Clam Av

[teamantivir]

I presume that the powers that be know that CLAM AV has in Independent testing scored in the 50% detection rating (55% to be exact). While I applaud your efforts to slow the spread of viruses, using a poor quality product AND impacting a customer's business (yes, mine, I am a globally recognized researcher as well as author on the subject, and had private posts with support). I reciently renewed fro the 3rd time, but I think it's time to move on when the company does NOT concider technical merit, social responsibility and impact on existing customers.

[James]

Well, that Independant testing score of 50% has eliminated 100% of our viruses, for both powweb.com and our personal accounts.

Was this independant testing funded or sponsered by a commercial antivirus package???

I'd also like to know when and what version was tested... they are a fairly new product but have released two upgrades in the last two months alone. Practically every single MTA has a default configuration that uses them, including lmtpd, Sendmail-milter, qmail scanner, and amavis-new just to name a few. ClamAv was also rated 5th out of 25 (beating most commercial antivirus programs) at updating their virus definitions.

Anyone get a virus through your PowWeb email within the last week or so???

[tbonekkt]

Anyone get a virus through your PowWeb email within the last week or so???
Not one virus in any of my four packages and 11 domains.

[(jj)]

Anyone get a virus through your PowWeb email within the last week or so???

The Mrs is on several Yahoo groups and normally gets several virus infected emails daily. In the last week or so, she's gotten 0, which is nice for me as I don't have to hear her complain about them :D

[teamantivir]

Well, that Independant testing score of 50% has eliminated 100% of our viruses, for both powweb.com and our personal accounts.

Was this independant testing funded or sponsered by a commercial antivirus package???

No James, this is not sponsored by anyone in the industry, it is an independent reseach facility backed by several industry Magazines. Protocolls, proceedures and results can be viewed on line at http://www.av-tests.org.

I have also conducted private evaluation of the product for a corporation looking to include it in their defensive strategy, but due to contractual obligations I am not elegable to release that test.

Thank you for insulting my industry.

I'd also like to know when and what version was tested... they are a fairly new product but have released two upgrades in the last two months alone. Practically every single MTA has a default configuration that uses them, including lmtpd, Sendmail-milter, qmail scanner, and amavis-new just to name a few. ClamAv was also rated 5th out of 25 (beating most commercial antivirus programs) at updating their virus definitions.

I don't know where you got your stats but they are incorrect. CLAM does several things wrong, including stripping signatures from commercial ANti-Virus Products, since that is theft of intellectual property, there are already discussions in the industry of how to stop this illegal activity. Also there is a HIGH level of False Possitives, based on individuals who do manufacture their own signatures are not professionals and do not Q&A them properly.

Anyone get a virus through your PowWeb email within the last week or so???

Highly scientific means of evaluation, because I've never gotten one through, means it's working. 16 years in this industry I've heard this too many times. If you Don't want to listen to the people who know the products that's fine, if you THINK, you're qualified to evaluate this type software because you have some samples, and know how to run a scanner, you're wrong, there's so much more to it. Rather than shooting the messenger, or insulting an professional and his profession, it may serve you to say "if someone who has made a living off it for more than a decade has a problem with this product maybe I should do more research".

[teamantivir]

I do have to set the record straight. PowWeb, has contacted me and said that they have built in an opt out, so it won't impact my business as much as I was concerned about. Although I must question who's idea to use CLAM. For the record, of the members of AVIEN (Anti-Virus Information Exchange Network), Only one uses it, the others I've spken with have a similar oppinion to mine, not ready for prime time, and on very shaky legal grounds, so not in my environment.

[James]

The URL you gave does not even resolve...

In any case... The results of us using it speaks for itself. PowWeb's support, sales, billing addresses got flooded with viruses on a daily basis. When we started using it they all stopped. We haven't seen one yet.

[James]

I do have to set the record straight. PowWeb, has contacted me and said that they have built in an opt out, so it won't impact my business as much as I was concerned about.

Why do you care what antivirus programs we use when you don't want it in the first place??? I made the decision to use Clam AV, and it was recommended by others who are in my position.

[stevel]

I imagine he cares because you indicate that this AV program is already filtering our mail, and there is no user control to turn it off. I can't say I'm impressed by "frequency of updates" - that is not necessarily a good thing, and says nothing about the actual effectiveness of the scanner.

I prefer to have control over what sort of filtering is applied to my e-mail. Since I have all my e-mail forwarded off of PowWeb, I'm currently exempt from the Clam, but you indicated you may turn it on for forwarded mail too. If you do, I hope you allow us to disable it on or before the time it is put into place.

[James]

I doubt that will be the case. PowWeb has the right to deny viruses being delivered to or through our mail servers.

[stevel]

Does PowWeb also have the right to delete without notice e-mails that some piece of software thinks have viruses but in fact don't? It would be ok by me if you delivered to the addressee a message that said a virus was removed, and allow that to be optionally disabled. That's what my current e-mail service does. It gives me the option of knowing if a possible mistake was made, if I care to know. My e-mail service uses AVG from Grisoft, which at least I have heard of and has a good reputation. It hasn't yet let a virus through to me.

[YvetteKuhns]

I don't open attachments from suspicious source, just delete them. I check webmail instead of downloading all email (including junk mail) to my computer. I save attachments from expected sources (graphics designers, clients, etc.) and scan them with my own antivirus program before opening them. I also have a firewall built into my router. So, basically, I choose what to keep and what to delete.

If we must have something that "sorts" suspicious email, what is the best way to handle it? Can these emails be placed in a "high risk" folder instead of being stopped BEFORE they are delivered? If not, can you simply disallow attachments and send the email, so we can read and reply to the email? What if the email was legitimate, but the sender sent a corrupted file accidentally? I guess the sender would send another email saying, "Didn't you get my email?" or call. Happens to me.

I have mixed feelings since I can appreciate the need to do something, but I am not satisfied with the current "solution". Hopefully, things will improve. But still, if these changes were optional and not automatically enabled, some of us would be happier. We like to handle things our own way. But maybe there is alot of undue stress on the mail servers to allow all the crap through! ;)

Thanks for the effort.

[James]

Yes as a matter of fact we do. PowWeb has the right to control what email is allowed through its email services, and all ISP's would say the same. Does AOL have the right to block our email servers because we forwarded spam as requested by the customer, they seem to think so.

At the time where we will be scanning all email, it will be done at the SMTP lever, and the delivery of the message will be denied... so there won't be any messages getting deleted.

You can claim all you want that our mail server might claim a message contains a virus that does not, but the plain and simple fact is that you have a better chance of a house landing on your head... Today, email is plagued with viruses and they, with spam, threatens the very existance of email... so you can complain all you want, but PowWeb is going to do everything it can do to make sure you still have usable email accounts in the future.

[James]

I don't open attachments from suspicious source, just delete them. I check webmail instead of downloading all email (including junk mail) to my computer. I save attachments from expected sources (graphics designers, clients, etc.) and scan them with my own antivirus program before opening them. I also have a firewall built into my router. So, basically, I choose what to keep and what to delete.

Unforunately most people don't do this... even after infecting themselves multiple times, which is why the virus problem has gotten as big as it has... if everyone did this PowWeb or other ISP's would not even have to worry about this.