GlassWire released version 2.0 of the personal firewall and security program for Microsoft's Windows operating system.

The new major version of the application includes improvements and new features including support for Virustotal scanning, Evil Twin detection, high DPI support.

We reviewed GlassWire back in 2014 when the application was first released, and published a feature comparison of all paid GlassWire versions of the application a year later.

GlassWire 2.0 is a free upgrade from version 1 of the software program. Users who run into activation issues are asked to contact GlassWire support to resolve the issue.

GlassWire 2.0

The first thing that existing users may notice when they upgrade their copies of the program to version 2.0 is that the interface has changed. It is not a complete overhaul of the interface but more a modernized version of the old interface. Users who work on high DPI screens benefit from support of high resolution monitors in GlassWire 2.0.

VirusTotal support is one of the main new features of GlassWire 2.0. The feature is not enabled by default; go to Settings > Virustotal, and click on the unlock button there to enable it. You may then check "enable manual file analysis by VirusTotal" and/or "automatically analyze all apps with network activity with VirusTotal".

Apps with network activity are automatically scanned using the VirusTotal service if you check the latter.

Manual checks can be run by double-clicking on apps and selecting the virus scan option that is displayed then.

GlassWire 2.0 supports firewall profiles, another new feature. The firewall is only available in commercial versions of GlassWire. Profiles are set of rules, e.g. block all but whitelisted applications, that you may switch between.

Use cases include creating profiles for different network environments or activities. You could create a locked down profile for important activities such as online banking for instance using the new profile functionality.

GlassWire improved the firewall further in the new version. It syncs now with Windows Firewall, and checks the integrity of the default firewall of the Windows operating system on top of that, and may restore it if things were changed since the last scan.

You find scans for new processes under firewall if you have enabled the automatic VirusTotal integration of the application. Any new process is sent to VirusTotal automatically after enabling automatic scans.

Another new feature of GlassWire 2.0 is Evil Twin Alerts. GlassWire monitors WiFi networks, and it warns users now if the Mac address of WiFi access points change.

"A new type of network attack is known as an “Evil Twin” attack. This type of attack occurs when someone sets up a new WiFi access point with a name similar to your current WiFi access point. GlassWire watches out for these types of attacks by warning you if the Mac address of the WiFi access point you’re on changes. Of course if you’re using something like a mesh network with repeaters you may get occasional alerts, but as GlassWire learns these new access points over time the false alerts should stop. Also, if the WiFi access point you’re on loses its password you’ll also be alerted."

The usage tab lets you switch between day, week and month statistics now. It lists apps, hosts and traffic types that use the most traffic.

GlassWire 2.0 comes with several minor changes as well:

• Remote connections can be established by hostname, not only by IP.
• A new 7-day free trial for free users.
• Option to enable/disable GlassWire's "Things" network scanning.
• Option to select a different time format.

Closing Words

GlassWire 2.0 improves the firewall and security application for Windows significantly. Virustotal integration is a great new feature, and so is the integration of firewall profiles and better support for Windows Firewall.