Firewall Review

Firewalls: Test reports and research

Firewall hardware and software are essential components of computer security. A firewall protects a computer against unauthorized access by hackers, hijackers, nefarious websites and malicious software. All firewalls, except the one integrated into Windows operating systems, also block threats already on your computer from communicating with the perpetrator or a third party, so that hackers can't gain access to your personal data or computer. Windows Vista is a step up from XP in that regard, but outbound protection is still lacking in many experts' eyes.

While not every software reviewer has done a good job of reporting on firewalls, we found several excellent resources for this update. The best is Matousec.com, an independent tester of firewall performance that's so well regarded that other reviewers often use the test results in their own reports. Testing is rigorous and revised continuously, with the results posted for all to see. The most recent protocol challenges each firewall with 84 tests. However, the site considers nothing but effectiveness, leaving the evaluation of usage issues to others.

Among other reviewers, we found the best reporting from veteran computer journalist Scot Finnie, who produces Scot's Newsletter Blog and is editor-in-chief of ComputerWorld.com. With real-life tests and input from the knowledgeable readers of his newsletter, Finnie narrows the field down to two top-notch firewalls and then picks the one that strikes the best balance between security and usability. Britain's Web User is among the best mainstream reviewers to cover firewalls, though some reporting can also be found at PCMag.com and PC World. User input is available at several software download sites, including Download.com and Softpedia.com

Most expert reviews are influenced by Matousec.com's analysis of leak tests, which check for malware programs that try to connect to an outside server from a computer to give a hacker access. Reviewers also try to disable the software, as some malware programs try to do. While features and ease of use are important, technical performance is the most important buying consideration for firewall software, experts say.

ZoneAlarm, acquired by Check Point in 2004, is one of the oldest and best-known makers of firewall software. Unfortunately, its long history doesn't translate into high ratings. ZoneAlarm's reputation has been falling steadily in recent years. ZoneAlarm 8.0 is the most recent version at the time of this update, and it comes in both free and commercial versions. Unfortunately testing reveals that neither is a contender when it comes to firewall performance.

ZoneAlarm Pro 8.0 (*Est. $40) caught only 72 percent of threats in Matousec.com's most recent leak tests. Though Matousec.com calls that protection level good, it's not good enough to earn a recommendation because it is beaten by many competing firewalls. It's also a step backward compared to the previous version, which fared better in Matousec.com's tests. But while the paid version of ZoneAlarm is a disappointment, it's a champ compared with the free version. In Matousec.com's testing, ZoneAlarm Free Firewall stopped just 11 percent of attacks, yielding, in the site's opinion, no real protection at all.

Both paid and free firewalls are available. Paid programs generally include updates for one year, though some have longer licenses. Most of the paid programs have 30-day free trials, but setting up and training a firewall is a time-consuming hassle that few people would want to repeat.

Some software publishers offer both free and paid versions of the same firewall. Free versions lack some features and/or provide different levels of protection. For example, Online Armor Free is a free version of the very highly regarded Online Armor Personal Firewall (*Est. $40). Few experts recommend the free version, however. Although protection is still relatively strong, it's not as strong as the paid version according to tests. More of a concern, however, is that it can only be updated manually. As Scot Finnie notes, that's a tedious process that involves uninstalling the previous version

In addition to standalone firewall programs, firewalls are often part of an integrated Internet security suite. Suites also include antivirus software, a spam filter, anti-spyware software and parental controls. They are cheaper to buy than separate programs, and most are convenient to use. However, test results and reviewer opinions indicate that the firewall component in the best integrated suites falls short of the best standalone products. See the separate ConsumerSearch report for more information on Internet security suites.