ZoneAlarm Review

The average PC user is extremely vulnerable to internet security attacks. Believe me, you do not want to experience having your data, hijacked, lost, stolen or otherwise made useless. This Zonealarm review will try to shed light on ZoneLabs ZoneAlarm Pro firewall 2010 which claims to provide solid protection against internet security threats. Typically firewalls provide an additional layer of protection against the threats unmanageable by antivirus, anti-malware and similar products. In todays world, a firewall however is necessary and should be your first layer of protection if you spend considerable time online. It’ll not only give you peace of mind, but would also secure your precious data and identity from prying eyes. Zonelabs have always delivered good quality firewall software specifically focused for the non-geeky end users. That means you can expect ease of installation, ease of use and a well organised documentation. The wizard driven interface lets’ you easily configure firewall for your needs.

ZoneAlarm Pro is easy-to-use firewall blocks hackers and other unknown threats right in their tracks. It has 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.
• Proven stealth firewall guards the network perimeter from inbound and Outbound threats and protects your computer from hackers, spyware, and Trojan horses.
• This second firewall layer surrounds each software program, protecting good programs from bad.
• Operating system firewall: 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.

ZoneAlarm Pro also 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.

Wireless PC Protection: Connecting to an unsecured network leaves you vulnerable to hackers, identity thieves, and other online threats. Automatic Wireless Network Security module will detect wireless networks & automatically applies the most secure firewall protection setting.

Advanced Download Protection The new advanced download protection feature keeps track of your download and informs you if they are found malicious. Malware installation prevention helps you keep your pc free of threats.

ZoneAlarm Pro stops spyware before it gets onto your computer and is by far the best way to secure your computer.

• ZoneAlarm’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.

Spyware attacks other programs and the operating system. Please note the firewall pro version does not incorporate Unified Anti-virus / spyware Engine. It’ll not scan and destroy viruses and spyware.

ZoneAlarm’s Triple Defense Firewall identifies and stops spyware that tries to attack and hijack programs or change browser settings.
ZoneAlarm’s complete detection goes down to the kernel to identify and stop attacks on the operating system.

In conjunction with ZoneAlarm’s SmartDefense Advisor this excellent product can even kill malicious spyware on the spot.

ZoneAlarm 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:
Microsoft Windows 2000, XP SP2 or SP3 Home / Professional
32-bit, 1GB RAM
1 GHz or faster processor

Microsoft Windows Vista SP1 or SP2 Business / Home Premium / Ultimate:
32-bit / 64-bit, 2 GB RAM
2 GHz or faster processor

Microsoft® Windows® 7*:
32-bit / 64-bit , 2 GB RAM
2 GHz or faster processor

Disk space: 250MB of available hard-disk space.

PCSW Verdict:
Even though market is filled with a high number of good quality software firewalls each claiming themselves to be the best protection against hackers and identity thefts, if you’re simply looking to have a software firewall complementing your existing antivirus without any need to delve into configuration gimmicks, zonealarm pro 2010 is a great choice. Installing and configuring it is a breeze. No doubt you have heard many horror stories of the carnage caused by computer hackers and techno-geeks gone bad. Don’t be a victim!