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If you have an always-on broadband connection for your PC, you need continuous protection that's as mean as a junkyard dog--and as easy for you to train as Lassie.

Fortunately, ZoneAlarm Pro 3 is on nogoodniks like cheese on a Whopper. The $50 firewall contains new and enhanced features, including the ability to block potentially menacing ActiveX controls (applets that have access to your operating system), as well as Web bugs and cookies. I put a shipping version through its paces and found it simple enough for newbies to use, but filled with powerful controls that security pros will appreciate. It offers wireless LAN support, and is compatible with Windows 98, Me, NT, 2000, and XP.

I pitted the firewall against tests from Gibson Research--namely, its Internet security ShieldsUp tests and its LeakTest program. ZoneAlarm Pro 3 made my computer comfortably invisible to outsiders, and LeakTest was unable to surreptitiously send data from my test system (à la spyware).

ZoneAlarm Pro 3's new privacy features are just as tough. The firewall blocked ads ranging from skyscrapers to pop-ups, prevented ActiveX controls from downloading, and nabbed suspect e-mail attachments. The program not only indicates the severity of an intrusion, it also identifies the attacker's IP address and location on a map. Although the location is not always accurate, you can notify the company or ISP whose server the hacker is using.

A few gripes: The program currently can't scan AOL e-mail attachments. Occasionally, the firewall trips over itself and crashes as it leaps to your defense, and its disk tutorial and help system are fairly limited. But overall, it's an excellent product. If you're comfortable installing and using an antivirus program, then working with ZoneAlarm Pro 3 shouldn't present too many challenges. AOL users who want the full smorgasbord of features should wait.

Zone Labs also has a free version of ZoneAlarm, which offers Pro 3's core firewall functions but lacks its extra privacy, password, and network features.

SUMMARY

Zone Labs ZoneAlarm Pro 3 Well worth its price for stopping hackers and putting the kibosh on ads, cookies, and spyware. List: $50 (includes one year of updates and online support)