ZoneAlarm

ZoneAlarm Review

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Best pure security software but no ID theft protection
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The ZoneAlarm software offers extensive protection against viruses, spyware and adware by identifying risks in real-time and preventing them from being downloaded on to your computer. ZoneAlarm has historically been able to identify and block new viruses and other malware in 0-2 hours which means that it is extremely effective against even the newest threats to your computer.

Installing ZoneAlarm is extremely simple and intuitive. It took us about ten minutes to download the software and another ten minutes to configure through the easy to use step-by-step installer. This configuration process included a complete scan of our computer's hard drive to identify any harmful programs that may be present. The ZoneAlarm installation also includes several options for setting up default security settings on your computer. We selected the 'auto-learn security settings' which automatically provided the appropriate security based on our computer's existing configurations.

We tested out the effectiveness of the ZoneAlarm Internet security software by visiting websites that we knew to be high risk and downloading programs that we knew included spyware. In each case, ZoneAlarm effectively alerted us to the potential issues present in either the website or the program we were downloading with simple easy to understand warning messages.

Another helpful feature of the ZoneAlarm Internet security software is their Wireless PC Protection. This tool helped us configure wireless networks in range of our computer and alerted us to any potential security issues present in those networks. Given the frequency that PC users access any number of wireless networks in public places such as coffee shops, office lobbies and airports, we feel that the wireless protection is another big plus for ZoneAlarm.

ZoneAlarm is the best overall value available in pure Internet security software at just $39.95 per year for up to three computers.

System Requirements: Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows XP or Windows Vista

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Program Details:

Price: $49.95/yr for up to 3 users
Virus Protection: Instantly identifies and protects against new threats
Adware and Spyware Protection: Spyware removal; Blocks access to spyware websites
Identity Theft Protection: Optional upgrade to Identity Guard (addtl fees)
Spam and Phishing Protection: Blocks potential spam, viruses or phishing emails

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