Hello Thorne~
Zone Alarm has it's positives but it also has it's big negatives too. I imagine a clone could do pretty much the same things? We haven't downloaded, nor do we use the free security software from our ISP. Of course it's possible it's there unbeknownst to us? But it's not affecting anything but IE in this case hmmmmm <scratching head>.
Thorne, maybe You could try Opera, and see if it helps You also?
Respectfully~SidheWolf