Confused about Outlook 2003 plugin on XP

Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security
1

Outlook2003 running on XP - is the plugin working or not?
I installed the latest version, and it looked like Outlook plugin is back because the popup was coming up as I start Outlook.
But then I look at the asOutExt32.log which contains, since the installation, entries like these and no other

2012-09-06 23:57.05 : INFO [2508] === AsOutExt started === 2012-09-06 23:57.05 : INFO [2508] Parsed outlook version: 11 2012-09-06 23:57.05 : ERROR [2508] Spam init failed (0x643) 2012-09-06 23:57.06 : INFO [2508] Addin version 7.0.1466.549 2012-09-06 23:57.06 : INFO [2508] ProductInfo: 1 2012-09-07 00:00.40 : INFO [2508] === AsOutExt stopped === 2012-09-07 22:20.12 : INFO [2752] === AsOutExt started === 2012-09-07 22:20.12 : INFO [2752] Parsed outlook version: 11 2012-09-07 22:20.12 : ERROR [2752] Spam init failed (0x643) 2012-09-07 22:20.12 : INFO [2752] Addin version 7.0.1466.549 2012-09-07 22:20.12 : INFO [2752] ProductInfo: 1 2012-09-07 22:24.26 : INFO [2752] === AsOutExt stopped === ... and so on for today
but in the [b]Mail.log[/b] it looks like it's scanning
9/8/2012 12:52:40 PM 00000210: Started, Log = 1 9/8/2012 12:52:40 PM 00000210: Build 7.0.1466 9/8/2012 12:52:40 PM 00000210: OS Windows XP Workstation (Service Pack 3) 9/8/2012 12:52:40 PM 00000210: PopListen 127.0.0.1 12110 9/8/2012 12:52:40 PM 00000210: SmtpListen 127.0.0.1 12025 9/8/2012 12:52:40 PM 00000210: ImapListen 127.0.0.1 12143 9/8/2012 12:52:40 PM 00000210: NntpListen 127.0.0.1 12119 9/8/2012 12:52:40 PM 00000210: PopListenSSL 127.0.0.1 12995 9/8/2012 12:52:40 PM 00000210: SmtpListenSSL 127.0.0.1 12465 9/8/2012 12:52:40 PM 00000210: ImapListenSSL 127.0.0.1 12993 9/8/2012 12:52:40 PM 00000210: NntpListenSSL 127.0.0.1 12563 9/8/2012 12:52:40 PM 00000210: Accounts gmail-POP:gmail.com(POP)-SSL(995);verizon-POP:verizon.net(POP)-SSL(995);verizon-SMTP:verizon.net(SMTP)-SSL(465) 9/8/2012 12:52:40 PM 00000210: AutoRedirect 1 9/8/2012 12:52:40 PM 00000210: IgnoreLocalhost 1 9/8/2012 12:52:40 PM 00000210: POP Start: 1 9/8/2012 12:52:40 PM 00000210: POP RedirectPort: 110 9/8/2012 12:52:40 PM 00000210: SMTP Start: 1 9/8/2012 12:52:40 PM 00000210: SMTP RedirectPort: 25,587 9/8/2012 12:52:40 PM 00000210: IMAP Start: 1 9/8/2012 12:52:40 PM 00000210: IMAP RedirectPort: 143 9/8/2012 12:52:40 PM 00000210: NNTP Start: 1 9/8/2012 12:52:40 PM 00000210: NNTP RedirectPort: 119 9/8/2012 12:52:40 PM 00000210: POPs Start: 1 9/8/2012 12:52:40 PM 00000210: POPs RedirectPort: 995 9/8/2012 12:52:40 PM 00000210: SMTPs Start: 1 9/8/2012 12:52:40 PM 00000210: SMTPs RedirectPort: 465 9/8/2012 12:52:40 PM 00000210: IMAPs Start: 1 9/8/2012 12:52:41 PM 00000210: IMAPs RedirectPort: 993 9/8/2012 12:52:41 PM 00000210: NNTPs Start: 1 9/8/2012 12:52:41 PM 00000210: NNTPs RedirectPort: 563 9/8/2012 1:02:27 PM 000008EC: --POP Mail is clean 9/8/2012 1:02:30 PM 000008EC: --POP Mail is clean 9/8/2012 1:02:31 PM 000008EC: --POP Mail is clean 9/8/2012 4:33:45 PM 00000D9C: --POP Mail is clean 9/8/2012 4:38:23 PM 00000628: --SMTP Mail is clean 9/8/2012 4:45:25 PM 00000FFC: --SMTP Mail is clean 9/8/2012 5:00:57 PM 00000744: --SMTP Mail is clean 9/8/2012 8:20:23 PM 00000440: --POP Mail is clean

Outlook has MS junk mail filter. is that a conflict? Or is the failed spam filter related to something else?
Is the mail scanned? Not scanned? I really am confused.

2

Bump :slight_smile:
I hate bumping and I think forum mods do too, but what else can I do?

This is my second attempt to get some answers, the first one was here was under 7.0.1456
http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=101495.msg812065#msg812065

The current log continues to report error. So what’s with the spam thing avast can’t do since the installation on Sept.6. What’s that 0x643 error about?
Does anyone have any information on the subject?

3

You are justified in bumping the topic if it hasn’t received a response after a reasonable time frame and I don’t believe the mods would either.

Unfortunately I don’t use MS Outlook, so can’t be any practical help, but if the avast plug-in for Outlook isn’t running then I believe the avast Mail Shield should be the fall back to scan email (provided that email doesn’t use SSL). Though from the log it appears that your email is being redirected to secure ports.

Make sure the avast plug-in/add-in is not disabled in MS Outlook:
Outlook 2003 > Help > About > Disabled items

4

I use Outlook 2003 on XP SP3 and don’t see this behavior, Avast Plug in loads and all mail is subsequently scanned as it should be.
NOt sure what’s causing the OP’s issue
As DavidR eluded too, make sure the SSL account settings in Avast Mail settings are proper so Avast can scan mail,
Make sure the SSL is not used in OUTLOOK Mail account Advanced port settings

5

Thank you both.
No disabled items.
Plugin loads, or at least announces itself when I start Outlook.
I have to review again my Avast and Outlook settings, perhaps its is SSL thing, but would there be an error when it starts?
Mails do look scanned wherever they come from.
schmidthouse, you don’t have the error I posted?

6

No error here.
Recheck your SSL settings as this caused initial problems until I got the two working together.
That is Outlook settings and Avast Mail settings :wink: :slight_smile:

7

In Outlook my ISP verizon is NO SSL, just ports 25 and 110. Gmail is NO SSL, ports 465 and 995, just like in your screen shot.
In Avast I had, I think user error, because I had verizon accounts also listed under SSL, so I removed them.

The log still has the spam error :frowning:

8

Update - I maybe chasing a ghost - according to http://www.avast.com/free-antivirus-download Free Avast does not have spam filter, so the error might make sense if when starting Outlook Avast code wants to include the spam module which isn’t there :slight_smile:
But I’m not sure this description is current since it says Free has no sandbox yet I see sandbox in GUI rules.

Anyway, I rebooted, just in case. The error still there. And mails appear scanned.

schmidthouse, your screenie tells me you’re using Avast suite not free AV, right? That might explain no error on your box.

The all important question - I gather from reading the forum that Avast sees outbound mail in plain text but encrypts when it’s addressed to gmail? What about inbound mail - Avast unencrypts? How does it know the key?

9

The functioning of the outlook plug-in should be the same in all avast versions. The only difference in regard to emails the AIS version to the free version is that it also includes an anti-spam module. I don’t know if by default it would check for the presence/initialise of/the anti-spam module on all versions (as it would required different outlook plug-in versions for each avast program type).

I don’t know if the outlook plug-in starts and stops like the entries in the asOutExt32.log (extract that you posted) each time that you initiate a check for/send email or not.

Are you getting errors displayed to the screen about this error ?
If you aren’t then I would be less inclined to be concerned, in fact I keep my nose out of avast logs unless I’m getting errors displayed to the screen.

If the avast outlook plug-in is running as you state, I’m still not clear if your email is being scanned by the avast outlook plug-in or the mail shield. What is the location of this mail.log that you posted ?

How avast scans your email in an unencrypted state:
If it is the Mail Shield scanning it can’t scan encrypted email, so it redirects all calls to email ports (outbound or inbound) through a local host proxy so that they can be scanned before/after they are encrypted/decrypted.
Mail program > avast proxy > email server > avast proxy > mail program.

The whole point of the avast outlook plug-in is that it means that avast is working inside Outlook so it is able to scan the email content before/after Outlook encrypts/decrypts it but before any email is opened.

Email is certainly not my specialist subject and even less so when MS Outlook is involved as I don’t use it.

@@@@
I believe you are seeing the AutoSandbox in the avastUI (?), this is completely different as you can’t use it selectively sandbox programs/browsers, etc. as you can with the Full Sandbox module in the Pro/AIS versions. All versions have the AutoSandbox but only the Pro/AIS versions have the Full Sandbox module.

10

Thanks DavidR. Don’t sell yourself short as the info you provided is very helpful. It seems you may know more then I and I use the darn program (Outlook) :wink: ;D

11

You could check the asOutExt32.log file and see if yours mimics cooby’s log where the outlook plugin starts and stops in the same way. This only covers a 4 minute period, so I don’t know if that coincides with the checking for email or starting and stopping Outlook.

2012-09-07 22:20.12 : INFO [2752] === AsOutExt started === 2012-09-07 22:20.12 : INFO [2752] Parsed outlook version: 11 2012-09-07 22:20.12 : ERROR [2752] Spam init failed (0x643) 2012-09-07 22:20.12 : INFO [2752] Addin version 7.0.1466.549 2012-09-07 22:20.12 : INFO [2752] ProductInfo: 1 2012-09-07 22:24.26 : INFO [2752] === AsOutExt stopped ===
12

To reply to your wonderful information - it’ll be long and, I hope, complete answers :slight_smile:

Well, I suspect it does try to initialize something, what else might be causing that error? Side note - in the Avast directory is, for instance, a “fw” directory - that’s for the suite. It’s empty. That tells me there might be a partly common installer.

That part of asOutExt32.log appears every time I start Outlook well before I click Send/Receive button. I do start and stop Outlook when done (re: reply#10).
No I have no on-screen alerts about this error. Puzzled, not concerned.
Sending and receiving mails is in the Mail.Log and no other:

9/15/2012 3:23:57 PM 00000908: --POP Mail is clean 9/15/2012 3:23:59 PM 00000E3C: --POP Mail is clean 9/15/2012 3:23:59 PM 00000908: --POP Mail is clean 9/15/2012 3:23:59 PM 00000E3C: --POP Mail is clean 9/15/2012 3:24:00 PM 00000908: --POP Mail is clean 9/15/2012 3:50:21 PM 00000644: --SMTP Mail is clean 9/15/2012 3:50:22 PM 00000644: --SMTP Mail is clean 9/15/2012 3:50:22 PM 00000A44: --SMTP Mail is clean 9/15/2012 3:50:24 PM 00000A44: --SMTP Mail is clean
Snooping logs - I learn from logs, but normally don't go there much in AV. It all started when the previous version .1456 wasn't showing that the plugin was/wasn't starting.

Both logs are in the C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\AVAST Software\Avast\log directory.
As far as are we sure the mail is scanned by the plugin. I don’t know whether the plugin is doing the job or HOW can I tell? (If I ran SSM I might see the plugin at work but I don’t at this time).
Mail shield reports it scans. I enabled logging of few related rules in the firewall. Today I received 5 mails and replied to 4 of them, both SSL and not-SSL included. FW shows proxy in action and avast connecting out. I don’t see packets back from localhost to Avast service that I used to see in Kerio with another AV. Perhaps avast hijacks those ports earlier than before and grabs what it sees. See Firewall picture.

One thing is very strange - notice the ISP’s 206.46.232:10:995 in the log. As I wrote yesterday, in Avast GUI I deleted a line with SSL to my ISP mail. I did it twice. Repeated today. Is Avast putting it in by itself into the Settings in Avast GUI? Hard to imagine that it would, but I have no SSL for ISP mail account in Outlook, but Outlook goes out for gmail. I don’t restrict outbound for Avastsvc in the firewall. See MailShield picture - next post - it didn’t fit here :frowning:

#### How avast scans your email in an unencrypted state: If it is the Mail Shield scanning it can't scan encrypted email, so it redirects all calls to email ports (outbound or inbound) through a local host proxy so that they can be scanned before/after they are encrypted/decrypted. Mail program > avast proxy > email server > avast proxy > mail program.

The whole point of the avast outlook plug-in is that it means that avast is working inside Outlook so it is able to scan the email content before/after Outlook encrypts/decrypts it but before any email is opened.

Email is certainly not my specialist subject and even less so when MS Outlook is involved as I don’t use it.

Nice explanation. I understood the process when ages ago had to make rules in the firewall. What I didn’t understand is the encryption part. You really said it nicely for me :slight_smile:

@@@@ I believe you are seeing the AutoSandbox in the avastUI (?), this is completely different as you can't use it selectively sandbox programs/browsers, etc. as you can with the Full Sandbox module in the Pro/AIS versions. All versions have the AutoSandbox but only the Pro/AIS versions have the Full Sandbox module.
Thanks. Yes AutoSandbox is in GUI, under File System Shield. So that's the difference, I didn't know before :)
13

Second picture

14
  1. I think it is quite possible it does try to initialise anti-spam, but so long as it has a routine of compensating for it not being there (writing to the log) without writing the error to the screen or crashing I wouldn’t be overly concerned. Yes it could possibly be handled better.

The fw folder is there and empty in mine also, I guess this allows some flexibility for an upgrade without having to do a clean install, but that is a guess on my part as an avast user.

  1. OK, I just wasn’t sure why there were so many instances of this start, initialise error, stop. Me I start my email program, Thunderbird, at the start of the day and I leave it on until I shutdown the system at night.

I think now that the plug-in is present and appears to be working (splash screen) I would go back to your previous routine on any monitoring logs.

  1. I too would find it hard to identify which element was scanning the email as I don’t know if emails scanned by the avast Outlook plug-in are recorded separately elsewhere or are included in the Mail Shield stats (not using Outlook I can’t test that), but I suspect they aren’t recorded elsewhere and combined/recorded in the Mail Shield stats.

One way to test could be if one of your outlook account settings, gmail has SMTP set for the secure port 465 ?
If so then the Mail Shield wouldn’t actually be able to scan it, so I would expect a notice to the screen that it can’t scan SSL accounts or words to that effect. Emails that are sent and received by Outlook should have the avast scan recorded in the email headers.

Though your firewall logs image also shows Outlook (Proxy) entries, one is a redirect for outbound pop3 email to the avast localhost port 127.0.0.1:12110 and one to outbound smtp email to the avast localhost port 127.0.0.1:12025. So I don’t know if that is the avast outlook plug-in at work or Outlook.

  1. Do you have any other email program other than Outlook ?
    The reason I ask is that the Mail Shield settings, SSL Accounts would be for all email accounts/connections on all email clients.

That may account for the verizon.net entry not being in your outlook accounts. Another possibility could be that your ISP, presumably Verizon has its email handled by Gmail, some ISPs do that and there is somehow a link to the verizon server. The 206.46.232.10 IP address is certainly for incoming.verizon.net (see image).

15

DavidR, when you get tired of this stuff, let me know, please.

  1. ok
  2. ok

3. I looked in the headers. All of them at the end say something like this: “X-Antivirus: avast! (VPS 120915-1, 09/15/2012), Inbound message, X-Antivirus-Status: Clean”. What’s this X-thing about?

  • I will do the experiment you suggest. I can tell Outlook to use SSL for gmail 465 and 995 and try to remove the lines from Avast, but I suspect they’ll come back - is this what you have in mind? And what should I look at? The collection like one described below is not easy to catch! Would be interesting to learn what Outpost says in its firewall log or maybe it’s in the packet log, I don’t recall.
  • In the meantime:
    I think I understand the routing through avast proxy ports, but I still don’t know what really scans the mail.
    Today I caught a moment of port activity at the tail end of transaction on 2 incoming mails. Bytes count from proxy port to Avast is zero. Trying to make some sense, I dusted off very old screenshots of (1) Avast4 or 5 with this firewall, that also showed zero bytes, (2) Outpost v6 with Avira showed bytes count and (3) Kerio2.1.5 and NOD32 showed byte count. So I think Avast is just not telling the firewall anything once it grabs the port. 12080 browser proxy also doesn’t show bytes count. At first I thought it might be a firewall difference, they all work differently of course, but I no longer think so.
    See ProxyWorks picture, includes my interpretation.

4. No other email clients here.
And the current situation is still no SSL anywhere in Outlook, but both ports are now in Avast for both verizon servers. See Settings picture.

16

Hi,
if you have free edition, this error is ok in log. DavidR had right, plugin tries initialize antispam engine which is not presented.

And outlook scans are recorded in mailshield log (now, only messages with attachments are recorded).

pm

17

@ cooby

  1. AVs and not just avast have been recording in the email headers that an email has been scanned for some considerable time, as long as I can remember anyway.

By having the gmail account settings in Outlook set to use SSL ports would mean that the Mail Shield couldn’t handle the emails from the outside as they are secure encrypted traffic (the whole point of SSL). But since the avast plugin for outlook effectively works from within outlook I believe that it should handle it. That should give an indication of which is scanning, if it were the mail shield it couldn’t handle it (notice to screen about unprotected SSL email traffic) so I guess no branding in header information.

All of this is a bit of a moot point if your email are being scanned with your existing settings, unless you are seeking confirmation on which is scanning. As I have said before email under MS Outlook are not areas I have any personal experience in.

  1. I have no idea what it is that is adding the verizon account to your Internet E-mail Settings (in your Outlook email account settings), but any email account in that section avast would replicate it in order to be able to handle it.
18

I allowed Outlook to do SSL. No difference in behavior, so I suspect, as you suggested, it never gets to the mailshield. No errors reported. No alerts. Nothing to get excited about. And we also have an answer from petr_matrix, above your post, that seeing that error is normal. That’s what started this whole adventure :slight_smile:

Don’t desert me yet even though it is “moot”. I have another experiment planned.

19

Not a case of desertion, but one of being at the outer reaches of my experiences with email issues and having never used MS Outlook.

But the major issue is how these zerizon accounts keep getting added to MS Outlook as I don’t believe avast adds them. I have some entries in my SSL Accounts which I don’t have email accounts for and there is no corresponding thunderbird (my email client) account for, so avast isn’t adding them there.

I have yahoo.com and virginmedia.net entries in SSL Accounts, yet I don’t have any yahoo or virginmedia email accounts. But my ISP BT Internet has outsourced its email handling to yahoo. I have BT Internet accounts in my thunderbird yet they don’t feature in the SSL Accounts as the email is handles by yahoo, so it is a little more complext

20

Sorry to dig up such an old post but it is the only relevant one I’ve found that reports similar behavior & wanted to post in case someone else has this issue.

Somehow my Avast Free decided it was a Pro account & started demanding my registration number. (This popped up in the midst of a flood of Microsoft updates that caused restart crashes & a rollback in order to do ‘one at a time’ installs.)
As a result, I had an Avast Anti-Spam toolbar appear when reading emails in Outlook 2003 that was not there before. Trying to flag an email as Spam, Whitelist or Blacklist caused Outlook to crash and automagically restart. Any email selected to be flagged for Spam/Whitelist/Blacklist moved from sub-folder back up into Inbox folder when this happens. Outlook appears to function correctly other than this new issue.

I have disabled the Anti-Spam toolbar from appearing in Outlook for the time being. No other affects I can find so far.

If I understand correctly: Avast Free does NOT have the Anti-Spam feature enabled, correct?