Friday, 12 November 2004 22:35 EST

Surfing the web turns out to be quite an adventure today. Together with useful information and fast communication we get lots of troubles: viruses, Trojans, spyware and worms that crash our systems and trespass against our privacy. For example the epidemic of the MyDoom worm caused a budgetary loss of more than $3 billion with more than 400,000 computers infected around the world. Sasser worm blocked the computer system of Heathrow Airport and invaded German Post. Systems fall, personal data leaks away or might be lost forever.

However, many of these problems could be avoided if users considered a simple protective solution: a firewall that prevents unauthorized users from gaining access to the system and monitors transfers of information to and from the computer.

Outpost Firewall Pro is acknowledged as one of the most secure and easy-to-use firewall software solutions. Agnitum Ltd, the developer of this award-winning software is now proudly announcing the release of a new 2.5 version.

The improvements and updates in the program provide even more security and control than before. Owing to its improved flexible structure and additional control levels, the new version meets all the latest security requirements and can repel all known assaults. The program proves its high level of protection by its ability to block all known leak tests vulnerabilities. The 2.5 version also features an improved plug-in interface, advanced component control and new levels of control over applications.

The Hidden Process Control allows monitoring of applications’ network activity on all levels, thus blocking attempts by Trojans, spyware and other malicious programs to go online. Basically, this control restricts even a trusted application from launching a dangerous program that pretends to be useful.

Advanced Attack Detection plug-in settings protect both experienced users and novices on all sides. Advanced users can now choose selective settings for all ports, thus controlling the network activity on the protocol level. In version 2.5, an experienced user can choose what data each particular port will receive and block some ports selectively. Novices can simply use preset port security configurations and create lists of trusted remote hosts and port packets from which data will not be considered malicious. This trusted list makes traffic faster and makes working with some applications easier.

Component Control has been improved in version 2.5 as well. A special dialog window was created in the program’s general settings, so that any user can set a level of component control using preset configurations. Advanced users can specify rules for each component and create a flexible but still tough security network.

Outpost Firewall Pro protects users from assaults and also preserves privacy. The Active Content Plug-in has always blocked referrers, cookies, ads and other undesirable content. The new version provides more flexible settings that allow users to specify configuration for particular sites where active content might be needed or not dangerous. For instance, a user can add a library web page to a list of trusted sites and allow specific referrer settings for it.

Compared with the Microsoft Windows Firewall, Outpost provides with more security features and more traffic filtering capabilities. A built-in firewall is another step in the Windows security taken by Microsoft; however it is hardly enough to protect all users, mostly because it is a very standard solution. Outpost Firewall security, control and privacy protection features are based on truly refined mechanisms of data filtering and can resist all known threats. Besides, configuring and using Outpost is easier than Windows Firewall.

In general, both novices and advanced users can benefit from using the 2.5 version of Outpost Pro. On the one hand, it is a program that is easy to use and provides excellent pre-configurations, and on the other hand it gives flexible settings and superior protection. The Outpost design couples simplicity with power.

Outpost costs $39.95 and runs under Windows 98/Me/NT4/2000/XP, and a free version is available for home users. You can download an English language copy from the Agnitum web site here.

For more information, contact Agnitum at .
About Agnitum

Agnitum is a leader in security and privacy software for home and office computers. The company’s flagship product, Outpost Firewall Pro, provides a superior arsenal of defense against PC infiltration by denying unauthorized access by remote hackers and protecting against data theft, denial-of-service attacks, privacy violation, Trojan horses, spyware and more. Four major criteria define Agnitum software: security, control, privacy and ease of use. The effectiveness of Agnitum software has been recognized by independent security experts and by international media awards.