Drop, charge, and lose the cords
Entered CNET Catalog: 07/27/2001
SKU: 6591172
Manufacturer: Zone Labs, Inc.
Manufacturer description
ZoneAlarm Plus represents the next generation of personal Internet security. ZoneAlarm Plus protects the PC from intrusions and hostile attacks by combining a personal firewall with Program Control. ZoneAlarm Plus was designed from the ground up to offer something for everyone: from "set and forget" users seeking easy, instant security, to tech-savvy users seeking powerful control and customization. ZoneAlarm Plus also offers powerful security features, intuitive support for wireless networks, and a robust user feedback and analysis engine. ZoneAlarm Plus sets the standard for rock-solid security that's easy to use, allowing users a safe and private Internet experience. ZoneAlarm Plus has been specifically designed for the "firewall purist" - those who want our great firewall features and precise control over settings, without getting into areas like privacy control and ad blocking. It uses the intuitive graphical interface pioneered by ZoneAlarm Pro, which includes wizards and tutorials to help new users get protected quickly and easily. ZoneAlarm Plus provides advanced program control that 'fingerprints' not only the applications that have been granted permission to access the Internet, but also the components of the applications at the .DLL level. This helps ensure that rogue code masquerading as a trusted application in order to gain unauthorized access cannot be inserted onto a PC. ZoneAlarm Plus includes the second-generation revised and more informative AlertAdvisor. Now the AlertAdviser includes more information about alerts generated by ZoneAlarm Plus so users can make better decisions about the security events occurring on their PCs. ZoneAlarm Plus contains support for local area networks, including wireless networks. Installation and maintenance of ZoneAlarm Plus on a local area network is streamlined so it is simple to manage network security settings for both traditional and wireless networks. As new networks are identified, including wireless networks, pop-ups allow naming of the network and assignment to a trusted or untrusted Zone for easier administration.CNET editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 10/03/2001
ZoneAlarm Plus's redesigned interface not only gives an instant status update, it's also easier to navigate than earlier editions'.
ZoneAlarm Plus benefits from a total interface redesign and now looks somewhat like Norton Internet Security and McAfee Internet Security, with its navigation along the left side. The Control Center displays the current status of all your safeguards, including any programs currently accessing the Internet, and it provides one-click entry to all configuration settings. Links along the left-hand side--to Firewall, Program Control, and Privacy--lead to detailed settings, security logs, and options. Across the top, twin gauges monitor both upstream (outgoing) and downstream (incoming) Net activity. A holdover from the old interface, a large Stop button, lets you disengage protection at any time. We love the new look; it's easier on the eyes and easier to navigate, too.
Depending on how you set up ZoneAlarm Plus, each time a program or a program component on your PC wants to access the Internet, the firewall displays an alert to let you know whether the activity is authorized. A useful Internet Lock feature freezes your Internet connection so that no activity--incoming or outgoing--occurs when you step away from your machine. You can configure the lock to engage automatically after a specified amount of time or whenever your screensaver activates.
ZoneAlarm Plus monitors more than 30 types of e-mail file attachments that potentially carry Trojan horses or worms, and it quarantines these files so that you can examine them later with a good virus killer. ZoneAlarm Plus includes Enhanced Hacker Tracking, allowing you to find out who's attacking your system. This final feature requires an additional annual maintenance contract beyond the initial year of support.
ZoneAlarm Plus is available in French, German, and Japanese language editions.
We ran ZoneAlarm Plus against Steve Gibson's ShieldsUp port tester. In stealth mode, our PC was invisible to the world. That's good.
| ZoneAlarm Plus | |||
 | |||
| ShieldsUp Port Probe | ShieldsUp Port Probe | ||
| Port 21-FTP | Stealth | Port 135-RPC | Stealth |
| Port 23-Telnet | Stealth | Port 139-NetBIOS | Stealth |
| Port 25-SMTP | Stealth | Port 143-IMAP | Stealth |
| Port 79-Finger | Stealth | Port 443-HTTPS | Stealth |
| Port 80-HTTP | Stealth | Port 445-MSFT DS | Stealth |
| Port 110-POP3 | Stealth | Port 5000 UPnP | Stealth |
| Port 113-IDENT | Stealth | Leak test | Passed |
We began with IP Agent, a free utility provided by ShieldsUp that determines the test machine's current IP address, then contacts the ShieldsUp Web site to begin testing.
Next, the Port Probe utility tested our system's defense against Internet port scanners. The test originates from the ShieldsUp server and attempts to establish standard TCP/IP (Internet) connections on a handful of commonly exploited Internet service ports on the test computer.
Using ShieldsUp, each port gives one of the three following results:
Stealth: This result means that the probe was not able to find this particular port on your computer. This is the most secure result.
Closed: This shows that the probe was able to detect this particular port on your computer but that the connection was refused.
Open: This result means that the port is actively advertising its presence on the Internet. Port scanners will have no trouble finding it.
More information on these tests and what the results mean can be found at ShieldsUp.
More information about how we test firewalls can be found at CNET Labs.
For ZoneAlarm Plus, online and e-mail help remain your only tech-support options. Fortunately, ZoneLab's support site is first-rate, with FAQs, a list of known problems, and reference documents. If you still need help, you'll have to e-mail the help desk, using a complicated online form. Although ZoneLabs promises to respond to messages from Plus customers in one to two business days, its tech support answered our test query in less than two hours.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1
User Rating: 
3/10
Too much trouble.
Pros: I don't know anything positive about this product.
Cons: It interrupts me too frequently, abruptly swamps programs I'm using and continually asks what should or should not be blocked. It slowed down my computer and my work.
Review:
I dislike this product because it is a pain in the rear.
