To prevent access to hackers on domestic and corporate computers, it is increasingly recommended to adopt a third -party firewall, so that you can effectively block any type of access to the computer and prevent unauthorized programs from communicating with the outside withoutauthorization.
Among the most famous third parties firewalls you can find Zonealarm, a real guarantee from the point of view of safety.This program has evolved over the years and has also integrated a good antivirus inside, so that it can focus on a single antiviral solution to protect the computer from hackers and malware.
In the following chapters it is possible to find the complete review of Zonealarm Firewall and ZoneAalarm Antivirus and the paid versions provided by the company, able to offer a higher safety level for computers used within the walls of the house and the PCs placed in the office.
Who is zonealarm
Zonealarm is a famous firewall produced by the Labs zone, a company acquired in 2004 by Check Point Software, an Israeli company (but with a strong presence in the United States) that deals with IT security.This firewall boasts of being one of the first real firewalls installed directly by users and has increased the awareness of users in the security field, in particular on the old Windows operating systems (which often integrated a firewall too weak to properly protect the computer).
ZoneAlarm products are available for free but it is possible in any moment to buy a license to unlock other features and increase the computer security level.
What is zonealarm
ZoneAlarm identifies the firewall produced by the company of the same name and is a very efficient tool in impeding the entry by hacker, which often exploit vulnerability and doors left open by the operating system or by the programs to take control of PCs andInstall Malware remotely.
By installing Zonealarm, you can use a decidedly more "severe" firewall than the Windows Firewall: with this program you can immediately block all the entrance doors to the operating system and to report to the user if an unknown program is trying to connect to the internetwithout authorization.
Like all third -party firewalls, the programs certified or recognized by the company as sure will still be able to access the Internet, but suspicious behavior will be immediately reported with a warning window, to which the user will have to answer.
Zonealarm provides both a firewall and an antivirus: for completeness of information it is possible to find, in the following chapters, both the characteristics of the firewall and the characteristics of the antivirus, which can be combined together in the products sold as the Internet Security.
Firewall characteristics of Zonealarm
The flagship product of Zonealarm is without a doubt the firewall, of which we will show you the main functions, the performances, the impact on the operating system and the compatibility with the systems in use.
Safety and functions
By installing Zonealarm Free Firewall on the computer you can benefit from the following security characteristics:
If, on the other hand, we decide to focus on the paid version, i.e. ZoneAlarm Pro Firewall, we will also get the following characteristics:
The free version already offers a high level of protection, but it is focusing on the paid version that "we will raise a wall" effective against any type of hacker attack or malware.
Performance and impact on the system
ZoneAlarm integrates large in the Windows 10 operating system, replacing all the features offered by Windows Firewall, without weighing down the system at startup and without interfering with the launch of the programs or other services.
Obviously, if a program accesses the Internet and is not certified, the classic notice window will appear at the bottom left, with which we will have to carefully choose whether to allow access to the network or not.In case of doubt, it is always better to leave the choice for later and block everything, so as to have more time to evaluate the program (we still try not to block Chrome, Edge or other similar programs, since this will prevent access to websites).
Compatibility
Zonealarm is a program compatible with Microsoft Windows 7, Windows 8/8.1 and Windows 10 and has very simple minimum requirements to respect;To make it turn, simply have 2 GB of RAM, 2 GHz processor or faster and 1.5 GB of space available on hard drive.
In order to work, the Microsoft .Net3.5 or later framework is required, which can be downloaded before installing the new firewall or, in case of his absence, download it directly during the installation of Zonealarm.
Features of the Ontivirus Zonealarm
If we also want to support an effective antivirus at the firewall, it is possible to focus on Zonealarm antivirus, which contains all the characteristics seen in the chapter dedicated to the firewall and supports us a modern and effective antivirus, so as to protect all computers at 360 degrees.
Safety and functions
By focusing on Zonealarm Free Antivirus you can protect the PC with a complete product with a high number of features:
To obtain a total protection level, it is possible to focus on the paid version Zonealarm Extreme Security which, to the characteristics seen previously adds the following functions:
With this version we will therefore get a truly complete internet Security package, so that we can bring the power of Zonealarm on any device used.
Performance and impact on the system
To analyze the impact that Zonealarm Antivirus can have on the PC in use, we will rely on tests conducted by Av-test, which classifies safety products by analyzing three parameters (protection, performance and usability) and assigning a score from 0 to 6. For thisAntivirus The results can be consulted below:
The protection is on the highest levels, also thanks to the help brought by the cloud component shared with Kaspersky;Performance side is maintained on acceptable levels while usability is obtained maximum votes.By summing up the sums we find ourselves in front of an antivirus that is worth installing on the computer, given the results obtained.
Compatibility
The requirements of Zonealarm Antivirus are the same views also for the Firewall only version: it is therefore possible to install it on Microsoft Windows 7, Windows 8/8.1 and Windows 10 and to make it turn it is sufficient to have 2 GB of RAM, 2 GHz processor orFaster and 1.5 GB of space available on hard drive.
Even with the antivirus it is necessary to install the .NET framework 3.5 or higher (the Installer will think about doing everything), while for the mobile versions it is necessary to have devices with Android 4.2 or next or iOS 9.0 or later.
Customer service
To obtain assistance for ZoneAlarm products, you can take advantage of the dedicated customer assistance page, where we find the pages for each type of product and the responses for the problems relating to license, correct use of the firewall and antivirus.If the page is not enough to solve problems, you can always use a chat live, leave an email or take advantage of the company's faq.
Telephone assistance 24 hours a day is reserved for users who have a paid subscription, even if it is paid only in English.
Prices and subscription plans
To use Zonealarm Pro Firewall, you need to get one of the user licenses provided by the company;The most used one provides for a one -year subscription for 5 devices for € 28.95.
To obtain maximum protection of the antivirus, it is possible to sign the subscription for 5 devices for € 31.95 for one year;If, on the other hand, we are looking for the most complete solution, you can sign a subscription to Zonealarm Extreme Security for 5 devices for € 39.95 per year.
For all subscriptions it is possible to change the number of devices to be protected (from 1 to 50) and it is also possible to choose the biennial Ladurata as an alternative to the annual subscription.
Summary and conclusions
Zonealarm is confirmed as one of the best third -party firewalls that can be installed on domestic computers and company computers, offering a valid barrier against hackers and against unknown programs that make connections to unknown servers or not foreseen in the original features.
To increase the level of safety, it is also possible to focus on the version with antivirus, so as to exploit the best of Kaspersky technologies to block any type of threat in synergy with the action of the firewall.
Although it was born as a free product Zonealarm also offers the paid versions of the firewall and antivirus, so as to bring protection to really high levels, unlocking all the functions normally blocked on the free versions;For those looking for 360 degree protection for all devices (including smartphones and tablets), they can also try Zonealarm Extreme Security, which at a truly competitive price offers protection for 5 devices with firewalls, antivirus and other advanced protective modules for iComputers equipped with Windows operating system or for mobile devices equipped with an Android or iOS/iPados operating system.
As with all the products reviewed on the site, it is possible to find a valid FAQ, with which experts will provide the answers to the most common questions that users ask on Zonealarm products.
Frequently asked questions about Zonealarm Firewall and Antivirus
Is there a free version?
ZoneAlarm is available for free for Windows both in Firewall and Firewall+Antivirus version.
On the free versions, some features are disabled, but for those who use computers at home or do not often connect to unknown networks they represent the best choice to save without compromising the safety of the operating system.
Can zonealarm be used on mac?
Currently it is not possible to use Zonealarm on Mac, not even with the Multi-Spanning version Zonealarm Extreme Security.
Can Zonealarm be used on smartphones (Android and iOS)?
To take advantage of the versions of Zonealarm for Android devices and iPhone/iPad devices, simply open the store store in use and search for the dedicated app, so that you can block the connections of the suspicious apps or mobile malware, scanof non-safe Wi-Fi networks and also take advantage of the VPN when we are away from home or we connect to a hotspot.
In order to take advantage of the security app, it is necessary to have a device with an Android 4.2 operating system (or subsequent versions) or an Apple device with the iOS 9.0 operating system (or subsequent versions).
The apps offer a 7 -day free trial period: at the end it is recommended to sign a subscription to Zonealarm Extreme Security to be able to use all the safety tools for mobile without limits.
Zonealarm is very happy the system (is it okay for dated hardware)?
As you can see from the cards on performance and impact on the system present in the previous chapters of the guide, ZoneAlarm products are very light in memory and do not weigh down the system, in particular if we use devices that comply with the minimum requirements for the startby Windows 10.
From the tests performed the firewall version is lighter than the antivirus version, but the latter does not still have critical issues on all PCs that can boast at least 2 GB of RAM (or higher values) and a dual-core processor or higher.