Feature Set:  

F-Secure Internet Security protects three main areas: virus protection, Internet filtering, and automatic updates. Even though this firewall appears to have only three features, these can be customized in detail to meet most needs.

The Internet filtering area, called Internet Shield, allows you to monitor protocol (rules) and port use. If you are a novice user, though, it will be difficult to set this up without heavy reading. Other firewall programs give examples, illustrations and information to help you along. You can view details of the default settings, but even this is hard to grasp if you have little computer and firewall experience.

The Application Control field was a little easier to use. We set up our own control on Moviemaker. To do this, we browsed our system until we found the executable file, we gave it a description, then we assigned a criteria for outbound and inbound use. (You can assign control for just the application, the application and IP address, or the application and ports.) Then you can select an action: deny, allow, or prompt to ask permission before connecting. It worked well. While it was one of the easier items to set up, many people wouldn't find even this task intuitive.

F-Secure Internet Security has limited customization; there is no way to select detail logs or refine monitoring controls. But once you to begin to understand the services option you can customize rules to control your software online or on a network.

Ease of Use:  

Even though F-Secure Internet Security's control panel appeared simple, it required some training to understand the choices. Without this it's difficult to take advantage of all the tools.

This is especially true when it comes to application control. You would expect to have a choice to allow an application-such as email-to be assigned access easily. This isn't how the program works. Instead, you must click through several windows, browse for the correct program, then set the rules to allow your email continuous access. If you have the firewall set for high security and you don't customize your rules, an annoying firewall security prompt screen will appear every time you try to use your email.

Once you understand F-Secure Internet Security's organization, however, it's easy to find your way around.

Ease of Installation:  

Installation is long. If you have a preexisting virus protection program installed, F-Secure Internet Security requires that you uninstall it, reboot, install the installation files, reboot, then finish the firewall installation.

Reliability:  

F-Secure Internet Security passed most of the security tests, including stealth (the firewall kept our personal identification information hidden), Trojan protection (blocked dangerous software), and the exploit test, but it failed to protect a password. F-Secure Internet Security also failed to protect the contents of my documents folder. We were able to access this through the firewall from an outside source.

Help/Support:  

F-Secure Internet Security makes it easy to find help on the control panel; there is a direct link to their website at the bottom of the panel. The firewall help was much simpler to navigate than the software itself.

F-Secure Internet Security is good firewall protection software. Our main concern with this firewall is the difficulty a novice would have using this software. If you enjoy the challenge of creating your own rules, F-Secure Internet Security might be the ideal firewall program for you. Otherwise, we recommend firewalls designed for simplicity.