ZoneAlarm Free Firewall

4.0 stars

"so far so good has only been 10 days"

June 14, 2013  |   By medavee

Version: ZoneAlarm Free Firewall 110.000.504

Pros

has been easy to use

Cons

none so far

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1.0 stars

"SLIMEBALL MARKETING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

June 9, 2013  |   By S_A_H

Version: ZoneAlarm Free Firewall 110.000.504

Pros

None. Period. Any company that uses the "marketing" tactics these people use is immediately removed from my computer and PERMANENTLY ignored.

Cons

Was installing something else entirely (Video Edit Master) from cnet's site and opted not to install any of the garbage-ware that came with it. Zone-Alarm proceeded to ignore my wishes, install on my computer, install a tool-bar, hijack my browser AND hijack my search provider! Very persistent, removal took several attempts and re-boots etc. Going to cancel my cnet membership today as a result, will NEVER do business with the makers of Zonealarm, Video Edit Master or with Cnet again.

Summary

This method of marketing is slimy, underhanded and should be illegal. My computer is my property, I MUST be given the choice to opt out, (for real, not told I can then ignored) and my wishes MUST be adhered to. In my opinion, what was done to me is akin to break and enter, followed by vandalism, followed by harassment! The people in charge of these businesses should be in jail!

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1.0 stars

"A once great product reduced to a spyware vector"

June 8, 2013  |   By jmcc4e71

Version: ZoneAlarm Free Firewall 110.000.504

Pros

The core firewall engine I've been a happy user of since 2000 still works fine. At least as of the version of a few years ago.

Cons

The current installer fraudulently installs a spyware toolbar in your web browser even if you decline their terms and conditions and immediately exit the installer without completing installation of the new version of the application. By this stage it had already uninstalled the previous version leaving my machine without firewall protection. Under California law this is considered malicious intent to deceive and defraud. Maybe time to talk to the CA D.A's office in Sacramento about filing a complaint.

Summary

I've been in the commercial shrink-wrap PC software business for almost 30 years. Mostly at the consumer end, mostly for big name products, mostly as product lead. I'm a business insider. And in those 30 years I've rarely seen anything quiet as sleazy or deceptive (or as amateurish) as the current CheckPoint Software installer for ZoneAlarms. At least not from a legitimate software company. I'm including here companies that were fined millions of dollars by the FTC and state DA's for misleading statements about their product and illegal sales tactics. People who have been in the business a long time will know exactly who I am talking about.

The toolbar installed by CheckPoint without my permission is pure spyware. Its only intention is to collect information about the users web usage. Otherwise these people would not be wasting their time trying to get it installed on users machines. The toolbar engages in data harvesting while masquerading as a utility. That's a "benign" trojan in my world.

So a word of advice to the current product manager for ZoneAlarms. It will be your neck on the line if the situation ever goes legal. Not the idiot VP's who usually are responsible for such crass decisions. I've seen it happen before and it aint pretty. So change the installer immediately so it is no longer grossly deceptive or you may find yourself in a real world of pain. VP's rarely suffer consequences.

Its not like this is not the first time CheckPoint have engaged in sleazy marketing tactics. The last time was very close to being illegal. The current installer of ZoneAlarms in my opinion looks like it has crossed well over the line.

Pity. Because the original ZoneLabs engine was a very good one. Now it seems ruined as a product by its current owners. So after I had manually removed everything that had been installed on my machine without my permission I reinstalled an old version of ZA. One that does not try to deceive me, spy on me or spam me. But it looks like I'll have to start looking for a replacement firewall. As it seems ZA as a product is now most probably irreparably ruined for the future. A real pity. ZA used to be the no brainer recommendation for locking down and securing machines and I had been recommending it as such for many years. Not any more.

It would not be the first time that a great product has been utterly ruined by the short-termist idiots who acquired it.

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1.0 stars

"ZoneAlarm Hijacked my toolbar"

June 5, 2013  |   By whoknew22

Version: ZoneAlarm Free Firewall 110.000.504

Pros

NIL nothing to good to say

Cons

invasive software installed without my permission Unable to uninstall and has taken over control on all toollbars. Does not come up on any searches

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1.0 stars

"TWO HUGE TOOLBARS! WITHOUT MY PERMISSION!"

May 18, 2013  |   By liverpudlian247

Version: ZoneAlarm Free Firewall 110.000.504

Pros

Even though i did a very careful custom install, ZoneAlarm still added a huge toolbar to my firefox browser and my internet explorer browser. Surely this is illegal.
Even when i uninstalled ZoneAlarm, the two huge ugly toolbars were still there.
The software looks so awful/amateurish/childish and it is simply not to be trusted... And they are just profiteering with there silly upgrade popups.
I don't like being spied on.

AVOID!!!

Cons

JUST ONE BIG CON!

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1.0 stars

"Autonomous"

May 13, 2013  |   By DDJ0195

Version: ZoneAlarm Free Firewall 110.000.504

Pros

If you know nothing about firewalls and want a piece of software to do all the work, choose this one.

Cons

If on the other hand, you have a fair idea what you are doing, you won't like the new, auto-pilot version. Previous versions would let you know when traffic was active and which app was responsible. They've removed valuable information. The logs...don't know if they are working at all, they don't record any activity. On the newest version you won't know if there is any Internet traffic at all. No more traffic indicator. Uninstalling is via the windows program uninstall, but it leaves a ton of left over garbage. And there is the highly unethical inclusion of their toolbar and home page. The opt-out was impossible to find on my monitor, but others have been able to find the blue on blue text.

Summary

Two thumbs down.

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2.0 stars

"I don't appreciate the trickery..."

May 13, 2013  |   By Kerpal2002

Version: ZoneAlarm Free Firewall 110.000.504

Pros

It's a firewall, I guess

Cons

Bloatware, Shady marketing tactics

Summary

When will software companies realize that nobody wants toolbars or other pointless crap forced on them when they just want to update something as basic as a firewall???? Yes I realize you can opt out, but it's pretty shady how that option is practically hidden. ZA must think their users are pretty stupid.

Been using ZA for 12+ years and used to love it but this kind of thing is ridiculous. Nobody wants your stupid bloatware! I'm going to look for a different firewall. Bye ZoneAlarm.

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2.0 stars

"Not what it once waas"

May 12, 2013  |   By minaust

Version: ZoneAlarm Free Firewall 110.000.504

Pros

A powerful, effective, easy-to-use personal firewall. The best available. Provides more than enough protection for the average user.

Cons

Not what it once was. Some functionality, such as the internet lock, has been removed. Once upon a time, ZoneAlarm stood head and shoulders above all others. No more. Now it's only slightly taller.

Summary

ZoneAlarm's development is now driven by the marketing weasels, and not by software engineers. It, like many other security icons, has been ruined. The user will be spammed with sales emails and marketing popups. And I'm not going to forget that scareware stunt they pulled a couple of years ago.

And now they're pulling a new stunt: It would appear that you cannot install ZoneAlarm Free unless you agree to having your default search engine changed to the ZoneAlarm search engine and a toolbar added to your browser.

You can dodge that - there's a hidden out: At the bottom left of the second screen (the one after you click "Quick Install"), there's an artfully concealed link (blue text on a blue background) that says "skip all offers", and installation will proceed. You'll have a normal installation.

This is another tragic case (the list is long) of marketers killing a superb product. I'm still using ZoneAlarm for now, but I don't know of I can really trust it any more. I sure woulfn't trust it if I weren't behind a router.

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2.0 stars

"Toolbars and highacked homepage"

May 12, 2013  |   By kountrykruiser

Version: ZoneAlarm Free Firewall 110.000.504

Pros

I known this product for years

Cons

Didn't like their trick

Summary

On the install page (black) there is tiny print in dark blue that lets you opt out of offers. Had to look twice but thanks to another reviewer that mentioned custom (which doesn't say custom.

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