Its all fun and games until some one owns your box and exploits your
identity.  It is important to have more than one layer of Internet
Security.  Application firewalls such as Zone Alarm are solid
choice for home users and even some small business'. 

Zone alarm was designed
to protect your Internet connection from online criminals and attempts of the
adware programs on your computer to connect to their servers. It
basically contains a firewall, an application control, an Internet
lock, and different zones of security.

The firewall controls the door to your computer and allows only
traffic that you understand and initiate. It gives you a whole
documentation about all the access attempts and watches all the ports
of your computer. When a connection is set, first it gives you a
warning and also it gives the IP address of the connection. Therefore,
it is a great tool to keep your ports under control and see the
attempts of other users to hack into your computer.

The application control allows you to decide which applications can
and cannot use the Internet. When a program attempts to use your
Internet connection Zone Alarm asks you what you want to do about this
connection; allow or deny. By this way, you can eliminate the adware
programs like gator (the most common one which gives pop-ups every five
minutes) or bargains…etc.

The Internet lock blocks Internet traffic while your computer is
unattended or while you're not using the Internet. It can be activated
automatically with your computer's screensaver or after a set period of
inactivity.

Overall, this program protects your computer in a very concrete
way. Zone Alarm makes configuring a firewall, which sounds like a
troubling task to the majority of computer users, incredibly easy with
a wizard. Maintaining and updating settings also is a snap when you're
using the stylish interface and its simple slider controls. It is an
excellent firewall solution for about most average user. Most of you
will feel more secure with this program; especially when you see the
Internet logs of the software and zonal solutions that it offers.