How can I tell if my mailbox has virus protection?
If your company subscribes to our Total Protection Suite, virus and spam protection are included. Please ask your web site administrator for additional information. top
How often are the anti-virus definitions updated?
The Anti-Virus virus definitions are automatically updated at least every hour (without any system interruption) to protect against the latest virus threats. top
Are email aliases (info@, sales@ etc.) protected by your anti-virus system?
Yes! An email address protected by Anti-Virus that has one or more email aliases (info@ sales@ etc.) pointed to it is also protected against any known computer virus that may be sent to the email aliases. top
Does your anti-virus system protect external email?
Anti-Virus currently cannot scan messages retrieved via the WebMail Check External Email feature which allows Web Mail to retrieve email from third party POP servers that are outside of EMA’s control. Check External Email is "off" in Web Mail by default.
There are currently no known email viruses that can automatically execute in WebMail. (WebMail automatically strips most embedded scripts, etc.) However, it may still be possible to manually open an infected file attachment, or forward an infected message. POP and IMAP email programs may also be susceptible if external email is ultimately downloaded by a dedicated email program such as Outlook or Outlook Express. top
Can WebMail rules automatically move "Virus Found" notifications to a folder?
Yes. WebMail can automatically move Anti-Virus "Virus found" notifications into a folder that you specify, including the Trash folder. To create a rule for this:
- Login to Web Mail.
- Choose Options.
- Choose Email Rules.
- Choose Add Rule.
- Enter the following:
- If… Subject begins with
- the phrase… Virus found: (Check case sensitive)
- then deliver to… Trash
- Choose Add Rule.
Note that other Email Rules may affect a "Virus found" message too. top
Can viruses forge my email address?
Yes! Many email viruses spread by sending themselves to email addresses harvested from computers that they have infected. The most successful email viruses also forge the sender email address, often using the harvested email addresses randomly to hide their origin.
The result is that you may receive an undeliverable or "bounced" message that you never sent. You may also receive messages from email servers and humans that erroneously accuse you of spreading viruses because they were not proficient enough to recognize that your email address was harvested by an email virus on a different system.
If you follow our Anti-Virus Safety Tips, you can be confident that your computer is protected from all known viruses, and that such claims are most likely without merit. top
Should I trust software patches that are delivered via email?
No! Many email viruses trick users by claiming to be an important software "patch" or update. Major software vendors such as Microsoft and Apple do not distribute software updates via email.
Furthermore, major software vendors such as Microsoft and Apple maintain official security announcement lists whose messages are signed with their PGP key to validate that the message is most likely authentic.
Microsoft
Windows Update
Product Security Notification
CERT Coordination Center
Vulnerabilities, Incidents & Fixes
What can I do to protect my computer from Viruses?
Effective protection from email viruses requires multiple lines of defense. We recommend that you install anti-virus software on all workstations and keep the virus definitions up-to-date. In addition, those who subscribe to our Total Protection Suite are automatically protected against all known email viruses. To find out if your account has Anti-Virus, please contact your company network administrator or call E-Marketing Associates at (626) 444-9111.
Check For Security Updates
Some email viruses attempt to exploit security vulnerabilities in your computer's operating system and/or email software. For example, W32/Bugbear-B is an email virus that can infect an unpatched Microsoft Windows system without even being opened!
To check for the latest Windows security updates:
- Open Internet Explorer.
- Choose the Tools menu.
- Choose Windows Update.
- Follow the onscreen instructions to run Windows Update.
We recommend that you run Windows Update at least once a week. You may also wish to check for spyware.
To check for the latest Mac OS X security updates:
- Open System Preferences.
- Choose Software Update.
- Choose Check Now.
SecurityFocus maintains a database of potential security risks for common software.
Install Anti-Virus Software
Our email-borne anti-virus system can protect your email account against viruses; however, it is up to you to protect the rest of your system from infection from other sources. Computer viruses can be transmitted via any means that any other software is transmitted, including: P2P (e.g. Kazaa), HTTP (websites), IM (instant messaging), chat (e.g. IRC), FTP, CD, DVD, flash media (e.g. Memory Stick), floppy disks, PDAs (e.g. PocketPC), cell phones, and more.
EMA recommendsSophos Anti-Virus for your computer. Sophos is a leader in the anti-virus industry, and their software features the ability to automatically update itself to stay effective against the latest virus threats.
Additional Anti-Virus Advice
- Don't open strange file attachments.
- Avoid high risk activities such as downloading music and software ("warez") illegally.
- Use common sense.
