Understanding Program control
Everything you do on the Internet-from browsing Web pages to downloading MP3 files-is managed by specific programs on your computer.
Hackers exploit this fact by planting "malware"-literally, evil programs-on your computer. Sometimes they send out malware as e-mail attachments with innocent names like "screensaver.exe." If you open the attachment, you install the malware on your computer without even knowing it. Others times, they convince you to download the malware from a server by making it masquerade as an update to a legitimate program.
Once on your machine, malware can wreak havoc in a variety of ways. It can raid your address book and send itself to everyone in it, or it can listen for connection requests from the Internet. The hacker who distributed the malware can then contact it and give it instructions, effectively taking control of your computer.
To protect your computer from these threats, Zone Labs security software's Program Control feature uses Program authentication (verifies that your programs haven't been tampered with) and Program access control (provides access or server permission only when you tell it to).
