ZoneAlarm Pro 3.0 work around.

[engel59]

I just downloaded the new ZoneAlarm Pro 3.0 and had a problem Posting Information to some sites.
I would get the following error:

"The host you are trying to send the input from is not a valid host."

The Fix:

1) Open up the ZoneAlarm Program.
2) Click on "Privacy".
3) Under the Cookie Control Section, Click on the "Custom" button.
4) Under the Cookies Tab, 3rd Party Cookies, uncheck the "Remove private header information" box. Leave "Block 3rd party cookies" and "Disable web bugs" boxes checked.
5) Click Apply. 😛

 

[engel59]

*** please ignore my first Fix. ***

I found a different way of working around the "not a valid host" problem. This is MUCH SAFER!!!

Do the following:

1) Open up the ZoneAlarm Program.
2) Click on "Privacy".
3) Click on the "Site List" Tab.
4) The address (www.XXX.com or XXX.XXX.XX.XX) will be displayed. Click on that entry once to highlight it.
5) Go to the bottom of the page and press the "Options" button. A "Site Option" window will pop-up.
6) Under the Cookies Tab, 3rd Party Cookies, uncheck the "Remove private header information" box. Leave "Block 3rd party cookies" and "Disable web bugs" boxes checked.
7) Click Apply.

These changes will only effect address "www.XXX.com" or "XXX.XXX.XX.XX".

Now you can post to that site and feel safer.

You will have to do the above steps for each site that shows you the "The host you are trying to send the input from is not a valid host." message.

I have sent a message to ZoneAlarm and asked them if there is a better way of doing this.

Note:

HTTP referrer header field

An optional field in the message that opens a Web page, containing information about the "referring document." Properly used, this field helps webmasters administer their sites. Improperly used, it can divulge your IP address, your workstation name, login name, or even (in a poorly-implemented e-commerce site) your credit card number. By selecting Remove Private Header information in the Cookies tab, you prevent this header field from transferring any information about you.

 

[engel59]

A patch has been released for ZoneAlarm Pro 3. The patch is 3.0.091. The install file is still called "zapSetup3025.exe".

What I noticed after doing a new install was that both the "Cookie Control" and "Ad Blocking" are turned "OFF" by default. The first release of ZAP 3.0 had both set to Med. Security.

By turning both of these "OFF" you can go to any website without seeing a ZA error message dealing with cookies and ad's. The down side is "ALL" Cookies, including 3rd part, and AD's will come through to your computer unless it is set to block it some place else, like in IE 6.

You can still use my second work around if you want to turn these two features back "ON".