Email Avast Scanner Service

After invoking the update for 4.8.1192 I looked in my Zone Alarm program settings and noticed that for the Email Avast Scanner Service it had question marks for access, I have now allowed access for trusted and access, is this normal and ok? as I am sure I didn’t need to do that on the previous Beta update.

98 S.E

Microsoft Outlook.

Yes. It’s normal. Into the firewall settings, the following programs should be allowed to connect:

C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashWebSv.exe (avast! Web Scanner)
C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashMaiSv.exe (avast! e-Mail Scanner Service)
C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\Setup\avast.setup (avast! Update executable). This is a temporary file that just appears when an update (check) is about to launch, and disappears again afterwards.

Don’t need rights to connect:
C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\aswUpdSv.exe (avast! Update Service)
C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashServ.exe (avast! antivirus service). Although, ashServ.exe sends ping packets to find out if the Internet connection is alive. You can turn this off by checking the “My computer is permanently connected to the Internet” box in the avast Program Settings > Update (Connections) page.

That’s fine then.

I now have the following allowed for ACCESS - TRUSTED & INTERNET

Avast AntiVirus Update
Avast Email Scanner Service
Avast Web Scanner.

The ones you mention not to allow are not showing on the Zone Alarm program settings.

And those I mention above all have question marks for Server Trusted and Internet, is this ok and normal too? and should I allow those also for Server Trusted and Internet?

PS,

I would have thought that before I gave access to the Zone Alarm program setting for the Email Scanner Service and clicked on an email message, I thought that ZA would have asked for permission, but it didn’t, so I went in and gave it access, I then looked at the Outlook Exchange last scanned, and I now see details of what it’s scanning.

They’re ok to have full access.

Great, they all now have full access.

Appears to be all ok for Windows 98 S.E

Avast is best!!!

Up to a point it is normal, it should notice the change in the email scanner because of the program update and ask the next time you use the Internet Mail email scanner, that is the reason for the ? question marks.

Because you use MS Outlook (not express ? ) and I assume the Outlook/Exchange provider then the Internet Mail provider although started wouldn’t be being used so this is probably why ZA didn’t ask.

So are you using the Outlook/Exchange provider and the avast plug-in in MS Outlook ?

Yes.

Should I put the question marks back in then? and if so which ones? Is it the avast email scanning service that takes care of the internet mail service that you mentioned, not the one that is used for Outlook I mean?

In other words let me know the one that deals with Internet Mail and I will put back the question marks.

No don’t put the question marks back, there is no point as it is a valid decision just that on future updates this is likely to happen again.

Using MS Outlook in theory you don’t need to have the Internet Mail provider running providing you are using the Outlook/Exchange provider and plug-in in Outlook as that is what scans your email. It doesn’t hurt to leave the Internet Provider enabled and I would go so far as to say you should set the sensitivity to High. Like this should you ever get an undetected/hidden trojan spambot then your first indication that there is something wrong would be the Internet Mail alerting you to multiple identical emails being sent (assuming your firewall didn’t detect anything).

Ok, so in any future updates if I see question marks I should just leave them as they are?

Since you know it is going to happen after an update I would change them as if in the unlikely event of there being a spambot on your system when the email scanner tried to notify/alert on these emails ZA would pop-up a this program has changed accept the change, etc. dialogue box. This may have an undesirable effect possibly letting some spam out, that is however speculation on my part as I have never seen this interaction which is rare.