Advice Request Firewall with good port usage-info/control

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silversurfer

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Is there a stand-alone software Firewall (FW) that enables user to:
-See what apps are using which ports?
-Enables user to readily make rules to close ports or limit their use to certain apps?

You may want to check out this FW, the developer himself does inform about updates here:

 

upnorth

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The one @silversurfer point at might be a interesting one, as that also seems to get constant updates and has a active development. Another that comes to mind, as I seen the developer even active here on the forum is Portmaster.
 

Back3

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I have F-Secure Safe on my PC. It uses Windows Firewall. So to enhance my outgoing protection, I installed Firewall Hardening ( Andy Ful) and to limit the use of certain apps, I utilize Firewall App Blocker. Those two don't affect the performance of my system.
Do you have a firewall that comes with your antivirus?
 
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bellgamin

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@HarborFront -- Thanks for the suggestion. I had forgotten about FortKnow FW. I checked its website. FortKnox seems outdated. Its website still shows version 2009 & its User's Guide only covers Windows 7 Vista, & 2000.

@silversurfer -- Fort FW has many advocates both here & at Wilders forum. Deservedly so. Sadly, Fort FW wouldn't run under Shadow Defender, which is where I always trial new-to-me security apps. I will have to do a system image then try Fort. If Fort turns out to be "not my cup of tea," then I will restore the image -- then upward & onward. I shall get to that trial in the near future.

@upnorth -- Portmaster looks great. So far, it's functioning smooth as silk during my Shadow trial.

@Back3 -- I'm running K7 AV and, yes, it does have a firewall component. However, I prefer a stand-alone firewall with greater granularity than K7's firewall provides.
 

HarborFront

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Can try Sterjo Netstalker v1.4


Maybe you should be looking at a network monitoring tool. Likely to get more options
 
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HarborFront

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@HarborFront -- Thanks for the suggestion. I had forgotten about FortKnow FW. I checked its website. FortKnox seems outdated. Its website still shows version 2009 & its User's Guide only covers Windows 7 Vista, & 2000.

FortKnox FW supports Win 10


SOFTPEDIA and MAJORGEEKS state Win 11 supported



You can write in to them and ask whether it supports Win 11
 
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tnodir

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Apr 19, 2022
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Freki123

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Not sure if tinywall would fit your needs.
I has options for port usage/rules (atleast it looks like that for me I never used these options) and even runs on windows 11 22H2.
 
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bellgamin

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@HarborFront -- Tweaking a security app to (A) make it functional under an updated operating system isn't the same as (B) upgrading that app to keep it at the leading edge for dealing with the latest types of threats and attack vectors. Hopefully the FortKnox developers have done both A & B.

I value & respect your continued confidence in FortKnox. I shall certainly take a much closer look at FortKnox's paid version & give it a shadow trial as well.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
@tnodir -- Simplewall does both. To wit, it: (a) enables special rules to block ports or limit their usage & (b) gives adequately detailed data for every connection.

I will surely take a look at System Informer -- many thanks for bringing that interesting app to my attention!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
@Freki123 -- I have heard nothing but GOOD reports about TinyWall (TW). For that reason, I tried it several times over the years, seeking to get myself to finally accept its idiosyncracies and learn to love it. I have not yet succeeded.

TW's block-all/user-whitelist concept is not something that I want to deal with. Requiring user to develop a whitelist of trusted apps by digging through the program files, one by one by one, with near-ZERO computer assist, is not my cup of tea.

IMO, TW's developer needs to take a look at how VoodooShield, Spyshelter, and other such apps do this same type of job by using the computer to do the digging, so as to burden the user with nothing but the job of thinking and choosing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I have learned a lot from this thread. I am very VERY grateful for all of your helpful comments. MT is a GRRREAT forum, right? RIGHT!!!

I wish all of you a Merry Christmas and the hope that 2023 will be a year of blessing for all of us.

Aloha and Mele Kalikimaka from Hawaii,
Bill (bellgamin)
 
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Ichiro

New Member
Dec 24, 2022
1
Anyone use Windows 10\11 Firewall Control from Sphinx? Can they relate their experiences?

 
F

ForgottenSeer 69673

Fort Knox was my choice till a windows 10 update and beyond made its service stop working. the service would not stay running no matter what I tried. Before that it was tiny but that also stopped working. i have not tried it since it began development again. I currently use FAB in whitelist mode.
 

ng4ever

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Feb 11, 2016
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Anyone use Windows 10\11 Firewall Control from Sphinx? Can they relate their experiences?

No but I tried it.

Seems decent but a little confusing at first.
 
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HarborFront

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Fort Knox was my choice till a windows 10 update and beyond made its service stop working. the service would not stay running no matter what I tried. Before that it was tiny but that also stopped working. i have not tried it since it began development again. I currently use FAB in whitelist mode.

Have you tried the latest FortKnox v23.0.840?
 

7Oz-64

Level 1
Jan 16, 2023
18
Hi,
I try latest version of FortKnox Firewall on windows 10 21H1 and 22H2 and i didn't managed to register it in the windows security center
Installed without issue, reboot computer, at startup windows security center alert that the WIndows firewall is not activated (Domain and private are disabled, public is enabled but red), after 2-3 minutes, security center alert that two firewall are running, unfortunately when i click on FortKnox nothing happened, and red popup on security center tray icon. Installed Net.framework 3.5 and Visual C++ package in case of it's a recquirements but still no go.

Emailed support and response is "reboot your computer:geek:"

Could someone trial it and tell me if you can register it in the wsc.
Thanks
 
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Shiz

Level 1
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Nov 16, 2018
47
I use comodo firewall because of everything it brings. The only bug I encounter on Windows 11 is the icon in the system tray is invisible sometimes. I tried tinywall a long time ago and malwarebytes firewall control. Tinywall I didn't like but could have change a lot since i tried. Malwarebytes firewall control was good but sometimes weird bugs happen that I can't recall.
 

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