Privacyware Privatefirewall now a freeware

[tado]

It used to cost USD29.95, but now it's FREE.

I'm not very familiar with it, but you can take a look at the developer's web site:

http://www.privacyware.com/personal_firewall.html

Its advertised features are:

Proactive, Multi-Layered Defense

* NEW! Complete Windows 7 (RC1) and Vista Support – Certified compatible with all versions of Vista (32/64 bit).

* Advanced packet filtering – Proprietary stateful packet inspection technology monitors all communication between the PC and the Internet and detects and blocks all unauthorized traffic. Privatefirewall allows the simple adjustment of security levels (High/Low/Custom) to establish different degrees of security for Internet and Local Network access.

* Ultimate Application Control – Highly configurable Application Control Console enables you to specify which and precisely how applications can access the Internet.

* Process Detection - Prevents viruses, trojans, worms and other malware by tracking all trusted processes and providing alerts when any potentially malicious process attempts to run.

* System Anomaly Detection – System Anomaly Detection Engine baselines normal usage based on system variables such as CPU utilization, thread count, and others. Normal use patterns of running applications are monitored and alerts are generated as unusual activity is detected.

* Intelligent Tray Alerts – Compact, user-friendly tray alerts provide detailed information regarding security events, offer native web search for convenient investigation, and pre-set intelligent “time-out” responses.

* Stealth Mode – PC is invisible when online and stealth to potential intruders.

* Port Tracking and Reporting – All ports are monitored to prohibit unauthorized scanning and system intrusion. Detailed reports are generated on all port scan and other reconnaissance attempts in addition to instantaneous on-screen alerts.

* Email Anomaly Detection – Privatefirewall mitigates the impact of attacks targeting email clients by tracking the volume and frequency of outbound emails. Privatefirewall alerts you and blocks unacceptable deviations from normal email activity.

Application Control and Firewall Policy Management

* Monitor all traffic to and from your PC and prevent trusted applications from being “Hi-Jacked” to steal local or network-accessible files.

* The Process Monitor adds an important layer of defense to conventional firewall protection by identifying process-level behavior characteristics of intrusion techniques and malware activity.

* Control which applications can access the Internet, and whether to permit/block every application with each usage or make permissions permanent. Specific IPs and/or Websites can be blocked or allowed access.

* Define application specific or global packet filtering rules that can be applied to incoming, outgoing or bi-directional traffic.

* View or create advanced firewall reports sorted by Web, Mail, or System access attempts spanning Hours, Days, Weeks, or customized time periods.

Unmatched Ease of Use

* Privatefirewall’s security presets deliver superior PC protection immediately upon installation. Setup and configuration are fully automatic right out of the box.

* One-click configuration of pre-defined security settings for Home, Office, and Remote profiles eliminate complicated application tuning.

* Privatefirewall conveniently detects connections to local networks and automatically sets rules that allow access within that network.

* A variety of custom configuration interfaces are easily accessible for advanced users.

* Privatefirewall is fully integrated with Windows XP Security Center.

[ted]

this looks like a really good freeware i might try this in the future

[saturn]

http://www.privacyware.com/pf_product_tour.html
http://www.privacyware.com/pf_product_tour2.html
http://www.privacyware.com/pf_product_tour3.html
http://www.privacyware.com/pf_product_tour4.html

[detailer]

Looks nearly identical to Webroot's firewall-also free.Thanks

[luffy]

Thanks bro.

[luisc]

yes, thank you ...it looks interesting

[kavinraja]

Nice one... Thanks...

[Bora]

Looks nearly identical to Webroot's firewall-also free.Thanks

Webroot, as far as I know, is using the same engine but this is even better. An excellent firewall.

[acr]

Many Vista users will notice a memory leak with this firewall. MS offered a hotfix but I tried it and it did not work for me. The memory usage became too much to make the firewall functional.

[luisc]

if you need to now more about PrivateFirewall you can check it out here
http://www.matousec.com/projects/proactive-security-challenge/results.php
it ranks very good according to matousec. There are other equally good Firewalls that are free too.