Last week, BugNet reported an incompatibility between Windows 2000 Service Pack 1 and ZoneAlarm. After more testing with KeyLabs, BugNet was able to identify another personal firewall product that fell victim to Microsoft’s update for Windows 2000. BlackICE Defender users were surprised to find their TCP/IP filtering down for the count after installing SP1. Fortunately, Network ICE was quick to release a patched version that eliminates the SP1 incompatibility.

BlackICE and their competitor, ZoneAlarm, attack the problem of personal Internet safety from different perspectives. Where the ZoneAlarm/SP1 combination killed applications’ ability to access the Internet, the BlackICE/SP1 combination actually disabled filtering, leaving your system unprotected. In other words, BlackICE users were still able to access Internet resources. The only change was that filtering was disabled.
To blame for the BlackICE incompatibility is a last minute change in the Microsoft Windows 2000 SDK. According to John Myung, technical marketing manager for Network ICE, Microsoft released an updated Software Developers Kit (SDK) at about the same they released SP1. Given the timeframe, Network ICE was unable to fully test the effects of the new Application Program Interfaces (APIs). However, after being notified of the problem, Network ICE was able to turn around a patch in short order.

The BlackICE Defender patch is available from Network ICE’s web site. The update works on all platforms, including Windows 95/98, though the SP1 incompatibility is only evident on Windows 2000. Installing the patch is uneventful. Simply download the patch and run the executable. Given the simplicity of installing the patch and the potential for loss, we recommend this patch for all BlackICE installations.