Advice Request Alternate for (Agnitum) Outpost Firewall

Please provide comments and solutions that are helpful to the author of this topic.

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grrr

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Jun 17, 2011
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Hello Friends,
For post 4 years I have been using Outpost Firewall without any issues.
However, due to recent news that "Agnitum has terminated sales of the Outpost product line", I'm in dilemma as to which firewall to use.

Please note that I was using only Firewall module in Outpost Firewall and really liked the feature wherein I could block URLs (advertisements, etc).

I would greatly appreciate your tested suggestions on a Firewall, having ability to block URLs.

I'm currently using Avira Pro Antivirus & MBAM Real-time.
OS-Win7 64-bit with no chance of upgrading it to Win10

Thanks, Grr
 

Petrovic

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Apr 25, 2013
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only comodo fw, other
78f88931c8d54d623db9c198ef9f.gif

windows firewall? no?
use Internet Security :D
 

Soulbound

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Jan 14, 2015
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Hello Friends,
For post 4 years I have been using Outpost Firewall without any issues.
However, due to recent news that "Agnitum has terminated sales of the Outpost product line", I'm in dilemma as to which firewall to use.

Please note that I was using only Firewall module in Outpost Firewall and really liked the feature wherein I could block URLs (advertisements, etc).

I would greatly appreciate your tested suggestions on a Firewall, having ability to block URLs.

I'm currently using Avira Pro Antivirus & MBAM Real-time.
OS-Win7 64-bit with no chance of upgrading it to Win10

Thanks, Grr
you have one easy option: OpenDNS (Home Internet Security | OpenDNS)

Sign up for free, set the dns servers then go to Umbrella > login and configure for your connection. On the list of selectable content, below you can manually add domains.

Edit: another option is to use HOST files manipulation.

As for Firewalls to block sites, zonealarm is one option that I remember having before. Havent visited the program for quite some time tho.
 
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DracusNarcrym

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I would say the closest alternative to Outpost Firewall is COMODO Firewall - in fact, COMODO Firewall is considered by many to be Outpost Firewall's rival software.

As of version 8.2, COMODO Firewall incorporates the following security components:
  • Firewall Network firewall which monitors packet transactions through network protocols and can be configured to either automatically handle network events or prompt the user with an alert to handle the event by allowing or blocking the action. In the case of the event being triggered by the attempted action of a running process, the user may or may not be prompted with an alert (based on CFW's configuration) to allow that action, to block that action, or to treat the process' action based on a predefined ruleset. The user can also optionally have CFW create a rule for his specific choice in that particular alert, so that every next time the same event is triggered, CFW resolves it automatically based on that choice of the user.
  • Defense+ (HIPS) Defense+ is the name of COMODO Firewall's HIPS (Host Intrusion Prevention System) component, which monitors process and local system activity within the host and prompts the user for any suspicious event, based on specified monitoring settings in COMODO Firewall's configuration. The rest is the same as in the case of the network Firewall: The event is either handled automatically based on COMODO Firewall's configuration or the user is prompted to act with an alert which contains the same types options as the alerts of the network Firewall. (allow the action, block the action, treat the action based on a ruleset, and optionally store the user's answer to the alert so that the chosen option is automatically applied the next time the same event is triggered)
  • Sandbox The COMODO Sandbox component (technically a part of Defense+) allows for the "virtualization" of the actions of specified target processes, so that those actions are redirected to a virtual area which is intended to mimic the functions of the actual system, using proprietary virtualization routines. In this way, the actions of sandboxed processes (which are usually suspicious) do not affect the physical system, rather the virtual "container" which imitates the actual system. Sandboxed processes function completely normally (in the vast majority of cases), and their actions csn be immediately erased by the user through the related COMODO Firewall option. Sandboxed processes cannot access the files, data, and running processes of the physical system, as their actions are being redirected to the virtualized system within the sandbox. COMODO Sandbox can be configured to automatically sandbox processes based on a group of policies predefined within COMODO Firewall's configuration. The user can also configure policies which will instruct COMODO Sandbox to alert the user instead of automatically applying the rules of a specific policy. With these alerts, the user will be prompted to choose whether to run the process sandboxed, un-sandboxed, or to block the process' execution altogether. COMODO Sandbox can also be configured with custom policies to impose certain levels of restrictions on sandboxed processes, so that in addition to their actions being redirected within the sandbox, some of their action which require elevated privileges (permissions to perform critical system actions) are completely blocked.
  • Viruscope The Viruscope component of COMODO Firewall (also technically part of Defense+) by default actively analyzes the actions of sandboxed processes (can also be configured to analyze specific groups/types of non-sandboxed applications) and determines whether those processes might be malicious or not. Then, Viruscope prompts the user with an alert, in which the user can choose to block or ignore that process, and, if blocked, the user can choose whether to have Viruscope attempt to revert that process' actions or not. Viruscope can of course, like any other component of COMODO Firewall, be configured with certain policies which outline how it should function.

I'm sorry about the wall of text, however I wanted to make this post as encompassing as possible.
If you want to have a more thorough read on the components of COMODO Firewall and their function, be sure to check out the following official help guide pages:
COMODO Internet Security v8.2 Help Guide
COMODO Internet Security Help Guides [List of help guides for all versions]

COMODO Internet Security incorporates all COMODO Firewall components, with the addition of COMODO Antivirus. Therefore, the above guides also apply to COMODO Firewall, minus the pages covering COMODO Antivirus, of course.
The current version of COMODO Firewall/COMODO Internet Security at the time this message was posted, is version 8.2. The second link above is an index of guides for every version of CFW/CIS, and that is where you will find links to the latest help guides for future versions as well.

That would be all as far as COMODO Firewall is concerned.
The only drawbacks to this program are certain glitches/bugs (which affect mostly the usability of the application), the need for configuring the various components for optimal security, and the fact that it requires from its users, at least a medium level of knowledge in computers or in IT in general due to the potentially technical nature of its components, its alerts and/or its configuration options.

Other than that, I believe that in the hands of a sufficiently experienced user, combined with proper configuration and safe computing habits, COMODO Firewall can provide an unparalleled level of protection and security.

In other words, I am confident that COMODO Firewall can be a more than satisfactory substitute for Outpost Firewall.

Another similar security product is Privatefirewall by Privacyware, for which however I cannot provide substantial input, as I have never used it beyond testing it in a virtual machine.
Judging from the multiple tests I conducted on Privatefirewall however, I am inclined to believe that it could also be worth looking into.

I hope you find this information of use!

EDIT: The network Firewall component of COMODO Firewall also allows the user to define network zones (e.g. domain names, IPs, IP ranges, etc) to be blocked.
 
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H

hjlbx

I would greatly appreciate your tested suggestions on a Firewall, having ability to block URLs.

If you want freeware firewall with very good web-content filtering - there is none.

COMODO Firewall is good firewall, but web-content filtering is essentially non-existent.

You can use COMODO Firewall + Norton ConnectSafe DNS. Both are free.

The problem with DNS filtering is that it filters URLs that you would very likely never - ever - visit.

For good web-content filtering I highly recommend Adguard (desktop version - not the browser extension). It is paid.

If you want freeware, then uBlock Origin is one of the better alternatives.

COMODO Firewall will be the closest at replicating your experience with Outpost, but they are dis-similar in many respects.
 

Online_Sword

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Mar 23, 2015
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or post 4 years I have been using Outpost Firewall without any issues.

If so, why not keep using Outpost Firewall?

I agree with @kronckew on his posts in Outpost Firewall 9.3 | Page 3 | Wilders Security Forums :
OPFW pro will continue to work for a long time, it just won't auto-update presets after they stop the update server. you will need to manually tweak some rules for new software not covered by the old presets. hips will likely continue to work.
 
M

Mihir :-)

Why do you say that?.

It is an excellent firewall, probably the best free firewall. If you're looking for a soft with many options, you have other options, but if you want a great free firewall, this is, for me, the best choice.

Check Point ZoneAlarm Free Firewall 2016
Because it fails to protecting my pc from common viruses and network attacks.But Private firewall protect me from many of them in windows 7 and 8.And please check Pc Security Channel video.That also shows how this product failed.
 
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Sr. Normal

Because it fails to protecting my pc from common viruses and network attacks.But Private firewall protect me from many of them in windows 7 and 8.And please check Pc security Channel video.That also shows how this product failed.

Privatefirewall is excellent too. I do not know how you have configured both, neither of these common viruses and network attacks which have attacked ZoneAlarm and not the Privatefirewall. Nor did any work costs me think the same thing can happen, but in reverse, with others common viruses and others network attacks.

I understand that, in your personal opinion, you think there are better solutions free ZoneAlarm. In the same way that mine is not. We are not showing facts, only conjectures.
I tried both and my experience has been quite different from yours.

Sometimes when we say that something is better or worse, what they really say is that we feel comfortable. Intangibles are what make us decide for one solution or another, but again, it is my personal opinion and really have not data that make me change it

Anyway they are two excellent firewalls
 
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