Setting program permissions automatically

The SmartDefense Advisor and Application Control settings work together to ensure that good programs are given network access and that bad programs are denied access. By default, Application Control is set to Medium and SmartDefense Advisor is set to Auto. With these defaults, ZoneAlarm security software assigns permission to programs automatically. For information about customizing Application Control and SmartDefense Advisor, see Setting general Application Control options.

If SmartDefense Advisor and Application Control are set to their defaults, one of three things may occur when a program requests access for the first time:

• Access is granted - Access is granted if the program is known to be safe and requires the permissions it is asking for in order to function properly.
• Access is denied - Access is denied if the program is a known bad program or if the program does not require the permissions it is asking for.
• A New Program alert appears - Program alerts appear when you need to decide whether to allow or deny Internet access to a program. The alert may contain a recommendation about whether to allow or deny access, and, if necessary, you can click More info to get details about the program to help you respond.
• As long as SmartDefense Advisor is set to Auto, you see a program alert only if there is no automatic setting available. ZoneAlarm security software keeps your setting unless SmartDefense Advisor comes out with a different setting, or until you change the setting manually in the Programs panel. For more information about different types of Program alerts, see Program alerts.