1. Outpost 1.0 free is still OK but you have to realise there is no further development going on and the pro version is 2.5. The main thing is it still doing the job and I would say yes, but it depends on your personal system usage and settings. You can check out the Shields Up tests at grc.com, there were occasions when my PC wasn’t totally stealthed because of B9 (email monitor/protection checking the pop/smtp/imap ports), but that wasn’t truly a serious issue.

The hardware firewall will give you good protection from inbound attack (so the same stealth issue that I had (on dial-up, so no hardware firewall), shouldn’t effect you and you should have good outbound protection with outpost free. So in combination I think you have adequate protection.

  1. The offer only lasted from 10 Dec to 10 Jan I think and I did post about it. Who is to say if they will do it again, you will have to monitor the website and you could subscribe to the newsletter.