Avast! 5, Mail Shield configuration not working

Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security
1

Hi!

I have configuration problems with the Mail Shield in Avast! 5.

-OS: Windows XP SP3.

-Thunderbird 3, with Hotmail.

-POP Peeper, with Gmail.

-Windows Live Mail client, with Gmail.

The problem is that these are SSL/TLS encrypted accounts by design. Avast! 5 Mail Shield, complains about not been able to scan those accounts because it needs that configuration to be changed to a none SSL/TLS encrypted format and Avast! 5 claims that it will provide the encryption for them.

I changed all accounts configuration from SSL/TLS encryption, to a none SSL/TLS :

For IMAP:

(IN Port: 993 / OUT-SMTP Port: 465, for accounts with SSL/TLS encryption and Server Requires Authentication, checked) changed to: (IN Port: 143 / OUT-SMTP Port: 25, No SSL/TLS and Server Requires Authentication, unchecked)

For POP3:

(IN Port: 995 / OUT-SMTP Port: 587, for accounts with SSL/TLS encryption and Server Requires Authentication, checked) changed to: (IN Port: 110 / OUT-SMTP Port: 25, No SSL/TLS, Server Requires Authentication, unchecked )

I did those changes in all the e-mail clients with Hotmail and Gmail accounts, so the Mail Shield will be able scan those accounts, but they stop working. I have to revert back to the previous configuration with SSL/TLS encryption enabled, so they work.

My guess is that the Mail Shield of Avast! 5, is not providing the kind of encryption accepted by Hotmail and Gmail to communicate with their SERVERS. This problem is very frustrating, what is the use to have the Mail Shield if this shield doesn’t work properly or it can’t scan encrypted e-mail? If there is someone who knows how to fix this annoyance, or any workaround to it. Please, explain step by step the fix.

Any help will be very much appreciated.

Thanks,
avastin.

2

Ey! Buenas noches. soy de Venezuela. Recien descargue la versión 5.0 gratuita de la página de avast, pero no me deja abrir ventanas emergentes no acceder a hotmail. alguno sabe que puedo hacer,.
Gracias

3

Avast works fine with gmail. (See screen shot for settings of mailshield, SSL accounts)

Set Thunderbird to non SSL and non TLS.
See settings in screenshots.

4

Hello!

Zyndstoff, I have already tried your sugestion and more, checked conflicts with my firewall, no firewall etc., same results, not working. Avast! 5 Mail Shield is capable of scanning no SSL/TLS encrypted e-mail accounts within my e-mail clients. It do recognizes the SSL/TLS encrypted ones correctly and post an alert for them, but if I change the settings of those SSL/TLS encrypted accounts so Avast! 5 Mail Shield is able to scan them, those accounts stop working.

Avast! 5 Mail Shield is an incomplete work, is poorly developed, your Programmers are missing something there. In my opinion it has not been sufficiently tested with different Windows e-mail clients and email Providers to fix incompatibilities and bugs. It is a pity because the rest of the program is good work.

Regards,
Avastin

5

I tend to disagree, however you could say I am biased seeing as it works for me…

Can you check the mail shield settings in avast, and see what they are set at, as the settings you have described look to be right…so I am guessing that could be where the problem lies, though bear in mind this is a guess…

Also, i don’t know how much this will help, but there is also a support article:

avast! support article → The Mail Shield may not scan some emails

-Scott-

6

Hi!

spg SCOTT, I have seeing that support article before posting in this Forum. In my opinion, that Support Page is not of much detail and help.

The settings in the Mail Shield, are the default ones, except that I unchecked: Scan outbound mail, to avoid SSL_connect error 5, with Thunderbird and Hotmail, when sending e-mail.

I am not the only one with this problem. I have seen the same complaint in other Forums, just google for it. I strongly believe that it is something related with the way the Mail Shield has been written, something is missing in the Mail Shield. It needs to be seriously reviewed and also a good support page well documented with an Avast! 5 Mail Shield how-to, is much needed.

Regards,
Avastin.

7

Well, yes I said it may not be of much help, but it was worth posting anyway…

The settings in the Mail Shield, are the default ones, except that I unchecked: Scan outbound mail, to avoid SSL_connect error 5 with Thunderbird and Hotmail, when sending e-mail.

So if you click expert settings and then SSL accounts what do you see?

Also, You have two topics going about the same thing… Please stick to one…I’d say the other since I think the ones helping in the other thread know the mail shield better than me…

-Scott-

8

Scott,

Please, could you be more specific? what are you looking for. Everything is in its default settings and in the SSL Section, it shows my Gmail and Hotmail IMAP and SMTP ports for the mail clients correctly setup for SSL/TLS encryption and working but not been scanned by Avast Mail Shield.

Avastin.

9

In the mail shield settings, are the relevant settings for all of your accounts correct?

They should have the normal SSL ports and protocols.

10

See reply to your redundant thread. You need to run the McAfee Removal tool to make sure the remnants are cleaned up, then get back to us. See http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=56867.msg479518#msg479518 for a recent example of McAfee at work. Norton is another nortorious one, and there are others.

11

Hi!

sded, if I am being redundant it is because in my first post I didn’t have any prompt response from any Avast! representative. Probably you are not been aware of many complaints in to this regard made in different Avast! Blogs.

Yes Scott, I have the correct settings.

About McAfee, I know about the uninstaller issue and I made sure I cleaned my PC properly to avoid conflicts with other Security software.

If you want, we can continue our discussion in my second Post and close this Post.

Te llamas Ed? Eres un buen hombre, pero no entiendes el problema del Mail Shield.

Saludos,
avastin

12

The only reason I am adding to this message is because I partly agree.
I only disagree about the avast comment. I have only used avast and love it.
that being said
I share the same problem BUT I think I might have issue.

I have 5 e-mail accounts
3 of which are 995ssl In 465ssl out and that would be my two yahoo and 1 myspace accounts. took a little mild changing BUT they work now in perfect with scanning and receiving
BUT
my two other ones have differnt setting
Windows Live/hotmail and Gmail.
both thier setting are 995ssl In 587tls Out
These will fail on trying to test the account on both sending and receiving.
WHEN I turn on encryption in outlook 2007 for those accounts they send and recieve fine.

dont tell me to check avast setting because I have deleated and redone them time and again with the same problems.
I tried changing the ports and everything. so seeing as those two “problem accounts” both carry a 587tls then I assume there would be the problem.

For the time being I will enable encryption on those accounts only, and set avast to scan e-mails as I click on them no biggie. But this problem does lie either with outlook or with avast.
only reason I say outlook is because i was reading all night the same errors and they center around outlook and avast together. while other outlook like programs do not or may not have that problem it seems to only be outlook with some people.

BTW all mine are set to pop accounts

I just reinstalled avast becuase of weird bugs and reinstalled so all my settings are default and still the same problem only with those two accounts.
btw I am a Avast Internet security 5.0 user fully updated and what not.