The latest version of Outpost Firewall Pro is even more powerful and easy to use than its predecessors.   Firewall configurations can now be created and updated automatically on user acceptance, while the actual configuration of the firewall is handled remotely in the background by Agnitum security professionals. The anti-spyware plug-in now ensures that vulnerable areas of the PC are constantly monitored for possible spyware activity. And the logging system is now more intuitive, customizable, and easy to use.
Let’s see in detail what’s been added.

Automatically generate and apply configurations
With this version of Outpost, Agnitum introduces ImproveNet. ImproveNet is a network community that brings Outpost users and Agnitum engineers together to optionally share configurations and enable everyone to benefit from universally-applicable Internet access security rules. By participating in the ImproveNet service, users can adjust their application access rules to protect against the latest threats. These settings are created, transferred and applied automatically if this feature is enabled, so that users no longer need to worry about how to respond to the next action prompt window – because ImproveNet adjustments mean that the window won’t appear in the first place!
The principle behind the ImproveNet service lies in security experts evaluating the preset access rules in use by the community of Outpost Firewall Pro users. After the rule is checked for validity and approved, it is automatically distributed to all other users through the Agnitum Update tool. Because new rules are created and processed on a daily basis, users will have a continuously updated set of access rules for the majority of existing Internet-enabled programs, sparing themselves the need to manually create their own rules and removing the possibility of errors in rule structure and application.

Agnitum ImproveNet Concept
Scenario #1
An ImproveNet contributing member submits the access configuration for a new application to be evaluated by an Agnitum specialist. Once the rule has been approved by Agnitum, the corresponding allowing ruleset is created and made available to other ImproveNet participants, simplifying the task of creating correct access configurations for new or obscure programs:

Scenario #2
The situation is the same as in the previous scenario, but here the volunteer submits an incorrect or incomplete rule for the program, from which the Agnitum specialist is unable to create a working rule. The specialist determines that no ruleset should be issued. As a result, the volunteer’s rule is disregarded and dropped.

Scenario #3
In this case, a volunteer sends out a malicious configuration either by mistake or intentionally and, after the specialist has looked at the rule, he explicitly decides that a denying ruleset for this program should be created and made available to subscribers. As a result, ImproveNet participants get access to a configuration that automatically prevents network access for the submitted program.

Smart spyware sensor
Spyware remains a serious threat, and smart but not overly restrictive protection should always be in place. That’s why we decided to incorporate our spyware sensor into Outpost’s active connections monitor. Here’s how it works: when a new application requests network access for the first time, it is automatically checked for spyware. In this way, no malware can cause damage and computer resources are kept at optimal levels in those instances when continuous spyware protection is not needed – for example, if the computer is used to play a demanding PC game.

Flexible logging system
Outpost’s improved logging system now uses fewer system resources and provides clearer logs. The program can now log specific application activities by defining log exclusions for a particular Internet or network activity. The logging system includes optimized default settings, with disabled logging for specific rules to allow or deny a connection. Advanced users will appreciate the flexibility of being able to create custom logging exclusions for peer-to-peer or NetBIOS communications, which are known to generate significant number of log records.

All the above improvements have been implemented in furtherance of Agnitum’s mission – to ensure that the Internet is a safe place for everyone without imposing unnecessary or cumbersome restrictions on the user.