>>Only as long as they also match the current version of the program. ZoneAlarm seems to use more than just the name. Any time I do a Windows Update that changes the version number of an installed program that has been granted axccess through ZoneAlarm, it asks if I want to allow access to this "new" program.
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>Of course, but most users will allow access, being unaware of versions, md5, and so on. IMO, is very hard to create a perfect firewall, mostly because of users.

Humans are almost always the weak link in just about every system.

As you say, there are always those who will allow access even though they know they haven't done an update. It's one of the reasons I won't allow anything on my system to do automatic background updates.

Similarly, there will always be those who will launch attachments in emails from persons they've never heard of, or who will send those stupid chains to 10 other persons and help to clutter the internet with junk, or who will send money to a spammer and then complain later that they were scammed, all the while making sure that spamming remains a lucrative way of, life much to the detriment of the rest of us.

Alan