Avast WEBforum
Consumer Products => Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security (legacy Pro Antivirus, Internet Security, Premier) => Topic started by: midway on November 12, 2004, 05:50:17 PM
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I have both Thunderbird and a Web-based e-mail program called MyWay. The MyWay site says it does not have an anti-virus program. I did a search for Hotmail because it also is Web-based and found this particular answer to a question:
"Started by bbatis, Message by DavidR
Hotmai/Yahool is not a pop3 email service (unless you pay for pop service), it is web based (so the Internet Mail provider doesn't directly protect it). Web based email is simply your email being viewed in the same way you browser the internet. The pages (that display your email) are downloaded into your Temporary Internet folder, just like regular web pages and displayed on your browser screen.
T he Standard Shield will scan your files (as they are downloaded into your Temporary Internet folder) when sensitivity is set to High. "
Would this answer also apply to MyWay (found at MyWay.com)?
Thank you.
I have Avast 4.5.
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Yes. webbased=webbased, no mather where you have it. eg: Yahoo, Wanadoo, Hotmail, Rocketmail etc etc.
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Yes, your MyWay web based email program displays your email in a browser window (not the same as your email in Thunderbird). So the same comments/settings apply as your quote.
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Midway,
Look at it this way....
Your Antivirus is installed on your computer. In order for IT to scan your email, the email and files have to be on your system too. Only POP email is downloaded to your computer via your email client (such as Thunderbird, MS Outlook, Outlook Express, and Pegasus (my favorite).
Your AV cannot "look" into a web based server.
Thanks stopping by the Forum.
:D
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I don't know about any other web based email companies but Yahoo email is scanned with Norton before it hits your Inbox. http://billing.mail.yahoo.com/bm/MailReg?
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I don't know about any other web based email companies but Yahoo email is scanned with Norton before it hits your Inbox. http://billing.mail.yahoo.com/bm/MailReg?
that inbox is located on the web server though. there is a difference. hotmail's mail is also scanned before making it to your inbox. But that inbox is located on hotmail's server. You are only viewing the mail in Outlook, Thunderbird, Eudora, etc. POP mail works differently. The messages are downloaded to your computer.
I'll say though.. Ive used both Hotmail and Yahoo at times over the years, and many different virus scanners. Norton did detect viruses as mail came in (edit: using Outlook Express) ... avast does as well. you ARE protected, See Eddys remark here: http://forum.avast.com/index.php?board=2;action=display;threadid=8583;start=msg70448#msg70448 (http://forum.avast.com/index.php?board=2;action=display;threadid=8583;start=msg70448#msg70448)
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Boy! Not only were those replies extremely helpful ... they were FAST. Thanks.
If I'm off base in asking the following question on this thread, just let me know. Since some knowledgeable people are watching the thread, I just thought I would ask.
I went to web-based not so much for the convenience of accessing, but to set up a non-friends-and-relatives e-mail account. I use Thunderbird for friends and relatives. The idea was that my friends-and-relatives Thunderbird account would not be quite so likely to receive virus-infected or spam-filled mail. But it is a pain to be checking MyWay all the time in addition to Thunderbird. Is there a better way to do this? Thanks for your indulgence. And, seriously, if I should have started a different thread on this (or should have gone to a different forum), please let me know.
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they were FAST.
Just like Avast ;D
And we are already taking it easy since it is almost weekend ;D
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I set my protection at High and just sent an e-mail to myself using MyWay. The the Avast blue ball in the system tray did not revolve when the message arrived. What does this mean?
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Midway,
If the ball does not rotate, then Avast is not scanning the email.
Try this...
Right click on the A ball and open up the On Access Protection Module. Find Internet Module on the left and click on it.
Go into Customize and for POP3...SMTP and IMAP, click the box to "insert into clean message".
Then send an email to yourself again. Open up the email and look at the bottom to see if the Avast AntiVirus message is at the bottom. This will definetly tell you if the email is scanned or not.
No message .... no scan.
;D
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Thanks, Techie. There was no message, so no scan. I think I will try Gmail. I understand that Avast does scan it.
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Thanks, Techie. There was no message, so no scan. I think I will try Gmail. I understand that Avast does scan it.
No... GMail is not a pop3/smtp server email. avast can't add a note to that messages (even the infected ones). avast will only scan them (like any other file) when downloaded and your Standard Shield is set to High sensibility :-[
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Forgive me, but I'm confused by seemingly conflicting replies in this post. I certainly get the idea that no Web-based e-mail is scanned by Avast.
Yet, I'm troubled by the following: "Web based email is simply your email being viewed in the same way you browser the internet. The pages (that display your email) are downloaded into your Temporary Internet folder, just like regular web pages and displayed on your browser screen. The Standard Shield will scan your files (as they are downloaded into your Temporary Internet folder) when sensitivity is set to High. "
Once and for all (for a slow-learner such as I), does Avast 4.5 scan any web-based e-mail program? And if it does, how do I configure it to do so?
Thanks for your patience!
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Midway... I understand your confusion :) Most antivirus software programs, and Avast included in this, cannot scan webmail. They cannot do so because of the difference in how mail is handled with POP3 and webmail. With webmail you are only 'viewing' the mail 'from' your webmail server. With POP3 mail you are actually downloading the mail "to" your computer.
But... do realize that as Eddy said earlier, all files that come to your system... be it from the web, or cd, or a floppy disk, etc etc etc, no matter the fashion , the on-access scanner will catch them should there be an infection.
I hope this helps :)
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I certainly get the idea that no Web-based e-mail is scanned by Avast.
Basicly that is correct. Since the mail is not on your system but on the server of your mail provider.
All files that are transfered to your system when viewing the webmail can be scanned by Avast. If they are scanned or not depend on your settings.
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So, if I'm just "viewing" Web-based e-mail, I don't need any kind of virus protection? Then, why does Hotmail, for instance, have McAfee (I read that it does)? I'm back to my original question: Am I safe in using the Web-based MyWay e-mail program even though it says it does not have any virus protection?
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So, if I'm just "viewing" Web-based e-mail, I don't need any kind of virus protection? Then, why does Hotmail, for instance, have McAfee (I read that it does)? I'm back to my original question: Am I safe in using the Web-based MyWay e-mail program even though it says it does not have any virus protection?
Hotmail does so because your email resides on their system. It is scanned as it arrives there.
The messages are not on your computer when you are looking at them.
You are "viewing them" from "their" system.
Set your standard shiield to high and you are safe :)
(for instance... you get an email with an attachment and save it to your computer... avast scans that attachment)
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So, if I'm just "viewing" Web-based e-mail, I don't need any kind of virus protection?
You do need protection. You are using a browser to view webmail. Browsers are using cache. (store temporary inet files on your system)
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Eddy - a thought here. :) Does the program have a readme file, or a manual with it, that explains this? It might be helpful as a lot of people do use webmail.
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So, if I'm just "viewing" Web-based e-mail, I don't need any kind of virus protection?
You do need protection. You are using a browser to view webmail. Browsers are using cache. (store temporary inet files on your system)
and Ill add to this you do have protection so long as you set your standard shield to High.
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Midway
I thought I would try something, to reassure you that you are protected with Avast
My boyfriend uses a Hotmail account as well. I ran the eicar test using his account with Hotmail setup in Thunderbird to test this for you.
Go to this site and run the eicar test: http://www.testvirus.org/ (http://www.testvirus.org/)
I had it run only the one that sends eicar in a zip file to his hotmail account. (but you can run them all)
When you see the file in your email program, and try to open the zip file the siren will go off in Avast telling you that there is a virus. Do not be alarmed. Eicar is simply a test file and is not a virus.
If you are wondering why it managed to make it TO your mail program to begin with, it actually did not…. it is as we stated before. The messages are not downloaded to your computer when you are using webmail. You are only viewing them, through your email client , from their server. BUT, should you click on an attachment or try to download a message from the server that does have a virus in it… Avast WILL detect it and let you know.
I hope this makes you feel more secure
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Thank you, thank you, thank you!! Your replies to my last post do reassure me (as well as make me understand much better just what is going on with Web-based mail as opposed to POP3). I think Connie has a good idea about making this clear to other non-experts who get scared when they don't see the blue ball revolving.
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Thank you, thank you, thank you!! Your replies to my last post do reassure me (as well as make me understand much better just what is going on with Web-based mail as opposed to POP3). I think Connie has a good idea about making this clear to other non-experts who get scared when they don't see the blue ball revolving.
midway :) Super!! I did leave a message for the Alwil team about just that :)