“Check Point Announces ZoneAlarm Free Firewall With Cloud-Based Security” plus 3 more |
- Check Point Announces ZoneAlarm Free Firewall With Cloud-Based Security
- New ZoneAlarm is quietly effective (review)
- Swans lose Bradshaw for three weeks
- ‘Typhoid’ adware could hurt public Wi-Fi users
| Check Point Announces ZoneAlarm Free Firewall With Cloud-Based Security Posted: 24 May 2010 05:34 AM PDT SOURCE: Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. The Free Firewall Delivers a Critical Layer of Protection That Antivirus Alone Misses REDWOOD CITY, CA--(Marketwire - May 24, 2010) - Check Point® Software Technologies Ltd. ( While Antivirus software detects and removes malware, it misses nearly one in three new viruses -- as reported by AV-Comparatives.org, an independent research company*. A strong firewall can stop new viruses and other attacks. 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. By default, Microsoft Windows only provides inbound firewall protection. "Most people have some form of antivirus protection," said Bari Abdul, vice president of consumer sales. "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." "48 million times a day, current ZoneAlarm DefenseNet users automatically retrieve threat data from our cloud servers for instantaneous protection," continued Bari. "This delivers a safer online experience that is quiet and automatic for any level user, and starting today, it is available in our free 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. ZoneAlarm pioneered the concept of free protection over a decade ago with its first free firewall, and Check Point remains committed to that principle. ZoneAlarm Free Firewall works seamlessly with other security software including free anti-virus software. Easy to download and install, it protects users from the most common online threats including:
Pricing & Availability: * From analysis of the AV-Comparative.org November 2009 Retrospective/Proactive Test which is designed to evaluate the effectiveness of antivirus solutions against brand new viruses before they have been added to a signature list of known viruses. The report is located here: http://www.av-comparatives.org/images/stories/test/ondret/avc_report24.pdf About Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. ©2010 Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved. Media Contact Investor Contact Five Filters featured article: The Art of Looking Prime Ministerial - The 2010 UK General Election. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| New ZoneAlarm is quietly effective (review) Posted: 24 May 2010 04:15 PM PDT The changes made to improve the default firewall in Windows 7 are impressive, but the newest version of the free ZoneAlarm Firewall argues that Microsoft still has a long way to go. ZoneAlarm 9.2 introduces multiple new features to one of the world's oldest computer security programs including quieter outbound protection, behavioral detection from the ZoneAlarm Internet security suite, automatic Wi-Fi security setting activation, antiphishing protection, an overhauled ZoneAlarm toolbar, and 2GB of online storage for free. Installation Program installation was largely a smooth experience, taking about 5 minutes. Users will have to reboot their computers after its done. Prior users of ZoneAlarm's paid security suites might encounter some odd behavior if the uninstallation process of one of those programs left remnants, but this should be the rare exception and not the rule. Interface ZoneAlarm has unified its security interfaces, so users familiar with one program won't see dramatic changes in another. The left side contains navigation links; the center window is where all the action happens. As noted in the review of ZoneAlarm Extreme Security, it's not a bad design but it doesn't pop visually. The text links can be hard to read because of font choice, and although the center buttons are big, the details within could be easier to read. Features and support Designed to be used in conjunction with an antivirus program, the strongest tool in ZoneAlarm's belt is the outbound firewall. Though Windows does offer some outbound protection, it's not activated by default. Most users tend to leave it off because they either don't know about it, or when they do turn it on it regularly interrupts their workflow with pop-up security warnings. Older versions of ZoneAlarm used to be noisy with pop-ups as well, but the new version has been set to be quieter without changing the level of protection. If you prefer, this can be changed in the program settings.  The main window of ZoneAlarm Firewall Free. (Credit: Screenshot by Seth Rosenblatt/CNET)During a half-day of testing the default ZoneAlarm Firewall settings, the only pop-ups encountered were those blocking new software installations. The pop-ups for the three programs tested went away and allowed the installation to proceed with one click. More than just a low rate of interference, only encountering pop-ups for program installations is precisely the kind of warning that keeps you aware of what's occurring on your computer without distracting you simply for surfing the Web. The benefits of an outbound firewall might not be readily apparent. An inbound firewall blocks threats coming in from the outside, but an outbound firewall does more than prevent your computer from spreading viruses and malware to others. If your computer has been compromised by a botnet, for example, outbound protection will stop it from sending your data back to its host servers. It can also stop program spoofing, which is when a malicious program pretends to be a good one, and IP spoofing, which is when harmful network transmissions dress up as safe ones. This update includes DefenseNet, ZoneAlarm's behavioral detection system of anonymously contributed data that's used to verify and block threats. Previously, it had only been present in ZoneAlarm's antivirus programs. You can opt out from it when you install, but contributing doesn't negatively affect your system's performance. The ZoneAlarm toolbar has also been given more than a simple spit-shine. You can opt out of installing it when you run the main installer, and install it later if you wish, but ZoneAlarm was quick to point out that it without it key security features are not activated. Hiding the toolbar after it's been installed won't disable its protections, which include the aforementioned signature and heuristic-based antiphishing protections. It also adds a site check option that can be used to reveal the date founded and physical location of the site and has customizable safe site buttons for launching regularly visited sites such as Facebook or your banking site. The e-mail checker built into the toolbar is compatible with Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo, RR, Univision, and POP3 accounts. Unfortunately, there's no IMAP support. Finally, the toolbar links to ZoneAlarm's free 2GB of online backup space, courtesy IDrive, and six months free identity theft protection from IdentityGuard. One of the more annoying limitations of the toolbar is that it only works with Firefox and Internet Explorer, even though Chrome has supported extensions for a year. Given the instability that toolbars contribute to IE, and the clutter that they add to the browser interface, ZoneAlarm would probably get more mileage out of the feature if it was reduced to a single button that opened a new window or expanded a set of buttons.  ZoneAlarm's toolbar revamp includes new, useful features, but it's still a toolbar. (Credit: Screenshot by Seth Rosenblatt/CNET)The Help link in the bottom left of the interface only links to the program's Help file. The only in-program access to the online help Web site, in the form of the free knowledge base and forums or paid telephone support during business hours, comes as a link under the Product Info sub-option under Overview on the left nav. Performance ZoneAlarm's performance was notable simply for how unnoticeable it was. Shutdown time did not appear to be affected at all, and neither did starting up cold nor rebooting. Changing the antivirus program that it was partnered with didn't affect the firewall's behavior, either. These are big changes from previous versions of ZoneAlarm, and obviously, they're welcome ones, too. Conclusion This update of ZoneAlarm Firewall Free should make people do a double-take because of the features and low interference level from the program. It also should do wonders for ZoneAlarm's reputation, but that has more to do with whether years of substandard updates can be erased by a firewall that is the strong, silent type that users need. Five Filters featured article: The Art of Looking Prime Ministerial - The 2010 UK General Election. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Swans lose Bradshaw for three weeks Posted: 25 May 2010 01:22 AM PDT AAP Sydney key forward Daniel Bradshaw has undergone minor knee surgery and is set to spend three weeks on the sidelines. Bradshaw injured the knee in Saturday's 37-point AFL loss to Fremantle at the SCG and underwent an arthroscopy. He is expected to return to action for the clash against Collingwood on June 26. Half-back Tadhg Kennelly is also out for three weeks with a knee complaint. Five Filters featured article: The Art of Looking Prime Ministerial - The 2010 UK General Election. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| ‘Typhoid’ adware could hurt public Wi-Fi users Posted: 24 May 2010 03:41 PM PDT A new strain of adware created by researchers at the University of Calgary demonstrates how easy it may be to infect untold numbers of computers signed on to public Wi-Fi networks. Called Typhoid adware, the new threat is passed on to computers sharing an unsecured wireless connection, leaving the carrier computer's owner unaware that she has delivered malware to her neighbors. They in turn could be exposed to scams designed to access their personal information like credit cards and bank accounts. Adware is a type of malware known for generating annoying pop-up ads. Typhoid adware takes its name from Typhoid Mary, the first identified carrier of typhoid fever in the early 1900s. She denied she had infected more than 50 New Yorkers with the deadly disease. "We're looking at a different variant of adware — Typhoid adware — which we haven't seen out there yet, but we believe could be a threat soon," said associate professor John Aycock, who co-authored a paper on the concept with assistant professor Mea Wang and students Daniel Medeiros Nunes de Castro and Eric Lin. The findings were presented recently at the EICAR IT-security conference in Paris. More proximity-based attacks "Typhoid adware is designed for public places where people bring their laptops," Aycock said. "It's far more covert, displaying advertisements on computers that don't have the adware installed, not the ones that do." Typhoid adware could be installed when a user clicks on a "carrier" link or e-mail attachment. Aycock said it may be bundled with something else like a screensaver or toolbar download and the user will have no clue that her computer is now carrying a program to infect others. And true to the Typhoid analogy, computer users on the same network will have no idea their computers are displaying rogue ads. 'Typhoid adware is sneaky' "Typhoid adware is sneaky," said Aycock. "Everytime the computer carrying Typhoid adware connects to an unsecured Wi-Fi network, all computers in its vicinity are at risk." Meanwhile, the carrier sips her latté in peace — she sees no advertisements and doesn't know she is infected ― just like symptomless Typhoid Mary. So how can people protect themselves from Typhoid adware? Aycock's advice applies to this and most Internet security threats. "Make sure the antivirus software you're running is up-to-date," he said. "Keep your (operating) system up-to-date, and always approach the Internet with a fair amount of skepticism." Five Filters featured article: The Art of Looking Prime Ministerial - The 2010 UK General Election. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
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