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ThreatLocker Is Locking Out Ransomware, Providing 'Peace Of Mind' For MSPs
'ThreatLocker is peace of mind for me and my customers,' says Net-Tech Consulting Professional Services Director Zachary Kinder. 'As far as the Kaseya threat was concerned, I had no worry at all. I feel very insulated from threats like Kaseya. ... ThreatLocker is our last bastion of defense.'
Zachary Kinder, professional services director at Net-Tech Consulting, knew he had found a hot new product to block rapidly increasing ransomware threats when he got his first glimpse of ThreatLocker's application whitelisting solution last year.
Net-Tech, a seven-employee El Paso, Texas-based MSP, had experience dealing with three ransomware breaches over the last seven years. But now, Kinder knew he had a way to turn the tide on the ransomware cybercriminals.
"It was a mind-melting moment," said Kinder when he discovered that ThreatLocker was using the tried-and-true application whitelisting security technology to block everything that has not been approved by an MSP to run. "ThreatLocker doesn't detect anything. It blocks everything. If it is not on the whitelist, it is not going to run."
[RELATED: ThreatLocker Is Locking Out Ransomware, Providing 'Peace of Mind' For MSPs]
Net-Tech Consulting, which was running a cloud version of the Kaseya VSA that was breached in the largest ransomware attack in history in July, sidestepped that threat and others as a result of implementing ThreatLocker, said Kinder.
"We were on Kaseya, but we were on a cloud instance, so we didn't get attacked," said Kinder. "But even if we were I wouldn't have been worried because we have ThreatLocker. ThreatLocker is peace of mind for me and my customers. As far as the Kaseya threat was concerned, I had no worry at all."
Net-Tech was forced to use other tools to deliver remote support to customers instead of VSA in wake of the Kaseya ransomware attack, but the MSP did not suffer a ransomware breach. Not so fortunate were 60 MSPs and 1,000 customers that were taken down by ransomware from the Kaseya attack.
"I feel very insulated from threats like Kaseya," said Kinder. "ThreatLocker stops ransomware. It allows you to thwart most application vulnerabilities, and it allows you to gain unprecedented control over your existing applications. ThreatLocker is our last bastion of defense."
Kinder said he feels like he has nearly 100 percent ransomware protection for his customers with ThreatLocker—barring human error. "ThreatLocker changes the MSP security paradigm," he said. "It's a game-changer. My message to other MSPs is if you are not doing application whitelisting, you are doing a disservice to you and your customer and someone else is going to come along and displace you."
ThreatLocker provides a protective barrier of sorts around applications even when it comes to vulnerabilities that might not even have been discovered yet, said Kinder. "ThreatLocker puts a wall around you," he said.
Kinder still believes in the power of legacy remote management and monitoring tools like Kaseya VSA to assist customers, but they need to be matched with tools like ThreatLocker to hold MSP platform makers "accountable and to put the control back in the MSP's hands."
In a world full of security acronyms like XDR, EDR and AI, there is really only "one way to deliver true maximum security to your clients and that is through application whitelisting," said Kinder. "ThreatLocker makes it easy and it is channel-driven and focused. The biggest part of this is ThreatLocker cares about MSPs."
David Stinner, president of US itek, a Buffalo, N.Y.-based MSP that has implemented ThreatLocker for every one of its customers, said he also sees whitelisting technology as one of the "biggest answers" to stopping ransomware and solving the ever-rising number of cyberattacks.
"We're all running around with our hair on fire," he said. "Whitelisting is like a bouncer at the bar and if your name is not on the list you are not getting in. I don't care who you are, you are not getting in. It's black and white. ThreatLocker prevents applications that shouldn't be running."
Stinner said he knows for a fact that ThreatLocker has stopped malware from being executed when it got through other security products. "If I had an EDR we would know the attackers are inside our house," he said. "But wouldn't we rather have someone hitting the intruder with a baseball bat before they get in? The biggest benefit of ThreatLocker to me is I don't have the fear I used to whenever I would hear about ransomware attacks like Kaseya and Exchange on-premises server. That product is one of the first I have seen in years that is completely different from anything in the channel. It is mandatory on every customer we support. It has been a highly profitable and effective service for us."
Stinner said he discovered ThreatLocker at the start of the pandemic. "We had to get most of our customers that were non- essential to work from home," he said. "The scary thing is a lot of them were using home PCs. So we found ThreatLocker and vetted it with our chief engineer."
US itek's chief engineer, a 17-year US itek veteran who had experience with whitelisting technology from the banking industry, gave the product a five-star recommendation. "He was blown away by it," said Stinner.
Stinner gave ThreatLocker credit for helping his company roll out the product to all his customers. "Our technical team was scared to death about the work involved in vetting all the software stacks at all our customers," he said. "When you look at it in the rearview mirror, it was way, way easier than we expected it to be."
In addition to locking down customer environments to prevent ransomware, ThreatLocker has put a lid on shadow IT projects at customer sites. "Those were always some of our biggest ticket generators and we have eliminated them," he said. "They now understand the threat of that crap software they were running in their environment could take down the business they work for."
Stinner said he sees ThreatLocker as a breakthrough product that finally asked the right question. "People have been asking the wrong question, which is how to detect the hackers when they are in the network," he said. "But the right question is how do you stop them dead in their tracks before they get in. ThreatLocker shows the value of MSPs. If everybody in the MSP channel had whitelisting it would elevate the value of the whole MSP channel, eliminating the cybersecurity fatigue that is setting in with SMB customers."
Chris Hannifin, chief information technology officer for Silotech Group, San Antonio, said ThreatLocker was the No. 1 product he saw that impressed him at the recent Xchange+ conference, which is run by CRN parent The Channel Company.
"To me ThreatLocker is an easy conversation; it is something that every organization will listen to," he said. "The price point is valuable to me and my customer base. And the baseline to get it to where it needs to be is a timeframe that makes sense to me and my customers. We're going to evaluate it. ... It fills a definite need. Ransomware is up 150 percent. So if ThreatLocker can just stop the download of the malware and I have data backups and the ability to recover, ransomware just becomes a nuisance—not a major issue."
Application Software
An application program (app or application for short) is a computer program designed to carry out a specific task other than one relating to the operation of the computer itself, typically to be used by end-users. Word processors, media players, and accounting software are examples. The collective noun refers to all applications collectively. The other principal classifications of software are system software, relating to the operation of the computer, and utility software ("utilities").
Applications may be bundled with the computer and its system software or published separately and may be coded as proprietary, open-source, or projects. The term "app" often refers to applications for mobile devices such as phones.
Best Firewall Software Of 2024
The best firewall software makes it simple and easy to set up a platform to protect your computer or IT network.
Firewalls are traditionally a first line of defense, providing a secure perimeter. In the event of a malware infection, the attacker won't be able to upload payload software to properly launch the attack and cannot download vulnerable data files from any compromised computer.
Even though developments in antivirus technology have improved significantly over that time, the best firewall services remain a key part of a user's cybersecurity defenses as the risks have evolved rather than stopped entirely.
While some of the best firewall software is provided as a standalone product, often they come bundled with general internet security packages, especially from antivirus companies which can offer a wide range of additional tools. While these are aimed more at individual users and small businesses, larger ones and enterprises can instead benefit from the protection provided by cloud firewalls.
In the meantime, below we'll showcase the best firewall protection for your computer, covering the best paid firewall protection platforms first, followed by the best free firewalls.
For Linux users, we've featured the best free Linux firewalls and the best Linux firewall distro.
Get in touch The best firewalls of 2024 in full:Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you're buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
Best firewall software overall
Best for all round security with firewall protection
Today's Best Deals
Bitdefender Total Security
$49.99
Bitdefender Total Security - 2 Years
$154.99
Bitdefender Total Security - 3 Years
$209.99
Reasons to buy +High-end firewall protection
+Anti-ransomware protection included
+Microphone safeguarding
+Up to 5 devices
Reasons to avoid -Some alternatives offer more for your money
Bitdefender Total Security is a powerful internet security suite that offers a firewall among a range of featured security protections. There's also anti-virus protection, but its multi-layered malware protection also protects against ransomware.
Other features include anti-phishing, anti-fraud, and anti-theft options, as well as a performance optimizer. A wide range of privacy protection options include anti-tracking, file encryption, and shredder, parental controls, as well as protection for microphones to prevent them from being used by a third party.,
Bitdefender Total Security isn't just for protecting Windows users either, but can also be used to protect against attacks on Android, macOS, and iOS as well. Even better, a single product license allows you to use the software on up to 5 different devices, so you can use Bitdefender Total Security for your home PC as well as smartphone.
Overall, Bitdefender Total Security pretty much does what its name suggests, offering a very wide range of security protections that goes beyond just a firewall. However, pricing is very reasonable at around $35 / £30 / AU$50 per year for up to five devices, making it cheap and easy to get peace of mind.
Read our full Bitdefender Total Security review.
Best multi-feature firewall software
Best multi-feature firewall protection
Reasons to buy +Smart firewall tools
+Secure VPN included
+Dark Web monitoring
+Password manager included
+Online backup services bundled in
Reasons to avoid -Expensive price compared to some competitors
Norton 360 Deluxe offers an even richer and more feature-packed internet security suite than just providing a firewall. While it provides antivirus and standard anti-malware protections like the above internet security suites it dares to go further.
Additional features in the Norton 360 Deluxe include a secure VPN, parental controls, a password manager (although you may want to use the best password manager instead), and online cloud backup. There's also a feature for dark web monitoring so you can be alerted if any of your details appear for sale on the Dark Web.
This all comes at a more expensive price than the other internet security suites featured here, but the additional features and peace of mind are likely to be worth it for some people.
If you want to add identity protection you can upgrade to Norton 360 with Lifelock Select, which provides additional identity protection and credit rating monitoring as well as insurance provision in the event that your personal information is misused.
Read our full Norton 360 Deluxe review.
Best multi-platform firewall software
Best multi-device firewall option
Reasons to buy +Firewall protection for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android devices
+Anti-ransomware tools included
+Up to 10 devices
Avast Premium Security is another paid-for full-featured internet security suite that comes in two main forms: single PC use, or up to 10 devices, including macOS, iOS, and Android.
As with Bitdefender, this means that you can protect both a home PC as well as mobile devices. However, because there's an option to protect up to 10 devices it means you can use a single license to protect the family as well.
As well as a firewall for all devices, Avast Premium Security also protects anti-ransomware protection, file encryption, and file shredder options. There are also anti-phishing and anti-fraud protections for safer online banking, and there's also protection against your webcam being hacked by a third party.
Overall, Avast Premium Security is another solid and reliable internet security suite, but one thing that does let it down is the constant pop-up ads pushing on cross-sell for PC tune-up and other software, something people who have paid for a license should not have to constantly deal with.
The cost for a yearly prescription for one PC is around $40 / £35 / AU$60 or you can choose the second option to protect up to 10 devices costing about $50 / £45 / AU$75 per year.
Read our full Avast Premium Security review.
Best value firewall software
Best value firewall and internet security solution
Reasons to buy +Lots of features
+Can cover unlimited devices
Reasons to avoid -Interface won't be for everybody
Firewall, real-time malware detection, speedy cloud-based scanning, URL filtering to block malicious websites: Panda Dome Essential antivirus has all the essentials – not to mention, the goodies – you'd expect from the best antivirus software.
And, that's just the beginning. Panda Dome is brimming with added extras that some of the other plans on this list can't match – from port scanning and ping handling to in-depth process monitoring and an integrated VPN.
The interface will be a little bit decisive, too. With so many weird and wonderful features included, Panda Dome does a very capable job of making sure that they can all be accessed and you can go as in-depth as you need. However, on the other hand, this might put off users who just want a quiet, simple antivirus package.
One undoubted advantage here is the price - Panda Dome Essential is one of the best value programs out there. And, you even have the option of paying a little more and upgrading to cover an unlimited number of laptops, phones, tablets, and desktops with a single subscription.
Read our full Panda Dome Essential review.
Best lightweight firewall software
5. Webroot AntiVirus
Best lightweight internet security option
Reasons to buy +Extremely light on system resources
+Lightning fast speeds
Reasons to avoid -No testing data from the top labs
Just about every antivirus tool claims to be 'lightweight', but Webroot AntiVirus is really the only one to deliver on this front. Installation takes seconds, the program files barely use 2MB of your hard drive, the RAM footprint is tiny, and there are no bulky signature updates to tie up your bandwidth.
Considering this, there's no compromise on features, which makes it all the more impressive. Along with the core protection, there's smart behavior monitoring, accurate real-time anti-phishing, network connection monitor, enhanced anti-ransomware, and of course firewall protection.
It's not easy to compare Webroot's accuracy with the competition, as the big testing labs rarely evaluate the company's products. However, when they are reviewed, they generally score high, and our own tests show solid and reliable protection.
There's a lot to love about Webroot AntiVirus, and the 70-day 100% money-back guarantee suggests the company is confident in the product as well. If you're sick of overly complex and bloated engines, Webroot is a worthy contender for you.
Best free firewall Best free firewall software overall
The best free firewall
Reasons to buy +Easy to use interface
+Great antivirus engine
Reasons to avoid -Best features are paid-for
ZoneAlarm has been one of the most popular firewall solutions for more than 20 years and has been downloaded more than 20 million times.
ZoneAlarm comes in both Free and Pro versions. The former has ads and lacks several features, including expert rules, 24/7 support, component control, and other advanced settings. What it will do is identify potentially unsafe traffic, hide open ports, and disable malicious programs.
It also features a two-way firewall that monitors traffic coming into and going out of your network, makes your PC invisible to hackers, and stops spyware from broadcasting your personal data. Furthermore, early boot protection will protect your computer from being booted from a dangerous rootkit aimed at taking over your PC.
ZoneAlarm also includes anti-phishing scanning of URLs to make sure you don't enter your personal information on websites identified as being security threats. And it will remove malicious code from any files you download.
Read our full ZoneAlarm review.
Best designed firewall software
2. GlassWire
Best designed free solution
Reasons to buy +Stylish design
+Easy to use
Reasons to avoid -Limited features compared to some rivals
-Amount of info can overwhelm
GlassWire is one of the most attractive free firewalls available. With its beautiful interface, you'll be able to see your current and past network activity, making it easy to detect threats to your computer.
GlassWire will also warn you of any changes to your PC or apps that were related to Internet activity. And it will monitor your network and alert you if unknown devices try to connect.
Probably its best feature is the presentation of detailed statistics of network usage broken down by IP/Host, application, and type of network traffic. GlassWire has an 'Ask to Connect' mode to allow or deny new app connections. And you can create custom profiles, for instance, when you're connected to your home WiFi or when you're at work.
And if you ever find yourself getting overwhelmed by the amount of information available, you can clear the logs in a few seconds to bring them back to a more manageable state.
Best free firewall software for features
Best if all you need is a decent feature set
Reasons to buy +Sandbox for testing apps
+Low resource usage
For a free product, Comodo Firewall offers a healthy serving of features. It will check that all incoming and outgoing traffic is legitimate, hide your computer's ports from hackers, and block malicious software broadcasting your private data. If there is any suspicious activity, it will warn you immediately.
It also includes a secure browser, a 'virtual kiosk', and a host intrusion protection system (HIPS). The HIPS will detect suspicious behavior by a program and ask you whether to allow it, block it, or treat the program as an installer.
Comodo also includes its own more secure versions of popular browsers Chrome and Firefox, called Dragon and IceDragon respectively. The Comodo browsers offer security, privacy, and performance enhancements that aren't available in standard browsers.
Comodo's Virtual Kiosk is a virtualized sandbox, like an isolated operating environment for running unknown applications. Apps run in the Kiosk won't affect anything on your real computer, which makes it ideal for testing out new, untrusted apps.
Read our full Comodo Firewall review.
Best lightweight free firewall software
Best if you want an unobtrusive free firewall
Reasons to buy +No annoying popups
+Lightweight compared to some rivals
Reasons to avoid -Manual whitelisting
-Not very attractive looks
TinyWall is actually designed to be used with Windows' built-in Defender firewall, so its performance impact is minimal.
TinyWall will actively block trojans, viruses, worms, and other forms of malware, and prevent the modification of Windows firewall's settings by malicious programs. And it will do all of this without you needing to know about ports, protocols, or application details.
But probably its most appealing feature is its no-popup approach. Most firewalls will display a popup asking you what you want to do whenever an application is trying to access the Internet. Not only is this annoying, but eventually you'll just start granting access to everything to get rid of the popups, which isn't very secure.
TinyWall gets around this problem by expecting you to whitelist programs that you actually want to be able to access the Internet. When you find a program has been blocked, it's easy to add it to the whitelist, and then you can continue with what you were doing.
Read our full TinyWall review.
Best basic free firewall software
Best if you don't want to install anything
Today's Best Deals
Microsoft Windows Defender
Reasons to buy +Already installed with Windows
+Low false positive rate
Reasons to avoid -Lack of additional features
If you have a PC running a version of Windows more recent than XP, then you already have a free firewall installed, and unless you've changed any settings, it's already active and running.
Known as Windows Defender since the release of Windows 10, the firewall is part of a suite of security tools included by default with Windows installations. Microsoft recommends that you leave the Defender on, even if you're also using another firewall.
To manage its settings, simply search for 'security' in Windows and select the Security app. When it opens, set the Windows Defender Firewall toggle to on. Turning it off again simply involves clicking the same button.
You can also configure the firewall to allow a certain app through the firewall. From the same place as where you turn it on/off, you can select 'Allow an app through firewall' and then choose the app in question.
Read our full Windows Defender review.
We've also listed the best endpoint protection software.
Best firewall FAQs How to choose the best firewallWhen deciding which firewall to download and use, first consider what your actual security needs are. Sometimes free and budget software may only provide basic options, so if you need to use advanced tools you may find a paid platform is much more worthwhile. Additionally, higher-end security software suites can usually cater for every need, such as providing other tools such as as a built-in VPN, antivirus, and malware protection, so do ensure you have a good idea of which features you think you may require from your firewall.
How we test the best firewallsTo test for the best firewall we first set up an account with the relevant platform, then we tested the service to see how simple and easy it was to set up, configure, and use. The aim was to see how useful the basic tools of each firewall were, and also how easy it was to get to grips with any more advanced tools. Additionally, we needed to make sure that each of the firewalls worked as intended.
Read more on how we test, rate, and review products on TechRadar.
Round up of today's best deals
Bitdefender Total Security
Microsoft Windows Defender
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