WIPFW is a packet filtering and accounting system for Windows. It is based on FreeBSD's IPFW.
Jetico Personal Firewall v1.x: Jetico Personal Firewall v1.x is a Windows 98/ME/NT/2000/XP firewall that has network packet filters, network events filters (that allows you to block application level events) and process activity filters (that hopefully blocks application hijacking attempts where a trojan uses your browser to send information to the internet). The Jetico Personal Firewall v1.x project is "frozen" and is no longer developed.
Firestarter - Free Linux Firewall Tool: Firestarter is an easy-to-use free firewall tool for Linux that has a wizard that allows you to customize your firewall, a real-time firewall monitor that allows you to view intrusion attempts, a graphical interface that works under GNOME and KDE, and support for Linux kernels 2.4 and 2.6. For those who aren't brave enough to muck around with netfilter / iptables, Firestarter is one way to set up your system so that it is protected from intrusions.
Online Armor Free Edition: Online Armor Free is a Windows firewall with a built-in host instrusion prevention (HIPS) system. It also has a form of keylogger detection and includes protection against script/worm attacks. In addition, it features self-protection against tampering and termination attempts by malware. The current version of the firewall, at the time I write this, appears to have performed well in independent leak tests. (For the free version, click the "Download Now" button at the bottom of the page.)
Sunbelt Personal Firewall (formerly Kerio Personal Firewall): Sunbelt Personal Firewall is free for home use. It controls traffic from your computer to the Internet (thus useful for blocking spyware, adware, and other software that call home to the Internet behind your back) as well as traffic from the Internet to your computer. The program works as a trial for 30 days and then reverts to the free version after that. This is a Windows firewall.
Filseclab Personal Firewall Professional Edition: This Windows firewall filters inbound and outbound traffic. You can configure which applications on your system is allowed to access the Internet, although by default, it automatically allows certain applications (such as those from the company itself, or those signed by Microsoft) outbound access without question.

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Free Personal Firewalls