ZoneAlarm Free Firewall

As long as they have an Internet connection, computers are vulnerable to all sorts of infections and attacks. A firewall program can shield the system against such threats, but finding an effective one may prove to be difficult, especially if you have no intention of spending too much money. ZoneAlarm Free Firewall can satisfy your needs from all points of view. The software is kept simple, but it still provides enough protection features to keep your computer and your data safe. With its advanced threat assessment capabilities, the program can stop attacks that would normally bypass traditional security measures.

As its name clearly points out, the program is absolutely free. Besides selecting a destination folder or creating shortcuts, during the installation process, you can make other configurations as well, like setting the program to manual control or to auto-learn mode. It should not take more than a minute to complete the installation process. Also, the program doesn't have any special requirements, so you can start using it right away.

ZoneAlarm Free Firewall's security system is based on two modules: the firewall itself and a data and identity protection feature. They are presented as tiles, with short descriptions, on the interface's home screen. If a certain component of a module is deactivated or not working properly, the tile's color will change and it will also display an option for fixing the situation. A third module is presented as well, for an antivirus, but it has to be downloaded and installed first.

Each module can be configured separately, on the same user interface. The firewall's severity can be set to medium, if you wish to share a printer or other resources, but it can also be set to high, to prevent any incoming connection. Unlike a normal firewall, which blocks only what you tell it to, ZoneAlarm Free Firewall monitors the behavior of your applications and it will prevent them from transmitting or receiving anything over the Internet, if it needs to.

By default, the program will display "Allow or Deny" prompts for each program that attempts to connect to the Internet, including web browsers, but you can set it to remember your choices. Thus, you will know exactly what applications are connecting to the Internet. Just like the firewall feature, the monitor can be set to a higher or lower severity level.

ZoneAlarm Free Firewall's identity and data protection feature can prevent sensitive information from leaving your computer. You can define sensitive information yourself, like credit card numbers, access PINs and so on. Additionally, you can specify what sites can be trusted with this information. If your protected information is sent to a website that is not among the trusted ones, the program will block this action immediately.