  |
 NAME AND DOWNLOAD LINK: ZoneAlarm DESCRIPTION: PC Firewall SIZE:8903KB MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS: Windows 98SE/ME/2000 Pro/XP. Pentium III 450 MHz or higher COMMENT: "The ZoneAlarm firewall, included in all ZoneAlarm products, is your PC's basic foundation of defense against hacker attacks and intrusions. With millions of users worldwide, ZoneAlarm is the industry-leading PC firewall." ZoneAlarm protects your computer and your valuable information from from hackers, spyware, worms and trojan horse attacks by identifying and blocking unauthorized inbound and outbound communications. Its Stealth mode automatically hides your computer on the Internet. 
ZoneAlarm also monitors the status of most antivirus software, alerting you if its out of date or turned off and it offers email protection from vbs script viruses. Before you download ZoneAlarm run the free spyware scan that's offered to make sure your computer is free of pests. Internet activity is shown by the green and red bars at the top of the ZoneAlarm Control Center and in the taskbar. If your under attack, use the Stop button to stop all activity. Away from your computer for an extended period, click on the Lock icon to lock all Internet activity. Right click on the ZoneAlarm icon in the taskbar for the same options. 
ZoneAlarm lets you set different security levels for unknown computers in the Internet Zone and computers you select in the Trusted Zone. 
ZoneAlarm Security Alerts inform you about potential risks and give you options on how to proceed. Program Alerts let you know when a program is trying to access the Internet. Server Alerts let you know a program is trying to act as a web server. These alerts let you allow or deny communications. See the SmartDefense Advisor for information on how to proceed or go to the ZoneAlarm Website by clicking on the "More info" button. You can train the firewall and lesson these alerts by clicking on "Remember this setting" before clicking Allow or Deny.
ZoneAlarm also alerts you if it has blocked a communication that's been identified as unsafe by your security settings. See SmartDefense Advisor for information or go to the ZoneAlarm Website by clicking on the "More info" button. If you decide these communications are safe and neccessary you will have to adjust your security settings to allow them. Easy to use and easy to understand ZoneAlarm gives you that added layer of security to enter Cyber space with confidence.
A firewall being a necessity, ZoneAlarm's basic firewall offers more protection than XP's firewall which only monitors and blocks inbound communications. ZoneAlarm is quick to install and configure. It doesn't use a lot of resources and can't be disabled remotely, although there's no option for password protection. One of the better free firewalls. For support go to ZoneAlarm's Technical Support site. Telephone support is available for a fee or use the free virtual support agent, the Zone Labs user forum or the online and downloadable user guides. For added protection upgrade to ZoneAlarm Pro (a 15 day free trial can be installed instead of the basic firewall). ZoneAlarm Pro starts with the basic firewall and adds an identity lock to keep personal data secure, an anti-spyware component, enhanced email protection, and additional firewall layers that protect your programs and operating system. |
|
|
Check Out Last Month's Newsletter |