ZoneAlarm not letting ANY Internet access

My laptop is currently a paperweight.

All was well until tonight, when (in this order) I had:

1 - a Windows update
2 - avast! check a single file for any virus activity ( "Somebody" sent me a Hallmark Card and I checked the attached .zip file - Yep, infected! - so I deleted it...).

Now ... ZoneAlarm won't let ANY program (including itself!) access the internet.

I can, however, access other computers on my LAN and transfer files.

How do I fix this? Usually I will admit to being confused at times, but I've never had a program go rouge on me like this.

 

Sounds like a conflict of sorts with ZA\WU component.

Have you tried system restore? Too early to find anything in ZA forums as yet.

I'll assume you made no ZA denials whilst doing updates or anything?

 

Zone Alarm Forums - Access Issues
Their seems to be a problem / conflict with July Microsoft updates and Zone Alarm. Check some of the above threads for temporary solution(s). Best to read / follow advice from Zone Alarm users experiencing the problem.

 

No... all was normal until I rebooted to "finish" the install of the Microsoft Updates.

Did a restore - all is working. Now, how do you get rid of the Wndows Update that has re-downloaded into my laptop? Obviously, I don't want to do either of the 2 updates right now.......

 

Turn OFF windows automatic update (until ZA / MS get issue resolved).
The suggested villain .....

 

Hi Dennis,

I was going to do that (turn off auto updates) but they've already downloaded.

I just installed the "Malicious Software Removal Tool" only and turned off the auto updates... Hopefully that will make the offending update "go away ".

It's WAY past my bedtime... Let's see what happens when I try and shut down my laptop... Oh, good! It didn't nag me to install the "other" update.

I'll keep checking until I get the all clear from ZoneAlarm.

Thanks guys. Again.

 

I stand corrected.

 

From Beta News:
http://www.betanews.com/article/Win...pair_firewalls_including_ZoneAlarm/1215617981

 

Workaround to Sudden Loss of Internet Access Problem

Date Published : 9 July 2008
Date Last Revised : 9 July 2008

Overview : Microsoft Update KB951748 is known to cause loss of internet access for ZoneAlarm users.

Impact : Sudden loss of internet access.

Platforms Affected: ZoneAlarm Free, ZoneAlarm Pro, ZoneAlarm AntiVirus, ZoneAlarm Anti-Spyware, and ZoneAlarm Security Suite.

Recommended Actions - Option 1 (recommended) :

• Click the Start Menu
• Click the Settings menu
• Click on Add or Remove Programs
• On the top of the add/remove programs dialog box, you should see a check box that says "show updates"
• Select this checkbox
• Scroll down until you see "Security update for Windows (KB951748)"
• Click remove to uninstall the hotfix.

Workaround to Sudden Loss of Internet Access Problem

Recommended Actions - Option 2 (also recommended but requires more technical skill) :
Add your DNS servers to trusted zone:

• To add a single IP address:
• From the Overview panel, select the Firewall panel then click on the Zones tab Click Add, then select IP address from the shortcut menu.
• The Add IP Address dialog appears.
• Select trusted from the Zone drop-down list.
• Type the IP address and a description in the boxes provided, then click OK.
• If you are not sure what IP addresses to add
• Click the Start Menu
• Click on Run
• Type cmd.exe
• In the command prompt type:
  ipconfig /all
• Look for DNS Server(s) in the output of the command
• For each IP address listed, navigate to the zones panel of the firewall tab, add the IP address, select trusted zone, and press apply. After you are done adding DNS servers click the apply button.

Recommended Actions - Option 3 (not recommended as it temporarily reduces your security level) :

• Navigate to the ZoneAlarm Firewall panel
• Click on the Overview tab
• Move the Internet Zone slider to medium.

Zone Alarm Security Advisory

 

It has NOT been a good week for me & my computers...

My main computer (Windows XP MCE) - which WAS working fine and had the latest ZoneAlarm installed - suddenly it won't access the internet.

It ALSO won't access my network...

I've tried re-installing the latest ZoneAlarm and received this Installer message:

"Setup is unable to log into the TrueVector service. Install cannot continue without logging into the TrueVector service.

Please use the service manager to shut down the TrueVector service and then restart the installer program. "

So, now what?

Do I un-install ZoneAlarm and try again?
Do I try and locate this "TrueVector" thing and risk messing up other programs?
Or do I give up and hire the kid down the street?

 

Never mind...

Finally figured it out.

Reversed a Registry Change.

It's a good thing that I ALWAYS do a Registry Backup.

I don't know WHY it happened & I don't care. At least, not tonight.

 

BOY OH BOY -- I'm in the same boat you are!!
I downloaded the updates and restarted my computer and I can't get access to the internet either except that I had to change my settings in Zone Alarm to let me get to this forum so I could find out what to do.

SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP!! I NEED TO GET ON LINE TO PAY SOME BILLS.

PS. I also received an email notice from Zone Alarm about an update from Microsoft that would cause this. I double checked to see if this was one that I downloaded and it does not show up on my list when I checked it. So I really don't know what to do.

 

Do a System Restore. That should get rid of whatever quirk has caused the problem.

MY problem (this time) was something that got changed when I "cleaned" my registry. Something that shouldn't have been changed ... got changed. My frustration level caused me to just not see the answer, until I took a "time out ", which involved dinner out and a trip to Wal-Mart .

 

I think this puts the emphasis the wrong way round - as if "naughty" KB951748 is the troublemaker.

KB951748 (and its companion KB951746 for servers) make a change to the way the DNS system works to make it safe to use again. This will assume great importance in early August, when details of the bug in the DNS system become public (Dan Kaminsky's presentation at the Black Hat conference). After this happens, you really need to have KB951748 installed.

Before KB951748, DNS queries get answered from port 53; after KB951748 they may be answered from any port (it has to be altered this way, because only using port 53 isn't "good enough" any more) - this is what ZoneAlarm can't cope with, it doesn't let the answer through, so you can't get anywhere on the internet.

==

Option 2: Uninstall the hotfix - this really just isn't a final solution. Yes, temporarily, "roll-back" to before KB951748 to get yourself back on line... but what's really needed here is a "fixed" Zone Alarm, rather than an "un-hotfixed" Windows.

==

This whole issue has further implications...
1. Win95, Win98, WinME really become obsolete for internet purposes.
2. Firewalls which are merely rules-based are no longer really good enough; state-based firewalls now seem more the way to go.
At least that's the way it seems to me...

[SIZE= "1"]I'd like to get into a discussion particularly about 2 (above), but that's well outside the scope of this thread...[/SIZE]

best wishes, HJ

 

[FONT= "Tahoma"]I wouldn't put the blame totally on Zone Alarm. The Windows Update KB951748 only effects users of Windows XP, Vista is not effected.

I am not an IT professional; my two cents says it's an issue of MS not making the update backwardly compatible. Windows XP operating system's interaction with Zone Alarm products is effected as a result. If MS Hotfix KB951748
is uninstalled and Windows Automatic Update is turned off the issue is resolved. Isn't the job of an OS to control applications running under it? If so wouldn't that put the ball in MS Windows Update's court? I think Zone Alarm had to code a workaround to compensate for a Microsoft Windows Update faux pas.

Finding the source of an issue is important for its resolution. Focusing blame never solves anything. There is a significant difference between these two. I think it is important to keep this in mind when trouble shooting, or discussing any problem. My intention of my reply is the former and not the latter. If I am in error, then kindly enlighten me.
[/FONT]

 

I have also experienced some difficulties and I am using Bit Defender - in particular international websites sometimes the pages would come up and sometimes display error message not being connected (based in South Africa) & YouTube videos not playing at all - uninstalled the Hotfix and now all working again.

 

It was not a problem with the Vista versions of ZoneAlarm, only with the XP versions. I had no problems at all.

 

[FONT= "Tahoma"]FYI For XP - ZA users, the latest update from Zone Alarm fixes the problem. I downloaded and installed it. No worries.[/FONT]