User Guide

Default Vulnerable and Compressed File Extensions
272 McAfee VirusScan
Current list of compressed files scanned
The VirusScan application and the VShield scanner look for viruses in a range
of compressed and archived file formats. Each component uses slightly
different technologies for this purpose, however, and therefore treats each file
type differently.
For the purpose of this discussion, a “compressed” file means a single file.
Compression utilities such as PKLite, LZEXE, and others combine or discard
redundant data within these files to reduce their size. An “archived” file
means a file that acts as a “wrapper” or an envelope that contains other files
within itself. The files within the wrapper can be compressed or not
compressed. Examples of such files include WinZip files, .TAR files, and .ARC
files. Most WinZip files compress other files and wrap them in a single archive.
This table summarizes how each VirusScan component treats each file type:
Table 10-1. Compressed file and archive scanning treatment
VirusScan
component Archived file Compressed file
VirusScan
application
• Select the
Compressed
files
checkbox to enable.
• Opens archives and scans
the files within.
•Specify
All Files as your
scan target or add the
archive's file name
extension to the Program
Extensions dialog box to
have the application scan
the archive as a file.
• Select the
Compressed
Files
checkbox to enable.
• Scans the compressed file if
you specify All Files as
your scan target or add the
compressed file's extension
to the Program Extensions
dialog box.
VShield
scanner
• The scanner will not open
the archive to scan the files
within.
•Specify
All Files as your
scan target or add the
archive's file name
extension to the Program
Extensions dialog box, to
have the scanner examine
the archive as a file.
• Select the
Compressed
Files
checkbox to enable.
•Specify
All Files as your
scan target, or add the
compressed file's extension
to the Program Extensions
dialog box, to have the
scanner look for viruses in
the compressed file.