Zone Labs investigates upgrade problems

Gregor Freund, chief executive of Zone Labs, told ZDNet Australia  the issues -- which seem to cause an inconsistent Internet connection and dramatic speed decreases for some users of ZoneAlarm version 5.5 and above -- were minor but being taken seriously by the company.

"We are not currently noticing a significant number of incoming customer service inquiries around connectivity challenges," he said, "nor has there been a noticeable increase since the release of ZoneAlarm 5.5."

"However, we are aware that a small group of users have reported some challenges in our forum, and we are thoroughly testing to find the source of their problems."

Freund said Zone Labs -- a subsidiary of Check Point -- had not been able to replicate the symptoms of the problem internally, but it hoped to quickly discover the source of the problem.

The executive further advised users take advantage of the various technical support options open to them.

Although the company does charge for some support options, some -- such as the user forums -- are available at no cost to the millions of ZoneAlarm users who use the software for free.

Zone Labs also promotes the actions of its 'Team Z' -- a volunteer group of experts who assist novice users online.