ZoneAlarm Alerts

[Impaqt]

Raise your hand if you trust it, and it alone? *does not raise hand*
And I still don't trust it.

Well, since I run a Router, I already have a basic Hardware firewall. That, in conjunction with Windows Firewall is more than enough for me.

[Missing_Minds]

Add me to the list for zonealarm sucking. that little pos software caused me nothing but headaches. ive been using a hardware firewall in my router and the windows firewall on my machine with no antivirus for years and havent had any issues. Unless you have sensitive stuff on your machine then you dont need anything... but who would play games and surf on a sensitive machine?

I'd still use an anti virus. Why? Even sites you "trust" can get poisoned. Look at Ron after all, happened there. And didn't it also happen to the wiki for a time?

Then again, I also load up my browser with script blockers unless I allow it. At least I hope that is what/all they do.

[Marcus-Hawkeye]

I'd still use an anti virus. Why? Even sites you "trust" can get poisoned. Look at Ron after all, happened there. And didn't it also happen to the wiki for a time?

Then again, I also load up my browser with script blockers unless I allow it. At least I hope that is what/all they do.

Haven't had a virus/malware on my PC or laptop in about 5 years. No protection on them. But then again I don't surf much, and when I do surf it's always the same few sites. I backup everything I consider important to usb stick, dvd media (every 6 months or so) and store stuff in online file sites. Everything else I can restore pretty quickly using a norton ghost copy of my machine from when I got it.

[Flavilandile]

Like several other...
I only have my router integrated 'packet dropping function' ( read : firewall ) and windows untrusted/untrustable firewall.

No antivirus, no bloatware.
I have been compromised exactly once in 6 years ( on this computer... ), by a hacked website that hit me with a script that replaced my shell.
Took me about two hours to fix it. ( mostly because I had to dig up the fix on the net on another computer )
But if you browse only official websites there's not much to worry about. It's the homemade and the cheap hosted websites that may be a security risk.

If you know what firewalls do, how they work and how the underlying protocols works there's no need for all the 'security softwares'. The only ports open on my router are ssh and http and they point towards a Sparc Ultra45 station running Solaris 10 ( powered down ATM ).

[LeslieWest_GuitarGod]

Hardware and software firewalls can perform similar functions, but operate at different levels. Used properly, together they will give you a greater degree of protection than either one alone.

Hardware Firewall: In a nutshell, the hardware firewall in a router is primarily concerned with keeping bad stuff from the outside from getting in. Hardware firewalls protect your ports and in essence every computer on your network. For maximum port security, its best to turn on your router's Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI) feature.

Software firewall: Since it runs directly on a computer, it’s in a position to know a lot more about network traffic than simply what port its using and where it’s going -- it will also know what program is trying to access the Internet and whether it’s legit or malicious (it consults a regularly updated database to determine this).

Armed with this info, there is little reason why you cant have your router's SPI turn on, and a quality software firewall installed. Installed properly they will work with DDO, either automatically, or with the adjustments I included in my first post.

For my clients, I have found Microsoft's firewall unreliable at best. But for a "normal" browsing/surfing/gaming perspective, then YES, Windows Firewall is more than adequate.

Zone Alarm. Zone Alarm used to be one of the greatest firewalls for blocking "the bad guys", but it has lost traction in recent years. Even worse, if you don't know what to tell it to accept/deny, it can not effectively protect you. Its very intrusive, and not advisable if you don't know your business.

Norton. After years of being number one, then years of being the number one joke of most techs on the planet, I've come to actually respect Norton's efforts from 2010 on. I would put their database against any other consumer firewall's for effectiveness. Its coded much tighter than years past. It's unobtrusive. Norton Internet Security what I'd recommend to most users, on a PC that meets the requirements, who can afford the best, who don't wish to risk saying YES, when you should have said NO.

As for me, I'm like Flav, I know what I'm doing, so I have less need for "bloatware." But since I run a business on my PC (a computer business none-the-less), I use a custom combination of firewall, antivirus and anti-spyware software. I test security software on a regular basis, its my job. I always recommend to my clients to run a firewall, antivirus and anti-spyware software, in addition to registry and disc defrag software for maintenance. Price: free to about $80 if you know where to look. Amazon's got a smackin good deal $26 at the moment (http://www.amazon.com/Norton-Interne.../dp/B005GI19HY)

Good luck!

[Arkat]

O.o

Windows already has a firewall.

You dont even seem to know what they do..... How can you not trust it?

Are you using a Router? That has a firewall in it as well.

Do you have a lot of internet enemies? Incredibly sensitive documents on your pc? Firewalls block INCOMING traffic. The vast majority of people have zero need for anything more than whats already built into windows.

malware doesnt need to bypass or get through firewalls in most cases..... and if someone is specifically targeting you.. well.. You shouldnt be using any "free" firewall at all. You should be using hardware firewalls.

Agree with ALL these statements...wholeheartedly.

[Dagolar]

My game just crashed while playing DDO and upon reboot and relaunch of DDO I was asked by ZoneAlarm to allow various 'suspicious' DDO related programs to communicate with the internet. I accepted the first few but then I got one saying something like 'dndclient is attempting activity in relation to monitoring user activity' with a warning about possible keystroke logging and other nasty stuff, which I declined.

Has anyone else had a similar experience with ZoneAlarm?

Is this a false alarm due to ZA not recognising the program or should I be worried?

I used ZoneAlarm for years and years, playing numerous online and ip-connect games.

And I can safely say.. yes.
ZoneAlarm is (or at least was, when I used it) well known for having problems with game connections, often requiring manual unblocking of the ports used by the games, or even requiring being turned completely off for some.

ZoneAlarm was otherwise a very solid firewall, and I had no problems with it- but solely for its gaming issues, I stopped using it.

The rest of the replies seem to have covered all other related points

[Nitesco]

If you know what firewalls do, how they work and how the underlying protocols works there's no need for all the 'security softwares'.

Knowing what a tool does and how or why it works are two separate things entirely. The only difference I've noticed between programs like Norton and ZoneAlarm, is that you get more false alarms (hence this thread) from the less polished incarnations. As a layperson I assume this is due to more man hours being put into maintaining the databases the paid versions use. If I was comfortable with setting up each program I use manually, then I would do that. The fact that I have never been interested enough to put the effort into learning more about IT related stuff, doesn't preclude me from being able to benefit from the tools at hand, hence my appeal for advice in this thread, which I appreciate.