OT: Email scanning

[Danny Mingledorff]

For those that advocate turning off inbound/outbound email scanning as
redundant...

One of our sales staff somehow managed to disable Norton Live Update, so
virus definitions had not been updated since 12/10/03. Of course today he
decided to access the attachment that came along with an email he received
which was rejected by the recipient's server, and infected himself with
"mydoom".

We caught it because Norton oubound scanning detected "wormlike" activity on
the 100 or so emails it tried to flood out.

In this case, the paranoia of leaving scanning active paid off.

My two cents worth...

 

[PA Bear]

That's like saying you don't need to wear your auto seat-belt assembly's
shoulder-belt because you're wearing the lap-belt...but the buckle is
broken!

The aviso to disable email scanning assumes the AV app's running in the
background with up-to-date definitions. In such an environment, scanning
provides no additional protection (and even Symantec says it's not needed:
http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/nav.nsf/docid/2001082921552806).

What problems might arise due to scanning?...

Error 0x800ccc0d or 0x800ccc0f When Receiving and Sending E-Mail
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=813514

Error 0x800ccc0e, Socket Error 10061
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=191687

"Your server has unexpectedly terminated the connection. . ." when sending
or receiving email in Outlook Express
http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/nav.nsf/docid/2001060516275506

Time-Out Error 0x8004210a or 0x800ccc19 When You View a POP3 E-Mail Account
with AntiVirus Software Installed
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=813518

Messages in Inbox or other mail folders disappear
http://insideoe.tomsterdam.com/problems/bugs.htm#mailgone

RE: Norton LiveUpdate, on 22 Jan-04, Symantec sent this alert for NAV users:

<paste>
Support Advisory for products updating to LiveUpdate 2.0

When you run LiveUpdate for your Windows-based Symantec program to update to
LiveUpdate 2.0, and do not restart your computer after the installation is
complete, the program's Automatic LiveUpdate feature may become disabled.
You must restart your computer to re-enable Automatic LiveUpdate. If you
restart your computer after completing LiveUpdate, you do not experience any
issues and Automatic LiveUpdate will remain enabled.

For more information on this problem, read the document "Automatic
LiveUpdate may be disabled after updating to LiveUpdate 2.0".

http://www.symantec.com/techsupp/vURL.cgi/liveupdt1
</paste>

IOW if AutoUpdate isn't working, NAV's AutoProtect isn't autoprotecting you.
Train your sales staff how to use NAV properly and respond to prompts.
--
OE6-specific newsgroup:
news://msnews.microsoft.com/microsoft.public.windows.inetexplorer.ie6_outlookexpress

HTH...Please post back to this thread

~Robear Dyer (aka PA Bear)
MS MVP-Windows (IE/OE), AH-VSOP

Before You Connect a New Computer to the Internet
http://www.cert.org/tech_tips/before_you_plug_in.html

 

[CS]

For those that advocate turning off inbound/outbound email scanning as
redundant...

One of our sales staff somehow managed to disable Norton Live Update, so
virus definitions had not been updated since 12/10/03. Of course today he
decided to access the attachment that came along with an email he received
which was rejected by the recipient's server, and infected himself with
"mydoom".

Is he still employed?

We caught it because Norton oubound scanning detected "wormlike" activity on
the 100 or so emails it tried to flood out.

In this case, the paranoia of leaving scanning active paid off.

My two cents worth...

No paranoia. Just common sense.

Good post, thanks.

 

[Danny Mingledorff]

Is he still employed?


No paranoia. Just common sense.

Good post, thanks.

Thank you for your concern about the well-being of our misguided
salesperson. It was decided that since we recently special ordered his
kneepads, and there hasn't been much wear on them yet, he'd get another
chance...