Automate a silent scan.

[Manni337]

Hi all.

A little info into what I’m trying to achieve and some question I have.

At the moment I start to download file/s and once completed they are moved to a folder called “Completed”. I then manually set Avast to scan them for any viruses, and then I organise / move them to other folders. I am looking for a way of automating this as much as possible.

Ideally  I would like to monitor the “Completed” folder and any new files to be scanned and moved to another folder called something like “Scanned”. Is this kind of feature something the Avast can do, or is going to implement in the future?

If not I can automatically trigger Ashquick when a download is complete and it will scan the file, but from what I gather there is no command line arguments for this. The reason this is a problem is I have this PC as a HTPC and watch TV… on it. The last thing I want is for my family to be watching something and Ashquick displays a scan in process… I would like this to be done behind the seen so to speak, but leave some kind of indication / log that the file has been scanned. Is there any way of doing this, or another part of Avast rather than Ashquick that I should be using?

Thanks for taking the time to read this and thanks in advance for your input.

[DavidR]

If your download manager has the ability to have your AV scan the completed download, then this is the pathe you enter, this assumes you installed avast in the default location) "C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashQuick.exe"

The standard shield should scan newly created/modified files depending on your settings, as not all files would be scanned, commonly those that are executable.

If these files are downloaded over http protocol and on port 80 then the web shield should also scan them, irrespective of file type.

[Manni337]

I mainly download one of two ways, using firefox so http, or using utorent.
Last night I found a way of making utorrent launch the ashquick.exe with utorrent parameters for the file name / location. I havn't tested this, but have used this through explorer and a popup window appears with the info of the scan (number of files scanned...). It's this popup I would like to stop so that there is no indication that a scan is in place (we can carry on watching TV of whatever without any interferance).

[DavidR]

The ashQuick splash screen shouldn't be up for long, but I guess that would depend on how big the file downloaded was. As far as I'm aware there is no way to suppress this splash/progress screen.

[Manni337]

I've been downloading and playing with Linux Boot CD like Kubuntu and Linux MCE, these are somtimes DVD as well so they can be quite big, but any interferance can be annoying. Your just getting to a tence scene in a film and a window appears on screen, by the time you've brought the TV to the forefront again the scene has been and gone  .

Have got to the point where I have vertually no popups so I don't really want to start introducing some.

Thanks for your help.

Is there another way of doing this then instead of with ashquick.exe?

[DavidR]

Not really if you want the download scanned on the fly so to speak, as I have said although the standard shield will scan in the background files newly created or modified that won't include all file types. For instance zip files wouldn't be scanned as they are inert, they need to be opened, file/s extracted and then run before they become a greater risk.

Unless you do as you are doing download to an intermediary folder and you scan there later. You don't say what avast version you have, with the pro version it would be possible to schedule a scan of that folder periodically (but not I believe on the fly). I don't use the Pro version so I can't be any practical help with that.

Other than that if you leave your downloads to be done during the night where the ashQuick splash screen wouldn't be an issue.

One other thing I have just though about, but don't know if that might help although seemingly unrelated is full screen gaming, etc. presumably you view the TV in full screen mode ?
If so, avast Program Settings, Troubleshooting, Check for full screen applications, etc. (see image) and see if that makes any difference.

[Manni337]

Great idea! The TV does take over the full screen.

I selected the box to check for full screen applications, then I set a scheduled task to launch ashquick and pointed it at the completed folder. I then started the TV and when it was time for the task to start, the popup window appeared on screen.

I currently have the Home version 4.8, but would consider upgrading to the Pro if there was an additional feature that could be used for this.

Is there a list of what the standard shield will scan (excuse my ignorance)? I would like to find out what is scanned and what isn’t. It would also save on doubling up on the scans. Is it just compressed files (ZIP, RAR, ISO…) which are not scanned? This may reduce the amounts of scans I would have to do.

I could always scheduled an overnight scan of the folder using XP’s Scheduled Task, but the PC isn’t always left on over night and most of the downloads are done during the day.

[Lisandro]

Is there a list of what the standard shield will scan (excuse my ignorance)?

The files catalog is maintained by avast team and depends on your sensitivity level.

I would like to find out what is scanned and what isn’t.

All infectable files are scanned by default.

It would also save on doubling up on the scans. Is it just compressed files (ZIP, RAR, ISO…) which are not scanned? This may reduce the amounts of scans I would have to do.

Which scanning are you running? Archive files (most of them) aren't scanned by Standard Shield by default.

[DavidR]

Did you reboot after changing the option in Troubleshooting, though I'm not sure if it is needed, but worth trying. As I said I don't use the Pro version so I don't know if this no splash screen is an option.

Files that are considered at risk if run, like .exe, in the Standard Shield, Customize, \scanner (Advanced) and click the show... link (see image, there are more than just those shown) and that shows the default set to be scanned.

[Manni337]

@ Tech

Thanks for contributing.

I have the standard shield sensitivity set to high.

For the downloaded files I would normally open explorer, right click and select the scan option with the blue Avast “a” logo next to it. I believe this is the ashquick scan?

If I am at all suspicious with the downloaded file I would start the Avast GUI and select the folder from there, scanning the archive files as well.

When you say “Archive files (most of them) aren't scanned by Standard Shield by default.” Does this mean I could enable archive scanning in the standard shield. If so this would scan all the files that I download? This would also be done in the background?


@ DavidR

I didn’t reboot after selecting the option. Will try that, but going shortly so I will report tomorrow.

I had a look in the “scanner (Advanced)” tab, but the show was greyed out. This is because the “All Files” option was selected. Would this mean that it is also scanning the archive files?

[Lisandro]

For the downloaded files I would normally open explorer, right click and select the scan option with the blue Avast “a” logo next to it. I believe this is the ashquick scan?

Yes.

If I am at all suspicious with the downloaded file I would start the Avast GUI and select the folder from there, scanning the archive files as well.

It's not necessary. ashQuick.exe is a thorough scanning.

When you say “Archive files (most of them) aren't scanned by Standard Shield by default.” Does this mean I could enable archive scanning in the standard shield. If so this would scan all the files that I download? This would also be done in the background?

You can set it on Archive page of settings of Standard Shield. But the impact on performance will be huge and, I'll say, unnecessary. Archive files are inert by nature and can't harm.

[DavidR]

@ DavidR

I didn’t reboot after selecting the option. Will try that, but going shortly so I will report tomorrow.

I had a look in the “scanner (Advanced)” tab, but the show was greyed out. This is because the “All Files” option was selected. Would this mean that it is also scanning the archive files?

You would need to replicate the settings in the image I posted, the Only files with selected extension and the default extension set options checked.

[Manni337]

Sorry, I should have said, I did replicate your settings DavidR so I could look at the list. It’s quite a big list, but some file types that I download aren’t in the displayed list (I know you said some are hidden).

I would probably download avi, exe, iso, jpg, mkv, mp3, mp4, mpg, mt2s, rar, zip the most.
If these are all scanned when I open the files then that would cover my concerns, but the iso file would be wrote to a CD / DVD and this may be a boot CD. That would mean that Avast wouldn’t be running when the CD is accessed upon boot. Hopefully this would be scanned when it is written to a CD / DVD as the program would have to open the iso to know what to write?
If this iso file isn’t scanned then could I add this file type to the ones scanned when they are wrote?

My concerns started when I downloaded a movie trailer to see what a 1080p movie would look like on my HTPC setup. The file had been downloaded and ready to play for a month or so and I hadn't got around to watching it. My PC was unusually slow so I did a malware and then a virus scan. The only thing found was this video file contained a virus. I was worried that if I had opened the file first I could have been infected. Since then I have routinely scanned all of my downloads. The file type was either mt2s or mkv.

[DavidR]

I didn't say some are hidden, just that you couldn't see them all in the image.

(see image, there are more than just those shown)

If you are downloading others not on that list (give some examples) then I would say they aren't scanned by default and aren't an immediate risk, so could be scanned later before you move them to other folders or use them.

Information is the stuff of life round here, without it we are speculating, what was the file name and malware name of the detection ?

Some media formats aren't at risk of infection but others are, I don't have a list as such, but more commonly it is the exploitation of the media player, so it is important to keep your media player up to date.

An iso file is to be burned to CD/DVD and then whatever on it run, so it doesn't present an immediate risk.

[Manni337]

Sorry DaveR I misread your post 

I didn't say some are hidden, just that you couldn't see them all in the image.

I’m not at my home PC at the moment, so I can’t see the standard shield scanned file types list, but I did put my most commonly downloaded files on my last post

I would probably download avi, exe, iso, jpg, mkv, mp3, mp4, mpg, mt2s, rar, zip the most.

The video file that was reported was a few months ago, and I didn’t make a note of the details of the virus found. It was just that a file had been downloaded and wrote to the hard drive without the virus being detected. It was only when I prompted a scan it was found. I immediately deleted it, but it was either a *.mkv file or a *.mt2s file.

What would have happened if I had just played this video file? Would it have been scanned before it was opened?

In the program settings, Standard Shield, Customize, \scanner (Advanced) the option I had selected (scan “All Files”) would this included the *.mkv, *.mt2s & archive files?

it is important to keep your media player up to date.

I do try and keep my software up to date.

I understand now that archive files wouldn’t impose an immediate risk, but when I attempt to open the archive file (ZIP, RAR) would it be scanned before opening?

Also would an iso be scanned before I burned it to a CD/DVD?

If not then I would have to scan these manually and depending on the size it could take time. This is why I wanted to automate scanning this folder, so they are ready when come to use them.