# What firewall should I use?



## cdfreelancer (Feb 28, 2005)

For several months now I've been happily using ZoneAlarm, mostly because it's functional and free. However, I recently discovered that ZoneAlarm was acquired by an Israeli company, Check Point, which is suspected of being an intelligence front for the Israeli Mossad. I heard a rumour that ZoneAlarm compiles information about your surfing habits and uploads it to a database for the use of Israeli intelligence. You can read more about this here.

I'm quite disturbed by this and I've decided to purchase another firewall unless there are any good free ones out there besides ZoneAlarm. What firewall would anyone recommend? I'm presently using McAfee anti-virus. I'm thinking along the lines of simply buying McAfee firewall for compatibility's sake.

Any help is greatly appreciated!


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## The Gorilla (May 27, 2007)

You could try Comodo available here it' s free and has a large fan base.


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## cdfreelancer (Feb 28, 2005)

I don't mind paying for a firewall as long as it offers the best protection available.


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## koala (Mar 27, 2005)

The freeware Comodo firewall will give you the same level of protection as Zone Alarm. In fact it scores higher in benchmark tests.

As for McAfee, I wouldn't bother. There are much better options available for free.


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## macten (Oct 31, 2004)

I wouldn't buy any McAfee, Norton or Computer Associates products. Free Avast works very well for antivirus.


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## DiogoPedreira (May 28, 2007)

Well, bitdefender is one of the best, you could try it out!


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## cdfreelancer (Feb 28, 2005)

But how do you know if any of those 'free' firms aren't owned by security interests? I don't want big brother poking his big nose into my business.


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## koala (Mar 27, 2005)

The companies and software recommended by TSF are all checked out to make sure they are safe and do the job they're supposed to. Obviously we can't go into every company's history or financial dealings to see who they are funded by or partners with, but the security team keep an ear close to the ground so any news will be reported here, as was the news about Zone Alarm a few months back.


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## Cellus (Aug 31, 2006)

Many of the products recommended by TSF are popular and recognized among the Internet community. Many have been thoroughly tested and reviewed by professionals and websites around the globe, and have been used by many people.

We understand your concerns. We hate nosy software as much as you do.


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## cdfreelancer (Feb 28, 2005)

Okay then, I'll give Comodo a try. Thanks for the heads-up on that!


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## weirdboy (May 25, 2007)

PC Tools has a new free firewall. I have been extremely happy with their other products. I downloaded their firewall. Not nearly as high maintenece as Zone alarm.

PC Tools Firewall Plus
http://www.pctools.com/firewall/


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## rayeanne (Sep 12, 2010)

Is it better to use my Windows Vista firewall or get another one?


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## johnwill (Sep 26, 2002)

The Vista firewall is fine, you don't really need another one unless you find something that you can't accomplish with the free Vista one.


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