PC Tools Firewall Plus — Vista Compatible

There are a very few security softwares for Windows Vista, PC Tools Firewall Plus is now compatible with Windows Vista.It protects your computer by preventing unauthorized users from gaining access to your computer through the Internet or a network. By monitoring applications that connect to the network.Firewall Plus can stop Trojans, backdoors, keyloggers and other malware from damaging your computer and stealing your private information.It is highly aimed at regular users than experts.

Features

Intelligent automatic protection without all the questions.
Easy to use. Designed for both, novice and expert users.
Advanced rules to protect your PC against common attacks.
Its also free, no limitations.

Whats new in this version

Better protection against network intruder

New Smart Rules

PC Tools Firewall Plus now incorporates a set of new smart application rules, designed to make it simpler and easier for you to continue working with minimal interference from your Firewall.

Technically, using the Application Rules within PC Tools Firewall Plus, you can create a heuristic set of rules that control how applications are allowed to connect to the Internet/network and their permissions on your PC. If an application attempts to connect to the Internet/network and there are no corresponding rules, Firewall Plus will allow you to choose how the application should behave.

Stealth Mode Protection

Firewall Plus provides you with extra protection via its Stealth Mode feature which enables your system to appear invisible to other computers in the network. When in Stealth Mode, your computer is able to make connections to other computers in the network, but Firewall Plus will prevent other computers from connecting with yours.

Data validation using SPI – stateful packet inspection

Firewall Plus offers extra protection by validating all attempts to access your computer when connected to the internet. No data is permitted to transfer unless if has first been validated by Firewall Plus.

Firewall Plus validates data using SPI – stateful packet inspection – in which it performs a protocol handshake and if successful allows data transfer, otherwise all traffic is blocked – ensuring no unauthorised data is transferred onto your computer.

Application Protection

Firewall Plus offers additional application protection by guarding all the applications on your PC from unauthorized access. Enabling this option will shield applications on your system from other applications attempting to take control of them and potentially use them for malicious purposes.

Verdict — It should definitely be a good option, considering its mere size of 5 MB for a firewall, supporting the next generation operating system as well.It supports Windows® Vista™ 32-bit, XP, 2000 and Server 2003.

Download it from PC Tools.