June 27th, 2008

Signature-based security software keeps your PC from picking up known viruses and malware as you surf the Web, but it can’t necessarily catch a brand-new “zero day” threat. BufferZone Pro 3.0 addresses this problem by encapsulating all downloaded software inside its virtual environment (the zone). Programs running in the zone can’t make any permanent changes to your system, and emptying the zone wipes them out as if they had never been installed.

BufferZone comes preconfigured with a long list of browsers, P2P utilities, instant messaging programs, and other Internet-aware programs that always run inside the zone. It adds a red border to such programs and seems to have whipped the previous version’s bug that sometimes omitted the border. A small red and white overlay icon identifies files and programs that reside in the zone. Any files downloaded by such a program will likewise run in the zone. And completely emptying the zone wipes out any file or Registry changes the program made. You’ll also lose changes to browser settings, Favorites, and so on; to make permanent changes you’ll have to launch the browser outside of BufferZone.

E-mail programs get special status, since you wouldn’t want BufferZone to wipe out your e-mail messages whenever you empty the zone. A program identified as an e-mail client runs outside the zone itself, but any attachments or saved files get moved inside the zone. That’s smart!

For more information visit www.pcmag.com