I’m wondering what exactly the advantage is of having the P2P Shield turned on. Because when a P2P program downloads a file, this file will be automatically scanned by the File System Shield, right? The File System Shield scans newly created files, so the downloaded file should be scanned automatically.
;D that’s a good question. I don’t use any p2p program but you’re right to assume that the file shield will scan anything downloaded anyway. I don’t think that the p2p shield scans anything in memory so… could be that it targets p2p programs more specifically than the file shield does… again I can’t test that.
The File System Shield doesn’t scan “everything” - unless you change some of the settings.
But yes, these two shields (and IM Shield as well) are very similar. However, since P2P and IM Shields target specific programs (or more precisely, folders/files), they can use higher sensitivity for the files they scan - scanning any type of file, unpacking all the archives. If you set the same sensitivity (scanning all files, unpacking all the archives) for the File System Shield, it would probably kill you system during heavier file operations.
So, you can imagine P2P and IM Shields as special configurations of File System Shield for specific folders.
Ah, thanks. That clarifies a lot :-).
There really needs to be a sticky on what Script Shield and File Shield do and what they don’t do
http://download801.avast.com/files/marketing/materials/whitepaper_scriptengine.pdf
Script Shield scans primarily Windows Script Hosting (WSH) scripts
WSH is a language-independent scripting host for 32-bit Windows platforms. Microsoft provides both Microsoft Visual Basic Script and Java Script scripting engines with WSH. It serves as a controller of ActiveX scripting engines, just as Microsoft Internet Explorer does.[url=http://support.microsoft.com/kb/188135] http://support.microsoft.com/kb/188135[/url]
File Shield scans files and not scripts related to WSH.
Since all 32bit versions of Internet Explorer use the WSH you should see Script Shield activity when using them both internal and those on Webpages that you have visited. I don’t know about IE9 x64 but to my knowledge Firefox does not use WSH so therefore you will not see as much activity in Script Shield when using Firefox. What activity you will see will be related to WSH and Windows operating system.
If you are using Firefox you will need to use NoScript to protect you from malicious scripts for the reason I stated above.
Yeah, but, who was talking about the script shield ???
The title of the thread
Difference between P2P Shield and File System Shield
So I expanded on the title by noting the difference between the File System Shield and the Script Shield
When discussing the FSS it is useful to know what it scans and what it doesn’t.
Explaining what it does in comparison to the Script Shield will help to increase the understanding of what FSS does and then help to understand the difference between the FSS and the P2P shield. That is why I made that post. However, to elaborate on your valid point here is the difference as I understand it between the P2P Shield and the FSS in what they do.
The P2P Shield scans files being downloaded by all the P2P programs that are checked in P2P Shield----------Expert Settings----Programs.
P2P infected files will often have the bad code placed in the part of the file that downloads last. That is why if the P2P Shield is working correctly and you download a file with malicious code the P2P Shield will catch it right when the file starts to seed and then the P2P Shield will hopefully handle the file as you have instructed in the Expert Settings—Actions section of the P2P Shield
File shield does not scan files while they are being downloaded. It only scans them when executing, opening, writing and attaching.
@ Nesivos,
Sorry but there is a perfectly functioning search function in the forums. I believe there are a;ready more stickies than you can shake a stick at and many of them junk/ancient.
It is bad enough that you have to scroll down half a page or more with the number of existing stickies.
1 discussing the script shield in this thread is completely off topic
2 the fact of hijacking the thread - and clearly stating it - does not justify the right to do it… obviously.
3 one of the post above is at least partly a duplicate of another post I read recently from the same person :
4 script shield obsessions ???