Sygate Personal Firewall

Sygate Personal Firewall is an impressive package featuring an effective level of Internet protection. SPF integrates a secure networking layer with an intuitive graphical interface. SPF can be easily configured for most situations with its included predefined security rule-sets. Novice users will benefit most by these built-in options, as it does not require intricate network knowledge to set up SPF for use with a stand-alone Internet capable system.

I was unable to compromise the security of Sygate Personal Firewall with thorough testing procedures. SPF successfully detected and blocked all intrusion and online scan attempts. SPF's flexibility to include user definable configurations for both general network settings and per-application rights is equally impressive. One can easily set up specific port and IP addresses trusted with access through the graphical user interface, which is an invaluable option. The ability to set trusted communications ensures that LAN communications are not compromised. SPF also allows most VPN protocols to bypass the firewall, so users using encrypted networking standards can still utilize the advanced features of this firewall. SPF's ability to automatically reconfigure itself for specific networks is impressive. This allows users with multiple ISPs to benefit from complete protection.

Another SPF option is an automated e-mail notification system. With this capability, SPF can forward an e-mail message when it logs suspicious network activity. This is a great option for users with remote systems where interactive monitoring is not possible. Another valuable feature allows the firewall to block all inbound and outbound network communications during certain time periods or while the system's screen saver is active. To protect the configuration of all options, the system's owner can set a private password to access the firewall configuration settings.

Sygate Personal Firewall even includes a detail-rich logging system. When set for "detailed logging", SPF will archive important data needed to find would-be attackers. Archive data includes the time, date, remote IP, remote port, local IP, local port, and direction of network activities. The log will even indicate when a firewall setting has been altered, which is useful for achieving more effective system security. The only downside to the logging process is the lack of a search or sort option. While this option is not needed for actual security level checking, it could simplify log file analysis.

Sygate Personal Firewall offers an efficient level of security with a great interface. Novice users will like the pre-configured settings, and power users will enjoy the ability to further define custom settings for specific port, address, and VPN transfers. I have no concern recommending Sygate Personal Firewall as a secure software package. The pricing is great—free—and the download is small. Definitely take a look at this product.