Check Point releases ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite 8.0 26 August, 2008 By Vanessa Ho

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In terms of a safer experience, ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite 8.0 now has Early Boot Protection, which guards the computer during system start-up.

"A lot of malware is targeting the period of time when a computer is first initializing," said John Gable, director of product management with Check Point.

Version 8.0 also includes Rootkit Protection in the OSFirewall, which blocks attacks targeting processes deep in the operating system.

Installation time has been reduced to 6.5 minutes and the solution has a small memory footprint and a download size of 43.9 mps.

"[We've] long been getting the reputation of being one of the fastest security products out there [but] frankly, internally, all security products are way too slow & we believe we need to change that and worked hard to do that," said Gable.

New antivirus scan modes improve overall performance as well. Gable explained that the program scans every file deeply and thoroughly for the very first time to ensure that the PC is completely clean. But then throughout the day, it does quick scans of only the files that need to be checked or that has changed.

"You are having much less background noise going while you are running the scan [and this doubles the speed]," he added.

Additionally, ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite 8.0 features a new user interface that turns red when there is a security concern and has a "1-Click Fix-it" button that offers users a simple, easy way to keep their security up-to-date without the person having to be an expert. As well, on the left-hand side there is a navigation area that lets users easily customize their security settings with this option not being buried under other screens as they have been known to in the past.

ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite 8.0 also features new daily credit report monitoring and a newly designed Identity Protection Center that allows users to conveniently protect their identities and personal information in both the online and offline worlds. Also, a toll-free number is provided to users of this service that help victims of identity theft get their identity back.

Version 8.0 also includes anti-virus and anti-spyware, firewall, identity protection and anti-spam.

ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite 8.0 is available immediately for download on their website and for purchase at retail outlets beginning in September. Price for a single user is $49.95 US and a three-user version is $69.95. Version 8.0 is also available as a free upgrade for current ZoneAlarm customers and Gable added that future versions of ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite will feature integration with the company's web browser security software product, ZoneAlarm ForceField.