Sygate Personal Firewall 5.0 PRO

Kali Lewis
INLS 187
Software Evaluation

The purpose of the Sygate Personal Firewall 5.0 PRO program is to give the user knowledge of all network communication by providing a personal firewall. A trial version of the software can be downloaded at download.com. The trial version is active for 15 days, after which a user can purchase the software for $39.97. There is also a basic version (5.0) that is freely available to individual users. The application provides information on all information entering or leaving a workstation. The user can set three levels of network security including Normal, Block All, or Allow all.

When a network connection is attempted, the user is asked if a particular application may be granted access to the network. The program detects packets coming into the user's workstation. These packets include broadcast messages and direct connection requests. The program provides detailed source packet information including a binary dump of the packet. Information regarding the protocol, port number, IP address, packet length, and packet type are also included.

Although the documentation, claims that the program is aimed at all users, it is not. As a current INLS 184 student, I understood the majority of the program features and goals. However, without a basic understanding of Networking and Protocols, the features of this application may be lost on the average user.

The application considerably slows the upload time of web browsers. To test the application, I started by simply starting my computer with an network connection. Before opening a web browser, the application detected programs requesting communication including Microsoft Updates and the Instant Messenger Program. It should be noted though that the Instant Messaging program can be closed and therefore block network traffic.

Next, I opened up a web browser. Immediately, the application asked if I wanted to allow the program access to the network. I continued searching the Internet while the program prompted me for permission from networks. In the feature t of allowing and denying access, the program does this effectively. The program also claims to block hacker attacks to a personal workstation. However, I had no easy way to test this theory.

I would not recommend this software to the average user. This seems most acceptable for those users with familiarity with networking who are concerned about blocking traffic. Since this program only provides service for a personal workstation, it is not appropriate for network managers who require more sophisticated applications. The price of the program is $39.97 for one user. Unless a user is interested in examining packets and protocols, this program isn't very useful. It claims to block hacker attacks which may be true. However, a good anti-virus program also aims to block hacker attacks. In addition, the automatic update applications can always be turned off by the user. I don't think this application does any more than an experienced user could do by configuring their software. However, it is too advanced and lacks an easy interface for a novice user.