• 0

The Definitive "BEST FIREWALL" thread

Asked by MxxCon,

 Share

The Definitive "BEST FIREWALL"  

881 members have voted

  1. 1. The Definitive "BEST FIREWALL"

    • Black Ice
      23
    • Kerio/Tiny Personal Firewall
      99
    • Norton Firewall
      108
    • McAfee Firewall
      24
    • Zone Alarm (Pro)
      259
    • Sygate Firewall
      113
    • Outpost
      80
    • Any *nix solution
      35
    • Windows XP Built-In
      66
    • Other
      74

Question

351 answers to this question

Recommended Posts

  • 0
Grand Master

PseudoRandomDragon

Posted
Posted

Took a look at Mcafee and found it to be good, maybe just a small notch below Norton. I wonder why they don't get as much votes? Why has Mcafee declined so much? They were like THE antivirus program on just about every HP computer. Now all their products lost so much popularity. What happened?

  • 0
Grand Master

Evolution

Posted
Posted
How the hell did ZoneAlarm get so many...

:unsure:

because most people go with what's popular and something simple enough that even a non-computer user can figure out :p

BTW the only disadvantage that the sp2 firewall has over zonealarm is that it doesn't do md5 checksums.

  • 0
Rising Star

Sumi

Posted
Posted
it keeps alerting me every day that there are attempts to get into my computer from an unknown ip address. it blocks it everytime.

whether this is true or not, i will never know.

When I used used norton it did the same thing - but with network ip's: 192.168.1.9 is trying to gain access to your computer, attempt blocked... Yea - my mom is trying to access the shared docs folder...

Not that I dislike Norton in any way - remember disable pop-ups....

But now I use ZoneAlarm and ICF - And with disabled pop-ups...

  • 0
Mentor

Jexel

Posted
Posted
When I used used norton it did the same thing - but with network ip's: 192.168.1.9 is trying to gain access to your computer, attempt blocked... Yea - my mom is trying to access the shared docs folder...

Not that I dislike Norton in any way - remember disable pop-ups....

But now I use ZoneAlarm and ICF - And with disabled pop-ups...

Firstly from years of experience never use nis in conjunction with zap as you'll get stuff flying everywhere. I personally suggest zone alarm pro as it is reliable however nis does have a popup blocker which is quite useful. Anways when u first install either firewall i.e. clean install you'll get notifications of a server attempting to portscan u. Nis will block this ip for 30 minutes. This IP is basically ur ISP!!! And after clicking okay in NIS u'll find that u'll have trouble accessing ur internet through ur web browser. The easy way is to unblock the server and add it to ur exceptions list.

Overall Zonealarm is ultra 1337

  • 0
Grand Master

vip

Posted
Posted

Ok, I just read through this thread ... i know it's kind of late, but hey .. what can I say, I'm slow. I'd really like some facts comparing outpost to ZA PRO4 (zapro5 sucks) .. i've heard from other people that the filters ZA Pro installs slows down internet speeds, and p2p apps like Bittorrent.. I'd like to give outpost a try, but going on 'outpost rocks, or outpost is my choice' doesnt really convince a person. Why do the people that use outpost prefer it to anything else?

  • 0
Proficient

Daedalus

Posted
Posted

I prefer Outpost. It has a very easy to use interface and advanced features. It is also very light on system resources. Here is an except from the review over at PC Pro:

If you throw in the reduction in CPU load by more than 50 per cent and memory hogging by 40 per cent over previous versions - thanks to the new logging system - the case for Outpost Pro gets even stronger. Of all the software firewalls we've tested in the last year, Outpost has the least impact upon system resources, despite its ability to handle up to 1Gb/sec of continual traffic and monitor 200 simultaneous connections.

Of course, no software option could claim to be the perfect firewall, but Outpost is the best of its breed and fully deserves its A List placing.

The full review can be found (surprisingly enough) in the 'Reviews' section. http://www.pcpro.co.uk/

Hope this helps.

  • 0
Rookie

Duluoz

Posted
Posted

Hardware firewalls are of course the best setup. However...

I currently use BlackICE. But when Iused to run a chat server that would get SYN flooded and Frag'd to death on a daily basis, I installed everything from BlackICE Server Ed - ZoneAlarm Pro and about 10 others inbetween. I have to admit that 8Signs Firewall was the BEST by far at detecting when a SYN attacks were going to happen, successfully block it, as well as allow me to apply rules to still allow traffic to flow that should be permited. The overhead to the CPU was extreamly low as well. However, the down side is that its not all for the novice user. But when you getting DoS, SYN, and Fragmented File attacks, its in my opinion, the best software defence. For you Win2k users consider editing your regitry to accomidate for SYN attacks as well; it does help.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share
Go to question listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Posts

    • U.S. partially reverses Anthropic AI ban for Mythos but keeps Fable 5 off the market

      By Karthik Mudaliar · Posted

      U.S. partially reverses Anthropic AI ban for Mythos but keeps Fable 5 off the market by Karthik Mudaliar Anthropic says that the U.S. government has finally allowed it to restore Claude Mythos 5. But of course, there's a catch. The rollout is again for a limited set of U.S. organizations that operate and defend critical infrastructure. The company announced this in a post on X (formerly Twitter). This does not mean that Anthropic's latest frontier models are back to normal availability. Fable 5, which was a tuned version of Mythos 5 for public release, remains unavailable. Anthropic said that it is still working with the government to expand Mythos 5 access and make Fable 5 available again, but there's no timeline. Reports from Bloomberg and Reuters say that this decision actually came through a letter from the U.S. Commerce Department. According to Reuters, this would allow more than 100 companies and institutions access to Mythos 5. Reuters also reported that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s letter removes the need for export licenses for approved companies’ non-US citizen employees, as well as Anthropic’s own non-US citizen employees, while restrictions remain for organizations outside the approved list. Anthropic isn't alone with this kind of controlled rollout. OpenAI's newest model family, GPT 5.6, was announced just yesterday, but isn't available for everyone yet. In its announcement, OpenAI also said that access to these models is initially limited to a select group of trusted partners and organizations, with broader access planned later this year. Both of these cases show that frontier AI launches are no longer just ordinary product releases and more like slow and vetted deployments shaped heavily by the U.S. government.
    • OpenAI announces GPT‑5.6 Sol, its next-generation flagship model beating Claude Mythos 5

      By monterxz · Posted

      Sol, Terra, Luna - aren't those the names of failed crypto coins? 🤣🤣🤣
    • Microsoft Weekly: 5 years of Windows 11, more support for Windows 10, and expensive Xbox

      By TarasBuria · Posted

      Microsoft Weekly: 5 years of Windows 11, more support for Windows 10, and expensive Xbox by Taras Buria This week's news recap is here, with Microsoft giving Windows 10 one more year of support, Windows 11 getting new taskbar settings in preview updates, Steam Machine prices, higher XBOX prices, and many more. Quick links: Windows 10 and 11 Windows Insider Program Updates are available Reviews are in Gaming news Great deals to check Windows 11 and Windows 10 Here, we talk about everything happening around Microsoft's latest operating system in the Stable channel and preview builds: new features, removed features, controversies, bugs, interesting findings, and more. And, of course, you may find a word or two about older versions. On June 24, 2026, Windows 11 turned five. The controversial operating system was released half a decade ago, and during these years, it received a fair share of criticism (such as poor Windows Search and its web results), which Microsoft is now actively addressing with regular preview updates that deliver missing, long-requested features. With Windows 12 nowhere to be seen on the horizon, it will be interesting to see if Windows 11 can stay on the market for as long as Windows 10 did. Speaking of Windows 10 and staying on the market, this week, Microsoft quietly prolonged the Extended Security Updates program for Windows 10, allowing users to get one more year of security updates if they do not want or cannot upgrade to Windows 11. Finally, Microsoft released this month's non-security update for Windows 11. KB5095093 arrived with a traditionally long list of new features, including point-in-time restore, new Windows Update settings, quieter Windows Widgets, new accessibility features, File Explorer updates and performance improvements, and more. Windows Insider Program Here is what Microsoft released for Windows Insiders this week: Builds Canary Channel Build 29617.1000 and build 28120.2374 These builds bring new accessibility features, new Windows Update controls, audio improvements, and more. Dev Channel Build 26300.8758 This build includes redesigned taskbar settings, File Explorer improvements, and more. Beta Channel Build 26220.8754 and build 28020.2366 This small update fixes the OneDrive bug in File Explorer, tweaks system sounds in dark mode, and more. Updates are available This section covers software, firmware, and other notable updates (released and coming soon) delivering new features, security fixes, improvements, patches, and more from Microsoft and third parties. If you use AI-powered browsing history search in Microsoft Edge, the company has bad news. A new update on the Microsoft 365 Roadmap revealed that Microsoft is discontinuing the feature. Despite using on-device models for natural search, some users found it creepy, claiming that Microsoft lacks trust in features like this. While the ability to find pages without using 100% precise words may sound cool, customers argued that it was nothing but another feature to bloat the browser with more AI. Good riddance? PowerToys received several updates this week. For one, Microsoft released version 0.100.1 with several improvements and bug fixes for the recently arrived version 0.100. A couple of days later, Microsoft dropped another update, this time fixing memory leaks in Command Palette Dock. In addition, the company is working on a new module that will make it easier to switch between windows within one application using the Alt + ` shortcut. The new module should make it to the stable release somewhere soon. Here are other updates and releases you may find interesting: New Ventoy update adds Windows 11's mandatory update support and more Microsoft updates Visual Studio Code with chat cost tracking and multi-agent chats Microsoft is building an AI datacenter that "uses less water than a fast food restaurant" Microsoft adds new AI study and teaching tools for free to Microsoft 365 Education Researchers claim Microsoft's quantum breakthrough is flawed by basic Python errors Microsoft is bringing a much-needed Recap app to Teams Microsoft's fast coding model, MAI-Code-1-Flash, comes to Copilot Business and Enterprise Here are the latest drivers and firmware updates released this week: AMD Radeon Software 26.6.2 with FSR 4.1 support for RDNA 3 graphics card. However, the driver contained a bug, which prevented installations on Windows 10 PCs. AMD fixed that with a quick hotfix update. Reviews are in Here is the hardware and software we reviewed this week This week, Steven Parker published several reviews. He shared his experience with the Creative Sound Blaster AE-X PCIe, a high-quality sound card with a headphone amp, low-latency communications, great build quality, and DSD256. However, it is on the pricier side of the spectrum, and it lacks EMI shielding. Check out the full review here. The second review is about the TerraMaster F4-425 Pro, an octa-core Intel NAS with a stand-out feature: built-in AI (OpenClaw). We also published a few Hands On reviews, which you can view below: We check out the SKG PS700 Neck Massager SKG Hand Massager with Heat OS500 hands on Hands-on with BOOX Tappy: cute little reading accessory Hands on with the ProtoArc EM25 affordable ergonomic mouse On the gaming side Learn about upcoming game releases, Xbox rumors, new hardware, software updates, freebies, deals, discounts, and more. If you plan to purchase a new Xbox, it's time to act now. This week, Microsoft announced yet another Xbox price increase. Starting August 1, 2026, all Xbox Series X|S models with 512 GB of storage will cost $100 more. As for the 1TB models, they are going up in price by a whopping $150. Finally, Microsoft is discontinuing the 2TB Xbox Series X. To make up for that, Microsoft announced a few programs to make its consoles more accessible. Those include BNPL, interest-free financing, pre-owned consoles, certified refurbished consoles, and more. Valve also shared some not-so-welcome news. The company has finally announced prices of the upcoming Steam Machine console, and if you plan to buy one, get ready to spend a whopping $1,049 on the 512GB configuration. The Steam Machine is now available for preorder, with shipments scheduled for June 29, 2026. Grand Theft Auto VI also received its official price tag. Rockstar Games announced that the long-anticipated game will launch at $79.99 for the base edition and $99.99 for the ultimate edition. The latter includes an exclusive collection of premium vehicles, weapons, apparel, and action threaded across all aspects of Jason and Lucia’s story." Those who preorder the game will get extra bonuses, including a Vintage Vice City Pack of cosmetic items as well as a free month of GTA+. NVIDIA announced new games for its GeForce NOW streaming service. Those include Dark Scrolls, SAND: Raiders of Sophie, Deer & Boy, EMPULSE, and more. Steam is running its annual Summer Sale, during which you can purchase plenty of various games with big discounts. It runs until July 9, so in case you missed it, you can still get some games at a lower price. Also, you can get two games for free in the Epic Games Store, plus more deals are available in this week's Weekend PC Game Deals issue. This link will take you to other issues of the Microsoft Weekly series. You can also support Neowin by registering for a free member account or subscribing for extra member benefits, along with an ad-free tier option.
    • New PowerToys update fixes memory leaks and other issues

      By Steven P. · Posted

      Text extractor hasn't been working great on 0.99.1 but I am now updating to this version, hopefully it's better!
    • The Trump administration doesn't want you to use OpenAI's GPT-5.6 without its approval

      By monterxz · Posted

      Yet you did exactly what they wanted you to do - is it better now without "Europrats"? BTW, UK had joined EU (EEC back then) and was one of the leading member states, it never joined Schengen Zone though 😉

  • Recent Achievements

    • Week One Done
      flexorcist earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Month Later
      Woland13 earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      Woland13 earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Year In
      bernmeister earned a badge
      One Year In
    • Week One Done
      Scoobystu earned a badge
      Week One Done

  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      502
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      226
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      156
    4. 4
      Steven P.
      75
    5. 5
      FloatingFatMan
      71
    Show More

  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!