Surveillance protection or privacy protection for absolutely all computer and mobile devices is a pressing problem. For this, a personal firewall is used to protect the user from unauthorized access to his data from the outside. And operating systems "Android" are no exception.
Why do you need a firewall for Android?
Of course, the size of incoming and outgoing traffic on mobile devices is much smaller than in Windows systems, but even with this state of affairs, the user is not immune from the penetration of a huge amount of advertising on his devices when accessing the Internet, not to mention viruses or spyware. stealing personal data.
You can protect yourself in the simplest way by installing a firewall for the Android system or any other OS. Let's consider the options for using a firewall specifically for devices running Android.
Possible installation options
As in many other cases, the capabilities of the system itself are too weak (in some versions of the OS they simply do not exist). Therefore, you will have to install a specialized software... You can download applications in Play Market or find it on the same internet.
On the other hand, installing a firewall for Android is not always as easy as it might seem at first glance. There are two options here:
- installation on devices with root rights;
- using programs that do not require extended access rights.
Let's consider both situations.
Android Firewall for Rooted Devices
It is believed that installing a firewall on rooted devices looks both easier and more reliable. At least that's the case for the Android Firewall app. It was originally designed to be installed in such systems, that is, it will not work without root rights.
The installation is quite simple. But the capabilities of the program deserve special attention. The application can not only restrict traffic or terminate some programs trying to spontaneously connect to the Network or download something from there. It can save battery power, search for applications, create up to six different user profiles, work with "white" and "black" lists, restrict or allow data transfer in roaming mode, set passwords for entering programs, create rules of use or even scripts that are executed at certain times, and much more.
Firewall for non-root use
However, not all devices can be easily rooted. There are situations when it is very problematic to do this. What to use in this case? A firewall for Android comes to the rescue without root installation. The program is called NoRoot Firewall.
This application is in its own functionality, of course, it looks a little weaker than the previous utility, but it also knows how to make quite interesting settings, including even creating a list of addresses at which access denial can be triggered. In addition, the program has a notification system when a process or application tries to access the Internet.
Talking about general settings, you don't need to change the default parameters here. After the first launch, we press the start button, and also put a tick in front of the automatic activation at boot time, agree with the request for access to the VPN connection settings, and that's it. After activating the connection, you can see all processes and applications trying to enter the Network in the list. Now only the user decides what to deny or allow.
At the same time, you can see two types of marks (squares) in the list of programs. One is responsible for over Wi-Fi connections, and the second is used to change the rules when connecting through the mobile operator's network.
On the tab of global rules, the user can block access to the Network even at a specific IP address. Finally, all events can be viewed through a special log. By the way, blocking is useful for the owners of Chinese gadgets, which spontaneously connect to the servers of this state and transmit user information to them.
In general, only the two most popular programs were considered here, but on the Internet or in the same Play Market service you can find, download and install any other firewall for "Android", just before installation and use you should read the description and pay attention to the need for root -right
Android devices and most applications for them are focused on using the Internet. On the one hand, this provides extensive opportunities, on the other, vulnerabilities ranging from traffic leaks to virus infection. To protect against the second, you should choose an antivirus, and firewall applications will help to solve the first problem.
An advanced firewall that does not require not only root rights to work, but also additional permissions such as access to file system or the right to make calls. The developers achieved this by using a VPN connection. 
Your traffic is pre-processed by the application servers, and if there is suspicious activity or overuse, you will be notified about it. In addition, you can prohibit access to the Internet for individual applications or individual IP addresses (thanks to last option the application can also replace the ad blocker), and separately for the Wi-Fi connection and for mobile internet... Creation of global parameters is also supported. The application is completely free, no ads and in Russian. No obvious flaws (other than a potentially insecure VPN connection) were found.
AFWall +
One of the most advanced firewalls for Android. The application allows you to fine-tune the built-in Linux-utility iptables, adjusting the selective or global blocking of Internet access for your use case. 
The peculiarities of the program are the color highlighting of system applications in the list (to avoid problems, system components should not be prohibited from accessing the Internet), import of settings from other devices, and detailed statistics logging. In addition, this firewall can be protected from unwanted access or deletion: the first is done with a password or pin code, and the second is by adding an application to the device administrators. Of course, there is a choice of a blocked connection. The disadvantage is that some of the features are available only for users with root rights, as well as for those who bought the full version.
NetGuard
Another firewall that doesn't need Root to work properly. It is also based on filtering traffic through a VPN connection. It features an intuitive interface and anti-tracking capabilities. 
Of the available options, you should pay attention to support for multi-user mode, fine-tuning the blocking of individual applications or addresses, and work with both IPv4 and IPv6. Also note the presence of a log of connection requests and traffic consumption. An interesting feature is the Internet speed graph displayed in the status bar. Unfortunately, this and several other features are only available in the paid version. In addition, there are ads in the free version of NetGuard.
Mobiwol: Firewall without root
A firewall that differs from competitors in a more user-friendly interface and extensive capabilities. The main feature of the program is a false VPN connection: according to the assurances of the developers, this is bypassing the restrictions on working with traffic without using root rights. 
Thanks to this loophole, Mobivol has full control over the connection of each application installed on the device: you can restrict both Wi-Fi communication and the use of mobile data, create a whitelist, enable a detailed event log and the amount of Internet megabytes spent by applications. Among the additional features, we note the selection system programs in the list, displaying software running in the background, as well as viewing the port through which this or that software communicates with the network. All functionality is available for free, but there is advertising and no Russian language.
NoRoot Data Firewall
Another representative of firewalls that can work without root rights. Just like other representatives of this type of application, it works thanks to VPN. The application is able to analyze traffic consumption by programs and generate a detailed report. 
It is also capable of displaying consumption history over an hour, day or week. The functions familiar from the above applications, of course, are also there. Of the features typical only for NoRoot Data Firewall, we note the advanced connection settings: temporary restriction of access to the Internet for applications, setting domain permissions, filtering domains and IP addresses, setting up your own DNS, as well as a simple packet sniffer. All functions are available for free, there are no ads, but someone might be alarmed by the need to use a VPN. On the this moment the application was removed from due to blocking Internet access even Google services but download and installation are still available from third-party sources.
Kronos Firewall
Set, plug, forget solution. Perhaps this application can be called the simplest firewall of all mentioned above - minimalism both in design and in settings. 
A gentleman's set of options includes a general firewall, inclusion / exclusion of individual applications from the list of blocked applications, viewing statistics of Internet use by programs, sorting settings and an event log. Of course, the app's functionality is ensured through a VPN connection. All functionality is available for free and without ads.
To summarize - for users who care about the security of their data, there is an opportunity to additionally protect their devices with a firewall. The choice of applications for this purpose is quite large - in addition to dedicated firewalls, some antiviruses also have this function (for example, the mobile version from ESET or Kaspersky Labs).
We're continuing our discussion of firewalls (or firewalls if you prefer) for Android. In the last article, we talked about the program of the Gray Shirts studio, as well as its direct competitor - Mobiwol. It was the last application that became the leader in the direct comparison. The new material will find out if there is a worthy replacement for them.
advertising
First, let's introduce the test subjects. The first to come to our court is AFWall + - a firewall that requires root rights and offers (presumably) more than others. It is favorably distinguished from competitors by the ability to control traffic local network, import of DroidWall rules, support for task scheduler and much more. It is clear that such a solution is designed for experienced and tricky users.
And the end of the review will be LostNet, which, among other things, offers a paid Pro version. But do we have to pay extra and what are the benefits we get? Perhaps you shouldn't fence a garden if there is a universal Mobiwol? This will become clear following the review.
The following were used as test equipment:
- DEXP Ursus 8EV2 3G tablet (Android 4.4.2, MT8382 processor, 4 x Cortex-A7 1.3 GHz, Mali-400 MP2 video core, 1 GB RAM, 4000 mAh battery, 3G module, Wi-Fi 802.11b / g / n );
- Homtom HT3 Pro smartphone (Android 5.1 Lollipop, MT6735P processor, 4 x Cortex-A53 1.0 GHz, 64-bit, Mali-T720 video core, 2 GB RAM, 3000 mAh battery, 4G-module, Wi-Fi 802.11b / g / n).
Absolute majority mobile applications for Android require permission to network connections... Many of them really need it for full-fledged work, while others use it only for downloading ads or for other, not always useful, purposes. Default operating system Android does not contain tools to help regulate network activity applications. However, this problem can be solved using third party application called NoRoot Firewall.
The operation of this utility exactly corresponds to its name and will not raise questions from anyone who has met with setting up any firewall in Windows. NoRoot Firewall notifies when applications are trying to access the Internet and allows you to allow or deny the corresponding connection. Thus, you create a set of rules according to which the programs installed on your device will receive network access.
In addition to the global rules, as you can see in the right screenshot, you can set more subtle specific instructions for each program. So, it is possible to specify a list of addresses to which access is allowed or denied, and even a connection method for each connection. NoRoot Firewall also saves connection logs, so you can see which application sent / received data and from where at any time. NoRoot Firewall works by creating a secure VPN connection and does not require root privileges, unlike many competitors. It is distributed free of charge and is available for all devices running Android 4.0 and higher.
Download NoRoot Firewall for Android you can follow the link below.
Developer: Gray Shirts
Platform: Android 4.0 and above
Interface language: Russian (RUS)
Condition: Free
Root: Not needed