User Guide

User’s Guide 33
About Dr Solomon’sAnti-Virus
Wide-spectrum coverage
As malicious agents have evolved to take advantage of the instant
communication and pervasive reach of the Internet, so Dr Solomon’s
Anti-Virus has evolved to counter the threats they present. A computer
“virus” once meant a specific type of agent—one designed to replicate on its
ownandcause alimitedtypeofhavoconthe unluckyrecipient’scomputer. In
recent years, however, an astounding range of malicious agents has emerged
toassaultpersonalcomputerusersfromnearlyeveryconceivableangle.Many
of these agents—some of the fastest-spreading worms, for instance—use
updated versions of vintage techniques to infect systems, but many others
make full use of the new opportunities that web-based scripting and
application hosting present.
Stillothersopen“backdoors”intodesktopsystemsor createsecurityholesin
a way that closely resembles a deliberate attempt at network penetration,
rather than the more random mayhem thatmost viruses tend to leave in their
wakes.
The latest Dr Solomon’s Anti-Virus releases, as a consequence, do not simply
wait for viruses to appear on your system, they scan proactively atthe source
or work to deflect hostile agents away from your system. The WinGuard
scanner that comes with Dr Solomon’s Anti-Virus has three modules that
concentrate on agents that arrive from the Internet, that spread via e-mail, or
that lurk on Internet sites. It can look for particular Java and ActiveX objects
that pose a threat, or block access to dangerous Internet sites. Meanwhile, an
E-Mail Scan extension to Microsoft Exchange e-mail clients, such asMicrosoft
Outlook,can “x-ray” your mailbox on the server,looking for maliciousagents
before they arrive on your desktop.
Dr Solomon’s Anti-Virus even protects itself against attempts to use its own
functionality against your computer. Some virus writers embed their viruses
insidedocumentsthat,inturn,theyembedinotherfilesinanattempttoevade
detection. Still others take this technique to an absurd extreme, constructing
highly recursive—and very large—compressed archive files in an attempt to
tie up the scanner as it digs through the file looking for infections. Dr
Solomon’sAnti-Virusaccuratelyscansthemajorityofpopularcompressedfile
and archive file formats, but it also includes logic that keeps it from getting
trapped in an endless hunt for a virus chimera.
What comes with Dr Solomon’sAnti-Virus?
Dr Solomon’s Anti-Virus consists of several components that combine one or
morerelatedprograms,eachof which play apart in defendingyourcomputer
against viruses and other malicious software. The components are: