Portmaster Application Firewall v1.4
safing.io
safing.io
Portmaster is a privacy suite for your Windows and Linux desktop.
Base Technology
- Portmaster integrates into network stack using nfqueue on Linux and a kernel driver (WFP) on Windows.
- Packets are intercepted at the raw packet level - every packet is seen and can be stopped.
- Ownership of connections is found using eBPF and `/proc` on Linux and a kernel driver and the IP Helper API (`iphlpapi.dll`) on Windows.
- Most settings can be defined per app, which can be matched in different ways.
- Support for special processes with weird or concealed paths/actors:
--- Snap, AppImage and Script support on Linux
--- Windows Store apps and svchost.exe system services support on Windows
- Everything is 100% local on your device. (except the SPN, naturally)
--- Updates are fully signed and downloaded automatically.
--- Intelligence data (block lists, geoip) is downloaded and applied automatically.
- The Portmaster Core Service runs as a system service, the UI elements (App, Notifier) run in user context.
- The main UI still uses electron as a wrapper :/ - but this will change in the future. You can also open the UI in the browser
Feature: Secure DNS
- Portmaster intercepts "astray" DNS queries and reroutes them to itself for seamless integration.
- DNS queries are resolved by the default or configured DoT/DoH resolvers.
- Full support for split horizon and horizon validation to defend against rebinding attacks.
Feature: Privacy Filter
- Define allowed network scopes: Localhost, LAN, Internet, P2P, Inbound.
- Easy rules based on Internet entities: Domain, IP, Country and more.
- Filter Lists block common malware, ad, tracker domains etc.
Feature: Network History ($)
- Record connections and their details in a local database and search all of it later
- Auto-delete old history or delete on demand
Feature: Bandwidth Visibility ($)
- Monitor bandwidth usage per connection and app
Feature: SPN - Safing Privacy Network ($)
- A Privacy Network aimed at use cases "between" VPN and Tor.
- Uses onion encryption over multiple hops just like Tor.
- Routes are chosen to cover most distance within the network to increase privacy.
- Exits are chosen near the destination server. This automatically geo-unblocks in many cases.
- Exclude apps and domains/entities from using SPN.
- Change routing algorithm and focus per app.
- Nodes are hosted by Safing (company behind Portmaster) and the community.
- Speeds are pretty decent (>100MBit/s).