Check Point Rolls Out Free ZoneAlarm Firewall

ZoneAlarm Free Firewall includes both an inbound and outbound firewall

May 25, 2010

4 Min Read

PRESS RELEASE

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., – May 24, 2010 – Check Point' Software Technologies Ltd. (Nasdaq: CHKP), the worldwide leader in securing the Internet, today announced a new version of ZoneAlarm' Free Firewall which is powered by the community for stronger security. Its DefenseNet service analyzes malware automatically reported by the community of millions of ZoneAlarm users. Once the safety or non-safety of a given program is determined, the information is then shared through the cloud, immediately blocking attacks and virtually eliminating the need for program alerts and interruptions. The new ZoneAlarm Free Firewall is available via a free download at: www.zonealarm.com.

While Antivirus software detects and removes malware, it misses nearly one in three new viruses – as reported by AV-Comparatives.org, an independent research company*. A strong firewall can stop new viruses and other attacks. The ZoneAlarm Free Firewall includes both an inbound and outbound firewall. An inbound firewall prevents hackers from entering a PC, while outbound protection automatically blocks data from being transmitted back out to the hacker. Any suspicious or unauthorized communications are blocked by the firewall. By default, Microsoft Windows only provides inbound firewall protection.

“Most people have some form of antivirus protection,” said Bari Abdul, vice president of consumer sales. “Though necessary, antivirus is not enough. Consumers who do not have a powerful firewall are operating with an ‘open door’ policy, enabling hackers to access bank account information, passwords and credit card numbers. Anyone with Internet access needs both antivirus and a strong firewall for basic personal computer security.”

“48 million times a day, current ZoneAlarm DefenseNet users automatically retrieve threat data from our cloud servers for instantaneous protection,” continued Bari. “This delivers a safer online experience that is quiet and automatic for any level user, and starting today, it is available in our free firewall.”

In addition, the new ZoneAlarm Free Firewall uses both signatures and heuristics to block dangerous Websites that standard browser security misses. ZoneAlarm also includes an Identity Checkup with Identity Guard' that allows customers to see if their identity and personal information has been exposed, and then can protect that personal information with ongoing monitoring, alerts and more.

ZoneAlarm pioneered the concept of free protection over a decade ago with its first free firewall, and Check Point remains committed to that principle. ZoneAlarm Free Firewall works seamlessly with other security software including free anti-virus software. Easy to download and install, it protects users from the most common online threats including:

Trojans and keyloggers –ZoneAlarm Free Firewall blocks Trojans and keyloggers from transmitting stolen information to hackers.

Zero-day threats –ZoneAlarm Free Firewall protects computers from malicious programs by blocking anything that is not specifically known to be good. In contrast, antivirus solutions provide unrestricted access until the programs are specifically identified as malicious via exact signature or by type of behavior.

Program hijacking and code injection –ZoneAlarm Free Firewall detects the difference between a real program and a fake one, and blocks both methods of attack.

Port scanners and vulnerability checkers –ZoneAlarm Free Firewall keeps the computer invisible and thus immune to such threats.

Pricing & Availability:

ZoneAlarm Free Firewall is available online at www.zonealarm.com. The comprehensive list of ZoneAlarm Free Firewall features and benefits can be found at: www.zonealarm.com. For the latest updates, follow ZoneAlarm on Facebook and Twitter.

* From analysis of the AV-Comparative.org November 2009 Retrospective/Proactive Test which is designed to evaluate the effectiveness of antivirus solutions against brand new viruses before they have been added to a signature list of known viruses. The report is located here: http://www.av-comparatives.org/images/stories/test/ondret/avc_report24.pdf

About Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (www.checkpoint.com), the worldwide leader in securing the Internet, is the only vendor to deliver Total Security for networks, data and endpoints, unified under a single management framework. Check Point provides customers with uncompromised protection against all types of threats, reduces security complexity and lowers total cost of ownership. Check Point first pioneered the industry with FireWall-1 and its patented stateful inspection technology. Today, Check Point continues to innovate with the development of the Software Blade architecture. The dynamic Software Blade architecture delivers secure, flexible and simple solutions that can be fully customized to meet the exact security needs of any organization or environment. Check Point customers include tens of thousands of businesses and organizations of all sizes including all Fortune 100 companies. Check Point's award-winning ZoneAlarm solutions protect millions of consumers from hackers, spyware and identity theft.

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