ZoneAlarm Pro Firewall Gets Down to Business

Mail Protection

An expanded version of ZoneAlarm's MailSafe utility scans e-mail attachments and quarantines potentially dangerous file types. The personal version of ZoneAlarm scans only for Microsoft Visual Basic (.vbs) scripts (the type used in the infamous "Love Bug" virus that wreaked havoc earlier this year). ZoneAlarm Pro's MailSafe adds rules for 37 types total, including .vbs scripts. ZoneAlarm Pro also lets you add more file types to the list and check off the ones you want quarantined. When one of the verboten files arrives via e-mail, ZoneAlarm Pro alerts you and lets you choose to run it, not run it, save it under a different name, or open it in plain text to examine the code.

But MailSafe works only with POP3 and IMAP mail systems, not with proprietary systems such as Lotus Notes, so it may not function with many business e-mail systems.

Pro Networking

The real power in ZoneAlarm Pro is the fact that you can get more specific about the firewall rules for each zone. It's easy to get to the list: Just click Customize. From there, you check off choices. The trick is in knowing what you want to check off. Fortunately, the program provides online help to explain where all the features are, but it doesn't explain things like "An ICMP echo is a (blank)."

Zone Labs will continue to offer both the personal and Pro versions of ZoneAlarm. If you have a single computer at home, the free personal version is probably the better choice. But if you have a network in your home or small office, or if you find great enjoyment in tweaking program settings, $40 is a reasonable price for this powerful firewall.