1. Introduction & Scope
This Privacy Policy describes how ZMatrix Lite ("ZMatrix Lite," "the App," "we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, and protects information when you use our Windows desktop application. ZMatrix Lite is developed and operated by Halonex.
ZMatrix Lite is a lightweight, general-purpose antivirus built for everyday users. It combines a signature-based detection engine, a machine learning classifier, and a heuristic/behavioral engine to identify and neutralize threats. ZMatrix Lite is built entirely in user mode — it does not install any kernel-mode driver, minifilter, or other privileged system component.
By downloading, installing, or using ZMatrix Lite, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with any part of this policy, please discontinue use of the App immediately.
The Human Summary
ZMatrix Lite protects your PC without a kernel driver poking around in the deepest parts of Windows. It scans what it needs to scan using standard, documented Windows APIs, sends only file hashes (never your files) to the cloud for a second opinion, and keeps everything else — your account, your quarantine, your history — under your control.
2. Information We Collect
ZMatrix Lite requires a Halonex account and an active license to run. The categories of information involved in the App's operation are:
- Account Information: When you create a Halonex account, we collect your email address and a salted, hashed password. We never store your password in plain text.
- License Information: Your license key, activation status, and subscription/renewal status, used to validate that your installation is entitled to protection updates.
- Device Install Identifier: A one-way hash derived from hardware identifiers on your machine, used solely to enforce per-license device limits. This identifier cannot be reversed to reveal your actual hardware serial numbers.
- Scan & Detection Metadata: When the real-time or on-demand scanner flags a file, we record the file's SHA-256 hash, the local file path, the detecting engine (signature, ML, or heuristic), the threat classification, and the action taken (quarantine, delete, ignore). The contents of the file itself are not uploaded.
- Cloud Reputation Queries: File hashes for newly encountered or ambiguous files are sent to our reputation service to check them against a global threat database, in order to reach a verdict faster than a fully offline scan.
- Product Telemetry: App version, detection engine/definition versions, OS build number, and general scan performance statistics (e.g., scan duration, files scanned), used to monitor product health and prioritize engine improvements.
- Diagnostic Reports (opt-in): If the App crashes or you choose to submit a support ticket, you may optionally include a diagnostic log or crash report. This is never collected automatically without your action.
- Quarantine Sample Submission (opt-in): If you choose to submit a quarantined file for deeper analysis, the file itself is uploaded only after an explicit, per-file consent prompt.
The Human Summary
To protect your PC we need an account and a license, plus hashes of the files we scan so we can check them against our threat database. We don't upload your actual files unless you explicitly choose to submit one for analysis.
3. Information We Do Not Collect
We want to be explicit about the data we do not collect, access, or store:
- No browsing history — We do not read or log the websites you visit.
- No keystrokes — ZMatrix Lite does not include a keylogger of any kind.
- No screen or webcam capture — We do not access your camera, microphone, or screen contents.
- No document or personal file contents — Files are hashed, not read, uploaded, or indexed for content.
- No contacts, chats, or emails — We do not access or scan your messaging or email applications.
- No advertising identifiers — We do not use advertising SDKs or cross-app tracking.
- No sale of data — We do not sell, rent, or trade personal data to third parties.
4. How Your Information Is Used
- Threat Detection: File hashes and behavioral signals are used to classify files as safe, suspicious, or malicious across our three detection engines.
- License Enforcement: Account and device-identifier data confirm that your installation is validly licensed and within your subscription's device limit.
- Product Improvement: Aggregated detection and performance telemetry helps us tune detection accuracy and reduce false positives.
- Support: Diagnostic reports you choose to submit are used exclusively to investigate and resolve the issue you reported.
We do not use your information for advertising, behavioral profiling unrelated to threat detection, or any purpose beyond delivering and improving the App.
5. Detection Architecture — User-Mode Only
ZMatrix Lite is deliberately architected to avoid kernel-mode components. Real-time protection is implemented using standard, documented Windows user-mode facilities — including the Antimalware Scan Interface (AMSI), user-mode consumption of Event Tracing for Windows (ETW) providers, and file-system change notifications — rather than a custom kernel-mode minifilter driver placed directly in the file I/O path.
| Engine | What It Analyzes | Where It Runs |
|---|---|---|
| Signature-Based | File hash and known-malware pattern matching | Local, against a periodically updated definitions database |
| Machine Learning | Static file features (structure, entropy, metadata) — no content upload | Local inference, with optional cloud-assisted classification for ambiguous verdicts |
| Heuristic/Behavioral | Process and file-system behavior patterns observed via user-mode OS APIs | Local, in real time |
Because ZMatrix Lite holds no kernel-mode driver, it has no elevated system-level access beyond what any standard Windows application can request — reducing both its attack surface and the depth of system access we could technically misuse.
The Human Summary
No kernel driver means ZMatrix Lite can't quietly do more than a normal app could. Everything it sees, it sees through the same front door every other application uses.
6. Third-Party Services
- Cloud Reputation Service: File hashes are checked against our threat-intelligence infrastructure to deliver faster, more accurate verdicts. Only hashes and file metadata are transmitted — never file contents, unless you explicitly submit a sample.
- Payment Processor: License purchases and renewals are handled by a PCI-compliant third-party payment processor. Halonex does not store your full payment card details.
- Transactional Email Provider: Used to deliver license keys, receipts, and account-related notifications to your registered email address.
We do not integrate any advertising networks, social media SDKs, or general-purpose analytics platforms.
7. Data Storage & Security
- Quarantine Vault: Quarantined files are encrypted with AES-256 and stored locally in an isolated vault on your device, inert and unable to execute.
- Account Data: Passwords are hashed and salted; email addresses and license records are encrypted at rest on Halonex servers.
- Data in Transit: All communication between the App and Halonex services is encrypted via TLS 1.3.
- No Kernel-Level Storage Access: Because ZMatrix Lite runs entirely in user mode, it cannot bypass standard Windows file permissions to access data outside what it is explicitly granted.
The Human Summary
Quarantined files are encrypted and isolated on your own machine. Anything that does travel to us is encrypted in transit, and your account credentials are never stored in plain text.
8. Your Rights & Controls
Under applicable data protection regulations including the GDPR and the CCPA, you have the right to access, correct, delete, and port your personal data. You can exercise these rights directly from the App's account settings or by contacting us at the address below.
9. System Access
ZMatrix Lite requests the following Windows-level access, all through standard, non-privileged APIs:
| Access | Purpose |
|---|---|
| File System Read Access | Required to compute file hashes and perform scans. ZMatrix Lite reads file metadata and content locally for hashing only — it does not transmit file contents. |
| Network Access | Required for cloud reputation lookups, definition updates, and license validation. |
| Process List (read-only) | Required for behavioral/heuristic analysis of running processes. ZMatrix Lite does not read process memory contents. |
| Windows Startup Entry | Required so real-time protection is active from system boot. |
- No kernel-mode driver installation
- No camera or microphone access
- No browser extension or browsing-history access
10. Children's Privacy
ZMatrix Lite is not directed at children under the age of 13 (or the applicable minimum age in your jurisdiction). Because account creation requires an email address, we do not knowingly permit account registration by children. If we learn that a child's account has been created without appropriate parental consent, we will take steps to delete it.
11. Data Retention
Account and license records are retained for as long as your account remains active, plus a limited period thereafter to comply with financial and legal record-keeping obligations. Scan and detection metadata associated with your device is retained locally and, where transmitted for cloud-assisted detection, is retained on our servers for a limited window to support threat-intelligence correlation before being aggregated or deleted.
You may request deletion of your account and associated server-side data at any time. Locally stored scan history and quarantine contents are removed when you uninstall the App.
12. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the App's functionality, legal requirements, or our operational practices. When we make material changes, we will update the "Effective Date" and "Last Updated" dates above and, where appropriate, notify you in-app. Your continued use of ZMatrix Lite after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised terms.
13. Contact Information
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or ZMatrix Lite's data practices, please contact us:
- Developer: Halonex
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: halonex.app
- Privacy Centre: privacy.halonex.app
The Human Summary
Have a question about your privacy? Reach out to us at [email protected]. We take every inquiry seriously and will respond as quickly as possible.
This privacy policy applies to the ZMatrix Lite Windows application published by Halonex.
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