ZoneAlarm Can Be Hacked... NOT (Opinion)
Scribbled by "Rhabdoviridae"
http://grc.com/
The 09.03.2001 Windows Daily included a slightly misleading Soapbox entry, titled "ZoneAlarm Can Be Hacked." In reality, any software firewall can eventually be "hacked" under ideal test conditions. But the typical user is not at risk for this type of deliberate and calculated attack... not by any REAL hacker. In fact, ZoneAlarm is (by far) a superior firewall to BlackICE for one simple reason: it does what it's designed to do PERFECTLY. It makes a PC with an always-on Internet connection invisible. This is better than an application like BlackICE, which claims to be a "firewalls" but is, in fact, closer to a glorified port monitor.
With ZoneAlarm, your PC (or IP Address) doesn't even exist to a hacker trolling IP's and ports... they get no response. Not so with port monitors. A PC using a port monitor may be able to block an offense, but a hacker (or more likely a script kiddie) certainly knows that a system exists at that IP address... making the system visible and possibly vulnerable to a deliberate and focused attack. The most probable form of attack comes in the form of a port sweep. After all, the hacker already knows that there's something there. It's just a matter of probing for security gaps (open ports). If you're invisible, as you are when using ZoneAlarm, you have more complete protection. Not even a drooling script kiddie would waste time probing unresponsive IPs and ports. Visit GRC.COM to read some interesting analysis on software firewalls... and it's from someone who knows more about internet security than most!