Software Review: ZoneAlarm 3.1 for PC

By Kevin Cox

I've decided to take a different tack with this issue's topic of Tools & Techniques, and discuss a tool that no computer user, technical writer or not, should be without — a personal firewall. If you use a computer at home or in your home office a firewall is essential in the brave new world of the Internet; if you don't already have one, you should consider getting one as soon as possible.

The Statistics

Virus protection, although helpful, isn't enough to protect your system; it will not protect your system from some worms, spyware, and other malicious active content. According to the Computer Emergency Response Team Coordination Center (CERT), "Publicly released computer security vulnerabilities more than doubled in the last year, with 1,090 separate holes reported in 2000, and 2,437 reported in 2001. Following the same trends, the number of reported incidents also drastically increased with 21,756 documented in 2000 and 52,658 in 2002." And 2002 isn't over yet. Riptech, a computer security firm recently acquired by rival Symantec, reported that "general Internet attack trends are showing a 64% annual rate of growth."

Granted, most computer attacks are aimed at large companies, particularly those in the high tech, financial services, and energy industries. However, home computer users are easy prey to a hacker, especially if he or she accesses the Internet via a broadband connection. One way the average user can protect his or her computer system is by using a great piece of software called ZoneAlarm (especially if used in conjunction with good anti-virus software). Of course, users should also educate themselves on the subject of computer security, keep their software up to date, and exhibit vigilant behavior when online.

Why ZoneAlarm?

ZoneAlarm is published by ZoneLabs (www.zonelabs.com), and comes in the following three levels of protection:

• ZoneAlarm, offered as a free download, stops one type of e-mail borne viruses and worms, contains a firewall, and can be manually configured. Every computer user should have at least this level of protection.
  
  
• ZoneAlarm Plus costs $39.95 and offers the basic protection of ZoneAlarm, but stops 46 types of e-mail borne viruses and worms, and adds Hacker Tracking, blocking of suspect IP addresses or Web sites, and password protected settings.
  
  
• ZoneAlarm Pro costs $49.95 and offers the protection of ZoneAlarm Plus, and also offers Internet ad blocking, active content control, and cookie control.

ZoneLabs also offers the following other products for system protection, most of which can be "bundled" together with either ZoneAlarm Plus or ZoneAlarm Pro (check www.zonelabs.com for current promotions):

• PestPatrol, which offers monitoring and examination of computer "pest" files
  
  
• Steganos Security Suite, which offers document and data security for your PC
  
  
• VisualRoute, which gives a visual trace route of hackers, spammers, and other Web abusers
  
  
• Anonymizer, which offers anonymous Web surfing
  
  
• Internet Cleanup, which allows you to remove your surfing tracks

Three thumbs up

CNET, ZDNet, and PC Magazine all rate ZoneAlarm as the number one firewall product; in fact, the editors of CNET declared "ZoneAlarm Pro 3.0 is as good as firewalls get." There are certainly other makers of firewalls and protection software for users of personal PCs, but none seems to have the high rating and dedication to protecting your system as ZoneLabs' products — and they certainly don't do as good a job for such a reasonable price.

I have been using ZoneAlarm since 2000. When I first installed it I observed the intrusion monitor for ten minutes while online; during those ten minutes I counted six attempts to "ping" my computer! (I use ZoneAlarm in conjunction with Pop-up Stopper from www.panicware.com for eliminating annoying pop-up ads, and SurfinGuard from www.finjan.com for eliminating malicious active content; both are available as freeware. I intend to upgrade to ZoneAlarm Pro soon, however.) The thing I like most about ZoneAlarm, in addition to its first-class firewall, is the fact that it runs unobtrusively in the background; only the blinking icon in the system tray tells you it's doing its job.

Download & Installation

ZoneAlarm can be purchased and downloaded from either the ZoneLabs site (www.zonelabs.com) or from CNET's download site at www.download.com. For the purpose of this article, download and installation will reflect downloading and installing the latest freeware version, ZoneAlarm 3.1.

The downloadable executable file to install ZoneAlarm is a moderate 3.6MB; the program includes an uninstaller. After starting the executable file to install the program, a wizard walks you through the process, and includes simple steps to configure your e-mail client and Web browser; the installation process takes about a minute and a half.

Features

A handy feature alerts you to programs or processes that may be suspect, and gives you the option to allow or deny access: The AlertAdvisor window will pop up if a program or process is trying to access the Internet through your computer. The window recognizes if a program has accessed the Internet before, and common programs that regularly access the Net are memorized within the program. Advanced users can manually configure the program to meet their needs; most users will want to let ZoneAlarm alert them to suspicious activity.

ZoneAlarm 3.1 offers logging of blocked activity; the log can be sorted, filtered, and analyzed in real-time. The AlertAdvisor offers instant advice on what to do when ZoneAlarm detects suspicious activity. Version 3.1 also has a Zone Management Area, which will let you share information with computers and networks you trust while blocking the sharing of information with those you don't trust. MailSafe alerts you when you receive an e-mail with a Visual Basic script attachment. Finally, you can choose to block all Internet activity after a specified period of inactivity when you are receiving something very suspicious ¾ this is somewhat like hitting the PANIC button.

ZoneAlarm's Main Window

Figure 1 below shows ZoneAlarm's main window:

Figure 1: ZoneAlarm's Main Window

Note the various areas of the window: The default screen offers an overview of how your computer is being protected by ZoneAlarm, and the status of the systems on your computer. (NOTE: This screen shot is from my own copy of the program. I installed the updated version about three weeks prior to when I made this screen shot.) The default screen offers the following options:

• How many intrusions have been blocked by ZoneAlarm, and how many of those were high-rated.
  
  
• How many attempts to access your computer have been blocked by the firewall.
  
  
• How many programs are secured to access the Internet.
  
  
• How many suspect e-mail attachments have been quarantined (in my case, I use Yahoo! Mail, which includes the best e-mail protection of any other free Web-based mail service).

There are also tabs to see product info and to set your preferences for the program, a padlock indicator telling you if any program has locked Internet access, and of course the big, red STOP button, which lets you stop all Internet activity in case of an emergency. A tutorial for the program and an icon for opening the Help section are also included on this screen.

The yellow area at the left of the screen gives some options for setting and viewing the details of the program in the following areas:

• Firewall
• Program Control
• Alerts & Logs
• E-Mail Protection

The interface in this new version is an improvement from earlier versions — it is more pleasing to the eye and easier to use.

Figure 2: Program Control for manual configuration

The Scoop — Pros & Cons (Freeware version)

The "pros" for ZoneAlarm 3.1 are that it includes an ad-blocking tool and cookie management, hides PC ports from hackers, and has a new interface that is easier to use.

The "cons" for ZoneAlarm 3.1 are that it doesn't include anti-virus defense, no phone support, and there is no Mac version.

My rebuttal to the lack of anti-virus defense is that ZoneLabs makes firewalls; their products can (and should) be used in conjunction with a good anti-virus program such as Norton Anti-Virus from Symantec. ZoneLabs' lack of phone support is not that big a deal; their product works so well (and they do offer e-mail/Web support) that phone support is really not necessary, in my opinion. As for there being no Macintosh version, this is unfortunate — Mac users will need to look elsewhere for a personal firewall; perhaps ZoneLabs will address this issue in the future and offer a Mac version.

Summary

ZoneAlarm 3.1 is a useful personal firewall program that no online computer user should be without. Rated the number 1 personal firewall by respected sources CNET, ZDNet, and PC Magazine, it monitors Internet activity for suspicious content or activity and lets users configure the program to their preference. ZoneAlarm comes in three different versions, depending on your budget and needs (every user should have at least the freeware version). Used in conjunction with good anti-virus software, it should keep your computer free of viruses, worms, bugs, spyware, and other malicious content.

More Information on Home Computer Security

For more information on home/home office computer security, I recommend the following resources:

• A Digital Defense Test for home users to assess their readiness for repelling cyber-attacks can be found at http://techupdate.cnet.com/enterprise/0-20424045-724-20428906.html (as of the date of this writing, Oct. 12, 2002).
• Symantec offers several free tools for accessing your computer's security; visit the Symantec home page at www.symantec.com/homecomputing/ and click on Symantec Security Check.
• CNET offers a tool to automatically check and update your computer software, identify needs for security fixes, and detect spyware: CatchUp is a free downloadable program, which enables users to do this on a regular basis; you must subscribe to the free service in order to do this. See http://catchup.cnet.com.
• A password effectiveness test, which can be found at http://www.securitystats.com/tools/password.asp.

Till next time, don't forget to update your virus definitions…

Kevin Cox is a contributing writer for the Willamette Galley. He can be reached at CoxK@esi.com.