Even enabling mail scan, i receive mail from white hacker from registered site

[jraju]

Hi, So, Avast removed that feature in their recent versions. how then one could be sure of avast mail settings work in web shield? and mail shield? Why then there are settings? Why then it is available only on web clients? I do not see any logic in removing those things .
                              Leave it . would somebody say , how to enable mail shield thro other programs. I do not know the program that would scan my incoming emails, other than the gmail inbuilt scanner.
                               

[DavidR]

Hi, So, Avast removed that feature in their recent versions. how then one could be sure of avast mail settings work in web shield? and mail shield? Why then there are settings? Why then it is available only on web clients? I do not see any logic in removing those things .
                              Leave it . would somebody say , how to enable mail shield thro other programs. I do not know the program that would scan my incoming emails, other than the gmail inbuilt scanner.
                               

Not so much removed the feature as previously it had never been available on web mail (that viewed/sent via your browser).

It was only after the 'branding' was included in web mail that all of those using web mail saw it and objected to it. Especially as there was no option to disable it as there was in the Mail Shield settings.

Because it was in two different areas email clients (thunderbird, etc) and web mail (browsers), but only one area it could be removed (in the Mail Shield), avast then added the single option to disable both -
Avast > Settings > General > Enable Avast email signature.

Shortly after that measure avast removed it from the Web Mail completely.

The web shield (as far as I'm aware) still scans the content of web mail, as it does other content viewed in your browser, it is just the branding that was removed.

[jraju]

Hi, Then how would one know it is scanning? That is the point.
                           Would there be pop up alerts if mail is infected or suspicius? It alerts, when i click a link in the web page and i rate avast as the best in it. Even when downloading something, it alerts suspicious files, excellent features in free version. But if there is a popup of suspicious mails, then it will be better, rather than having signature as it would be objected .
                              i have received a white hacker mail , which asked me to change the password for a genuine site. I mean those kind of mails . If there is a pop up , nobody would raise objections.
                                   How to know that it is working in your free version then.
                                   I hope that this receives the attention of avast team also

[Eddy]

You can use the EICAR file to test.

As avast free doesn't have a spam filter, it will not block/detect mails like the on you have received.

[DavidR]

@ jraju

You would have to be watching live Stats as to what is being scanned (those stats are being revamped and should be back) the avast tray ion should be rotating (if you have that enabled) when scanning it taking place. But how to determine what it is exactly scanning at the time isn't really possible as it could be scanning multiple sources with the various shields.

I don't use Web Mail, so I can't really say as I would never get an alert.

The signature in all honesty I feel is more a promotion than a cast iron guarantee, what is to stop malware emails from writing their own 'This email has been scanned and sent from a computer free of infection, etc.'

Any unsolicited email no matter what the source should be treated with suspicion or at least never take it at face value. Never open any attachments or click any link that come in it.  If they ask you to change your password, etc. that could well be giving you a link to use, which could be used to harvest your existing password and email, etc.

How could you know what a hacker is white or grey or black hat hacker. The short answer is you can't, you have to confirm the source of the email and the sender info can also be manipulated.

[DavidR]

You can use the EICAR file to test.

I don't know if this is going to be easy to achieve, using web mail you would have to upload the eicar test files to the web mail and avast should alert on downloading from eicar.com and uploading from your system.

Unless of course eicar.com do email out the eicar test file as an attachment.

[Pondus]

Unless of course eicar.com do email out the eicar test file as an attachment.

Free Email Security Check > http://www.emailsecuritycheck.net/
This i dont think work with free mail like Gmail / hotmail / yahoo ... because it has been done a million times

EICAR Test for Reability of Anti-Virus E-Mail Protection > http://www.aleph-tec.com/eicar/

These tests will be blocked by your mail providers security so you may never see it arrive, depending on you mail providers settings ....

[jraju]

Hi, Why cannot avast team looks in to it and try to give a pop up on suspicious email. I hope they could do it. Why mention of spam filter. I do not want spam folder mails to be checked. I want avast to check the incoming inbox mails.

[DavidR]

I have said that the web shield scans browser content, which presumably would include web mail. As I said I don't web mail on my desktop system only for my mobile phone and that is a totally different ball game (Android OS).

As far as I'm aware the Spam Filter is only available on paid versions of in a specific email client (Microsoft Outlook, not express).

It isn't scanning incoming emails, when you open your inbox they are already there, the act of opening an email would cause the content to be scanned (the inbox or any other email folder including the spam folder).

Your spam folder is possible more likely to have content and or links (suspicious as you say) that you wouldn't want to go unscanned. If you keep out of the spam folder then it wouldn't be scanned.

[jraju]

Hi, I mean the mail is not shown in spam folder but in inbox, where your usual mails are received. Do you mean to say, that avast is scanning , all the mails if it is enabled in the settings.

[DavidR]

Hi, I mean the mail is not shown in spam folder but in inbox, where your usual mails are received. Do you mean to say, that avast is scanning , all the mails if it is enabled in the settings.

You are using web mail, it can only be sent to the Spam folder if A) you are using an email client (not your browser) B) you have a paid version of avast or C) you are using MS Outlook.

Avast can 't move emails that are already in your inbox to another location. Only your web mail or you personally can move files within your web mail account (its meant to be protected).

First I believe you are getting confused by the two shield that would scan email (as I said in my last post Reply #23:
1. The web shield scans browser content and since you are browsing your web mail then the web shield would scan that.
2. The Mail Shield only scan email that is downloaded and viewed through an email client. In the Mail Shield, if you elect to have email scanned it would scan all email not a selective scan. It is effectively on or off - these settings are ONLY for standard email received using an email client, NOT for web mail.

[jraju]

Hi, thank you very much Davidr for your clarification. Now i understand that only in  client like thunderbird your avast free works . Thank you very much
Your line:
The Mail Shield only scan email that is downloaded and viewed through an email client.
                   I expressed my concern of swalling emails by outlook and i do not know,about thunderbird to try it. Will it also swallow my previous mails if i opt that ? If i receive a reply to the effect, i will start using thunderbird and also avast free antivirus to scan my emails. Can i expect a reply from you

[DavidR]

If you are happy using web mail, there really is no need to switch to thunderbird or MS Outlook. These were just examples of 'email clients' that would use the Mail Shield and Outlook another email client.

MS Outlook can also use an avast plugin rather than the Mail Shield directly. In the case of the avast Outlook plugin, it can redirect SPAM or flag because of that plugin, where other email clients using the Mail Shield can't.

I can't give much detail in this regard as I have never used MS Outlook or the avast plugin for it.