Over the years, Windows has optimized many details regarding its firewall, but the user interface is not exactly one of them. Advanced options do little to improve its relationship with the user, and more than once the pop-ups that should authorize certain processes never show up. If you're looking for a different and more efficient way to manage the firewall built into Windows, you should give TinyWall a chance.
Under normal circumstances, the Windows Firewall should be more than enough to protect against an external threat. Of course, "normal circumstances" is an expression challenged day after day in Windows environments. In addition to the ever-present malware trying to get through, the average user will likely find one or more programs that require special permissions to traverse a firewall. The question is: How many permissions do we really need to issue? Many applications that are uninstalled leave traces of their stay on our computer in the form of orphaned entries about the firewall. And to that we must add certain mandatory visits to the advanced section, where it is very easy to cause problems.
TinyWall: A Small and Lightweight Firewall
A good solution to avoid all this noise is TinyWall. Once executed, the program sits in the system tray, and from there we have several options at our disposal. The three main ones allow us to authorize the passage of applications through their executable file, their resident process, or the active window. Then comes the auto-learning mode, in which TinyWall tries to detect which processes are legitimate (for example, web browsers), and then generates the correct permission. Finally, TinyWall lets us control everything manually, blocking and opening connections, or creating permissions directly from its interface.
Features of TinyWall
- It doesn't bother you with popups, but it's very easy to manage from its interface
- Blocks thousands of Trojans, viruses, and worms
- Requires no advanced knowledge of ports, protocols, or application details
- Prevents malicious programs from modifying Windows Firewall settings
- Does not install drivers or other kernel components
And if you suddenly discover that some software cannot connect after installing TinyWall, don't worry: All you have to do is add the process in question to the exceptions list. Other programs require a bit more work but nothing out of this world, and I insist, the extra exchange is worth it for more efficient firewall control. TinyWall requires the .NET Framework, and works with all versions of Windows from Vista onward. Oh, one more thing: It has Spanish language support.
