Free Personal Firewalls

Many of the links in this book serve to disprove the notion “you get what you pay for.” Free personal firewalls are no exception. Unfortunately, the personal firewall industry has matured to a point where every possible step has been taken to prevent the casual user from finding free firewalls. The firewalls that were once free of charge are now provided at cost, and every effort has been made to remove the older (free) versions from the Internet. Fortunately, the good folks at OldVersion.com continue to provide the world with software that used to be “better.”

Tiny Personal Firewall

This may be a little hard to find now that Tiny has restructured and the new firewall is no longer free, but Tiny is a full-featured, low-level firewall with many of the bells and whistles offered by top-of-the-line products. This software is definitive proof that newer is not always better, so look for the last free version (2.0.15A) at www.oldversion.com.

Zone Alarm Firewall

This is a basic firewall developed for the sole purpose of tempting you to buy Zone Alarm Pro. Fortunately, a basic firewall is enough to protect you from most of today’s threats. You can currently find this firewall at www.zonelabs.com.

Sygate Personal Firewall

This firewall, like Tiny, is yet another victim of restructuring. The new firewall offered by Symantec is no longer free, but the last free version of Sygate Personal Firewall (5.6.2808) can still be found at www.oldversion.com.