McAfee VIRUSSCAN 5.1, User Manual

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Using the VShield Scanner
82 McAfee VirusScan
• Internet Filter. This module looks for and blocks hostile Java classes and
ActiveX controls from downloading to and executing from your system as
you visit Internet sites. It can also block your browser from connecting to
potentially dangerous Internet sites that harbor malicious software.
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IMPORTANT: To use the E-Mail Scan, Download Scan or Internet
Filter modules, you must install them from the Custom option in
Setup.
• Security. This module provides password protection for the remaining
VShield modules. You can protect any or all individual module property
pages and set a password to prevent unauthorized changes.
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NOTE: Because the VShield scanner runs continuously, you should
not install or run more than one VShield scanner on the same
workstation. Doing so can cause the scanners to interfere with each
others' operations.
Why use the VShield scanner?
The VShield scanner has unique capabilities that make it an integral part of the
VirusScan comprehensive anti-virus software security package. These
capabilities include:
• On-access scanning. This means that the scanner looks for viruses in files
that you open, copy, save, or otherwise modify, and files that you read
from or write to floppy disks and network drives. It therefore can detect
and stop viruses as soon as they appear on your system, including those
that arrive via e-mail or as downloads from the Internet. This means you
can make the VShield scanner both your first line of anti-virus defense, and
your backstop protection in between each scan operation that you perform.
The VShield scanner detects viruses in memory and as they attempt to
execute from within infected files.
• Malicious object detection and blocking. The VShield scanner can block
harmful ActiveX and Java objects from gaining access to your system,
before they pose a threat. The scanner does this by scanning the hundreds
of objects you download as you connect to the web or to other Internet sites,
and the file attachments you receive with your e-mail. It compares these
items against a current list of harmful objects that it maintains, and blocks
those that could cause problems.