Avast question

  • Thread starter Thread starter DavidS
  • Start date Start date
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DavidS

Why does an email from one friend have details at the bottom of it
stating it is up to date etc, and one from another, has nothing?
The friend that has nothing would like to have details... Is there
something he should do or not do?
Thanks in advance
David
 
DavidS said:
Why does an email from one friend have details at the bottom of it
stating it is up to date etc, and one from another, has nothing? The
friend that has nothing would like to have details... Is there
something he should do or not do?
Click to expand...

No, your friend who *includes* the message should go into the options
and remove it. It is only an advertisement, which states the message is
virus-free, and it cannot know that for sure. If the sender's virus
database is not up-to-date, or if a new virus was contracted, the a-v
program would not find it.

Besides, most modern viruses do not use the sender's emails to
replicate; they have their own SMTP engine and send quietly in the
background while you aren't paying attention.
 
Why does an email from one friend have details at the bottom of it
stating it is up to date etc, and one from another, has nothing?
The friend that has nothing would like to have details... Is there
something he should do or not do?
Thanks in advance
David
Click to expand...

David,
Are you referring to a message tacked on by Avast! such as:
avast! Antivirus: Outbound message clean.
Virus Database (VPS): 0539-2, 09/29/2005
Tested on: 9/29/2005 12:55:06 PM
avast! - copyright (c) 1988-2005 ALWIL Software.
http://www.avast.com

If so, he needs to right-click on his Avast! icon in his system tray,
select the top option called "On-Access Protection Control." In the control
screen, click the "Customize" button in the "Internet Mail" panel. Under
the pop and smtp tabs (MAPI and NNTP too) there is a check box for
inserting the message.

-Peas on Earth-
 
Whirled said:
... there is a check box for inserting the message.
Click to expand...

Please don't encourage this behavior, thanks. Several times a month, I
will receive an email from some newb with one of these notices, stating
"Virus-Free" and with a date of <insert NN-month-old date here>. The
message becomes even more pointless when the person doesn't get the
(daily?) updates. It is just an advertisement, considered by some to be
very spammy. <g>
 
Beauregard T. Shagnasty:
No, your friend who *includes* the message should go into the options
and remove it. It is only an advertisement, which states the message is
virus-free, and it cannot know that for sure. If the sender's virus
Click to expand...

BUt is MORE sure than if no message. The message incudes the date of
the virus database, and if that is new, changes are that the message
most likely is clean. But of course one could change the message to
something like "Outgoing message is scanned by avast! (xxxxxxx
xxx.xx)" (instead of claiming that "Outgoing message is clean").
 
Lars-Erik Østerud said:
Beauregard T. Shagnasty:


BUt is MORE sure than if no message. The message incudes the date of
the virus database, and if that is new, changes are that the message
most likely is clean. But of course one could change the message to
something like "Outgoing message is scanned by avast! (xxxxxxx
xxx.xx)" (instead of claiming that "Outgoing message is clean").
Click to expand...

You have a point; it shows at least that the originator is trying. <g>
Still, a lot of the mail I receive with these advertisements shows a way
out of date database.

AFAIR, only really old viruses use the owner's emails to propagate. I
haven't had an a-v program scan mail for years, either outgoing or
incoming.
 
Beauregard T. Shagnasty:
You have a point; it shows at least that the originator is trying. <g>
Still, a lot of the mail I receive with these advertisements shows a way
out of date database.
Click to expand...

That's a problem. The update system should be safer. If an update is
available, but not installed. Then the virus-system should nag about
that (maybe even a "outdated virus database" in the mail tag :-)
 
Lars-Erik Østerud said:
Beauregard T. Shagnasty:



BUt is MORE sure than if no message. The message incudes the date of
the virus database,
Click to expand...

the "newness" of the database has no bearing on the fact that claiming a
message is virus free is a lie... it's impossible for software to make
that determination...

further, it would be trivial for a virus writer to create an email worm
that attached an identical message to the bottom of it's emails...
and if that is new, changes are that the message
most likely is clean.
Click to expand...

if the message came from a real live person then chances are the message
is clean regardless of the date... very few viruses or worms attach
themselves to legitimate emails...
But of course one could change the message to
something like "Outgoing message is scanned by avast! (xxxxxxx
xxx.xx)" (instead of claiming that "Outgoing message is clean").
Click to expand...

that, at least, would rectify the intellectual dishonesty currently
being perpetrated by avast...
 
kurt wismer:
that, at least, would rectify the intellectual dishonesty currently
being perpetrated by avast...
Click to expand...

Well, avast! is not alone in doing this. All mails from larger
companies in Norway have same kind of messages, only MUCH longer
(often 10 lines +). I for one have shortened it to one line :-)
 
Beauregard T. Shagnasty said:
You have a point; it shows at least that the originator is trying. <g>
Still, a lot of the mail I receive with these advertisements shows a way
out of date database.
Click to expand...

No he doesn't. While we agree that such a message can't guarrantee that the
email is virus-free, I'd go further and say that you can't even guarrantee
that the email has been virus-checked - It's standard practice in virus
emails to include one of these lines to dupe the unsuspecting.

So this message is merely wasting a few extra bytes of bandwidth...

CJM
 
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