by Not to worry...svchost.exe is part of the operating system. You can -
you should - allow it to access the Internet, but don't let it act as a
server. Alex Nichol explains the Generic Host Process well; look for his
posts on this topic.
Quinoa S
> > I have a cable modem, so I am online all the time. I keep
> > getting a security warning that says "Generic Host Process
> > for WIN 32 is attempting to access the internet."
> > The warning says that it is a "low level" threat, and the
> > recommended action is to allow access. I keep blocking it
> > because I don't know what it is.
> > Can someone please tell me what this warning means, and if
> > it is a problem?
> One program you're likely to receive alerts about is Svchost.exe, also known
> as the generic host process. It's a standard part of Windows 2000 and XP,
> but it's not a program users generally have to worry about or to interact
> with directly--other programs use svchost to carry out specific tasks, such
> as accessing the Internet. If svchost can't access the Net, neither can
> Internet Explorer. Granting such access to svchost is probably safe,
> although I can't give you a 100 percent guarantee.
> http://www.pcworld.com/howto/article/0,aid,103781,00.asp