ZoneAlarm - Personal Firewall

Every PC connected to an ISP (Internet Service Provider) has the capability to broadcast both good and bad information (files, homepages, and more) across the Internet. Malicious hackers (usually called crackers) have taken advantage of this powerful feature by surreptitiously infecting many computers with rogue programs. Through a coordinated effort, they suddenly “wake up” hidden time bombs and launch a packet attack on specific target. The overwhelming flood of poisonous packets denies legitimate users from accessing the site. This is how eBay, CNN, and other high profile commercial Web sites were disrupted recently. The professionals call this denial of service (DoS).

Initially, it was believed that high-end computers (large Unix and mainframe servers) with broadband access (avalanche quantities of packets) with weak security were the preferred targets. Many universities and government sites fall into this category. However, careful investigation by law enforcement authorities unearthed a pattern in which individual PCs were targeted and made unwitting dupes. In fact, the rapid deployment of broadband access to the Net with a growing number of individuals now using cable modem and xDSL access will shift the focus. As large computer network administrators plug security holes, the hackers/crackers move on to easier targets. It is known that these no-goodnicks now actively probe (and catalog) the defenses of all computers that comprise the Internet community. Broadband access users now provide a tempting source of victims to perpetuate their mischief and mayhem.

 

Enter Steve Gibson

One programmer of extraordinary skill lives on the West Coast. He has studied this problem from the standpoint of someone possessing knowledge a step ahead of the hacker community. With an eye toward building protective software designed to thwart their attacks, he first developed a software probe. At his Web site, http://grc.com, he makes a software utility available at no cost. This tool (aptly named Shield Up!) tests and reports outside intrusion vulnerabilities of PCs. Frankly, without protection, most PCs are easy prey to the dark elements of the Internet. The Shields Up test takes a few minutes to perform. It is irresponsible for members of the Internet community to be ignorant of security issues regarding their computers. Run Shields Up! as soon as possible.

Gibson lays out the PC protection dilemma, while attached to the Internet in unusual detail. He makes a strong case for a personal firewall (a “wall of code” that inspects TCP/IP packets) that will offer significant protection. In fact, he reviews five of the leading firewalls. Surprisingly, the product he recommends (and uses himself) is free - ZoneAlarm version 2.0.26. If there were an award for high impact Web sites runs on a shoestring, the Oscar would go to Gibson.

 

My Experience

The ZoneAlarm software is a 1.5 MB download. It installs easily. Every software program that sends or receives packets across the Internet (all browsers such as Internet Explorer, Netscape, and Opera file transfer programs like CuteFTP, MS Word, that have imbedded hypertext links, Napster, and much more) get intercepted by ZoneAlarm. The user must give specific instructions to the firewall (usually executed by a simple mouse click) in order for the programs to progress. Immediately, one feels a strong sense of control. The only significant annoyance found is the Zone Alarm firewall must be deactivated before DialPad (free long distance telephone calls) is used. While DailPad appears to perform properly with ZoneAlarm active, it does not unless the firewall is suspended.

With ZoneAlarm securely protecting the system from unwanted intrusions, a rerun of the Shields Up! test provides an extra level of gratification. The firewall puts vulnerable parts of the computer into “stealth mode.” This means that hackers who are up to no good who scan my computer for places of entry essentially find none. Wow! I love ZoneAlarm. I cannot recommend it highly enough for everyone, especially I-cable and xDSL users.

 

URLs (Uniform Resource Locators) of interest:

http://grc.com

http://www.zonelabs.com/

http://www.dialpad.com

(This is the 199th of a series of elementary articles designed for surfing the Internet. Next, Spyware is the subject on tap. Stay Tuned. Until next week, happy travels through cyberspace. Previous issues of Internet Info for Real People can be found: http://www.thebee.com. Please e-mail comments and suggestions: rbrand@JUNO.com or editor@thebee.com.)