ZoneAlarm FREE The Firewall and Application Control Combo Forrest Stroud
The Firewall and Application Control Combo
Protection from unwelcome access over the Internet begins with a strong firewall. Because cable modems and DSL lines are always connected to the Internet, they are especially vulnerable to rogue hackers and peeping toms. ZoneAlarm's integrated firewall features a Stealth Mode that hides your computer from the Internet and potential intruders. Only inbound traffic that has been allowed by the user can pass through the firewall, ensuring that hidden attacks are prevented before they can infiltrate the computer.
However, with the advent of "Spyware" attacks, firewalls can be thwarted by crafty perpetrators. If a user inadvertently runs an e-mail attachment or similar program that contains a Trojan Horse which provides a backdoor entry to the computer, the firewall will not be able to prevent the program from being able to secretly send important data about your computer back out to the Internet. ZoneAlarm's Application Control feature utilizes Zone Lab's TrueVector technology to intercept such rogue outbound traffic and alert the user to its presence.
The Application Control monitors all computer activity and alerts users when a new application attempts to access the Internet. At this point the user can either grant permission to the application or block it from accessing the Internet. While this is certainly a useful feature, the downside is that you'll need to spend quite a bit of time granting permission to the many safe applications that you use each day to access the Internet.
Together, ZoneAlarm's Firewall and Application Control work to provide an extremely strong defense for both inbound and outbound Internet data. But ZoneAlarm's network protection features don't end with just these two lines of defense.
