New Version Of ZoneAlarm Launched

Check Point Software Technologies Ltd., has announced a new version of ZoneAlarm Free Firewall which is powered by the community for stronger security. Its DefenseNet service analyses malware automatically reported by the community of millions of ZoneAlarm users. Once the safety or non-safety of a given program is determined, the information is then shared through the cloud, immediately blocking attacks and virtually eliminating the need for program alerts and interruptions.

The ZoneAlarm Free Firewall includes both an inbound and outbound firewall. An inbound firewall prevents hackers from entering a PC, while outbound protection automatically blocks data from being transmitted back out to the hacker. Any suspicious or unauthorized communications are blocked by the firewall. In addition, the new ZoneAlarm Free Firewall uses both signatures and heuristics to block dangerous Websites that standard browser security misses. ZoneAlarm also includes an Identity Checkup with Identity Guard that allows customers to see if their identity and personal information has been exposed, and then can protect that personal information with ongoing monitoring, alerts and more.

“Most people have some form of antivirus protection,” said Bari Abdul, Vice President-Consumer Sales, Check Point. “Though necessary, antivirus is not enough. Consumers who do not have a powerful firewall are operating with an ‘open door’ policy, enabling hackers to access bank account information, passwords and credit card numbers. Anyone with Internet access needs both antivirus and a strong firewall for basic personal computer security.” He continued,“48 million times a day, current ZoneAlarm DefenseNet users automatically retrieve threat data from our cloud servers for instantaneous protection.”

Easy to download and install, ZoneAlarm Free Firewall protects users from the most common online threats including:

• Trojans and keyloggers – ZoneAlarm Free Firewall blocks Trojans and keyloggers from transmitting stolen information to hackers.
• Zero-day threats – ZoneAlarm Free Firewall protects computers from malicious programs by blocking anything that is not specifically known to be good. In contrast, antivirus solutions provide unrestricted access until the programs are specifically identified as malicious via exact signature or by type of behavior.
• Program hijacking and code injection – ZoneAlarm Free Firewall detects the difference between a real program and a fake one, and blocks both methods of attack.
• Port scanners and vulnerability checkers – ZoneAlarm Free Firewall keeps the computer invisible and thus immune to such threats.