SOFTWARE REVIEW

ZoneAlarm Pro 5.5 review

8.3

Editors' Rating

Stephen Bigelow CNET

Published: 12 Nov 2004

ZoneAlarm Pro 5.5 from Zone Labs offers the best software firewall and basic security product available to PC users today. Its clean and simple tab-based interface is blissfully intuitive to navigate, making ZoneAlarm Pro far less imposing than Norton Personal Firewall 2005 and easier to operate than McAfee Personal Firewall Plus 6.0. It also includes better tools for detecting and preventing intrusions than either Norton or McAfee. If you'd rather try ZoneAlarm Pro before you buy, a 15-day free trial is available for download; thereafter, the product will continue to safeguard your PC as a stripped-down version known simply as ZoneAlarm -- no need to reinstall.

ZoneAlarm Pro 5.5 is available via a boxed CD or for purchase online with a renewable one-year download licence for $49.95 (~£27). Our 6.4MB installation file took less than two minutes to download via a broadband cable connection, but dial-up users should allow for more time.

With your purchase, you'll receive a lengthy key code to unlock the full product. After launching the installer, a wizard directs the installation and initial product setup, which takes less than five minutes. Installation is quick and unobtrusive, although the online product registration does request your name and email address, along with answers to a few optional survey questions. If you're running the free trial version, the Pro version and its features expire after 15 days, but fear not, the stripped-down free version, called ZoneAlarm, continues to keep you protected thereafter. A brief tutorial launches automatically to guide you through the program's basics, but experienced users can easily opt out. Overall, the experience is much friendlier than that of Norton Personal Firewall or McAfee Personal Firewall Plus.

Simplicity is ZoneAlarm Pro's strength. For example, the software won't overwhelm you with complex menus or convoluted information dialogue boxes. Just double-click the ZoneAlarm Pro icon in your Windows system tray to launch the ZoneAlarm interface. The main display shows the program's status and offers convenient access to features listed vertically along the dialogue's left side. You control each feature by adjusting various sliders, and you can make more specific adjustments through a series of horizontal tabs. This interface format makes it easy to find your way around the program.

ZoneAlarm Pro 5.5 is fully compliant with Windows XP SP2. The default security settings strike a balance between security and convenience. ZoneAlarm Pro 5.5 separates your firewall security into Trusted, Internet and Blocked zones. For example, PCs on the home network or known safe locations in cyberspace may be trusted to share access with your PC, while ZoneAlarm Pro controls outside access to your PC (or blocks it outright). The program requests and assigns permissions for each program the first time you use them after installation. As you might expect, each zone's individual security settings are completely customizable within ZoneAlarm Pro, so advanced users can tailor security to their particular taste and environment. Security pros will also welcome the Expert Rules feature, which allows you to write your own exacting security settings based on specific IP addresses.

Features within ZoneAlarm Pro 5.5 include antivirus monitoring to warn when any detected antivirus software is outdated. The Pro version includes Computer Associates' EZ Antivirus software, but the free version, ZoneAlarm, does not and simply checks for and works cooperatively with any previously installed antivirus utilities. ZoneAlarm Pro's MailSafe feature provides email-attachment protection, which stops viruses and worms from spreading, while other features manage cookies to block incoming spyware, block pop-up advertising and lock down your personal ID to prevent sensitive information from being sent out from your PC. ZoneAlarm Pro also enhances its automatic protection against advanced hacking techniques, with Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) avoidance and intrusion detection and prevention -- two notable features missing from Norton Personal Firewall 2005 and McAfee Personal Firewall Plus.

ZoneAlarm Pro 5.5 passed our informal tests with flying colours. We tested our installation against Steve Gibson's ShieldsUp tool; the test reported all but the http/https ports either closed or stealthed (hidden), which was the expected result.

Zone Labs supports ZoneAlarm Pro 5.5 with a comprehensive service Web site. The site covers new technical advisories, technical notes, FAQs, unofficial forum access, a comprehensive knowledge base and contact information for the customer service department. Unfortunately, Zone Labs doesn't offer phone support outside of North America; nor can you get live support via chat or email.