By tapping its DefenseNet information, the company claims its firewall software is "second to none". The software continues to be free of charge.
DefenseNet was launched on a pilot basis almost three years ago by ZoneAlarm for its pay-for security software, and essentially collates real-time threat information from the company's users around the world.
By rolling out DefenseNet to its free firewall customers, however, the company has significantly increased the 'pool' of data available and so raised the bar on its free service, Infosecurity notes.
According to ZoneAlarm, whilst anti-virus 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, says the company, can help stop new viruses and other attacks.
Interestingly, ZoneAlarm says its free firewall includes both an inbound and outbound firewall, compared to the standard Windows firewall, which only supports provides inbound firewall protection.
Announcing the free firewall enhancement, Bari Abdul, ZoneAlarm's vice president of consumer sales, said that the DefenseNet servers tap the information pool as many as 48 million times a day.
"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", he said.
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