The ZoneAlarm Application Control module is on by default and is set to Auto mode. In this mode, it silently assigns permissions to programs. When a program tries to access the network illegally, or to act as a server, the Application Control module works together with SmartDefense Advisor to check this program against a database of known safe programs. These are some well known programs:

• Web browsers - such as Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox, Opera
• Email applications - such as Microsoft Outlook, Opera Mail
• Instant messengers - such as Yahoo! IM, Google Talk
• Anti-virus applications - such as Symantec Norton, Avast
• Document processing and archiving utilities - such as WinZip, Adobe Acrobat
• ZoneAlarm software applications

The ZoneAlarm Application Control module also uses OSFirewall to detect any malicious activity against your computer's operating system.

When ZoneAlarm cannot validate a program, or discovers a program that tries a suspicious action, it generates an alert. For more details on alerts, see Understanding Application Control Alerts and Understanding OSFirewall Alerts.

To customize the way your computer handles application access permissions, or to reduce the number of alerts, see Managing Basic Application Control Settings and Configuring Advanced Application Control Settings.

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