System Safety Monitor (SSM) guards against any changes that might be made to the main program registry keys. One purpose of this is to protect against potential worm and virus attacks.
The following registry keys are "guarded" by default:
Autorun key
Windows automatically executes all programs located in this key. These programs can configure your system when they are started automatically every time your computer boots up. Although these keys are used to execute your regular programs, they may also be accessed by worms and trojans.
.exe-File open parameters key
A trojan or virus will often change this key allowing it to intercept program executions.
Mirabilis ICQ autorun key
ICQ automatically executes all programs located in this key. These programs can configure your system when they are started automatically every time your ICQ starts.
You can also configure the program to act like a program firewall, allowing you to control which programs and processes may run on your system.