Dumb Question?

[testy]

Can Avast scan e-mail for accounts like Hotmail? Or does the Standard Shield catch those viruses?  

[Negeltu]

The Standard Shield  scans those types of email accounts.

[Eddy]

Hotmail is webbased. Avast as well as all other av applications needs a pop/smtp/imap mail address before it can protect mail. So it does not scan/protect hotmail.

However, when you safe a message/attachment to your local disk, Avast's on-access scanner will scan it since you are accessing a file.

[RejZoR]

Well in fact it does. avast! checks all cached files and all files (attachements) that you upload or download. Also Hotmail has integrated McAfee scanner,so you have a dual layer antivirus protection.

[DavidR]

Web based email accounts are no differen't to browsing regular web pages, the content is downloaded into your browser cache (where as RejZor said they are scanned by the on-access scanner) and are then displayed on your monitor.