Outpost 2.7 - what to expect

[Paranoid2000]

Outpost 2.7 has now been released with the following features (please see Outpost 2.6 - what to expect for details on previous versions):

What's New:

1. Ability to specify applications exempted from triggering Hidden Process Control and Open Process Control alerts.
2. Default ICMP settings have been tightened compared to 2.6 - incoming Pings are no longer allowed.
3. Rules creation - Rule name will be changed as criteria are selected giving more meaningful default names like "Allow TCP Outbound for OPERA.EXE to 80" rather than just "OPERA Rule #1".
4. Plugin configuration details are now held in a .conf file rather than an .ini file (to avoid problems with large .ini files on Windows 9x/ME systems).

What's Fixed:

1. Stateful inspection with FTP.

(note: these lists are not complete but try to highlight the most significant issues reported - please check the Outpost History of Changes on Agnitum's website for more details).

Upgrading:

Via Agnitum Update
This is the easiest option, but updates are restricted in number to avoid server overload. If you receive a message that you already have the latest version (and your version number as supplied in Help/About Outpost Firewall... is earlier than that shown in the Current Build in the top-right) then either retry later or download a copy of Outpost 2.7 from the Agnitum website.

By Direct Download
Outpost 2.7 is available from Agnitum's website (there may be a delay before resellers have it on their sites also - if in doubt use the main Agnitum site). To use your existing configuration, take the following steps:

1. Make a backup copy of the configuration .ini and .cfg files first (to another folder, to be safe). If you have customised other files (like the preset.lst rules preset file), then take a copy of those too;
2. Disconnect from the Internet;
3. Uninstall your existing copy of Outpost and any third-party plugins using Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel (remove the plugins first);
4. Reboot your system when prompted;
5. Pre-Install Preparation: To minimise the chances of problems arising from an Outpost installation, check that your system is clear of malware (see the AumHa Parasite Fight! page for instructions and links), close all running programs and disable any background virus scanners. If you are running any software that restricts application activity or software installation (e.g. Process Guard, Abtrusion Protector, System Safety Monitor) please note that the Outpost install will add a service and make registry changes - ensure that these actions are permitted for the Outpost installation;
6. Install the downloaded copy of Outpost;
7. Copy your saved configuration files into the Outpost program folder and load them using the File/Load Configuration option;
8. Check your configuration to ensure that everything appears normal;
9. Reconnect to the Internet.

Known Issues:

1. DNS Cache - this may give multiple "Malformed DNS request detected" messages. If these are from your ISP DNS server then consider disabling this plugin as a workaround.
2. Importing configuration from Outpost 2.6 and earlier - due to the change in how plugin data is stored, please review plugin settings carefully. In particular for LAN settings, Auto-Detect may be enabled if it was not previously.
3. The current versions of the BlockPost and HTTPLog plugins do not work with this version of Outpost (Update: Dmut has released a 2.7-compatible version of Blockpost, downloadable from Sourceforge).
4. There have been several reports of installation problems (Update: this has been fixed in the 485/412 build) - specifically the install hanging with the message "Updating System Configuration" with Task Manager's (Win2K/XP only) Process tab showing the process GLB1F.TMP using all available CPU. If this happens, it may be possible to complete the install by terminating this process (right click on it and select End Process in Task Manager), running the file install.exe in the Outpost Program Files folder and restarting your system manually.
5. Changes to column settings in the Network Activity window are not saved. This has been fixed in an update (currently in beta) so should only be a short-term problem.