The PC Mag article, as does the ZA bulletin posted by Barbara Shaw, indicates that Zone Alarm has released updated programs. It is implied that if you download/install the updated ZA programs the Microsoft patch can be safely installed, and you'll be able to run at recommended browser security levels.
As I suspected (see 10 Jul 08 - 01:28 PM above) PC Mag also confirms that the patch was for the DNS SYSTEM vulnerability reported very recently. The vulnerability was in the internet itself and was potentially extremely dangerous for all users worldwide regardless of operating systems or anti-everything programs individuals might have installed.
The basic - and most critical - patches are to servers, and patches appear to be required regardless of the OS used on the servers. Full details are not "out in the public" as yet, but the fix appears to involve internet traffic routing protocols that allowed SERVERS to be corrupted to misdirect connections to phony sites.
Quite obviously, if the rules of the game change, individual users may require less extensive patches to talk in the same new language the servers will use. The Microsoft WinXP patch was to permit individual machines to "keep compatible" with the new Server rules.
THE BOTTOM LINE for individual computers is that you probably want to have this patch installed, now or at least sometime fairly soon.
Zone Alarm indicates the Microsoft WinXP patch is safe if you update your ZA program(s).
You can also use the "workaround" of lowering the ZA security level until you can get around to updating, but this should be considered a "temporary fix."
The PC Mag article suggests an "option 4" that would allow you to use one of the older Zone Alarm programs at normal security levels, but requires "setting permissions" in ZA - which most people should be able to do if they can follow directions carefully, but which look a bit "teedjus" if you can use another of the methods.