Zone Alarm message

[mike2002]

I'm using Windows 98SE.

On the latest version of Zone Alarm (5.0.590.015) I get this info on the 'AntiVirus Monitoring' screen - see screenshot.

As I have AVG Antivirus Free Edition installed, is Zone Alarm trying to get me to upgrade to their own antivirus package??

[PrntRhd]

Are you running AV?
ZA doesn't seem to recognize some AV programs that do manual updates, it does see commercial ones.

[Sylvander]

I got the same warning, but I ignored it [I have AVG installed and it was running].

It seems to me that Zonealarm are being a little cheeky in using this to induce the user to pay for the update from the free version.
They are also being a little more inrusive by displaying the "Control Center" at every startup.

AVG updates automatically.

[stefanus]

I also have one and I run NAV??????

Sylvander how can I copy your KOC`S picture. If the offer is still available.

Stefanus

[Sylvander]

You mean Kayofcircles?

Which "picture"?

What offer?

Her photograph?

[deddard]

There are some serious issues with the latest Zone Alarm messing up AV systems.
I run ZA Pro on a couple of machines. I updated one, and had a bitch of a time solving the problems it threw up. I keep getting reminders to upgrade (I uninstalled and went back a version) but it ain't happening until the problems have been ironed out.
Just make sure your AV is working (send an email to yourself and see if it is scanned) and if so, it is just a pain in the backside. If not, then ZoneLabs have another reason to hang their head in shame.

[mike2002]

deddard: You're right - I sent myself a test message, and it WASN'T scanned by AVG.
I uninstalled Zone Alarm (I didn't specifically remove any Registry entries though), then I reinstalled the previous version (ZoneAlarm 4.5.594.000) from April.
I sent myself another test e-mail but, this too, was not scanned by AVG.

I'm confused now!!

If this latest ZA has messed up the system I can always restore my C: partition, but I'll hang on a while.


:confused:

[Mark Miller]

There is also a problem with Norton systems where with the new ZA the anti-virus stops scanning e-mail
Not sure if it has been fixed yet, but I would be very careful with ZA and maybe use the older version for awhile
Mark:eek:

[Flick]

I also have the new version of ZA pro. It does not recognize my AV either (avast 4.1 pro) but avast still works perfectly and scans all my incoming and outgoing email.

I think the Zone Alarm 'AntiVirus Monitoring' is just a gimmick to get you to buy their version!

[Sylvander]

I had previously downloaded some copies of a fake/test virus and had them on a CD-RW disk.
I have just tried to send them to myself attached to an e-mail, but when I selected the first one for attachment, AVG stepped in, isolated it in the virus vault, and deleted the original off the CD.
I tried closing down AVG, but it caught the next copy, which was in a winzip file.
I figured I'd missed a component of AVG [which I had], so I closed that down and tried the 3rd file [yet another different file form of the virus].
AVG caught that too.
Now all 3 different file versions of the virus were gone from my CD to the virus vault.
So then I went to http://www.eicar.org/anti_virus_test_file.htm to download new copies.
That was no good either.
AVG blocked the attempt at a download.
But so far as I could tell AVG was no longer running. :confused:
I thought perhaps Zonealarm was doing this, so I closed it down for a short time and tried again.
Still no good.
I don't know whether to consider this good or bad.
When I first tried this some time back, the first attempts partially succeeded and AVG seemed to be learning to better identify the virus, and with each step it got better and refused to allow anything through.
Now nothing gets through and I have no virus copies. :(

[mike2002]

Sylvander: I tried the Eicar test on the two 'virus' files. I could download them as normal, but AVG threw up alerts and denied access when the files were clicked on.
I'm surprised that AVG wouldn't let you download them; after all, there're in Zip format, so how could AVG tell?

[Sylvander]

I'd guess that AVG well know that viruses are often sent inside a zip file, so they have found a way to check inside them.
I vaguely remember something about unzipping to check the contents.
It was actually mentioning the "Temporary Internet File" saved on the HDD.
So perhaps it unzips it and checks the contents.
File name is:
D:\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\[Folder name=SDQNW9QR]\eicar[1].com
I checked that folder, but there is no file in there named EICAR[1].COM, nor anything like it.

Perhaps it initially saves it there, then unzips it, checks it, finds the virus, and deletes it.
There are only 3 files in the virus vault, so it didn't put it there.

[John0904]

Originally posted by Sylvander
But so far as I could tell AVG was no longer running.
There are 4 processes running when AVG is loaded. If you closed AVG via the icon, there are still 3 processes running. Of those 3, 2 are Services.

I believe if you close all the AVG processes, you will be able to download those test viruses again.

[mike2002]

John0904: Yes, you're right. In the past I've closed AVG from the System Tray, as well as using Ctrl/Alt/Delete, but it still detected internet viruses.

[John0904]

mike2002,

You are correct as well.
After I posted that message and did a few other things, thought I would check that out myself.
To say the least I was surprised that I couldn't download a test virus.

Which is a good thing unless someone wanted to download test viruses. :D

[Sylvander]

I ran "Process Explorer" to take a look at the running processes and found that only "vsmon.exe" was running.
But it was running 16 threads using 1 exe file and 40 dll's!

Then I restarted AVG and the "Control Center" reported it was
NOT FULLY FUNCTIONAL
[There were no processes showing that were related to AVG.]
So I clicked on that button to re-enable it and a window reported:
"This feature is not currently operating to protect your computer against virus infection."
When I enabled it "AVGCC32.exe" appeared in the "Process Explorer" window.
This was using 1 exe and 37 dll's to run 1 thread.

With "AVGCC32.exe" highlighted in "Process Explorer" I right-clicked on the AVG icon in the system tray and closed it down, and all the DLL's in "Process Explorer" tuned red and then dissappeared from the screen and the next process up the list took its place. So it had definitely closed down.

Then I tried again to download the fake virus and "AVG Resident Shield" blocked it.
It asks me if I want to proceed or not, but even if I tell it to go ahead it refuses.

[mike2002]

John0904:

As stated earlier, my AVG (Free Edition) allows me to download these zipped test virus files. I wonder why yours will not allow this?
I can then click on the zip file and see what's inside. But as soon as I click (either left or right) on it, AVG denies access. Strangely enough, if I choose to extract and Save the file to, say, My Desktop, AVG displays the warning but saves it nevertheless.

So now you have the situation where AVG won't let you right-clck this Desktop file and Delete it. So what do you do: simple, you run a Custom Scan just on the Desktop folder alone, and let AVG detect and remove it to the Virus Vault. :D

[gracious]

Hmm I just told my ZA to stop monitoring my Anti-virus...and I don't get those messages anymore.

[Sylvander]

Which messages exactly?

And how exactly did you tell it to "stop monitoring my Anti-virus"?

[So we can reproduce it.]

[PrntRhd]

Immediately above the window Mike2002 posted earlier there is an on/off function. Antivirus Monitoring text on the left gets you there, at least on the free version.
:)

[mike2002]

I removed the latest Zone Alarm and re-installed the previous version.
Even though I've always left the 'Basic MailSafe' option in Zone Alarm to Enabled, I now find that AVG no longer inserts its 'Scanned' text at the bottom of an e-mail.

In addition, there is an additional reference to Grisoft (AVG) in the start-up screen just prior to the final C:/. This was never there before. :confused:

[stefanus]

Sylvander! The one you have put in your Avatar.ie

Sylvander
Enthusiastic Amateur

Thinking of Kay


Stefanus]

[Sylvander]

Here's the address for the avatar
http://www.pcguide.com/vb/avatar.php?userid=2014&dateline=1081780870

To get this you just right-click on the avatar and select "Properties", the copy it and paste it into...

I've forgotten how I did that.
I'll try to figure it out and get back to you.

[Sylvander]

Log in to here http://www.pcguide.com/vb/

Then click on "User CP->Edit Options->Change Avatar->Enter URL->Submit Modifications".

[stefanus]

Thanx for your help with the Avatar

Stefanus ;)