Avast 4 Home / VNC

[tater]

Hi. I am new and did check the archives for this.  Hopefully this is not old news.

I have recently installed VNC on my home LAN.  I downloaded VNC on one machine and then used e-mail to send it to the other machine.  McAfee on Hotmail detected a virus as did Avast.  

VNC has identified this problem a an error due to McAfee's Heuristic Virus detection.  I assume Avast works the same.  I hope this is true.  If not my machines are infected.

Info here:
http://www.uk.research.att.com/archive/vnc/virus.html

[whocares]

 If not my machines are infected.

Let's hope not..

please scan the file online at:
- http://virusscan.jotti.dhs.org/
- and/or with Trend, RAV (See link "VirusRemoval" below in my sig)
and report the results here.

Avast/mcafee's Shields/AV-Monitors of course need to be temporarily disabled for onlinescanning

[Eddy]

Hotmail is webbased, Avast does not scan that. However the on-access scanner of Avast does scan files you access on your system. So if you download/send attachements Avast can scan them and can report them as infected. Since vnc connects to the outside, it is possible that you get a (false?) positive about being infected. At this point and from what you told sofar, I do not see any reason to get worried.

Providing more details like what file is detected as infected, what it location is, as what infection it is detected, what os you are using, waht the Avast settings are etc etc will tell us more and allow us to give a more detailed/better answer.

ps: I almost forgot. WELCOME to this board.

[tater]

Thanks for the quick replies.  I don't think a specific virus was identified.  The message said "suspicious".  I am not terribly concerned.  I formatted the HDD several times trying to get McAfee to run.  I memorized the key codes for all my software.  I can easily do it again if needed.

I was planning to ask about the "llama" thing.  Now I see that it is encouragement to visit the profile page.  

[Lisandro]

VNC has identified this problem a an error due to McAfee's Heuristic Virus detection.  I assume Avast works the same.

avast! does not have virus heuristic detection but only mail heuristic analysis... They are quite different. I don't know how is McAfee right now (I used only until 2000, then NAV, then avast!)  

[tater]

I have just repeated the process that caused this thread.  I was planning to post some screen shots.  Hotmail continues to kill the attachment.  On the other end the floppy was accepted without a problem unlike last night.  Sorry, this detail was omitted in the first post.  I am at a loss to explain this except that I received a database update when the PC was turned on.  I now have (current version 0440-1).

[Lisandro]

I have just repeated the process that caused this thread.  I was planning to post some screen shots.  Hotmail continues to kill the attachment.

I can't understand... Hotmail cannot use avast Internet Mail provider... It cannot be scanned by avast as it is not a pop3/smtp server email  :'(

On the other end the floppy was accepted without a problem unlike last night.

Are your referring to BOOTA error?
This is nothing to do with Heuristics or other problems... You try to scan the drive A: without the floopy in it...

I am at a loss to explain this except that I received a database update when the PC was turned on.  I now have (current version 0440-1).

I did not realise you had update problems...

Please, can you post exactly what is your problem... I'm a little bit lost after all  

[tater]

Technical,
On Monday I installed VNC on one of my computers.  I then tried to email via Hotmail the file to another computer.  Hotmail with McAfee killed the file.  I then made a floppy of the file.  Avast on the other computer detected the file as "Suspicious" when the floppy was read.  

Yesterday, I repeated the process.  Hotmail again killed the VNC file at the first computer.  At the second computer, Avast did not detect a problem with the file.  Before the floppy was read, my second computer received the latest update, 0440-1, from Avast.  Thanks.

[Lisandro]

I think there are two different issues here:

1) avast detection of the file.

What do you mean by 'Hotmail again killed the VNC file'. Does McAfee detect the file as being an infected one? You said that in the 2nd computer avast did not detect it but, after, it was detected as "Suspicious" (when the floppy was read)? Suspicious could only the attachment of the email (becouse of any reasons: extension, you did not add a Subject to it, etc. etc.).


2) File sharing and communication between two computers.

I don't know too much to help you. Could be a problem of your VNC software, or even how Hotmail works with the file, or how is configurated the 'email server' to share the files, etc. Another point: how avast Home works in this kind of network.


To ones that does not know, VNC (Virtual Network Computing) is a software that makes possible to view and fully-interact with one computer from any other computer or mobile device anywhere on the Internet. VNC software is cross-platform, allowing remote control between different types of computer. Any desktop can be controlled remotely from within a browser without having to install software.

Generally, VNC has a wide range of applications including system administration, IT support and helpdesks. It can also be used to support the mobile user, both for hot desking within the enterprise and also to provide remote access at home, or on the road. The system allows several connections to the same desktop, providing an invaluable tool for collaborative or shared working in the workplace or classroom. Computer support within the geographically spread family is an ever popular use.

The open source version of VNC has been freely available since 1998, and more than 20 million copies of the software have been downloaded. The software has also appeared on numerous magazine cover disks, and for several years all popular versions of Linux have included VNC. It is in active use by many millions in industry, commerce, education and at home. Virtually all Fortune 500 companies use VNC, and installations of VNC across thousands of workstations are commonplace.

[tater]

I think there are two different issues here:

1) avast detection of the file.

What do you mean by 'Hotmail again killed the VNC file'. Does McAfee detect the file as being an infected one? You said that in the 2nd computer avast did not detect it but, after, it was detected as "Suspicious" (when the floppy was read)? Suspicious could only the attachment of the email (becouse of any reasons: extension, you did not add a Subject to it, etc. etc.).

When I email the file, Hotmail identifies it as possibly infected.  When I received the file on the other computer the attachment was locked and not available.  At this time I do not have a problem.  Avast may have patched the issue with the latest update.  Thanks again.

FWIW, I plan to use VNC to control a digital camera.  I am a hummingbird enthusiast.  The birds will migrate south soon.  I want close photos.