ZoneAlarm Pro Reviewer's Comments

ZoneAlarm Pro by Zone Labs, Inc. is our "TopTenREVIEWS Gold Award" winning personal firewall software. This powerful firewall software program not only protects your computer from hackers, it also protects your personal data by blocking spyware and adware as well as protecting your identity with the myVAULT utility. Whether you're a novice or a computer professional, ZoneAlarm Pro makes it easy to keep your computer data safe.

The new 2007 version of ZoneAlarm Pro has strengthened their anti–spyware feature and continued development and enhancement of their identity theft protection, spy site blocking and game mode features. They have also enhanced their Program Control features in this latest version to allow for even more control over the programs you run.

Feature Set:  

Your financial data and password lists are stored inside your computer, but a novice hacker with the right  tools could easily get into your system to copy these without detection. How do you keep prying eyes locked out and your private data locked in?

ZoneAlarm Pro has an option called myVAULT; here you can enter any personal information you'd like protected. You can also enter a list of trusted sites that you will allow access to this private data—such as your bank website. If another source attempts access or transmit MyVAULT data, ZoneAlarm Pro will block access.

We tested this feature by creating a test bank account number and password in MyVAULT. Then we tried to send that data in an email. ZoneAlarm Pro detected the attempt to send the sensitive data and blocked the transmission.

Two bonus features in ZoneAlarm Pro include the ability to block viruses using your current virus software and offer email protection.

ZoneAlarm Pro will incorporate your current anti-virus software into the firewall, allowing you to use the anti-virus product of your choice. If you don't already have anti-virus protection, CheckPoint has the ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite including bundling anti-virus, firewall and spyware protection.

Not many firewall programs include email protection, but ZoneAlarm Pro uses a feature called Mailsafe to protect you from receiving or sending attachments that may be infected with a virus by email. Most people worry only about incoming viruses, but nothing is more distressing than learning a virus has sent itself to all the people in your email address book.

You can customize settings within each section, with the exception of the anti-virus section, to tailor ZoneAlarm Pro to your configuration. You can also create a safe list of senders' addresses, allowing ZoneAlarm Pro to act as an email filter. This is an excellent bonus when you consider that trojans and viruses often enter your computer by email.

Ease of Use:  

We at TopTenReviews rate how easy a program is to use from a computer novice perspective. We ask, "If I'm a beginner, would I be able to understand and use the options in this program quickly, without questions?"

ZoneAlarm Pro does exactly that. The well-designed control panel explains and displays available choices simply. Each field (such as program control) offers a brief description of the main choice and then shows other choices available. New users are not overloaded with irrelevant information.

There is some difficulty associated with ZoneAlarm Pro when troubleshooting connection issues. Say, for example, you can’t connect to the net with MSN Messenger. It can be difficult to find which option to change due to the sheer multitude of options and features to contend with.

Ease of Installation:  

ZoneAlarm Pro’s installation was a breeze. Their SmartDefense Advisor makes most of the configuration choices concerning the programs you run on your system without having to wait for a training or learning period. This not only saves time, but makes the installation more simple than many other firewall products.

Reliability:  

We tested ZoneAlarm Pro's ability to protect a computer systems vulnerable open ports. An open port is a small doorway in your computer system that allows data to enter and leave. When you use a chat program online, for instance, your computer opens four ports to allow data to flow back and forth. ZoneAlarm Pro was effective at protecting and closing ports. ZoneAlarm Pro passed the trojan test with flying colors too; no trojan programs made it past the firewall.

Help/Support:  

ZoneAlarm Pro's documentation is well organized, making it easy to find answers fast. Learning to use the different fields and options that ZoneAlarm Pro offers is simple since this software is designed for a novice to understand.

ZoneAlarm Pro has instant chat support available online as well. This allows you to enter a question. The support staff then guides you to the correct answer. Premium phone support is also available for a fee.

Summary:  

There are many software firewalls on the market today. Each claims to protect you from intruders. Few also protect your computer and your email from hackers, trojans, viruses, porn ad images, and unwanted cookies. Like having a guard dog at the door, ZoneAlarm Pro delivers peace of mind by taking care of all these undesirables for you.