AOL Email

[slybo]

I use AOL email and was looking at the Internet Mail provider of Avast Professional 4 and notice it only has 0 in the scanned count. I checked my mail on the client software AOL 9.0 Security Edition and also checked my email by using Internet Explorer and going to www.aol.com. I can understand Avast might not work with the client version but would it work with the web version? I checked on AOL help and it says AOL uses imap and smtp so that makes me think it would work. I looked under the help of Avast and it says that after version 4.5 of avast your email is automatically protected and you do not have to do a manual setting of mail protection. So where do I need to go from here. Do I need to do a manual settig of mail protection if so the help file of Avast says I need to set my account properties of my mail program of things like imap server to 127.0.0.1 but I do not find this under the AOL mail program, where is it? Or am I protected as the Avast help file says and do not worry about the provider showing 0? You helped me with the Script Blocking so I hope you can help me with the mail provider. Thanks slybo

[slybo]

Reading over the Avast help file it reads more to me like I should not have to do anything as long as I have the newer Avast which I do. It talks about the Mail Wizard but I do not have that, but that may be because I have the newer Avast, is this correct? Should I have to do anything for AOL Email? I am very confused and would like to know about the provider Internet Mail only showing 0 in the scanned count. Thanks slybo

[tls]

Avast does not scan AOL e-mail.  AOL, however, does scan e-mail and attachments for viruses, before they reach your computer.  The only way I have been able to have my AOL e-mail additionally scanned by avast is to access it through an e-mail program that avast is able to scan.  I use Microsoft Outlook, scanned by the avast Outlook/Express provider, only to access any unexpected e-mails or those with suspicious subject lines, after reading trusted e-mails directly through AOL. 

This link to "Unofficial AOL Email FAQ - Guide to AOL's IMAP & SMTP Servers" has some useful information and links to instructions for setting up AOL e-mail access through several e-mail programs. 

http://members.aol.com/adamkb/aol/mailfaq/imap/

I hope you find this helpful.

[slybo]

Thanks t l s you have answered my question. I was just looking at my email and noticed where aol puts on the email that it has been scanned and with your post now feel ok about my email. I think for me this will be good enough as I have never got a virus by email since I get very few and only from people I know, the other I just delete. But you told me what I wanted to know that Avast will not scan AOL mail and if I wanted it to I would have to do like you and use Outlook to read my AOL mail. Also thanks for the link, I will read that information just to learn a little more. Thanks for your reply and will be back if I have more questions. Thanks slybo

[tls]

Glad I could help, slybo.  Although nearly all of my e-mail is from people I know and trust, I have some teen and slightly older nieces and nephews who like to send me things they find amusing.  While I really am pleased that they want to share these things with me, I worry that they might inadvertently send something considerably less amusing, or that some nasty malware lurking on their computers might send me a "gift."  Experience is a very good teacher. 

[darleneanne]

Hi
I got my first ever virus last week, a nasty spreading trojan that Norton couldn't get off. I got it from an aol email, so that hadn't been scanned for viruses automatically.

(just incase anyone else gets sent it, it was an ecard from Emma (I have an Emma in my family so clicked on it, and off it went).


 I ended up having to get a company out to sort it out as it just couldn't be removed, while here I also got Norton removed and Avast installed and am so far very very impressed.

But would also love to know how to feel secure in my emails from AOL as I don't have any faith in their supposed email scanning after that.

[tls]

As I mentioned in reply #2, I access some of my e-mail through Microsoft Outlook to have it additionally scanned by avast (Outlook/Exchange provider) ; although I read most of my mail directly through AOL, I prefer the added security of having anything unexpected or potentially suspicious scanned by avast also. 

I should note that I consider all e-card notifications suspicious; and I routinely ask the supposed senders if they have actually sent anything before I open that sort of e-mail, since it is a common route for Trojan infections and no anti-virus program (even avast) can stop everything, especially newly-emerging viruses, Trojans, etc.

I also use some other programs recommended by experienced avast users in these forums.  If you browse the forums, you will find a wealth of information, not only about avast, but also about other security programs and software you may find helpful.  The sticky topics at the top of each forum are especially informative.

Welcome to the forums!  I am sure you will find avast a great improvement over Norton, as have many others, myself included.

[DavidR]

eCards are becoming the latest tool in the social engineering deceptions to get you to click on a link without knowing anything about the site or content at the end of the link.

Anything unsolicited basically discard or confirm with the sender if it is supposedly from a friend, etc. as the form address can also be forged. I trust you wouldn't open an attachment in an unsolicited email, the same should be true of links in unsolicited email.

[darleneanne]

Thanks folks, for the info and the warm welcome. This seems a great forum with a nice bunch of people so I expect I will be around a fair bit. 

[tls]

Good to hear it, darleneanne!  Reading the information generously offered by DavidR and other avast! evangelists has been quite an education for me.  I consider myself fortunate to have found both an excellent anti-virus program and an amazing support forum. 

tls

[DavidR]

Thanks folks, for the info and the warm welcome. This seems a great forum with a nice bunch of people so I expect I will be around a fair bit. 

Welcome to the avast family and the forums.

As you said you are going to stick around, browse the forums, especially the sticky topics at the top of each of the forums. They provide a wealth of information to help you get the best from avast.