User Guide

McAfee VirusScan
40 McAfee Office
What does the VShield scanner do?
McAfee desktop anti-virus products use two general methods to protect your
system . The first method, bac kgrou nd scanning, operates continuo usly,
watching for viruses as you u se your c omputer for e veryday tasks. In the
VirusScan produ ct, the VShield scanner performs this function. A seco nd
method allows you to initiate your own scan operations. The VirusScan
application generally handles these task s.
Depending on how you co nfigure it,the VShield scannercan monitor any file
that arrives on or leaves your system, whether on floppy disk, over your
network, in file attachments that accompany e-mail messages, or from the
Internet. The scanner looks for viruses as you open, save, copy, r ename or
otherwise modify your files, and it probes your computer's memory during
any file activity. The scanner starts when you start your computer, and stays
in memory until you shut it or your system down. The scanner also includes
optionalfeaturesthatguard againsthostileJavaappletsand A ctiveX controls,
and that keep your computer from connecting to dangerous Internet sites.
The VShield scanner consists of five related modules, each of which has a
specialized function. You can conf igure settings for all of these modules in the
VShield Properties dialog box. The VShield modules are:
• System Scan.Thism odulelooksforvirusesonyourharddiskasyouwork
withyourcomputer.Ittracksfilesasyoursystemorothercomputersread
filesfromyourharddiskorwritefile sto it.Itc ana lsoscanf loppydisksand
network drives mapped to your system.
• E-MailScan.Thismodulescanse-mailmessagesandmessageattachments
thatyoureceiveviaintraofficee-mailsystems,andviatheInternet.Itscans
yourMicrosoft Exchangeor Outlookmailbox onyourM icrosoftExchange
server, and older cc:Mail e-mail systems.
• Download Scan. This module s cans files that you do wnload to yo ur
system from the Internet.If you have enabled the Internet mail option in
the E-Mail Scan module, this will include e-mail and file attachments that
arrive via SMTP or POP-3 e-mail systems.
• Internet Filter. This module looks for and blocks hostile Java classes and
ActiveXcontrols from downloadingto andexecutingfromy oursystem as
you visit Internet sites. It can also block your browser from connecting to
potentially dangerou s Internet sites that harbor malicio us sof tware .
• Security. T his 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.