I’ve been using Kerio Personal Firewall 4 for a few days now, so I’m more qualified to give my opinion on it now. As with the older versions, I recommend it. It’s basically an updated version of the program (duh) with more “security stuff” added. Personally, I want a firewall, so I disabled all that other stuff, which is why I don’t have much to say other than “it’s an updated version”.

During the install, it detected and uninstalled the old version. It created a backup of my config file as well. I didn’t pay attention to where it saved the file, expecting it to be in the program’s directory (my own fault), but I later found it in My Documents. During the install, something went wrong. I’m not sure exactly what happened, but the installer froze. Trying to run it again resulted in an error message. However, everything seemed to work after a reboot. Once I imported the backup config file, everything seemed to be great. The interface has the “XP style” of many new programs, with a flat look rather than standard buttons. Personally, I’m not a fan of this, but it’s only aesthetic so I’m not too concerned. I’d rather use an ugly piece of good software than a pretty piece of junk. The new interface also includes a bandwidth meter, and the tray icon also has small dots to represent this meter as well. This is better than the old arrow over the icon that simply told you whether or not there was traffic in a specific direction.

The one new feature that I do use is the intrusion detection system. The IDS module watches for signs of attacks. It divides them into high, medium, and low priority, and you can configure how to handle each one. The reports tell the name of the attempted intrusion, what type of attack it is, and often provide a website you can check for more info.

For me, there’s not a whole lot new here. However, it now includes a popup block and web filter, among other things. You may very well find this update to be quite an improvement. It really is a “security suite” now, as opposed to just a firewall (which it still does well). Besides being a great firewall, and covering some other functions, it’s free. Can’t beat that! Check it out if you haven’t already.