ZoneLabs details Microsoft patch workarounds
ZoneLabs has issued a preliminary advisory detailing workarounds for ZoneAlarm users who have been locked out of their internet connections by Microsoft's latest round of bug fixes.The firm, a subsidiary of Check Point Software Technologies, issued a few possible solutions for the unknown percentage of the hundreds of thousands of users of its popular ZoneAlarm firewall who have fallen foul of the Patch Tuesday updates.
ZoneLabs confirmed that the Microsoft patch cripples platforms including ZoneAlarm Free, ZoneAlarm Pro, ZoneAlarm AntiVirus, ZoneAlarm Anti-Spyware and ZoneAlarm Security Suite.
The first recommended action is to download and install the latest ZoneAlarm product version, which will solve the loss of internet access problem.
Another solution is to move the firewall “Internet Zone” slider to “Medium,” though this effectively reduces protection.
The next solution recommended is to uninstall the Microsoft hotfix via the Windows “Add and Remove Programs” menu.
For users with more technical skills ZoneLabs also suggests adding the relevant ISP's DNS servers to ZoneAlarm's trusted zone.
