New Program alerts

The majority of the initial alerts you see will be New Program alerts. These alerts occur when a program on your computer requests access or server permission to the Internet or your local network. Use the New Program alert to give access permission to programs that need it-like your browser and e-mail program.

Use the check box labeled Remember this answer to give permanent permission to programs you trust.

Few programs or processes actually require server permission in order to function properly. Some processes, however, are used by Microsoft Windows to carry out legitimate functions. Some of the more common ones you may see in alerts are:

lsass.exe


spoolsv.exe


svchost.exe


services.exe


winlogon.exe

If you do not recognize the program or process that is asking for server permission, search the Microsoft Support Web site (http://support.microsoft.com/) for information on the process to determine what it is and what it's used for. Be aware that many legitimate Windows processes, including those listed above, have the potential to be used by hackers to disguise worms and viruses, or to provide backdoor access to your system for Trojan horses. If you were not performing a function (such as browsing files, logging onto a network, or downloading files) when the alert appeared, then the safest approach is to deny server permission. At any time, you can assign permissions to specific programs and services from the Programs List, accessed by selecting Program Control|Programs tab.

If you're seeing many server program alerts, you may want to download and run an anti-virus or anti-spyware tool as an added precaution.

To learn more about New Program alerts and how to respond to them, see New Program alerts .