TinyWall Version 3 released! (Sept 2020)

[ddave]

TinyWall 3.1 released! All known issues to date have been fixed and of course there are new features too. As usual, automatic updates will be enabled a bit later.
This version is likely the last TinyWall version to officially support Windows 7. It is also the last version to support the old (v2.1) config format, a direct upgrade (without stopgaps) from v2 to future versions will not be possible. All users are recommended to upgrade.

There have been a few fixes since the Release Candidate so you should update even if you already have the RC.

And thanks for all the feedback I've got from testers here on MalwareTips

Changelog:

3.1.1 - Important update (11.10.2021.)
- Add option to block internet during display power-save
- Heuristically determine and show PIDs of blocked processes if possible
- Support for showing and whitelisting services in Processes and Connections windows
- Launch GUI with elevated privileges on boot if possible
- Use exact capitalization of paths from autolearn and blocked processes
- Reduce dependency on WMI and avoid polling by WMI
- Avoid creation of redundant "-" entries during autolearn
- Fix WFP audit logging is not disabled when autolearn mode ends
- Fix "active connections" and "open ports" lists would not recognize UWP processes as such
- Fix rule is ineffective if loaded while its target path is not mounted
- Fix rule is ineffective for paths with certain international characters
- Fix Bulgarian translation not loading
- Fix non-form Korean messages are gibberish due to wrong encoding
- Updated Italian translation
- New Hebrew localization
- GUI layout fixes for various localizations
- Updated application database
- Deprecation notes:
    Windows 7, 8, 8.1, and certain older versions of Windows 10
    will soon not be supported in a future TinyWall release.

Download link
Patreon release post (some extra info)

I have the 3.0.10 release installed and I'm trying to update via the "Update" button into the "Maintenance" settings but it claims I already have the newest version.
I'm using Windows 11.
What can I do?

 

[oldschool]

I have the 3.0.10 release installed and I'm trying to update via the "Update" button into the "Maintenance" settings but it claims I already have the newest version.
I'm using Windows 11.
What can I do?

Be patient. New version will come via Update button in a couple of days.

 

[ddave]

Be patient. New version will come via Update button in a couple of days.

Thank you

 

[show-Zi]

Hello @ultim I noticed only today that you now have a "Windows Defender" special exception that is 'unchecked' by default. I had installed TW without knowing about this. Maybe it would be a good idea to add a section about this in FAQ? or even a splash screen alert upon install for users who depend on WD for their protection. Thanks again for the great software.

I didn't notice this until I read your post. I checked and it was already excluded in my environment. Maybe it depends on your individual environment, such as other software that adjusts the defender.

 

[ultim]

I didn't notice this until I read your post. I checked and it was already excluded in my environment. Maybe it depends on your individual environment, such as other software that adjusts the defender.

This is a TinyWall setting we're talking about. No other software adjusts this. Anyway, the key takeaway is you have Windows Defender's full offline scanning and real-time protection, with the most recent antivirus engine and virus signaures, even when it is disabled in TinyWall. Disabling in TinyWall only prevents the cloud-based scans and automatic sample submission from working.

 

[ddave]

3.2.x - not yet released
- Add support for encrypted DNS in Windows 11
- Add support for whitelisting volumes mounted to mount points
- Add workaround for ImDisk issue (3.1.1 regression)
- Fix memory leak when changing service failure action
- Fix memory leak when verifying authenticode certificate
- Fix memory leak when using an IPv6 address filter condition
- Fix Connections list not sorted by timestamp by default (3.1.1 regression)
- Fix possible null-dereference with VeraCrypt volumes
- Update Japanese and Portuguese localizations

Quoting the changelog can someone explain to me how "support for encrypted DNS in Windows 11" works, please?

 

[ultim]

Quoting the changelog can someone explain to me how "support for encrypted DNS in Windows 11" works, please?

Encrypted DNS is a feature in Windows 11. Here is a guide about what it is and how to enable it. TinyWall 3.2 makes sure this Windows feature works "out-of-the-box" so that you don't have to create rules for it manually. Speaking of version 3.2...

 

[ddave]

Encrypted DNS is a feature in Windows 11. Here is a guide about what it is and how to enable it. TinyWall 3.2 makes sure this Windows feature works "out-of-the-box" so that you don't have to create rules for it manually. Speaking of version 3.2...

Speaking of version 3.2...

 

[ultim]

TinyWall 3.2 released!
Not much else to say other than the changelog this time, so... I guess just enjoy?

3.2.2 - Maintenance release (25.10.2021.)
- Add support for encrypted DNS in Windows 11
- Add support for whitelisting on mount points
- Add workaround for ImDisk issue
- Fix memory leak when changing service failure action
- Fix memory leak when verifying authenticode certificate
- Fix memory leak when using an IPv6 address filter condition
- Fix Connections list not sorted by timestamp by default (3.1.1 regression)
- Fix possible null-dereference with VeraCrypt volumes
- Update Japanese and Portuguese localizations
- Deprecation notes:
    Windows 7, 8, 8.1, and certain older versions of Windows 10
    will soon not be supported in a future TinyWall release.

Download

 

[ddave]

TinyWall 3.2 released!
Not much else to say other than the changelog this time, so... I guess just enjoy?

3.2.2 - Maintenance release (25.10.2021.)
- Add support for encrypted DNS in Windows 11
- Add support for whitelisting on mount points
- Add workaround for ImDisk issue
- Fix memory leak when changing service failure action
- Fix memory leak when verifying authenticode certificate
- Fix memory leak when using an IPv6 address filter condition
- Fix Connections list not sorted by timestamp by default (3.1.1 regression)
- Fix possible null-dereference with VeraCrypt volumes
- Update Japanese and Portuguese localizations
- Deprecation notes:
    Windows 7, 8, 8.1, and certain older versions of Windows 10
    will soon not be supported in a future TinyWall release.

Download

I'm really sorry but, there's an option for the encrypted DNS or tinywall makes its magic automatically?

 

[ultim]

I'm really sorry but, there's an option for the encrypted DNS or tinywall makes its magic automatically?

There is no option in TinyWall. You enable the option in Windows, and TinyWall 3.2 "makes its magic automatically". (To be more precise, support for encrypted DNS in TinyWall is included in the DNS special exception with the rest of the "traditional" DNS rules, which is enabled by default.)

 

[ultim]

TinyWall 3.2.5 released!

No new features, only fixes and improvements. Parallel I've been working on a new feature branch which has a ton of memory allocation and performance improvements, and I decided to backport a significant portion of those changes where easily possible, so those are also included. Sorry I couldn't get this release out by Christmas. By the way, happy Christmas / Holidays everybody!

3.2.5 - Maintenance release (28.12.2021.)
- Correctly handle change of presence of trailing slashes in registry paths
- Backport many memory improvements from WIP TinyWall 3.3+
- Fix grey icon due to long startup time when apps such as Samsung Magician 7.0 are installed
- Fix merging of blocked UWP app entries in Connections window
- Update Bulgarian localization
- Deprecation notes:
Windows 7, 8, 8.1, and certain older versions of Windows 10
will soon not be supported in a future TinyWall release.

The new release can be downloaded immediately from the homepage, while distribution over the integrated update checker is delayed as usual.
Download link

 

[show-Zi]

Thank you! I installed it immediately. It is working without problems. By the way, did ver3.2.4 exist? I used to use 3.2.3.

 

[ultim]

By the way, did ver3.2.4 exist? I used to use 3.2.3.

3.2.4 was a test version, it did not exist as a public release. Such version "skips" will now start occurring as explained here.

 

[Azure]

Some statements from the author and Tinywall is now Open Source

https://www.patreon.com/posts/open-sourcing-on-79924065

 

[I Walk MY Way]

Tinywall has always been a good firewall but its been stuck in the past, its been very 2015, now maby someone will take it on and bring it into 2023.

 

[ForgottenSeer 98186]

"Unlike an antivirus, a firewall does not need regular updates to stay effective. Even if years would pass without development, TinyWall will work just as well and effective as on the day you installed it first - unless an OS update breaks it, which in TinyWall’s 12 year history happened maybe once."

-- Developer, TinyWall

Yeah, home users cannot cope with the above statement. They do not understand and they inject nonsense into the reality of it.

 

[oldschool]

Tinywall has always been a good firewall but its been stuck in the past, its been very 2015, now maby someone will take it on and bring it into 2023.

Stuck in the past? TinyWall was totally rewritten in ~ 2021 and released as v 3.0, developed as an entirely separate FW instead of just a front-end for Windows Firewall, and it has been updated recently to v 3.3.

 

[silversurfer]

Just for the record the full changelog of latest version(s)

TinyWall Changelog
---------------------

3.3.1 - Maintenance release (12.03.2023.)
- TinyWall is now open-source
- Add GitHub button to Settings window
- Change license to GPLv3
- Fix Korean localization not loading
- Update Chinese localization

---------------------

3.3.0 - Major update (05.03.2023.)
- Windows 10 and .Net Framework 4.8 are now prerequisites
- Do not require executable to exist when editing firewall exceptions in GUI
- Migrate serialization formats to JSON to avoid runtime code generation
- Migrate native libraries to .Net
- Many memory and performance optimizations
- Annotate for and enable null-state static analysis
- Code restructuring and modernization
- Deprecated code removal

Source: https://tinywall.pados.hu/changelog.txt

 

[show-Zi]

Since I had the strong impression that @ultim continued to grow its software with absolute confidence and policy, I was honestly surprised to see it go open source.
I gave up using TinyWall because of problems I could not solve with F-Secure, but I like the software very much because it strongly reflects ultim's claims.