Zone Alarm Pro 4.5 - part III

by Andrew Cooper

Privacy Keeper

As with other firewalls, ZoneAlarm Pro protects your privacy by blocking cookies, referrers, scripts and popup windows.



These settings are organized similar to the Firewall and Application settings, with the same pros and cons I mentioned above.

One thing I'd like to point out is that people who need to automatically clear their web history will like the Cache Cleaner, a feature that protects your privacy by routinely removing all links from your web history after a period of time you can designate.

Staying Alarmed

ZoneAlarm alerts you of network related events in your system via popup windows.



I found these windows generally to be descriptive and helpful, providing all the information needed for me to make a decision and appropriately respond to each event. These alerts are what I liked the most of this firewall even though they occasionally slowed down my system when they appeared. They significantly increased the program's usability and let me feel that my computer and privacy were protected and that I was in control. The alerts are specially colored so you are instantly aware of each event's severity without having to read its details. This really saved time and enabled me to work smoothly, without much interruption.

Each event is logged in ZoneAlarm so you can always trace back to see what happened earlier on your system to more thoroughly analyze events, which can sometimes give you valuable information about weak security points. The logging function supports a basic functionality, enough to analyze event data. Of all the firewalls I've reviewed, only Outpost Firewall has a logging system that makes data analysis a breeze, although it is not enough for in-depth analysis despite its various logging levels and event archiving.

Verdict



ZoneAlarm Firewall Pro is suitable for both seasoned network experts and inexperienced users. Novice users will appreciate the simple interface that lets them switch between security levels with ease.

I liked my experience with ZoneAlarm and was impressed with it generally, but its excessive use of memory and CPU resources prevented it from topping my list. For those of us wanting a balanced firewall with the same or better functionality than ZoneAlarm, or who wants to conserve system resources, I still recommend Kerio or Outpost Firewall.

Developer's web site: http://www.zonelabs.com/
Download link: http://www.zonelabs.com/download/

Back to Part II
Back to Part I