Zone Alarm - blackmail?

[antioch]

Hello All
Just had an email pop up from Zone Alarm warning me that my free version
will not combat the next big attack called Balckworm(MyWife.d) and is set to
destroy all MSWord, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, PSD, & ZIP files on Feb 3.
BUT if you upgrade now @ $19.95(saving 33%), ZA Firewall will detect and
remove existing Blackworm infection and protect you from future Blackworm
attack.
Has ZA been picked on recently in these newsgroups in such a way as to
'pith' them off??????, (apart from that spying charge made against them).
Ive had ZA for over 3 years and have never had an offer like this.
Makes me a bit suspicious.
I think I will switch off my computer tomorrow and save money!
Rgds
Antioch
'You cant educate pork' - but this little piggy wont pay up!

 

[Yves Leclerc]

Hello All
Just had an email pop up from Zone Alarm warning me that my free version
will not combat the next big attack called Balckworm(MyWife.d) and is set to
destroy all MSWord, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, PSD, & ZIP files on Feb 3.
BUT if you upgrade now @ $19.95(saving 33%), ZA Firewall will detect and
remove existing Blackworm infection and protect you from future Blackworm
attack.
Has ZA been picked on recently in these newsgroups in such a way as to
'pith' them off??????, (apart from that spying charge made against them).
Ive had ZA for over 3 years and have never had an offer like this.
Makes me a bit suspicious.
I think I will switch off my computer tomorrow and save money!
Rgds
Antioch
'You cant educate pork' - but this little piggy wont pay up!

Marketing!

ZA Free does not have anti-virus/worm protection. Use a good anti-virus along
with ZA Free.

 

[Lars-Erik Østerud]

Just had an email pop up from Zone Alarm warning me that my free version

will not combat the next big attack called Balckworm(MyWife.d) and is set to
destroy all MSWord, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, PSD, & ZIP files on Feb 3.

Free Zone Alarm is a firewall - not an AntiVirus program

Get a free Anti-vrius (like avast!) for protecting you against viruses

 

[Vagabond Software]

Hello All
Just had an email pop up from Zone Alarm warning me that my free version
will not combat the next big attack called Balckworm(MyWife.d) and is set
to destroy all MSWord, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, PSD, & ZIP files on Feb 3.
BUT if you upgrade now @ $19.95(saving 33%), ZA Firewall will detect and
remove existing Blackworm infection and protect you from future Blackworm
attack.
Has ZA been picked on recently in these newsgroups in such a way as to
'pith' them off??????, (apart from that spying charge made against them).
Ive had ZA for over 3 years and have never had an offer like this.
Makes me a bit suspicious.
I think I will switch off my computer tomorrow and save money!
Rgds
Antioch
'You cant educate pork' - but this little piggy wont pay up!

If you have a broadband router, I'd recommend uninstalling ZA and kissing it
goodbye. I know the argument that without a software firewall you won't
know when an application tries to communicate with Internet from your
machine, but that's just not worth the aggravation, expense, and resource
overhead of the software... IMHO.

carl

 

[Doug Kanter]

If you have a broadband router, I'd recommend uninstalling ZA and kissing
it goodbye. I know the argument that without a software firewall you
won't know when an application tries to communicate with Internet from
your machine, but that's just not worth the aggravation, expense, and
resource overhead of the software... IMHO.

carl

What aggravation? Other than ZA giving me a bit of flak now and then when it
notices that a piece of software has been changed, I hardly know it's there.

 

[Doug Kanter]

Hello All
Just had an email pop up from Zone Alarm warning me that my free version
will not combat the next big attack called Balckworm(MyWife.d) and is set
to destroy all MSWord, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, PSD, & ZIP files on Feb 3.
BUT if you upgrade now @ $19.95(saving 33%), ZA Firewall will detect and
remove existing Blackworm infection and protect you from future Blackworm
attack.
Has ZA been picked on recently in these newsgroups in such a way as to
'pith' them off??????, (apart from that spying charge made against them).
Ive had ZA for over 3 years and have never had an offer like this.
Makes me a bit suspicious.
I think I will switch off my computer tomorrow and save money!
Rgds
Antioch
'You cant educate pork' - but this little piggy wont pay up!

Which anti-virus software do you use? ZoneAlarm Free is not in that
category.

 

[Vagabond Software]

What aggravation? Other than ZA giving me a bit of flak now and then when
it notices that a piece of software has been changed, I hardly know it's
there.

The last time I used ZA (1998), it just seemed like a major pain in the neck
having to continually click the Allow button after a fresh install. It was
also a bit of a pain with a VPN client application and the Ultima Online
client. It was all a matter of educating myself, to be sure, but it was yet
another thing I had to keep track of and configured and also completely
unnecessary and unhelpful.

I'm sure ZA is much more intuitive now, but I still can't think of a good
reason to install it on a Windows XP system.

carl

 

[antioch]

Many thanks to the replies - at least it would appear to be genuine.
'Marketing' of course - why didnt I spot that. Yes I have antivirus as
supplied by my ISP - FREE.
I am aware that ZA free is only firewall - my concern was the authenticity
of the email - but worded as it was it could scare the daylights out of
some, dont you think?
I note your humble opinion carl 'aggrevation, expense, resource overhead' -
where, what, when, why?
I wouldnt dream of kissing it goodbye - and fly in the face of many of those
who recommend it? Never, and certainly when they have letters after their
names
Well at least a few more are aware of tomorrow!
Rgds
Antioch

 

[Wesley Vogel]

Get Your AVG 7 for free!
http://free.grisoft.com/freeweb.php/doc/2/lng/us/tpl/v5

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In

 

[Doug Kanter]

The last time I used ZA (1998), it just seemed like a major pain in the
neck having to continually click the Allow button after a fresh install.
It was also a bit of a pain with a VPN client application and the Ultima
Online client. It was all a matter of educating myself, to be sure, but it
was yet another thing I had to keep track of and configured and also
completely unnecessary and unhelpful.

I'm sure ZA is much more intuitive now, but I still can't think of a good
reason to install it on a Windows XP system.

carl

Yeah....it's a bit of work in the beginning.

 

[Doug Kanter]

Drop a note to (e-mail address removed). They actually respond. Tell them their
message sounded threatening.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Just had an email pop up from Zone Alarm warning me that my free
version will not combat the next big attack called

All it's telling you is that free ZA is just a firewall and having a
firewall will not protect you. You need an antivirus program to protect you.

You could say the same thing about Microsoft Word. That won't protect you
against viruses either.

Balckworm(MyWife.d) and is set to destroy all MSWord, Excel,
PowerPoint, PDF, PSD, & ZIP files on Feb 3. BUT if you upgrade now @
$19.95(saving 33%), ZA Firewall will detect

The upgrade they want to sell you is to a suite that includes an antivirus
program as well as a firewall. Do you already have an anti-virus program? If
so, and it's up-to-date, then you are presumably prfotected.

 

[Jonny]

ZA has no spyware or virus detection/protection period. Never ever had this
facility.
ZA Pro has spyware/protection detection.
The full ZA package has both spyware and virus detection/protection.
There's freeware, trialware, and pay for software for these.
Do what you want.

 

[Cymbal Man Freq.]

I would just keep the computer turned off between midnight & midnight
(tomorrow), and watch the evening news tomorrow for further updates on the
damage it is wreaking across the country. I believe this thing will be in
propogation mode tomorrow unexpectedly too. Watch the noon news on Saturday (if
there is any), for any signs of further impending doom or for an all-clear sign
until Friday, March 3rd.

 

[antioch]

Hello Ken
I know what they are trying to sell me - its the way they did it that I
don't like.
Of course I have an antivirus - see my post an hour and a bit ago.
I have always taken onboard yours and your colleagues advice.(God help me.
)
I wouldn't dare not too.
Antioch

 

[antioch]

Hello Doug
I have done!!!
Thanks for the thought
Antioch

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Hello Ken
I know what they are trying to sell me - its the way they did it that
I don't like.

I'm with you on that. I got the same message from them and I don't like it
either.

Of course I have an antivirus - see my post an hour and a bit ago.
I have always taken onboard yours and your colleagues advice.(God
help me. )
I wouldn't dare not too.

Thanks again for the kind words.

 

[Jonny]

Got similar from Panda software last night.

 

[Doug Kanter]

I'm with you on that. I got the same message from them and I don't like it
either.

This is an opportunity for a pretty good vendor to improve their public
image. At least in terms of the one or two tech support contacts I've made
with them, they've been responsive. Email them and tell them their little
marketing scheme sucks.