To guard against attack by hackers across the Internet, a personal firewall puts all the computer's ports in stealth mode. I found no way to turn it off by tweaking Registry settings, and my attempts to kill it using Task Manager or disable its essential services got "Access denied." I couldn't even turn it off by sending fake mouse clicks.
#Zonealarm security suite software
I tried to kill off its protection using techniques that malicious software might use, but I just couldn't. The ZoneAlarm firewall is hardened against attack by malware: It protects your system against attack from the outside, controls which programs are permitted to access the Internet and the local network, and specifically guards against malicious software that tries to exploit vulnerabilities in the operating system or browser. The product, however, is not truly ready to protect against malware until the antivirus and antispyware definitions have been updated, a process that took 10 minutes or more in some cases.- Next: Keeping Hackers Out Installation was reasonably fast, though naturally slower on malware-infested systems. ForceField's panel will occupy that slot. In a few months Check Point will release an updated suite that integrates ZoneAlarm ForceField and adds a number of optional features. Sharp-eyed users may observe that there's room for one more panel of the same size. Two big panels identify the security status of the suite's firewall and that of its antivirus and antispyware protection clicking them brings up a more detailed status report. As before, the product's major protection areas run down the left side, but now the subdivisions of the selected item appear directly below it instead of spreading across the top of the screen-a definite improvement. The overview page reports on overall security status and offers "Fix it" buttons if there's any problem with the configuration. The new user interface trades in the colorful (even garish) tones of its predecessor for a muted theme with consistent icons. It costs $69.95 for three licenses or $49.95 for one, but for a limited time you can get the three-license version for the one-license price.
Even so, it's still among the best security suites. In some areas, ZoneAlarm actually seems to be losing ground by not advancing fast enough. Once you get past that façade, though, things are much the same as in version 7.0. Thanks to a comprehensive makeover, the main display in ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite 2009 (also known as ZoneAlarm Internet Security 8.0) has an entirely new look. It was on the market before most of us ever heard the phrase "personal firewall." ZoneAlarm's security suite was showing its age, however, with a dated user interface. ZoneAlarm is the granddaddy of all personal firewalls.