ZoneAlarm Security Suite is designed for home and small-business users running Windows- based computers. Integrating Zone Labs' firewall technology with anti-virus, Web site filtering, privacy protection and instant messaging security, ZoneAlarm Security Suite is a complete, effective and easy-to-use application that should be at the top of your shopping list. ZoneAlarm is one of the most cost-effective firewall solutions around, and anti-virus technology licensed from technology service provider Computer Associates International can only help to bolster the product's strength and appeal.

Pros: An easy-to-use and complete all-in-one package
Cons: No heuristics-based e-mail scans; reduced Exchange functionality


ZoneAlarm Security Suite is ZoneLab's (now a Check Point company) latest security product. Best known for its excellent firewall software, ZoneAlarm, ZoneAlarm Security Suite is pitched at home and small-business users and builds on ZoneAlarm's protective features by adding an anti-virus module, built-in security for instant messaging, as well as tools to block undesirable Web sites.

The software is one of the best all-in-one security package for single PCs and laptops. It's also a breeze to operate, but there's still room for improvement. For example, there's no heuristics-based scan option to examine the contents of e-mail messages (just a whitelist of acceptable senders), IMAP4 is not supported for anti-virus e-mail scanning, and it can't filter personal information in Exchange e-mail. In addition, turning off the firewall also turns off anti-virus protection, and there's a complete lack of any in-depth documentation. Having said that, the built-in help file is excellent - should you have trouble using the software.

The software integrates Zone Labs' firewall technology with anti-virus, Web site filtering, privacy protection and instant messaging security. The company has also added 'boot-time protection' technology, which begins protecting your PC before network drivers are loaded. This extra layer helps to protect your PC at the earliest possible opportunity, thus restricting a malicious program's ability to communicate.

The key part of the software is its firewall technology that helps to protect you from dangerous traffic. The firewall has three 'zones', which can be tailored to suit your requirements. For instance, setting the firewall to High puts your computer into 'stealth mode', whereby it is hidden and protected from hackers. It also prohibits the sharing of files. You can also fine-tune the settings, such as blocking outgoing DNS, DHCP, incoming pings and broadcasts/multicasts. Dropping the zone to Medium means your computer is visible on the Internet, but others cannot share its resource. There's also the option to turn the firewall off completely, should you encounter any compatibility issues with other applications.

The ability to safeguard your PC with best-in-class firewall technology, paired with up-to-date anti-virus protection, is ideal for proactively defending your computer from Internet-borne threats. The built-in anti-virus technology is licensed from technology service provider Computer Associates International, which typically sells its product, eTrust Antivirus, to small and medium-size businesses. Protecting your computer from viruses is a breeze: simply select 'on' or 'off' from the Antivirus menu. From here you can also activate a full system scan for viruses, schedule a scan (date and time), or select scan targets, such as removable drives, hard disks or network drives. You can also activate e-mail scanning, whereby incoming and outgoing e-mails and attachments are scanned.

ZoneLabs has also addressed the backdoor security holes caused by Instant Messaging (IM) software. Although coders haven't yet targeted IM applications, the popularity of real-time chat software will soon come under attack. ZoneAlarm Security Suite's built-in instant messaging security tools help to ensure that your IM conversations are private and secure, regardless of service or client used.

For instance, the software protects AOL Instant Messenger, ICQ, MSN Messenger and Yahoo! Messenger users from eavesdropping, while other security features defend against IM spam and risks posed by IM vulnerabilities, such as buffer overflows, invalid messages, audio and video files, unsafe scripts, and executable URLs. It also filters Web e-mail scripts, suppresses TCP/IP responses on unused ports to better hide your system from Internet scanners, and monitors all inbound and outbound Web contacts, alerting you to any unauthorised access.

Other key features of the software allow you to block inappropriate Web content (ideal for parents), block ads, as well as scan and remove third-party tracking cookies. There's also a unique privacy control feature, ID Lock, which lets you store and track user-defined personal information in an encrypted 'information vault.' When ID Lock is enabled, any information stored is kept secure. If you subsequently type any of that data on Web site, such as your credit card number or password, ZoneAlarm asks whether you want the destination added to your Trusted Sites list. If you say no, the outbound transmission is blocked - a neat feature to help stop keystroke loggers and other tools used by identity thieves.

BIOS, Aug 13, 04 | Print | Send | Comments (0) | Posted In Security