First, there was the firewall and then the antivirus, not to mention the endless list of patches installed now and then to close the security holes.

In Windows 10, security is managed under the name of Windows Defender, available in Settings> Update & Security> Windows Security. From there, we can check the status of the antivirus and firewall.

What is a firewall, and why do we need it?

A firewall is a network security system that monitors inbound and outbound traffic to and from devices connected to a network (usually the Internet) and acts as an intrusion detection mechanism to prevent attacks.

This can be found in both software installed on a computer and as a hardware-based firewall that typically runs on dedicated systems to protect entire networks against hackers. While the latter are often more adept at blocking intrusion attempts, they are also much more expensive and infinitely more complicated than the software firewalls that are often freely available.

The best firewalls to lock down Windows

ZoneAlarm

The best free basic firewall is ZoneAlarm. ZoneAlarm is one of the oldest and most well-known Windows firewall programs and comes in two versions- a free version that offers most of the basic features expected of a modern firewall and a paid version priced at $ 39.95.

The free version has the ability to hide open ports and also to identify and isolate suspicious traffic. The latest versions of the software can also connect to  DefenseNet to get real-time security updates on new threats. All in all, it is one of the most comprehensive and customizable third-party firewall programs that you can install on your PC.

Comfortable

The best of the best free firewalls with HIPS protection is Comodo Firewall.  The software includes active “Defense +” monitoring for HIPS protection. Comodo also gives users a high degree of control over programs that can and cannot access the Internet and comes with a “memory firewall” feature that tries to protect against buffer overflow attacks. The program also offers sandbox protection, an ad blocker, and custom DNS servers.

Watch out!

Comodo Firewall is perhaps the best and most complete free firewall suite that you can use on your PC today, but be careful, you have to choose the manual installation option, rather than the default installation to avoid installing any additional software. that comes with the program.

PeerBlock

The best of the best free firewalls to lock down Windows is PeerBlock.

PeerBlock is a firewall program that works by blocking traffic to and from predetermined IP addresses. The program blocks both outgoing and incoming connections, but users have the final say on which IP ranges to block and which not. You can use many of the publicly available I-Blocklist lists or even create your own IP blacklist that you can use to block traffic.

GlassWire

While the other firewalls on the list are well-known names that have been around for a decade, GlassWire was only released a few years ago. It is actually a network monitoring tool, but it also allows you to manually block inbound or outbound traffic that you think is suspicious.

GlassWire notes network activity on the client computer and creates easy-to-decrypt graphs  classified by traffic type, application and geographic location . It’s not really a full firewall and actually relies on Windows Firewall to do all the work.

Windows 10 Firewall Control

Its name is not very original, but Windows 10 Firewall Control does its mission very well and keeps data entries and exits to a minimum. In particular, this app protects us from any application activity so that we can limit its connections with the outside world.

In addition, we will get input and output data and statistics to detect if there is an application that is not doing what it should and warnings if something unexpected happens.

SimpleWall

Nothing would make us think a firewall like SimpleWall is this complete. You have to open it for the first time to check the large statistical data it offers.

Its second big advantage is the ability to create filters and rules to protect us from any connection. The rest has a module that integrates OpenVPN, has its own bandwidth meter, and has a list of blocked pages or inappropriate or damaging content.

TinyWall

TinyWall makes it easy to block applications, with a simplified look and feel control which ports and connections each perform, allow access to the most secure apps, etc.

TinyWall learned from our previous decisions, provides rules to customize it the most, and has the lists locking of doors and domains. Another of its peculiarities is that it is not very invasive. Once we have it configured, it will barely bother us unless we want to create exceptions manually.

Conclusions

Firewalls are an essential part of your computer’s security. When used correctly in conjunction with anti-malware software, they should be able to protect your computer in many potentially dangerous situations. That said,  the best protection is your common sense.

We are done with the best firewalls to lock down Windows; it’s up to you to try some if you are not satisfied with the default Windows firewall.