encode e-mails

[eternal dragon]

Hello,

I encode and sign my e-mails. If I attach encoded appendices (test virus Eicar), avast Home doesn't scan these. The virus isn't diagnosed. In this case what can I do? Isn't avast able to scan encoded e-mails? Will it be possible if yes, soon?

greetings

eternal dragon

[MFB]

What is your email?  (Hotmail, Yahoo, gmail, etc.)  Are you saying to send yourself a EICAR testing virus and avast! did not detect it?  There are some emails that avast! internetMail won't be able to scan.

[DavidR]

avast doesn't'/can't scan encoded emails or files, it hasn't got the encoding algorithm. Whilst they are encoded they are harmless/inert until un-encoded.

[alanrf]

The whole point of encrypting e-mail is that it cannot be read by anyone except the intended recipient(s). That includes any encrypted attachments and any viruses they contain.

Just how do you imagine that Avast can ever scan something that you decided should be unreadable?

Apart from the recipient(s) the only people able to scan/read your mail will be the national security services that have been given backdoors into the encoding.



 

[Vlk]

Please don't interchange the words encode and encrypt. Dragon is probably refering to encryption, right?

In that case, alan and David is right, there's no chance avast can decrypt the email en route UNLESS you're using MS Outlook. The Outlook shield in avast works as a plugin inside the Outlook process and thus can access even encrypted messages.

HTH
Vlk

[alanrf]

I suspect that this is the only way for the future of encrypted email - if anyone can ever devise a way that most email users can either understand or not have to worry about. 

The email clients would need to agree a standard interface that will allow an antivirus solution (like Avast) to certify the message as virus free before it is encrypted and transmitted or received and decrypted (users at home - don't hold your breath waiting for this to happen).

Nice to know that Avast plays nicely with the Redmond team.

As I am gradually forgetting the many days spent in conference rooms at places like Redmond and Cambridge trying to persuade software vendors to cooperate on such issues maybe VLK can take up the task.