Internet email scanning question

[brockey01]

im using windows live mail for an email client and avast pro seems not to be scanning attachments i look to see the status of file/ attatments scaned and it says none . im using it to being my hotmail mail to me. any idea i dont see it scanning or working when i open an email that has an attachment.

[DavidR]

It won't even be scanning email originating from hotmail (much less the attachment) as it is not using the POP3 protocol when it is being brought into the Windows Live Mail. It uses something which I think is called WebDav which converts the web mail so it can be viewed in an email client rather than your browser.

[charliemor45]

Does that mean it will only scan POP3 accounts??

IE, Accounts only used by Windows Mail Only, and not Hotmail.??

I would like to know that too.

Thanks.

[polonus]

Hi charliemor45,

GMail and Hotmail are found to be insecure:
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Microsoft Live Hotmail Under Attack by Streamlined Anti-CAPTCHA and Mass-mailing Operations

04.10.08 - 10:54 AM
Websense Security Labs ThreatSeeker™ technology has discovered that spammers in their recent tactics have drawn their attention towards traditional and infamous Hotmail, aka Live Hotmail services after the streamlined Live Mail Anti-CAPTCHA operations. Spammers have managed to create automated bots that are capable of not only signing up and creating random Hotmail accounts, but also use these accounts for spamming purposes from a proper Live Hotmail service. Websense predictions about this sophisticated spammer strategy at the time of Live Mail Anti-CAPTCHA and Gmail Anti-CAPTCHA operations, and its outcomes have been factual with this attack.

Websense Security Labs has discovered that Google’s popular web mail service Gmail is being targeted in recent spammer tactics. Spammers in these attacks managed to created bots that are capable of signing up and creating random Gmail accounts for spamming purposes.

Websense believes that from the spammers’ perspective, there are four main advantages to this approach. First, signing up for an account with Google allows access to its wide portfolio of services. Second, Google’s domains are unlikely to be blacklisted. Third, they are free to sign up. And fourth, it may be hard to keep track of them as millions of users worldwide are using various Google services on a regular basis.

Gmail, called Google Mail in Germany, Austria and the United Kingdom, is a free Web-based email (webmail), POP3 and IMAP e-mail service provided by Google. It was released on April 1, 2004 as a private beta release by invitation only and was opened to all as a public beta on February 7, 2007. With an initial storage capacity of 1 GB, it dramatically increased the standard for free storage.

Gmail currently offers over 6000 MB of free storage with an additional 10 GB available for US$20 per year. Gmail is well-known for its simplicity and flexibility, its user-friendly design; and has tens of millions of users globally.

Frightening, isn't it? Spammers are on the winning side, it is the way money talks, pure cybercrime,

polonus

[Lisandro]

Does that mean it will only scan POP3 accounts??
IE, Accounts only used by Windows Mail Only, and not Hotmail??

Yes, unfortunately.

GMail ... found to be insecure

Not if you scan using Stunnel and avast.

[charliemor45]

Right Tech, that is the succint answer.

Thanks alot

[Lisandro]

Right Tech, that is the succint answer.

Thanks alot

You're welcome. Feel free to come back any time you need help or just to change experiences

[DavidR]

It monitors the standard email ports, 25, 110, 119 and 143 and it is expecting the standard protocol for those ports.

So it is pretty much pop3 accounts, Windows Mail is an email client (not an email account/protocol) that is capable of downloading and sending email using pop3 and smtp protocols.

Hotmail is a web-based email normally viewed through a browser, though certain email clients, Windows Mail, Windows Live Mail, Outlook Express and MS Outlook can convert it so as to download it to be viewed on your email client, but it doesn't use the email protocols or ports, so it won't be monitored.

[charliemor45]

Excellent, my Yahoo Mail Plus Account uses SSL ports.

Avast will do that one won't it?

[Lisandro]

Excellent, my Yahoo Mail Plus Account uses SSL ports.
Avast will do that one won't it?

To ATT Yahoo SSL mail see: http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=14854.msg238394#msg238394

[charliemor45]

It would appear that it is scanning away happilly with the normal SSL settings, as I see the little 'globe' spinning.

The article you directed me to Tech, was a little confusing.

Anyway, I have set my Security Setting in Windows Mail to Highest, but put this Forum's address as a safe domain/sender

Thanks again.

[alanrf]

If you are using secure connections for Yahoo in your Mail client then there is absolutely no way that avast is scanning your Yahoo mail.

If you want Yahoo mail delivered over secure connections and scanned by avast then, at present, you need to use a program like STunnel.

Also see this post.

[charliemor45]

Thanks alanrf

At least it will scan the mail from the ISP mailboxes which are the normal ports.

Point taken.

[Lisandro]

The article you directed me to Tech, was a little confusing.

Sorry. I suggest, like Alanrf, the use of Stunnel. If you need help on using it, just ask for it