Is Windows 10 Firewall Good Enough

Firewalls are an important piece of security software, and someone is ever trying to sell y'all a new one. However, Windows has come with its ain solid firewall since Windows XP SP2, and it'south more than than good enough.

You lot also don't need a full Internet security suite. All you really need to install on Windows 7 is an antivirus — and Windows 8 finally comes with an antivirus.

Why Yous Definitely Demand a Firewall

The primary part of a firewall is to block unrequested incoming connections. Firewalls tin block different types of connections intelligently — for example, they can allow access to network file shares and other services when your laptop is connected to your dwelling network, but non when information technology'due south connected to a public Wi-Fi network in a java shop.

A firewall helps block connections to potentially vulnerable services and controls access to network services — specially file shares, simply besides other types of services — that should only be accessible on trusted networks.

Before Windows XP SP2, when the Windows Firewall was upgraded and enabled past default, Windows XP systems continued directly to the Cyberspace became infected later on four minutes on average. Worms like the Blaster worm tried to connect directly to everyone. Considering information technology didn't have a firewall, Windows permit the Equalizer worm right in.

A firewall would have protected against this, even if the underlying Windows software as vulnerable. Even if a modern version of Windows is vulnerable to such a worm, it will be extremely difficult to infect the estimator because the firewall blocks all such incoming traffic.

Why the Windows Firewall is Unremarkably Good Enough

The Windows Firewall does the exact same job of blocking incoming connections equally a 3rd-party firewall. Third-party firewalls similar the one included with Norton may pop up more ofttimes, informing you that they're working and asking for your input, only the Windows firewall is constantly doing its thankless job in the background.

It's enabled past default and should however enabled unless y'all've disabled information technology manually or installed a third-party firewall. You can find its interface under Windows Firewall in the Command Panel.

When a program wants to receive incoming connections, it must create a firewall rule or popular upwardly a dialog and prompt you lot for permission.

If all you intendance about is having a firewall to block incoming connections, in that location's zilch wrong with the Windows firewall.

When You Would Want a Third-Political party Firewall

Past default, the Windows firewall only does what's really important: cake incoming connections. It has some more than advanced features, but they're in a hidden, harder-to-utilise interface.

For example, most tertiary-party firewalls allow you to easily control which applications on your computer can connect to the Internet. They'll popular up a box when an application showtime initiates an outgoing connexion. This allows you lot to control which applications on your computer tin can access the Internet, blocking certain applications from connecting. This can exist a little annoying, just it does give you more control if y'all're a ability user.

Editor'south Notation: If you want a firewall with loads of features, GlassWire is a tertiary party firewall that we really love. Rather than merely being a firewall, it also shows yous beautiful graphs of network activeness, lets you drill downwards into exactly which awarding is connecting to where, and how much bandwidth an individual application is using.

GlassWire as well has a toolbox of network security checks like system file modify detection, device list change detection, app info change detection, ARP spoofing monitoring. Information technology's not merely a firewall, but a full intrusion detection organization.

They have a complimentary version that works well, only we suggest paying for the full version, which has more features than we can even list. It's well worth information technology.

Glasswire is a swell Windows firewall with amazing features.

Advanced Windows Firewall Features

The Windows firewall actually has more features than you lot might await, though its interface isn't every bit friendly:

Windows offers an advanced firewall configuration interface where you tin can create advanced firewall rules. You tin can create rules that cake certain programs from connecting to the Internet or simply permit a program to communicate with specific addresses.
Yous can utilise a 3rd-party tool to extend the Windows firewall, forcing it to prompt y'all for permission each fourth dimension a new program wants to connect to the Internet.

Compare this interface with GlassWire and the determination is pretty clear: If you lot just desire bones, stick with the Windows Firewall. If y'all want something more avant-garde, GlassWire is much improve than the "Avant-garde" Windows Firewall.

A third-party firewall is a power-user tool — not an essential slice of security software. The Windows firewall is solid and trustworthy. While people can quibble almost the Microsoft Security Essentials/Windows Defender virus detection rate, the Windows firewall does simply equally practiced a job of blocking incoming connections every bit other firewalls.