ZoneLabs Zone Alarm Pro is a popular personal firewall application – a piece of software installed onto the PC to block unwanted connections by using:
•the Triple Defense Firewall™
•an anti-spyware system
•the SmartDefense™ service
•protection of privacy and identity
•email protection
•wireless PC security
Zone Alarm Pro is available in a variety of packages, from the single user license to large volume license packages, making it ideal for the home, small network or larger working environment. The program is clearly laid out and easy to use. If a query can't be fixed through support documentation, there are online user forms for quick and handy advice.
The Triple Defense Firewall, as the name suggests, has three layers of protection, providing excellent security against Internet pests:
•defense against hackers, spyware, and Trojans by not allowing them through
•prevention of “bad" programs attacking “good" programs on the PC by surrounding each application with a second firewall
•deep down protection of the operating system against malicious attacks
SmartDefense works with the firewalls, automatically updating itself with information on new spyware programs and adjusting Zone Alarm's security settings to match. SmartDefense examines everything that tries to connect to the Internet from the PC to see if it is performing a valid operation. If it is not, access is blocked. If it does allow the connection, SmartDefense will continue to monitor the activity to ensure it does not perform any operations outside of it's built-in policies.
The privacy and identity protection works to stop annoying pop-up ads and to prevent personal information leaving the computer without permission. Email is kept secure with any suspicious attachments being quarantined for examination in case they contain anything harmful. Likewise, any suspicious outbound messages are also stopped to prevent unintentionally passing on anything nasty.
Even with all of the protection offered by the firewall, some persistent spyware will still find it's way into the computer. The anti-spyware system within Zone Alarm Pro roots it out, while learning to recognize legitimate items with spyware-like tendencies, such as the cookies for your favorite websites.
Wireless protection is crucial when out in the open on a laptop as well as on the home network. It's easy for a hacker to hijack a wireless connection or even set up their own. Zone Alarm can prevent connection hijacking wherever the connection is made.
Zone Alarm Pro runs on Windows systems only, with minimum specifications of:
•Windows 98SE/ME, 48MB RAM (some functions may be limited and support is due to end for the operating systems late 2006)
•Windows 2000 Pro, 64MB RAM
•Windows XP, 128MB RAM
•Pentium III 450 MHz or higher
•50MB available hard disk space
•Internet access is required for updates (Internet Explorer, Netscape, Firefox, AOL and MSN compatible)
•POP3 and SMTP mail only
•Instant Messenger compatibility with minimum version number: MSN 6.2.0205, Windows Messenger 4.7.0.2009, Yahoo! IM 5.5.1226, AIM 5.2.3292, ICQ Pro 2003b, ICQ Lite 5.0, Trillian 0.74i, Trillian Pro 1.0, GAIM 0.74, Miranda 0.3.2
Zone Alarm Personal Firewall
No doubt you have heard the many horror stories of the carnage caused by computer hackers and techno-geeks gone bad. Don't be a victim. The average PC user is extremely vulnerable to attack. Believe me, you do not want to experience having your data, hijacked, lost, stolen or otherwise made useless to you. Anonymizer ZoneLabs Zone Alarm Pro is the all-in-one solution for you. Here's why:
Zone Alarm Pro's easy-to-use firewall blocks hackers and other unknown threats. It includes the following features:
•Intrusion Blocking - identifies hackers and blocks attempts to access
•Stealth Mode - makes your computer invisible to potential hackers on the Internet.
•Automatic Program Configuration - automatically configures programs and decides whether to allow or deny Internet access to your programs.
•Expert Controls - give you precise control over security settings.
• Defense 1 - Proven stealth firewall guards the network perimeter from inbound and
•outbound threats and protects your computer from hackers, spyware, and Trojan horses
•Defense 2 – This second firewall layer surrounds each software program, protecting good programs from bad
•Defense 3 - This third firewall layer goes down to the kernel to protect the operating system, including the registry and file systems from attack by malicious programs. This protects the operating system down to the kernel.
Zone Alarm Pro Protects against identify theft and online profiling.
•ID Lock - prevents your information from leaving your computer without your approval.
•Ad Blocking - stops pop-up ads so you can surf in peace.
•Security Scanner - scans your entire hard drive for adware cookies and deletes them with a click of the mouse.
•Hacker ID – seamlessly tracks hacker attempts on your computer and allows you to report offenders to the ISPs.
•Cookie Control - stops incoming adware from being installed on your computer but does allow cookies from trusted sites.
Zone Alarm Pro stops spyware before it gets onto your computer and is by far the best way to secure your computer.
•Zone Alarm's network firewall totally blocks hackers and their spyware.
•The Web privacy feature obstructs drive-by downloads, tracks cookies, and bugs.
•MailSafe quarantines spyware attachments in all of your email.
The next best stage to catch spyware is before it unwraps and installs. The new Triple Defense Firewall in Zone Alarm Pro products detects and halts spyware installation and other installation related behavior.
Spyware attacks other programs and the operating system
•Zone Alarm's Triple Defense Firewall identifies and stops spyware that tries to attack and hijack programs or change browser settings.
•Zone Alarm's complete detection goes down to the kernel to identify and stop attacks on the operating system.
In conjunction with Zone Alarm's SmartDefense Advisor this excellent product can even kill malicious spyware on the spot.
Zone Alarm Pro quarantines suspicious email attachments and blocks outbound messages containing potential viruses.
•Inbound MailSafe - quarantines suspicious email attachments and prevents them from launching or being opened by accident.
•Outbound MailSafe - monitors outgoing email and halts messages with potential viruses before they can be transmitted. It also keeps worms and viruses from sending infected emails to anyone in your personal address book.
System Requirements:
Windows 98SE/ME/2000 Pro/XP, 233 MHz Pentium or higher, 10MB of available hard disk space, Internet access. Minimum system RAM: 48MB (98SE/ME), 64MB (2000 Pro), 128MB (XP). Supported protocols for email scanning: POP3 and IMAP4 for incoming; SMTP for outgoing.
Both Ben Sikes & Joel Smith are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Christmas Tree And Family Whether youve decided to have a real tree or an artificial one, everyone can enjoy the ritual of hanging the lights, draping the garlands and swags and trimming the tree with your favorite Christmas...