Comodo has announced the release of Comodo Firewall Pro Version 3.0. This new release advances computer security from being a defensive, reactive system to a preventative and proactive solution based on a new A-VSMART™ technology architecture (A-VSMART is short for "Anti; Virus, Spyware, Malware, Rootkit and Trojan").

While still free, Comodo's next generation firewall helps customers more effectively prevent virtually all types of threats from penetrating a computer and incorporates the latest security prevention technologies available. Despite the sophisticated level of prevention, the software remains easy for the home user to install and use "out of the box".

Comodo Firewall Pro (V3.0) does a better job of protecting computers from malware than conventional solutions because it operates from a prevention rather than a detection perspective, and incorporates a sophisticated, layered threat management approach. Unlike detection/ signature-based firewalls and anti-virus solutions that allow all applications to gain access to system resources and then try to detect previously identified viruses by their signature, Comodo Firewall Pro takes the opposite approach. Comodo A-VSMART architecture allows only those applications known to be safe to gain access to computer resources, greatly reducing the probability of damage occurring.

The key component of this next generation firewall lies in its A-VSMART (Anti: Virus, Spyware, Malware, Rootkit, Trojan) technology architecture that both proactively monitors internal system applications and processes while also actively monitoring all incoming and outgoing Internet traffic. Specifically, this architecture proactively protects against potential security breaches by; 1) enabling tighter control of internet traffic, b) controlling which applications are allowed to gain access to a computer's CPU (central processing unit) and 3) limiting critical system access to allow only trusted system modifications.

Comodo Firewall Pro A-VSMART architecture utilizes key proprietary technologies:
* Defense+ for proactive monitoring of internal systems and processes: Defense+ is an advanced Host Intrusion Prevention System (HIPS) that proactively monitors systems and system processes to detect and prevent system changes such as rootkit installations, inter-process memory injections, key-loggers and more.
HIPS technology is driven by a white list architecture which identifies trusted applications and prevents untrusted applications being installed onto the computer. Comodo has one of the largest white lists in the industry with a database of nearly 1 million safe executables. The integrity of every executable is checked against this database to determine whether or not it is genuine before it is given installation rights. With this system, potentially damaging applications are prevented from being ever being installed.
* Patent Pending "Clean PC Mode": Comodo Firewall Pro provides the user with the ability to install the solution in Clean PC mode, most useful for new PCs. In these cases, Comodo Firewall Pro creates a profile of the computer with all existing applications registered as safe. The firewall then prevents any unrecognized applications from being installed unless; a) the application is recognized by Comodo’s extensive white list or b) the user grants installation permissions. It also prevents any suspicious system processes from running.