How do I see how many viruses I am protected from?

Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security
1

In my old Norton, I could run an “update virus definitions” and then it would tell me I was protected. (I think it even would install so many new definitions on my computer.)

What do I click on in avast to see if the new definitions have been found to protect me from and if they are being installed?

stwils

2

If you set avast to automatically update the virus database, it will check each 4 hours for new definitions and they will be automatically added.
Into avast you could find the virus list that you’re being protected right now. On the website there is the update history too.

To ‘see’ the update was done you could set the proper options on the Update (Basic) tab of settings and clicking the buttom ‘Details’. 8)

3

Thanks, Tech.

I did right click on the blue a, and there was a program settings and also an update button. I clicked on the update. It downloaded something quickly and said there were 3 new updates. I could not find which numbers represented the total number of viruses I was protected against.

You say inside avast is a place (not the website but in my computer) that says how many viruses I am protected from and maybe with names.

I could not find this.

My avast is set to upgrade every 4 hours.

I wish I would get a message when this happens with the total number I am now protected against.

stwils

4

Those numbers are unimportant as they don’t mean much.

5

Start avast antivirus > right click the skin > Virus information
Use * and click ok.

This number is not representative and this was discussed a lot in the past…

  1. There are a marketing issue involved. Companies estimate the number of viruses by high.
  2. There are different counts possible: variants, etc.
  3. There is not an international rule for virus naming, so same virus could be consider one or more by other company.
  4. Scanning settings are very important.
  5. Active viruses (ITW) are really more important then the whole number.
  6. Generic signatures and heuristic detections cannot be really counted as ‘virus detection’.

Well, etc. etc.
Trust avast!

6

OK. I right clicked on the gray thing (is that a skin?) and there was a list of choices. I selected virus database or information. A grid came up with nothing on it except in the lift hand upper corner there was (in blue) KLEZ.

I clicked on that and a few names came up and were in various locations on the grid.

I don’t care about each name of a virus. What I wanted was for something to pop up after an update that says something like “You are now protected against 145,988 viruses” and the next update will perhaps say “You are now protected against 145,997 viruses.”

I just want to be sure my computer and avast are working and protecting me.

stwils

7

Change the default text KLEZ to an * and that will returns all names and a total at the bottom.

As RejZoR stated numbers are a waste of time as there is no standardisation on virus naming or how they are counted and as such there really is no worthwhile means of comparison. Generic signatures try to detect multiple virus signatures with the one common signature so there is no way to say how many will be detected with that signature.

This has been discussed many times before on the forums, http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=12401.msg104641#msg104641 or http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=200.msg842#msg842

8

Thanks. I did what you said and changed the “KLEZ” to an “*”.

That did the trick. I have never seen so many viruses in my life. I just barely got started and decided not to read the whole thing. Just hundreds and hundreds.

No wonder we have to have protection! What a nightmare it could become.

I got my first computer in 1996, and being on the internet was easy and a joy. No pop ups, no spam. No ads running along with what you were looking at. And no viruses that I ever was aware of.

Now it is a jungle!

I feel good about avast protecting me.

But it is a shame that we have come to this, isn’t it? It was all too good to be true back in 1996.

stwils

9

Not only do you need an anti-virus, but a good firewall (not XP’s firewall) and a few other good applications to provide a multi-aplication approach to security.

Any malware that manages to get past your defences will have free reign to connect to the internet to either download more of the same, pass your personal data (user names, passwords, keylogger retrieved data, etc.) or open a backdoor to your computer, so outbound protection is essential.

Zone Alarm free http://www.zonelabs.com works fine with avast and has a reasonably friendly user interface. There are others, Comodo, Jetico, Sunbelt Kerio, etc.
See some firewall tests for comparison, some are freeware but many are paid for versions http://www.firewallleaktester.com/tests.php. Also see http://www.thefreecountry.com/security/firewalls.shtml

If you haven’t already got this software (freeware), download, install, update and run it.

  1. Ad-Aware
  2. Spybot Search and Destroy
  3. Spywareblaster Don’t install this until you are clean.
  4. Ewido Security Suite If using winXP. or a-Squared free if using win98/ME.