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Internet Access Issues

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Contents

Internet Explorer Blocked by ZoneAlarm

Outline

My primary browser is Mozilla Firefox.  Although I access the Web everyday, I hadn't used Internet Explorer (IE) for at least a week.

Everything except Internet Explorer can access the Internet without a problem.

• Mozilla Firefox
• Mozilla Thunderbird
• Dreamweaver
• iTunes

When I try to access any Web site with IE, I can see that the domain name usually resolves to an IP address in the status bar on the bottom, but IE never displays the Web page, and usually times out.

Affected Programs

• OS: Windows XP Professional SP2
• Internet Explorer 7 (v7.0.5730.11)
• ZoneAlarm v7.0.337.000

The last updates to IE, as listed in Windows Update, are:

Troubleshooting

• Rebooting the computer did not correct the problem
• Logging in under a different user/profile did not resolve the issue
• IE works after shutting down ZoneAlarm
• Mozilla Firefox has no problem accessing Web pages, so this issue was definitely isolated to Internet Explorer
• Resetting Internet Explorer settings did hot correct the problem: Tools > Internet Options > Advanced tab > Reset button.
• Deleting Internet Explorer from ZoneAlarm's Program Control and letting ZoneAlarm use Auto settings did not correct the problem. (Access: Trusted: Allow and Internet: Allow / Server: Trusted: Ask or Block and Internet: Ask)
• Upgrading ZoneAlarm from v7.0.337.000 to v7.0.462.000 did not correct the problem

Cause

• Possible incorrect configuration of IE's access rights in ZoneAlarm after an update to IE. Check windows update history to see when IE was last updated. Does IE's update coincide with the access issue?
• Possible corruption in ZoneAlarm's configuration database.

Fix / Resolution

The following worked:

1. Reboot Windows into Safe Mode
2. Login as a member of the Administrators group
3. Delete the following ZoneAlarm files from C:\WINDOWS\Internet Logs\
• IAMDB.RDB
• BACKUP.RDB
4. Reboot Windows into Normal Mode
5. After rebooting into normal mode, set the new network found as Trusted.

Workaround to Sudden Loss of Internet Access Problem

Date Published : 8 July 2008

Date Last Revised : 14 July 2008

Overview : Microsoft Update KB951748 is known to cause loss of internet access for ZoneAlarm users on Windows XP/2000. Windows Vista users are not affected.

Impact : Sudden loss of internet access

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

Recommended Actions

Download and install the latest version of ZoneAlarm which should solve the loss of internet access problem (English only):

Once you have installed the new version of your product go to "Start button > Windows Update" and re-install the Microsoft patch.

• ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite (v7.0.483.000)
• ZoneAlarm Pro (v7.0.483.000)
• ZoneAlarm Antivirus (v7.0.483.000)
• ZoneAlarm Anti-Spyware (v7.0.483.000)
• ZoneAlarm Basic Firewall (v7.0.483.000)

- or follow the directions below.

Option 1: Move Internet Zone slider to Medium

1. Navigate to the "ZoneAlarm Firewall" panel
2. Click on the "Firewall" tab
3. Move the "Internet Zone" slider to medium

Option 2: Uninstall the hotfix

1. Click the "Start Menu"
2. Click "Control Panel", or click "Settings" then "Control Panel"
3. Click on "Add or Remove Programs"
4. On the top of the add/remove programs dialog box, you should see a checkbox that says "show updates". Select this checkbox
5. Scroll down until you see "Security update for Windows (KB951748)"
6. Click "Remove" to uninstall the hotfix

Source: ZoneAlarm Security Advisory

Reference:

• MS08-037: Description of the security update for DNS in Windows Server 2003, in Windows XP, and in Windows 2000 Server (client side): July 8, 2008
• Microsoft Security Bulletin MS08-037 – Important: Vulnerabilities in DNS Could Allow Spoofing (953230)

ZoneAlarm fails to start, displaying missing root certificate errors

Environment

• OS: Windows XP Professional SP3
• ZoneAlarm v6.0.667.000

Issue

As of 7/15/2009 if you are running any ZoneAlarm product v6.5 or below, the following error messages are displayed when you log into Windows or try to manually start ZoneAlarm:

There is nothing wrong with your root certificates.

Observations:

• You're unable to browse the Internet using Mozilla Firefox or Internet Explorer. You receive a time out error
• You can sucessfully ping many Web sites via their domain names. (e.g. ping google.com)
• You're unable to manually start ZoneAlarm
• You're unable to uninstall ZoneAlarm

Fix

1. Change the date of the affected computer to before July 15, 2009
2. Enable the Windows Firewall
3. Uninstall ZoneAlarm
4. Change the date back to the current date
5. Reboot the computer
6. Download and install ZoneAlarm v8.0 or newer.

Reference

• Validation failed, missing a necessary root certificate
• Zonealarm Root Certificate Workaround