Avast WEBforum
Consumer Products => Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security (legacy Pro Antivirus, Internet Security, Premier) => Topic started by: nightshade on November 28, 2008, 03:27:28 AM
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Am I right in saying that the Avast Email Scanner Service is for the Internet Mail when using Microsoft Outlook and the Outlook Exchange plugin?
I thought I had seen the icon for the Email Scanner Service in the ZA list of program icons, perhaps I am wrong as I don't see it now, but that would be cause I use Microsoft Outlook only.
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From Avast Help :
Internet Mail - Provider Settings
Internet Mail provider is used to protect the e-mail processed by other mail clients than MS Outlook or MS Exchange.
Outlook/Exchange - Provider Settings
This setting affects MS Outlook and MS Exchange mail clients only. For setting up the other mail clients, such as Outlook Express, Eudora etc., see Internet Mail Provider.
So you should run the Outlook Provider and probably do not need the Internet Mail Provider.
Run ashPopWz.exe in Alwil/Avast and it will tell up if you need to run Internet Mail Provider.
(This is the Pop Wizard.)
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I ran the ashPopWz.exe.
As I only use the Microsoft Outlook Email Client I went for the manual check, and excluded Outlook Express.
Would this be correct, and should I see the Avast Email Scanner Service icon in Zone Alarm everytime I open Microsoft Outlook? because at the moment I don't see it.
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Start Outlook,,,, DOUBLE CLICK on the AVAST ICON and make sure the Internet Mail Shield is
TERMINATED (you don't need it). And make sure that the Outlook Shield is Running.
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you don't need it
In fact it can detect spambots infections that use your computer to send spam.
I use Outlook 2007 and never disabled the Internet Mail provider as both, the Outlook plugin and the Mail provider could work side-by-side.
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you don't need it
In fact it can detect spambots infections that use your computer to send spam.
I use Outlook 2007 and never disabled the Internet Mail provider as both, the Outlook plugin and the Mail provider could work side-by-side.
So the only time I should ever see the email scanner service as being activated in Zone Alarm is if and when I opened Outlook Express?
Have I got that right?
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So the only time I should ever see the email scanner service as being activated in Zone Alarm is if and when I opened Outlook Express?
Or Thunderbird or any other pop3/smtp email program...
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So the only time I should ever see the email scanner service as being activated in Zone Alarm is if and when I opened Outlook Express?
Or Thunderbird or any other pop3/smtp email program...
I think you will always see it in the ZA list because it will always be listening/waiting for traffic on the email ports, that is its job. So the fact that nothing happens to be using it wouldn't switch it off. It will always be active (depends on your interpretation of active but the service would be running) waiting for some Non MS Outlook (because that is using Outlook/Exchange) email client to try and send or receive email.
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I think you will always see it in the ZA list because it will always be listening/waiting for traffic on the email ports, that is its job.
It depends what you mean by the ZA list, I wasn't referring to the list were you can add or remove them, I was talking about the list of current programs that are running or have been executed since boot up, top right hand corner beside the padlock and called PROGRAMS.
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Well it depends on what list 'you' mean after all it is your firewall and I haven't used ZA not for many years.
So based on the list you mention I believe deleting them from the list would only generate a pop-up the next time it loads asking is it OK, etc. That is the Program Control that maintains a database of programs run previously so if something changes in them it could be they have been updated or could have been hijacked (code injected into them) to use for another purpose.
This in some firewalls is called anti-leak protection.
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Tech said:
In fact it can detect spambots infections that use your computer to send spam.
I use Outlook 2007 and never disabled the Internet Mail provider as both, the Outlook plugin and the Mail provider could work side-by-side.
I am just about as certain as I can be that this is not true for Win9x systems such as Nightshade is using.
The spambot detection relies on the transparent intercept for port 25 that only works in NT based systems.
So the Internet Mail provider is useless for Win9x users except when used with specific clients that have been modified by the Mail wizard to have proxies set.
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Tech said:
In fact it can detect spambots infections that use your computer to send spam.
I use Outlook 2007 and never disabled the Internet Mail provider as both, the Outlook plugin and the Mail provider could work side-by-side.
I am just about as certain as I can be that this is not true for Win9x systems such as Nightshade is using.
The spambot detection relies on the transparent intercept for port 25 that only works in NT based systems.
So the Internet Mail provider is useless for Win9x users except when used with specific clients that have been modified by the Mail wizard to have proxies set.
If what you're saying is true, is there anything I need to do as I am currently using Microsoft Outlook 2000 and the plug in, or is the Internet Mail useless with windows 98?
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Actually alanrf,
What you have said makes sense, as when I opened Outlook Express I noticed the email scanner service show in ZA, and when I checked the properties for the servers in Outlook Express I could see they had been modified by the Avast wizard.
POP3 127.0.0.1
SMTP 127.0.0.1
Then the account name with#pop3 in the middle
Also I did a test using Outlook Express, and the email scanner service showed up on ZA, so it does work, and there were 4 different ports on TCP it was listening to.
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Sorry this can be deleted.
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The great thing about the avast plugin for Outlook is that it is written to work with Outlook to scan the messages totally independently of the way the message is transmitted - so it doesn't matter if the message is on a secure email connection or not an email connection at all (like Hotmail).
If you never user any other mail (or news) client then the Internet Mail provider is of no value on a Win98 system.
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The great thing about the avast plugin for Outlook is that it is written to work with Outlook to scan the messages totally independently of the way the message is transmitted - so it doesn't matter if the message is on a secure email connection or not an email connection at all (like Hotmail).
If you never user any other mail (or news) client then the Internet Mail provider is of no value on a Win98 system.
alanrf,
When you mention Outlook are you referring to Outlook Express?
Also when you say any other mail or news client, I take it you mean anything other than Outlook Express or Microsoft Outlook.
As you know I use 98, and the Internet Mail definitely works if I use Outlook Express, and when I use my default client which is Microsoft Outlook then the Outlook Exchange plugin kicks in for that one.
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No he isn't, because in the same sentence he also mentions the avast plugin for Outlook. There is no plugin for Outlook Express, the Internet Mail provider is for that and all other pop3 email clients other than MS Outlook, which has its own plugin.
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nightshade,
I based my comments on your earlier post in the thread:
As I only use the Microsoft Outlook Email Client I went for the manual check, and excluded Outlook Express.
As David has clarified - the avast Outlook plugin only works with Microsoft Outlook.
There is nothing special at all about Outlook Express - is just another common or garden mail client like Eudora or Thunderbird. Those mail clients - if you used any of them - would be handled by the Internet Mail provider (with the help of the Mail Wizard on Win9x systems).
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No he isn't, because in the same sentence he also mentions the avast plugin for Outlook. There is no plugin for Outlook Express, the Internet Mail provider is for that and all other pop3 email clients other than MS Outlook, which has its own plugin.
DavidR,
I wish you wouldn't mis-interpret everything I say.
I was referring to the Avast plugin for Microsoft Outlook, and I know full well that it is not for Outlook Express, this is why I asked Alanrf to clarify what he meant when he referred to Outlook.
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If you never user any other mail (or news) client then the Internet Mail provider is of no value on a Win98 system.
Am I understanding what you are saying here in simple laymen's terms as.........
If I only ever use Microsoft Outlook then the Internet Mail Provider would be of no use?
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Well forgive me for wasting my time I shan't make the same mistake again.
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Well forgive me for wasting my time I shan't make the same mistake again.
DavidR,
Now now, I really do appreciate your help, it's just sometimes I am more baffled by your replies than I was before I asked :-)
Please don't think I was being nasty to you, quite the opposite.
:)
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If I only ever use Microsoft Outlook then the Internet Mail Provider would be of no use?
For a Win98 user (as you are) that is precisely what I said.
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If you never user any other mail (or news) client then the Internet Mail provider is of no value on a Win98 system.
Am I understanding what you are saying here in simple laymen's terms as.........
If I only ever use Microsoft Outlook then the Internet Mail Provider would be of no use?
As I said earlier, if you only use Outlook and have no accounts in other Mail Programs then
Internet Mail Shield is not doing anything for you. However, do you use a News Program
that is on Port 119? Then Internet Mail Shield does check that too.
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As I said earlier, if you only use Outlook and have no accounts in other Mail Programs then
Internet Mail Shield is not doing anything for you. However, do you use a News Program
that is on Port 119? Then Internet Mail Shield does check that too.
As far as I know I don't use a news program.
And like I have said earlier, I have both MS Outlook and Outlook Express, and although I don't have the latter as my default email client I still require the Internet Mail provider to be running in case of a potential spambot that may want to use Outlook Express.
But just thinking, I may just tell ZA to report if Outlook Express is being used, that way there are 2 programs checking for a spambot.
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I'm sorry but you have missed the point ... the spambots have nothing to do with Outlook Express ... I have explained above why the Internet Mail provider cannot detect spambots in a Win98 system.
You need the Internet Mail provider only if you actually use Outlook Express to receive or send emails (or as a news client).
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I'm sorry but you have missed the point ... the spambots have nothing to do with Outlook Express ... I have explained above why the Internet Mail provider cannot detect spambots in a Win98 system.
You need the Internet Mail provider only if you actually use Outlook Express to receive or send emails (or as a news client).
I haven't missed the point, my Outlook Express Email Client has as I have stated previously been modified my the Avast wizard, so proxies have been set.
The MS Outlook Exchange plugin takes care of the MS Outlook default Email Client.
So please tell me how a spambot can work undetected on any of my email clients regardless of it being on Windows 98, as per your quote below......
So the Internet Mail provider is useless for Win9x users except when used with specific clients that have been modified by the Mail wizard to have proxies set.
So a specific client such as Outlook Express has been modified by the mail wizard as per your quote above, so surely, as in my case this is acceptable for any spambot attempt is it not?
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And like I have said earlier, I have both MS Outlook and Outlook Express, and although I don't have the latter as my default email client I still require the Internet Mail provider to be running in case of a potential spambot that may want to use Outlook Express.
But just thinking, I may just tell ZA to report if Outlook Express is being used, that way there are 2 programs checking for a spambot.
I configured ZAP to make OE ask for permisssion to connect. My avast! email scanner service (ashMaiSv.exe) must also ask permission. I then configured ZAP Outbound MailSafe as follows:
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I am assuming you have NO Accounts set up in Outlook Express since you don't use it.
Spam Bots use the setup accounts to send bogus messages. If no accounts exist then
no sends are possible.
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I am assuming you have NO Accounts set up in Outlook Express since you don't use it.
Spam Bots use the setup accounts to send bogus messages. If no accounts exist then
no sends are possible.
You are right, I don't use Outlook Express, so I have removed the account for it.
Funny how the easiest solution comes eventually doesn't it.
Thank you Styx.
:)
My question which kind of relates to this is what if a spambot tried to use my only email account, what is it that Avast recognises about it to stop it and inform me, remembering that I have a 98 system, or is it the Network Shield that does this of which isn't compatible with windows 98.
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Resident Protection: Outlook/Exchange - Outbound Mail
Insert notes to clean (uninfected) messages. avast! will add a note into clean messages announcing that the message is virus-free. avast! will not permit infected messages to be sent at all.
Format of the notes... You can change the format of inserted notes.
Scan attachments when attaching. The attachments you enclose to an email will be scanned immediately during the attachment process, not when you send it.
Outlook/Exchange - Provider Settings
This setting affects MS Outlook and MS Exchange mail clients only. For setting up the other mail clients, such as Outlook Express, Eudora etc., see Internet Mail Provider.
Normal. Default setting.
High. In addition to the default setting, even read messages are scanned on open and the heuristic sensitivity is set to High.
Set Outlook Shield to HIGH.
Set Outlook Shield to use a note for SMTP sends. (Close and Re-Open Outlook). Send a
friend a message and ask them to send it back to check if the note was added.
If its there then a SPAM BOT using Outlook would be quite likely caught I think. Remember that it
is always possible that a malware/virus/trojan could enter your system before Avast or ANY protection
program could be updated to catch it. Hence the High Heuristic setting.
Check Avast - Help on Programs Menu and/or here : Start Simple Program Interface and hit F1.
Search either, or both, for Outlook.
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nightshade,
I do not want to appear rude (even if, without intent, I may appear so) but since you have appeared in this forum it appears, to me at least, you have frequently failed to take in the information posted in an effort to assist you.
I may be a little harsh in this instance since Styx has also failed to grasp the important difference in this thread of the way avast works for NT based operating systems compared with the Win9x operating system used by you.
As I clearly said in an earlier post in this thread:
The spambot detection relies on the transparent intercept for port 25 that only works in NT based systems.
You are using a Win9x system ... and I suspect that Styx overlooked that important point.
Remember what SMTP stands for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol.
That means that spambot detection (which has nothing to do with any mail clent you use - spambots, in almost all instances, have their own SMTP client built in - as discussed in just about any spambot explanation in this forum in recent years) does not work in Win9x systems in which the automatic and transparent port 25 (SMTP sending) intercept cannot be made by avast.
Since that intercept cannot be made by avast it means that avast is totally unaware of any outbound email activity on your system from an unknown SMTP client (such as that included in a spambot) and cannot ever alert you to its activity.
I apologize if I am not presenting information in a way that is clear and readily understandable for you. From your interaction with David earlier in this thread (who I think presents information in a way that is infinitely more understandable than I can do) perhaps I am not alone.
May I encourage you to consider upgrading to a modern operating system where none us us need to worry you with with these differences and you have better overall protection?
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Actually from his description of concern I just thought he was using SpamBot to
mean a trojan which uses Outlook Express or similar programs to mail themselves
and possibly a nasty payload to one's address book. A true SpamBot searches
the web and harvests email addresses, even those that are munged, so they
can be added to spammers' lists.
Here's a cute way to treat SpamBots :
http://www.auditmypc.com/freescan/antispam.html
SpamBot beware :
http://www.turnstep.com/Spambot/
Hide your email using HTML :
http://www.safeemail.org/
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Actually from his description of concern I just thought he was using SpamBot to
mean a trojan which uses Outlook Express or similar programs to mail themselves
and possibly a nasty payload to one's address book.
Styx,
That's exactly what I meant.
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So the Internet Mail provider is useless for Win9x users except when used with specific clients that have been modified by the Mail wizard to have proxies set.
But alanrf,
You are contradicting yourself, how can it be useless if I have used the email wizard, as you have said here from your quote above, "except when used with specific clients that have been modified by the email wizard to have proxies set", and that is exactly what I had done to Outlook Express using the wizard.
So when you say except, you are surely saying that it will work with 98 system by using a specific client, and modifying it with the email wizard to set up a proxy as your quoted message suggests.
So would Spam be detected on windows 98 S.E if they were to utilise the Outlook Express client and or MS Outlook client.
And if they were to try and send spam messages on my default client which is MS Outlook would they be caught as I use the exchange outlook plugin.
And I did see the mail being scanned when I tested Outlook Express in the Internet Mail, so I must have done something right, the proxy settings had been changed, so I knew the wizard had done it's work.
I am sorry to go on about this but I want it clear in my mind that everything is in order.
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My absolute last words on this, life is too short.
It is useless because, the avast mail protection wizard, changes the Outlook Express account details so that it works with the Internet Mail provider. A spambot has no such restriction/modification because it isn't using OE (or your email client whatever it is), but one of its own. So it won't be caught by the Internet Mail's transparent proxy, because that doesn't work with non-NT OSes like win9x and winME, so it will fly right by unmolested.
So I'm done and out of here.
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I will add my last words too.
It was explained to you that spambots do not use your mail client (not anymore they don't). Since you told us Microsoft Outlook 2000 is your default mail client then any (incredibly old) spambot would be trying to use that client not Outlook Express.
They do not need your mail client to send the spam because they have their own built in. They would be foolish to assume that every system they infect had a mail client to use and because SMTP is SIMPLE having the built in client in the spambot code is easy.
I also said that if you use a mail client like Outlook Express (which I never confuse with Outlook) modified by avast mail wizard then the Internet Mail provider scans the mail you send. In fact, once modified the mail client will not work at all unless you have the Internet Mail provider running.
However you can have the spambot perfectly happily sending out all the spam at the same time with avast perfectly unaware of it because in a Win9x system you can never modify the SMTP part of the spambot to make avast aware of it.
I never contradicted myself in this thread.
I will not say that you have contradicted yourself but you certainly do seem to like to confuse the issues you are asking about.
You tell us at one point in this thread that you have used both Microsoft Outlook with the plugin and Outlook Express with the mail wizard. You then go on to say that you only use Microsoft Outlook as your mail client and asked me to be precise about a person only using Microsoft Outlook. You then reverse course and go on about using Outlook Express again.
To sum up once more for you:
If you only use Microsoft Outlook as your mail client with the avast Outlook plugin for Microsoft Outlook then the Internet Mail provider does nothing for you on a Win98 system. It is completely irrelevant what you may have done earlier on your system to Outlook Express.
If you do use Outlook Express even sometimes to send messages and you have modified it with the avast mail wizard then you must have the Internet Mail provider running otherwise it will not be able to send any mail out.
In either case leaving the Internet Mail provider running is doing no harm to your system and may be needed when you modify settings without a clear understanding of what the effects will be.
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Well it looks like I have mistakenly mixed up Spambots with normal email viruses.
Let me make this the last question, you know about my currently set up, am I safe from any virus or virus message either inbound or outbound when using MS Outlook.
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I'll add a word too. The difference between you and me, nightshade, is that when someone takes the time to reply to me in a thread and includes a screenshot and some configuration ideas, I then take a moment of my own time to thank them for their efforts.
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I'll add a word too. The difference between you and me, nightshade, is that when someone takes the time to reply to me in a thread and includes a screenshot and some configuration ideas, I then take a moment of my own time to thank them for their efforts.
Well here is an answer to go with your added word.
I have thanked DavidR and others in this forum on several occasions, and if we were all to thank everyone every time they helped in some way this forum would be double in it's size, so if you didn't receive a thank you, and because it angered you so much that you had to post a message to me about it, then I do feel sorry for you.
And lastly, I feel it very strange why you feel the need to compare me with yourself, like you are after brownie points or something, weird to say the least!
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and because it angered you so much
Angered me so much? Why would you think your rudeness would make me angry? Forums teach us quite a bit. We've learned a lot about you in this thread, nightshade. ;)
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and because it angered you so much
Angered me so much? Why would you think your rudeness would make me angry? Forums teach us quite a bit. We've learned a lot about you in this thread, nightshade. ;)
So everyone that you help gives you a reply to say thanks on every occasion do they?
If you must know I have had a death in the family, and so I have had far more important things to sort out and worry about rather than worrying about whether I have said a thanks to you or not.
I hope you feel better now!
Ganging up on people is rude, and that is exactly what you are trying to do here, so the best thing you can do is calm down and grow up a little.
I certainly have learned about you for sure.
This thread is going nowhere, it surely can be closed now.
THANKS to ALL. ;D
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If you must know I have had a death in the family, and so I have had far more important things to sort out and worry about rather than worrying about whether I have said a thanks to you or not.
I hope you feel better now!
So you decided to take on some spambots to help you get over your intense grief? ::)
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If you must know I have had a death in the family, and so I have had far more important things to sort out and worry about rather than worrying about whether I have said a thanks to you or not.
I hope you feel better now!
So you decided to take on some spambots to help you get over your intense grief? ::)
Please tell me where I said I had taken on some spambots?
I can't believe you are still on about this after what I have just told you.
You make me feel sick to be honest.
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Please tell me where I said I had taken on some spambots?
Well, perhaps it was these words of yours ...
"in case of a potential spambot that may want to use Outlook Express."
"that way there are 2 programs checking for a spambot."
"what if a spambot tried to use my only email account"
"so surely, as in my case this is acceptable for any spambot attempt"
"please tell me how a spambot can work undetected on any of my email clients"
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Please tell me where I said I had taken on some spambots?
Well, perhaps it was these words of yours ...
"in case of a potential spambot that may want to use Outlook Express."
"that way there are 2 programs checking for a spambot."
"what if a spambot tried to use my only email account"
"so surely, as in my case this is acceptable for any spambot attempt"
"please tell me how a spambot can work undetected on any of my email clients"
Is this not what the forum is about ie questions.
I wonder if you would be worrying about whether someone says thanks to your posts if you experience a RECENT death loss in your family, get real man.
Your last post that refers to my bereavement shows just how sad you really are, and I pray for you.
Can I just end by saying that I will not be viewing this thread from now on, so if you want to waste your time by replying a load of dribble like your last couple of replies then please do so, I certainly will not be wasting my time viewing them.
;)