A software firewall can protect your computer from many types of attacks. It can close ports that are exploited by hackers and can monitor incoming and outgoing packets and usually allow you to specify which applications are allowed to have access and which are not. Windows XP SP2 and Vista have a firewall that is enabled by default. While the built-in firewall only monitors incoming traffic, it is regarded as adequate for most users. So do you really need a third-party software firewall solution?

If you have an older Windows computer that doesn’t have a firewall, we would recommend you get a software firewall. If you have a laptop that connects to different locations where you’re not sure if the network is secure, then you should also have a software firewall. But if you’re running a computer at your home or office, and your PC is behind a router and is running the Windows firewall, you should be fine. The advantage of running a third-party firewall over the Microsoft one is that if you happen to get spyware on your PC, the outgoing packets might be blocked by the third-party version, wherein they wouldn’t be if you used the Microsoft product. A firewall can also be used as a parental control option to control when a computer can have access to the Internet or other network-related resources. Below are a few good choices for third-party software firewalls for your PC.

ZoneAlarm
ZoneAlarm has been around for years and they have always provided a pretty good free software firewall for computers. They were one of the first–if not the first–to do so. If you’re looking for a free, proven firewall for your computer, your first stop should be the ZoneAlarm Free Firewall.

Comodo Firewall
The Comodo Firewall is free highly customizable. While it works right out of the box, users can go in to the intuitive control panel and customize the TCP settings to block specific IP addresses and ports. You can also set security levels, which apply a range of settings based on your needs.

NetVeda Safety.Net
NetVeda Safety.Net  is more of an application firewall that allows you to do have parental controls, filtering and email protection from hackers. It can strip attachments out of email, block specific websites and is basically a really good way to broadly control what is happening on your PC. It also provides detailed reports of activity that you can use to monitor your network use.