independent news: The Complete Guide To Using Comodo Firewall

Comodo Firewalls are an important component to Internet security. However, most computer users do not know what they are, how to use them or even why they exist. While most computers come with a built-in firewall, most users end up disabling it or opting for another way to stop unwarranted transmissions to and from your computer. A firewall is a powerful tool to protect your computer from online threats that internet users encounter everyday.

Comodo Firewall is often considered one of the best firewalls available today. It offers an unrivaled level of protection from threats, is easy to use and takes up minimum resources on your PC. Comodo offers some unique features to make it work the best no matter who is using it.

Few features which make Comodo Firewall an exceptional Security product:

Updating users on suspicious files, folders and programs
Utilizing preventative technology and scans to locate viruses and other malware
?Deny Protection? feature which works with executable files to make sure they are safe
Learning your computer habits so it does not interfere with your work

Let us get started with Comodo Firewall so you can see how easy it is to use and begin deciding if it right for your PC.

To get started you can?download Comodo Firewall from Comodo?s web site. Once you have begun the installation, you will be asked to choose one of three install types: Firewall Only, Firewall with Optimum Proactive Defense and Firewall with Maximum Proactive Defense.

Each offers and additional level of protection for your computer. If you have never worked with a Firewall before, choosing the Firewall Only installation method is the best way to go. The Optimum and Maximum Proactive Defenses offer more protection against threats, such as malware, spyware and more. If you have found yourself the victim of malicious attacks, spyware, viruses and more, using a higher level of protection with Comodo is the way to go.

Firewall security level selection

For this guide, we will be using the Firewall Only option.

Comodo Firewall also offers the opportunity to take advantage of DNS routing for optimal protection. If you read our guide on OpenDNS, you know that by utilizing a different DNS than your Internet service provider offers, you can get to sites quicker, get to sites when your Internet is acting up and you can protect yourself from threats. Comodo offers the same type of protection by automatically filtering you away from risky web sites.

SecureDNS configuration

You can choose to opt into Comodo SecureDNS or opt out. When you have chosen, click ?Next? and you will begin the actual installation of Comodo Firewall.

Now that you have installed Comodo Firewall, it is time to start putting it to use.

How to use Comodo Firewall

If you have not already restarted your computer, you want to do that before poking around in Comodo Firewall.

When your operating system has rebooted, you want to right-click on the Comodo icon in your taskbar.

Click ?Open? to open Comodo Firewall.

(6) commodo main screen

You will be greeted with the Summary of your computer?s inbound and outbound connections. As you begin using the Internet, checking e-mail and doing other things on your computer, the number of inbound and outbound connections will rise and fall. If you believe something odd is going on, you can stop traffic by clicking ?Stop All Traffic.? Until you click on ?Restore All Traffic,? you will be safe from connections that may do harm.

If you click on ?Safe Mode,? you will have the opportunity to change the settings of how Comodo interacts with your computer. There are five Firewall Security Levels, each one offers a different type of protection and will vary depending on what you need for your computer.

Comodo safe mode

Now, click on the ?Alert Settings? tab. This will change how Comodo?s alerts and pop-ups warn you of threats.

Comodo alert settings

Finally, click on the ?Advanced? tab. If you are unfamiliar with any of the terminology on this tab, just leave it as is.

Comodo advanced settings

Click ?Ok? when you are done tinkering with the settings.

You should be back at the main screen for Comodo. Click on ?Firewall.?

Comodo firewall settings

The Firewall tab in Comodo gives you all the information you could ever want on how your Firewall works. You can view alerts and events, see connections and you can tinker with a variety of settings related to your Firewall. Before playing with any settings in Comodo, you want to give its Help section located under the ?More? tab. You want to truly understand how a firewall works before you begin changing settings no matter what software you use.

Click on ?Defense+.?

Comodo Defense+ settings

Defense+ is Comodo?s tools to help further protect your computer from incoming threats. From here, you can view Defense+ alerts, you can add and remove executable files and you can even run programs in a sandbox environment to keep it from interacting with other areas of your computer.

When using Defense+, you begin by setting up a Computer Security Policy in Comodo. Click on ?Computer Security Policy? to get started.

Computer security policy settings

Be sure to read through the ?What do these settings do?? link at the bottom. This will give you a thorough overview of how each tab under the Computer Security Policy works. Until you become comfortable with Comodo and firewalls in general, you want to take the time to learn as much as you can about what each and every setting does before you set up your Computer Security Policy.

When you feel comfortable with the Computer Security Policy, you can click on ?Defense+ Settings.? This will allow you to turn on your Computer Security Policy and tinker with other settings. Click ?Ok? when you are finished.

Defense+ settings

Click on ?More.? This tab has all the miscellaneous settings for Comodo, along with access to the Help and About sections for the program. Comodo provides support forums for the software that you can also access from this section.

Comodo more tab

If you click on ?Preferences? under this tab, you can view the general settings for Comodo.

Comodo preferences

Comodo Firewall is easy to use in Firewall Only mode. If you want to take advantage of everything it has to offer, you want to immerse yourself in the documentation provided with the software. Only by learning everything you can about Comodo can you get everything possible out of its firewall.

Is Comodo Firewall the one and only firewall software to use?

I am not a big fan of firewalls. I have had more issues with them conflicting with software I use and web sites I visit. I am one of those computer users that use anti-virus software, spyware tools and other tricks to avoid threats on the Internet. Not everyone can be as proactive, so utilizing a firewall such as?Comodo is the way to keep your computer protected from harm.

Comodo Firewall is?by far?the easiest to setup and use. I was surprised by how straight forward their firewall was to begin using after installation. If you are looking for additional ways to protect your PC from threats, Comodo Firewall is the perfect line of defense to be added to your security arsenal.