Best FREE Firewalls
A firewall should be your first line of defence against intrusion (hackers, etc.) and malware (spyware, adware, etc.). Although the built-in Windows XP firewall is adequate for some people, many other might be better off installing a more powerful package that offers more features.
Many companies offer free firewall packages that are cut-down versions of their commercial products. Some programs are also available as freeware or Open Source. In general, these programs are free for non-commercial use only. This means that the program can only be used at home or college and is for your personal use only. If you use the program at work, or install it on more than one computer system at a time, you are usually required to pay for it.
Some companies ask you to register the software before using it. Registration is often required if you want to be able to update the program via the Internet. Although it might be a little inconvenient, registration costs nothing and helps software developers continue to let people use their programs for free.
Although firewall programs may offer lots of different features, most work in basically the same way. When the program runs, it starts to monitor all incoming and outgoing network traffic. This includes all data travelling to or from the Internet. A series of rules determines which programs can access the Internet and transmit (potentially confidential) information from your computer. If a new program attempts to send or receive data, the firewall will inform you of this and ask if you want to allow the program to connect. Usually, you will be given three options. The first option is to authorise the the program to use the Internet freely from now on. The second is to authorise the the program to use the Internet just once - next time the program wants to access the Internet, the firewall will ask for your permission again. The third option is to deny the program access to the Internet. In order to help you decide whether or not to allow a particular program to access the Internet, most firewalls will provide extra information and advice about the program. Some will even make a recommendation!
As mentioned earlier, all of the programs listed here can be used completely free of charge. In addition, all are offered by companies with good reputations in the field. Please remember that there will be many occasions when free firewalls are not convenient or appropriate.
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Filseclab Firewall
(http://www.filseclab.com/eng/products/firewall.htm)
SoftPerfect Personal Firewall
(http://www.softperfect.com/products/firewall)
Tiny Personal Firewall
(http://www.webmasterfree.com/tpfw.html)
Ashampoo Firewall Free
(http://www.ashampoo.com/frontend/products/php/product.php?session langid=2&idstring=0050)
R-Firewall
(http://www.r-firewall.com)
Jetico Personal Firewall
(http://www.jetico.com)
Comodo Firewall
(http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com)
Outpost Firewall Free
(http://www.agnitum.com/products/outpostfree/download.php)
Zone Alarm
(http://www.zonealarm.com/store/content/home.jsp)
Paul Edwards is the psudonym of one of the UK's best-selling authors in the area of ICT. He earns his living as a freelance writer and consultant, specialising in cybercrime and computer security. More information on protecting your computer from viruses, spyware, hackers and other threats can be found at Source: http://ezinearticles.com/
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