Head over to our Download page to install the most recent version of GlassWire.
Along with improvements and bug fixes, we have collated feedback and suggestions from our users and implemented some fundamental changes with the release of GlassWire 3.2.
Removal of Mandatory Log in
Users will no longer be required to create or log in to a GlassWire account to use the Windows app.
Users can optionally register their GlassWire application to access the Management Console from where they can upgrade to or cancel their full-feature Plan and have full control of billing.
Free GlassWire
Free users of GlassWire will now have access to almost every GlassWire feature, with various limitaitons.
Security features that Free users can now utilize include:
GlassWire Score – Gain better insight into the safety of the applications running on a PC. See what percentage of users have used a specific app in the past week and be alerted if specious.
Anomaly Detection – Detect and point out anomalies in the network traffic which may look suspicious. See if the average traffic in and traffic out consumption of the applications running is similar to most, and be alerted when it is different.
Firewall –Click to block all network connectivity for specific applications.
Things – See a list of devices on the local network and get alerted when devices join or leave with this network device list feature.
See a full feature list and comparison for GlassWire Free vs GlassWire Premium here.
About Chris Taylor: Chris is on the Community Review Board for SANS’s OUCH! (the security awareness newsletter designed for everyone), has given over 470 computer-related presentations at the Ottawa Public Library, and is President of the Ottawa PC Users’ Group.
Every network interface has a Media Access Control (MAC) address, made up of 12 hexadecimal (0-9,A-F) digits. The first 6 digits are the manufacturer’s ID and the last 6 digits are the device identifier assigned by the manufacturer. The MAC address is normally hardcoded into the device when manufactured.
MAC addresses must be unique on a Local Area Network (LAN) and the above scheme pretty much assures this, given that each manufacturer has over 16.7 million possible device IDs.
When unique identifiers don’t change, people can use them to track you. For example, a shopping mall with free Wi-Fi could use your MAC address to track you: how often you go there, what areas of the mall you frequent, how long you stay there, etc. To prevent this, Windows allows you to randomize your MAC address so it is different every time you connect to WiFi.
Go to Settings | Network & Internet | WiFi and toggle on Use random hardware addresses.
If you have connected to a network before, Windows will not use a random MAC address for that network until you tell Windows to forget that network and you reconnect. Or you can set any specific WiFi network at Settings | Network & Internet | WiFi | Manage known networks. Select a network, click Properties and toggle on Use random hardware addresses.
If you have configured your home router to only permit specific MAC addresses to connect, make sure you set your own network to not use random hardware addresses.
CISA, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security American Agency, recently published a report on all the various activities to drive down the risk in cybersecurity.
The report is divided into four main sections, reflecting the four goals outlined in the 2023-2025 CISA Strategic Plan. They cover Cyber Defense, Risk Reduction and Resilience, Operational Collaboration and Agency Unification.
From the strengthening of critical infrastructure to the defence and resilience of cyberspace, from weaving relations with government institutions to facilitating collaboration and activities, CISA is investing in improving the American cybersecurity level from internal and external threads.
From a security standpoint, monitoring your data usage is not only important but crucial. When it comes to spotting malicious apps that can compromise your security and steal your personal information, the first red flag you should notice is the anomaly consumption of data from certain applications. GlassWire is a powerful tool that can help you keep track of your data usage and identify any suspicious activity on your network. To do that, GlassWire leverages two main features, the “Anomaly Detector” and the “GlassWire Score”. The two features compare your current data usage for each application with the average consumption, gathering, and aggregating data from its users. The result is a benchmark to verify your data consumption. When an application is using more data than expected, an alert will notify the user.
How GlassWire helps you monitor data usage
GlassWire allows you to identify when an app uses more data than it should, or if it is sending data at a time when it’s not supposed to. This can be a sign that the app is running in the background or that it’s sending data to a third party without your knowledge. With GlassWire, you can see a detailed breakdown of how much data each app is using and how often it’s connecting to the internet. In addition, an advanced system of custom alerts helps keep everything on track. This makes it easy to identify apps that are using more data than they should and to take action to stop them.
Spotting malicious apps
Another benefit of monitoring your data usage is that it can help spot apps that are behaving maliciously. Malicious apps can often be identified by their high data usage, as they may be sending sensitive information to a third-party without your knowledge. With GlassWire, you can see exactly what data is being sent and where it’s going, making it easy to identify bad-behaviour apps and remove them from your device.
In addition to monitoring your data usage, GlassWire also provides a host of other features that can help you keep your network and data safe. For example, the software includes a firewall that can block incoming and outgoing connections to and from your device, helping to protect your personal information from hackers and other cybercriminals. GlassWire also provides alerts when a new app or device connects to your network, making it easy to spot and remove any unwanted connections.
Another important feature of GlassWire is its ability to track network activity in real-time. This feature allows you to see exactly what is happening on your network at any given time, and to identify any suspicious activity. If you notice that a particular app or device is using more data than it should, or if you spot a connection to an unknown server, you can take action to stop it.
Overall, monitoring your data usage with GlassWire is an essential step in keeping your network and personal information safe. With its powerful features and intuitive interface, GlassWire makes it easy to identify and remove malicious apps and to keep your network and data secure. Whether you’re a home user or a business, GlassWire is a powerful tool that can help you stay safe online.
The importance of GlassWire for data usage monitoring and security
In conclusion, GlassWire is a powerful tool that can help you keep track of your data usage and identify any suspicious activity on your network. With its detailed breakdown of data usage, real-time network activity tracking, and powerful security features, GlassWire makes it easy to identify and remove malicious apps and to keep your network and data safe. It’s essential for anyone who wants to protect their personal information and keep their device secure.
Your network’s safety depends on endpoint security, such as a firewall. When a connection or file tries to enter or exit the network, your endpoint security app can scan for malicious activity and prevent it from inflicting damage. Firewalls aren’t created the same and their functions vary depending on your needs. Some work alongside comprehensive features such as internet privacy tools. Throughout this guide, you’ll learn about network protection and what firewalls can do, with extra tips on how you can take action to protect your network.
Types Of Firewalls
Firewalls vary and offer different levels of protection. Some exist as hardware or cloud-based firewalls, while others install as a piece of software. A packet-filtering firewall offers a basic level of protection by scanning incoming data packets and denying malicious ones. Proxy firewalls offer deeper protection at the application level, but do slow down your devices. Stateful inspection firewalls check data against a known database offering an even higher level of security that might slow down your system’s performance. Generally seen as the best kind of network protection, there are next-gen firewalls — these combine traditional firewall features with other network protection features like antivirus and anomaly detection for full-coverage protection. But what does this mean for your endpoint security? Next, we’ll explore how a firewall and network protection app, including other security tools, can protect your devices and networks.
Protect Your Network and Keep it Safe
Endpoint security includes firewalls, network monitoring, and privacy tools. Here’s how a platform such as GlassWire can protect you and your data.
Internet Security
You can actively monitor the applications and processes that are communicating over your internet connection, to check for suspicious activity. Receive a notification if your devices connect to a known threat so you can intervene immediately.
Manage All Endpoints
For true network protection, try to stay aware of all endpoints — the smartphones, tablets, and computers — that use your network. Monitor all of them at once to keep track of usage and spot any unauthorized network connections.
Monitor Bandwidth Usage
Keep a close eye on every app and traffic source that’s taking up bandwidth. If there’s something you don’t recognize, you can check items that seem suspicious and learn more about it to determine if it’s safe or needs immediate attention.
Protect Internet Privacy
Do you know what hosts your device is communicating with on the internet? With internet privacy tools you can keep a constant track of what servers websites and apps are connecting to, including the countries of origin. If something doesn’t seem right, you can use a firewall to block it.
Check Wifi Connections
When you begin to experience a slow internet connection, you can check to see how many devices are using your network. Are there any you don’t recognize? See when devices join or leave it to spot any unwanted connections.
Extra Tips To Protect Your Network
Endpoint security does an exceptional job at protecting your networks and devices from harm. However, there are always actions you can take to stay safe, too.
Change Default Name On Your Wifi
Hackers could easily bypass the default admin username and passwords that came with your router, as they usually look something like ‘admin’ and ‘password’. Change them to something more complex and keep the credentials safe from prying eyes.
Use Strong Passwords
After you’ve changed your router details, it’s time to revisit your online accounts’ passwords. When’s the last time you changed them? And do you use the same password on multiple sites? Using a password manager could help you generate tough-to-crack passwords and encrypt them, too.
Use Two-Factor Authentication
Adding another kind of authentication on top of your account passwords makes unwanted access almost impossible. You can use a code generator or fingerprint scanner on many websites and apps for extra protection.
Keep Devices Up To Date
Devices and their apps have regular updates that developers create to keep them secure and working as they should. Neglecting updates could leave vulnerabilities for hackers to exploit, which is bad news for your data. Regularly check for device and software updates. Better yet, switch on automatic updates so you never forget.
Network Protection With GlassWire
Smartphones, tablets, and computers all have vulnerabilities. You can start protecting your sensitive information by creating stronger passwords and updating your devices. For true protection, you can enable network protection with tools such as a firewall, internet privacy tools, and a visual network monitor so you’ll know when something suspicious is attempting to infiltrate your network. Protect your devices with a comprehensive endpoint security app like GlassWire.
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Instantly see your current & past network activity. Detect malware, & block badly behaving apps.
