Editorial Review
In the good old days of computing--i.e., the early '90s--the only fears the average user had from hacker attacks were viruses passed from PC to PC via floppy disks like a traditional cold. Now, with everyone hacking and coughing in the same giant room of the World Wide Web, your system's become vulnerable to Trojan Horse attacks, back-door affronts, and the same plain old viruses that are now much easier to catch.
So it's a good idea--especially if you have an always-on connection, such as cable access or DSL--to provide yourself with some protection. That's where Network ICE's BlackICE Defender comes in. This personal firewall, now in version 2.1, is relatively inexpensive, easy to configure, and unobtrusive to your daily use. And, if you really want to find out who's after you, BlackICE contains the tools to allow you to attempt to trace your intruders back to the source.
Setup takes only a few minutes and then it's up and running at a default level of protection, Cautious (it goes up to Nervous and then Paranoid, but the higher settings could interfere with your normal Web or home network activities). You can leave it alone, and it will record any attempts to probe or connect to your system as well as alert you when the attempts occur. A visit to the Shield's UP! page at Gibson Research Corporation (www.grc.com), which simulates various hacker attacks, showed that Cautious was more than enough to ward off even strong attempts to infiltrate.
Earlier versions of BlackICE met with complaints about the difficult-to-understand interface. While 2.1 still contains some technical terms, it also uses the advICE feature to open a Web site that explains each type of hack attempt, from innocent attempts to connect to a standard HTTP server to more coercive SubSeven Trojan Horse attacks.
Unlike a lot of other firewalls, BlackICE keeps track of any information it can glean from intruders and stores it, allowing you to report serious offenders to your ISP. You can also block or trust specific intruders, so you won't be bothered by other networked PCs that you know should have access to your system.
While BlackICE isn't as easy to use as some other firewalls, it's much easier than it used to be and it offers much more powerful tools for those users who want to fight back against hackers. --J. Curtis
Cached date: AWS Called=true
Customer Reviews
Black Ice is great! 
2002-11-06
I used Black Ice on my WIN 98-2 system and liked it. When I went to WIN XP it was simply a matter of getting the XP updates which work fine---although I did have to add one line the blackice.ini to get it start automatically which was suggested in the FAQs. As far as program protection goes, all one has to do is let Black Ice profile the computer to see what installed programs are present and that takes care of that. Their support on the question of starting up disabled was responded to quickly and correctly. Some people will crab if their bread is buttered on the wrong side!!!
Caused system freeze!!! 
2002-10-12
Ive used this for about 6 months now. While it does block what it should it also blocks things it shouldnt. I have a fast computer with lots of resources so that wasnt the problem. I have AOL and while black ice was enabled i had constant problems accessing websites etc.. I would have to disable it constantly in order to do anything on AOL. I uninstalled it and signed up for a program on Besafehome.com . Its a filter/firewall software that downloads in minutes. You pay a yearly fee to use it. Its totally maintainence free and always updated. Best of all it doesnt slow my AOL speed down one bit! Much much happier.
Black Ice - minimal protection 
2002-09-24
I had previously used Black Ice defender, and it blocked incoming probes, but it allowed outbound connections by installed programs (spyware etc). Not exactly what I had in mind. Then I got Zone Alarm Pro and it catches everything, inbound and outbound, which seems like a better solution.
Black Ice...useless piece 2002-07-26
I purchased a Black Ice product.
They offer ONLY email support.
They may take severals days to respond that they can't fix your problem.
There is ABSOLUTELY no way to get live help.
DO NOT BUY ANY BLACK ICE PRODUCTS unless you know everything there is to know about programming in any language written.
In short, buy anything else, this company doesn't derserve to be in business.
Black Ice 2002-05-09
Well if you like being asked if it is okay for Internet Explorer and Explorer in general can run every few minutes - this is the program for you. As for me it seems like these are programs that should not even be questioned. I upgraded from the old version to the new version, and trust me the old version was nice, but the new version is absolutely terrible. I'd kill for the old version. I'm switching to Norton firewall as soon as it arrives. My printer will now not print and I think this may be why. when I went on their troubleshooting site, there were all kinds of "yea we are aware of the problem, this is the work around", and you had to change various ini files, or whatever. I want a program that works not that I have to fix. I have it set on low to medium security, but be real the only thing left is to let ANYONE in. Go figure!!!
Long time user, fabulous product 
2006-12-30
I've been using different versions of BlackIce for about 3 years now, and I'm thoroughly satisfied with it, albeit with a couple of mitigatable concerns.
The first concern is the system's defaulted application protection. This should be turned off at all times, as the program will continually spam you with requests to block applications, which include such basic system processes as explorer.exe, rundll.dll, and Windows Media Player. The memory function, which is supposed to help the program learn which programs to block and which to allow, does not work, and never has. Turning this feature off is an absolute must. The other annoying feature, is the yearly subscription this thing requires for its license. I bought the **** thing, let me use it. Fortunately, this is an easy fix.
Black Ice does require a good bit of setup, as you'll have to spend time blocking off ports commonly targetted by hackers, as well as blocking ports and addresses as they are scanned or scan your computer, this does take some time, and I recommend having a second firewall setup while you 'teach' Black Ice.
Without application protection, however, the program runs quickly and smoothly in the task tray, giving you messages on the tray icon for different levels of attack activity. You can also set Black Ice to play a .wav file to alert you. It detects many different types of attacks, such as Subseven port probes, PC Anywhere port probes, syn-ack shenanigans and others, even giving you a rundown of what each attack involves via the web.
All in all, I recommend this program, but only for the computer user who is serious about taking the time to protect their data. This program is not for the faint of heart.
Not for dummies. 2003-08-29
I've been a user of BlackICE Defender for quite some time now. I've used it for many network sercutiry jobs, and businesses in the past. In true tests I've proven to different companies the vulnerabilities of BlackICE vs. the competition.
One of the problems is that if you plan on buying this product and you belive you can just throw it onto your HDD, you will come up short with your home/office network. This product takes a bit of configuring with different ports and IP addresses. Once you've done all of this though, you have yourself a VERY good product that will not only block exploit from being run on your computer, it will simply terminate them and erase them in the progress due to it's application protection option.
BlackICE is worth every penny....if you know what you're doing with it.
No Support 2003-03-31
This product is worthless. It says plainly on their website that they offer NO phone support. That is danger number one. It locked up my computer all four times I tried to install it. I was unable to boot. It is hard to get web support when your computer will not boot. Avoid this software.
RUN, HIDE, BUY SOMETHING ELSE 2003-01-21
This is a case of tampering with a great product, and fouling it up.
The original Black Ice was wonderful. It operated quietly in the background, keeping bad guys at bay. Then they "upgraded it". They made it obtrusive and a nag, interrupting all normal computer use with nagging messages and questions. The problem is, if you set it at the highest security questions, you get nagging messages at every turn. Even if you want to open a game, offline, with broadband disconnected, you get a Black Ice pop-up.
To decrease the interruptions, you have to lower the level of security. Not a good trade-off.
Then the other day, it just went crazy and seized control of my computer, basically locking me out. No matter what I wanted to do, it shut me down. Kind of like the Matrix. I finally had to reboot and restart in safe mode to uninstall Black Ice. I've gone out and bought a new firewall program.
Works great 2002-12-24
As for the person with AOL, Black Ice shouldn't run with AOL. After all, AOL is constantly selling your info. anyway. Only YOU can stop that problem. I have been using Black Ice Defender for over two years now. I think this is the best firewall out there other than using a router to block ports. I have never been hacked and my PC runs 24/7. It is really easy to use and gives detailed info. on the attacks on your computer. The software even describes what the attacker is attempting to do! I highly recommend this software. It will prove to be a highly effective tool in keeping unwanted visitors out.
