Zone Labs Announces Worldwide Availability of the First Firewall-Based Dedicated Anti-Spyware Solution; ZoneAlarm Anti-Spyware Prevents Spyware from Gaining Control of a PC

Business Wire, Oct 19, 2005

SAN FRANCISCO -- Includes the New Industry-Lauded OSFirewall(TM), Becoming the First Major Dedicated Anti-Spyware Solution to Be Packaged with a Firewall

Zone Labs(R), a Check Point(R) company (NASDAQ: CHKP), today launched the new ZoneAlarm(R) Anti-Spyware, the industry's first dedicated spyware prevention solution based upon next-generation firewall technology. ZoneAlarm Anti-Spyware is available to customers around the world in six languages including English, Japanese, German, Spanish, Italian and French at www.zonelabs.com.

ZoneAlarm Anti-Spyware offers consumers complete PC protection from Internet-based attacks such as spyware, Trojans, keyloggers, and rootkits. It includes the company's vanguard OSFirewall(TM) to beat hackers and repel destructive programs intended to steal personal information for criminal purposes. Going beyond traditional scanning and removal techniques, ZoneAlarm Anti-Spyware stops spyware from gaining a foothold on a PC at the kernel level, rather than merely treating it after the damage is done.

"The basic foundation of any spyware prevention solution has to be the firewall, because it goes beyond reactive signature-based technologies," said Gregor Freund, chief technology officer at Check Point. "Currently, only Zone Labs offers customers a new type of firewall that monitors the operating system in addition to the more typical Internet communications. This is particularly important because if you can stop spyware from executing its malicious intent, you can surf the Internet confident that your personal information is safe."

ZoneAlarm Anti-Spyware also features the industry's only Automatic Kill Control function. This enhanced firewall capability disables over 50,000 malicious or dangerous programs, offering customers real-time protection from new and emerging threats.

The Current Threat Landscape Means Prevention is Key

A recent Harris Interactive survey commissioned by Zone Labs recently revealed that 78% of users do not feel any safer on the Internet today than a year ago. Spyware infestations are on the rise as hackers revert to quieter, more targeted attacks intended to steal personal information. And most current solutions rely on outdated scanning tactics to remove programs whenever a scan happens to be triggered.

"That's too late," said Laura Yecies, vice president at Check Point and general manager of Zone Labs. "Your personal data and your bandwidth now have monetary value on the black market. Hackers want your passwords. Or they want to hijack your PC. We created ZoneAlarm Anti-Spyware with the idea that proactive prevention is the only way to go - because security is no longer about keeping your PC working, it's about protecting you."

ZoneAlarm Anti-Spyware Features:

1. The Triple Defense Firewall to seal off the pathways to your computer

--The ground-breaking OSFirewall, to guard against spyware and kernel-level threats such as rootkits by closely monitoring vital files, registry keys, drivers, services, and start-up processes at the core of the PC

--Program firewall to shield legitimate programs from malicious programs

--Network firewall to monitor communications between a PC and the Internet

2. An intuitive spyware scanning and removal tool to remove remnants of unsuccessful spyware installations

--Boasts a comprehensive database of signatures to delete the most pervasive spyware applications

--Also targets invasive adware programs that deluge users with pop-up ads, and track personal Web usage and private information

3. Automatic management options to eliminate difficult security decisions for novices

--SmartDefense Advisor service makes security decisions automatically - reducing the number of security alerts and ensuring safe security by default

--Automatic network detection to secure all wireless and wired networks.

--Protection works transparently in the background

4. Real-time security updates to protect against threats before widely known

--Zone Lab's DefenseNet community alert system enables millions of users to share security policies to help Zone Labs' experts discover new malware

Building on the Basics

Over 35 million Internet users have downloaded the original ZoneAlarm firewall and its premium versions since the company's launch in 1998. Now, the ZoneAlarm family includes the ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite, ZoneAlarm Pro, ZoneAlarm Anti-Spyware, and ZoneAlarm Antivirus.

Pricing and Availability

ZoneAlarm Anti-Spyware is available today on the Zone Labs Web site at www.zonelabs.com. ZoneAlarm Anti-Spyware costs $29.95 for a single user and supports Windows(R) 98SE, ME, 2000 Pro and XP.

About Check Point Software Technologies Ltd.

Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (www.checkpoint.com) is the worldwide leader in securing the Internet. It is the market leader in the worldwide enterprise firewall, personal firewall and VPN markets. Through its NGX platform, the company delivers a unified security architecture for a broad range of perimeter, internal and Web security solutions that protect business communications and resources for corporate networks and applications, remote employees, branch offices and partner extranets. The company's ZoneAlarm product line is one of the most trusted brands in Internet security, creating award-winning endpoint security solutions that protect millions of PCs from hackers, spyware and data theft. Extending the power of the Check Point solution is its Open Platform for Security (OPSEC), the industry's framework and alliance for integration and interoperability with "best-of-breed" solutions from over 350 leading companies. Check Point solutions are sold, integrated and serviced by a network of more than 2,200 Check Point partners in 88 countries.