Image via WikipediaHere is the official statement from ZoneAlarm on discontinuing support for 98/ME and 2000 operating systems.
Microsoft Operating Systems Support Status
Current Operating System Support Information:
It is ZoneAlarm's policy to extend protection to customers of all Microsoft Windows operating systems as long as the following conditions apply:
The operating system itself is still supported by its creating company (Microsoft) with automatic and proactive security updates to protect customers against the latest security vulnerabilities.
The operating system can technically support the ZoneAlarm software without negatively effecting the users security.
When these above criteria are not met, we will, at the sole discretion of Check Point Software Technologies, discontinue support of the operating system. We will make every attempt to give prior notice to customers before discontinuing support for an operating system.
Operating System
ZoneAlarm End-of-Life Status
Windows 7
Supported
All currently shipping ZoneAlarm products will run without limitation on the Windows 7 operating system.
Windows Vista
Supported
All of our current shipping products run on the Windows Vista operating system. Due to the different needs and functionality of the Vista operating system, some features and functionality on 2000/XP may differ on Vista.
Windows XP
Supported
All of our current shipping products run on the Windows Vista operating system. Due to the different needs and functionality of the Vista operating system, some features and functionality on 2000/XP may differ on Vista.
Windows 2000
Support Discontinued
In 2005, Microsoft ended mainstream support for Windows 2000. In 2010, Microsoft will end extended support for Windows 2000, which will make this operating system less secure and increasingly prone to hacking exploits. (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/support/endofsupport.mspx).
As a result, Check Point will cease to support Windows 2000 with the introduction of our version 8.0 ZoneAlarm family of products including ZoneAlarm® Internet Security Suite 2009, ZoneAlarm® Pro, ZoneAlarm® Antivirus, ZoneAlarm® Anti-Spyware, and ZoneAlarm®.
Note about pre-8.0 products:
Pre-8.0 products will continue to run on the Windows 2000 operating system and receive signature updates such as virus and spyware signatures. However, there will be new and advanced protection features in post-8.0 ZoneAlarm products that will not be added to pre-8.0 products. ZoneAlarm strongly recommends upgrading to a supported and current version of the Windows operating system.
ZoneAlarm may end services to pre-8.0 products at any time.
Windows 98se/ME
Support Discontinued
On July 11, 2006, Microsoft will end support for Windows 98, 98SE and Me, which will have the resulting effect of making these operating systems less secure ( http://www.microsoft.com/windows/support/endofsupport.mspx ). Windows 98/Me are older operating systems, and therefore inherently more vulnerable to attacks than newer operating systems. Now that Microsoft will no longer provide security updates to this operating system it will become increasingly prone to security vulnerabilities.
Accordingly, Check Point will cease to support Windows 98/98SE/Me with the introduction of our version 6.5 ZoneAlarm family of products including ZoneAlarm® Internet Security Suite, ZoneAlarm® Pro, ZoneAlarm® Antivirus, ZoneAlarm® Anti-Spyware, and ZoneAlarm®.
Note about pre-6.5 products:
Pre-6.5 products will continue to run on the Windows 98/98SE/Me operating system. However, there are a few new and advanced protection features in ZoneAlarm products that will not run due to technical limitations of this operating system. ZoneAlarm strongly recommends upgrading to a supported and current version of the Windows operating system.
ZoneAlarm may end services to pre-6.5 products at any time.
* - Windows 95 is no longer supported
FAQ for ZoneAlarm End-of-Life Policy
Why does ZoneAlarm have a policy to end support for operating systems?
This policy is in place for several reasons:
Older operating systems, even when still supported by the creating company, often have technical limitations that make it impossible to properly protect our customers using new and advanced ZoneAlarm technology.
When the creating company stops fixing the new "holes" discovered by hackers in its operating system, customers are much more vulnerable to attack.
ZoneAlarm strongly encourages its customers to adhere to a "best practices" approach to security, where each best practice that's upheld makes the customer much less likely to fall victim to attack; and every best practice ignored makes the customer much more vulnerable. Keeping software, including the operating system, up-to-date with the latest security patches is an essential best practice.
What if I have a current update/support subscription for a ZoneAlarm product when you end support for my operating system?
If you purchased a product or product service extension during the period when your operating system was listed under the ZoneAlarm end-of-life section; and that policy was posted online; and support for your operating system was not listed in the system requirements section; a refund will not be provided for your purchase, however we highly encourage you to upgrade your operating system to a safe, supported system and continue to use your current ZoneAlarm product.
If you need to upgrade ZoneAlarm to a new version of windows please visit;
http://www.zonealarm.com.au/main/updates.htm
No comments:
Post a Comment