McAfee VIRUSSCAN 4.5 - Service manual

McAfee VirusScan
Administrator’s Guide
Version 4.5

COPYRIGHT
Copyright © 1998-2000 Networks Associates Technology, Inc. All Rights Reserved. No part of
this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or
translated into any language in any form or by any means without the written permission of
Networks Associates Technology, Inc., or its suppliers or affiliate companies.
TRADEMARK ATTRIBUTIONS
* ActiveHelp, Bomb Shelter, Building a World of Trust, CipherLink, Clean-Up, Cloaking, CNX,
Compass 7, CyberCop, CyberMedia, Data Security Letter, Discover, Distributed Sniffer System, Dr
Solomon’s, Enterprise Secure Cast, First Aid, ForceField, Gauntlet, GMT, GroupShield, HelpDesk,
Hunter, ISDN Tel/Scope, LM 1, LANGuru, Leading Help Desk Technology, Magic Solutions,
MagicSpy, MagicTree, Magic University, MagicWin, MagicWord, McAfee, McAfee Associates,
MoneyMagic, More Power To You, Multimedia Cloaking, NetCrypto, NetOctopus, NetRoom,
NetScan, Net Shield, NetShield, NetStalker, Net Tools, Network Associates, Network General, Network
Uptime!, NetXRay, Nuts & Bolts, PC Medic, PCNotary, PGP, PGP (Pretty Good Privacy),
PocketScope, Pop-Up, PowerTelnet, Pretty Good Privacy, PrimeSupport, RecoverKey,
RecoverKey-International, ReportMagic, RingFence, Router PM, Safe & Sound, SalesMagic,
SecureCast, Service Level Manager, ServiceMagic, Site Meter, Sniffer, SniffMaster, SniffNet, Stalker,
Statistical Information Retrieval (SIR), SupportMagic, Switch PM, TeleSniffer, TIS, TMach, TMeg,
Total Network Security, Total Network Visibility, Total Service Desk, Total Virus Defense, T-POD,
Trusted Mach, Trusted Mail, Uninstaller, Virex, Virex-PC, Virus Forum, ViruScan, VirusScan,
VShield, WebScan, WebShield, WebSniffer, WebStalker WebWall, and ZAC 2000 are registered
trademarks of Network Associates and/or its affiliates in the US and/or other countries. All
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LICENSE AGREEMENT
NOTICE TO ALL USERS: FOR THE SPECIFIC TERMS OF YOUR LICENSE TO USE THE
SOFTWARE THAT THIS DOCUMENTATION DESCRIBES, CONSULT THE README.1ST,
LICENSE.TXT, OR OTHER LICENSE DOCUMENT THAT ACCOMPANIES YOUR
SOFTWARE, EITHER AS A TEXT FILE OR AS PART OF THE SOFTWARE PACKAGING. IF
YOU DO NOT AGREE TO ALL OF THE TERMS SET FORTH THEREIN, DO NOT INSTALL
THE SOFTWARE. IF APPLICABLE, YOU MAY RETURN THE PRODUCT TO THE PLACE OF
PURCHASE FOR A FULL REFUND.
Issued March 2000/VirusScan v4.5 Anti-Virus Software

Administrator’s Guide iii
Table of Contents
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
Anti-virus protection as information security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vii
Information security as a business necessity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .x
Active Virus Defense security perimeters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
McAfee anti-virus research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii
How to contact McAfee and Network Associates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiv
Customer service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiv
Technical support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xv
Download support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvi
Network Associates training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvi
Comments and feedback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvi
Reporting new items for anti-virus data file updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xvii
International contact information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xviii
Chapter 1. About VirusScan Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Introducing VirusScan anti-virus software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
How does VirusScan software work? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
What comes with VirusScan software? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
What’s new in this release? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Chapter 2. Installing VirusScan Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Before you begin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
System requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
Installing VirusScan software on a local computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
Installation steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
Using the Emergency Disk Creation utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
Determining when you must restart your computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
Testing your installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
Modifying or removing your local VirusScan installation . . . . . . . . . . .55

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iv McAfee VirusScan Anti-Virus Software
Installing VirusScan software on other computers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
Using Active Directory and Group Policies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
Installing VirusScan software using command-line options . . . . . . . . .58
Using Management Edition software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65
Using ePolicy Orchestrator to deploy VirusScan software . . . . . . . . . .66
Installing via System Management Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
Installing via Tivoli IT Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
Installing via ZENworks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68
Exporting VirusScan custom settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68
Chapter 3. Removing Infections From Your System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
If you suspect you have a virus... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71
Deciding when to scan for viruses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74
Recognizing when you don’t have a virus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75
Understanding false detections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76
Responding to viruses or malicious software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77
Submitting a virus sample . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88
Using the SendVirus utility to submit a file sample . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88
Capturing boot sector, file-infecting, and macro viruses . . . . . . . . . . . .91
Chapter 4. Using VirusScan Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Using the VShield scanner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97
Using the VirusScan application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97
Scheduling scan tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98
Using specialized scanning tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98
Chapter 5. Sending Alert Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Using the Alert Manager Client Configuration utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99
VirusScan software as an Alert Manager Client . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100
Configuring the Alert Manager Client utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100
Chapter 6. Updating and Upgrading VirusScan Software . . . . . . . . . . 105
Developing an updating strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105
Update and upgrade methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106
Understanding the AutoUpdate utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108
Configuring the AutoUpdate Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109

Administrator’s Guide v
Table of Contents
Understanding the AutoUpgrade utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118
Configuring the AutoUpgrade utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119
Using the AutoUpgrade and SuperDAT utilities together . . . . . . . . . .128
Deploying an EXTRA.DAT file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .130
Appendix A. Using VirusScan Administrative Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Understanding the VirusScan control panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133
Opening the VirusScan control panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133
Choosing VirusScan control panel options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .134
Appendix B. Installed Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
What’s in this appendix? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .137
VShield scanner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .137
Dependent and related files for the VirusScan application . . . . . . . . .143
Alert Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .146
VirusScan control panel files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .147
ScreenScan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .148
VirusScan Emergency Disk files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150
Dependent and related files for the E-Mail Scan extension . . . . . . . . .152
Appendix C. Using VirusScan Command-line Options . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Adding advanced VirusScan engine options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .155
Running the VirusScan Command Line program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .155
Running the on-demand scanner with command-line arguments . . . . . . . .164
Appendix D. Using the SecureCast Service to Get New Data Files . . 171
Introducing the SecureCast service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .171
Why should I update my data files? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .172
Which data files does the SecureCast service deliver? . . . . . . . . . . . .172
Installing the BackWeb client and SecureCast service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .173
System requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .173
Troubleshooting the Enterprise SecureCast service . . . . . . . . . . . . . .183
Unsubscribing from the SecureCast service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .183
Support resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .183
SecureCast service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .183
BackWeb client . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .184

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vi McAfee VirusScan Anti-Virus Software
Appendix E. Network Associates Support Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Adding value to your McAfee product . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .185
PrimeSupport options for corporate customers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .185
Ordering a corporate PrimeSupport plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .188
PrimeSupport options for home users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .190
How to reach international home user support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .192
Ordering a PrimeSupport plan for home users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .192
Network Associates consulting and training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .193
Professional Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .193
Total Education Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .194
Appendix F. Understanding iDAT Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Understanding incremental .DAT files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .195
How does iDAT updating work? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .196
What does McAfee post each week? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .197
Best practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .198
Frequently asked questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .199
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201

Administrator’s Guide vii
Preface
Anti-virus protection as information security
“The world changed [on March 26, 1999]—does anyone doubt that? The world
is different. Melissa proved that ... and we are very fortunate ... the world
could have gone very close to meltdown.”
—Padgett Peterson, Chief Info Security Architect, Lockheed Martin Corporation,
on the 1999 “Melissa”virus epidemic
By the end of the 1990s, many information technology professionals had
begun to recognize that they could not easily separate how they needed to
respond to new virus threats from how they already dealt with deliberate
network security breaches. Dorothy Denning, co-editor of the 1998 computer
security handbook Internet Besieged: Countering Cyberspace Scofflaws, explicitly
grouped anti-virus security measures in with other network security
measures, classifying them as a defense against malicious “injected code.”
Denning justified her inclusive grouping on based on her definition of
information security as “the effective use of safeguards to protect the
confidentiality, integrity, authenticity, availability, and non-repudiation of
information and information processing systems.”Virus payloads had always
threatened or damaged data integrity, but by the time she wrote her survey
article, newer viruses had already begun to mount sophisticated attacks that
struck at the remaining underpinnings of information security. Denning’s
classification recognized that newer viruses no longer merely annoyed system
administrators or posed a relatively low-grade threat; they had in fact
graduated to become a serious hazard.
Though not targeted with as much precision as an unauthorized network
intrusion, virus attacks had begun to take on the color of deliberate
information warfare. Consider these examples, many of which introduced
quickly-copied innovations to the virus writer’s repertoire:
•W32/CIH.Spacefiller destroyed the flash BIOS in workstations it infected,
effectively preventing them from booting. It also overwrote parts of the
infected hard disk with garbage data.
•XM/Compat.A rewrote the data inside Microsoft Excel spreadsheet files. It
used advanced polymorphic concealment techniques, which meant that
with each infection it changed the signature bytes that indicated its
presence and allowed anti-virus scanners to find it.

Preface
viii McAfee VirusScan Anti-Virus Software
•W32/Ska, though technically a worm, replaced the infected computer’s
WinSock file so that it could attach itself to outgoing Simple Mail Transfer
Protocol (SMTP) messages and postings to USENET news groups. This
strategy made it commonplace in many areas.
•Remote Explorer stole the security privileges of a Windows NT domain
administrator and used them to install itself as a Windows NT Service. It
also deposited copies of itself in the Windows NT driver directory and
carried with it a supporting Dynamic Link Library (.DLL) file that allowed
it to randomly encrypt data files. Because it appeared almost exclusively at
one corporate site, security experts speculated that it was a deliberate,
targeted attack on the unfortunate company’s network integrity.
•Back Orifice, the product of a group calling itself the Cult of the Dead Cow,
purported to give the owner of the client portion of the Back Orifice
application complete remote access to any Windows 95 or Windows 98
workstation that runs the concealed companion server. That access—from
anywhere on the Internet—allowed the client to capture keystrokes; open,
copy, delete, or run files; transmit screen captures; and restart, crash, or
shut down the infected computer. To add insult to injury, early Back
Orifice releases on CD-ROM carried a W32/CIH.Spacefiller infection.
Throughout much of 1999, virus and worm attacks suddenly stepped up in
intensity and in the public eye. Part of the reason for this, of course, is that
many of the more notorious viruses and worms took full advantage of the
Internet, beginning a long-predicted assault by flooding e-mail transmissions,
websites, newsgroups and other available channels at an almost exponential
rate of growth. They now bullied their way into network environments,
spreading quickly and leaving a costly trail of havoc behind them.
W97M/Melissa, the “Melissa”virus, jolted most corporate information
technology departments out of whatever remaining complacency they had
held onto in the face of the newer virus strains. Melissa brought corporate
e-mail servers down across the United States and elsewhere when it struck in
March 1999. Melissa instructed e-mail client programs to send out infected
e-mail messages to the first 50 entries in each target computer’s address book.
This transformed a simple macro virus infection with no real payload into an
effective denial-of-service attack on mail servers.
Melissa’s other principle innovation was its direct attempt to play on end-user
psychology: it forged an e-mail message from a sender the recipient knew, and
sent it with a subject line that urged that recipient to open both the message
and the attached file. In this way, Melissa almost made the need for viral code
to spread itself obsolete—end users themselves cooperated in its propagation,
and their own computers blindly participated.

Administrator’s Guide ix
Preface
A rash of Melissa variants and copycats appeared soon after. Some, such as
W97M/Prilissa, included destructive payloads. Later the same year, a number
of new viruses and worms either demonstrated novel or unexpected ways to
get into networks and compromise information security, or actually
perpetuated attacks. Examples included:
•W32/ExploreZip.worm and its variants, which used some of Melissa’s
techniques to spread, initially through e-mail. After it successfully infected
a host machine, ExploreZip searched for unsecured network shares and
quietly copied itself throughout a network. It carried a destructive payload
that erased various Windows system files and Microsoft Office documents,
replacing them with an unrecoverable zero-byte-length files.
•W32/Pretty.worm, which did Melissa one better by sending itself to every
entry in the infected computer’s MAPI address book. It also connected to
an Internet Relay Chat (IRC) server, joined a particular IRC channel, then
opened a path to receive commands via the IRC connection. This
potentially allowed those on the channel to siphon information from the
infected computer, including the computer name and owner’s name, his or
her dial-up networking user name and password, and the path to the
system root directory.
•W32/FunLove.4099, which infected ActiveX .OCX files, among others.
This meant that it could lurk on web pages with ActiveX content, and infect
systems with low or nonexistent browser security settings as they
downloaded pages to their hard disks. If a Windows NT computer user
had logged into a system with administrative rights, the infecting virus
would patch two critical system files that gave all users on the network
—including the virus—administrative rights to all files on the target
computer. It spread further within the network by attaching itself to files
with the extensions .SCR, .OCX, and .EXE.
•VBS/Bubbleboy, a proof-of-concept demonstration that showed that a
virus could infect target computers directly from e-mail messages
themselves, without needing to propagate through message attachments.
It effectively circumvented desktop anti-virus protection altogether, at
least initially. Its combination of HTML and VBScript exploited existing
vulnerabilities in Internet-enabled mail systems; its author played upon the
same end-user psychology that made Melissa successful.
The other remarkable development in the year was the degree to which virus
writers copied, fused, and extended each others’techniques. This cross-
pollination had always occurred previously, but the speed at which it took
place and the increasing sophistication of the tools and techniques that became
available during this period prepared very fertile ground for a nervously
awaited bumper crop of intricate viruses.

Preface
x McAfee VirusScan Anti-Virus Software
Information security as a business necessity
Coincidentally or not, these darkly inventive new virus attacks and speedy
propagation methods appeared as more businesses made the transition to
Internet-based information systems and electronic commerce operations. The
convenience and efficiency that the Internet brought to business saved money
and increased profits. This probably also made these same businesses
attractive targets for pranksters, the hacker underground, and those intent on
striking at their favored targets.
Previously, the chief costs from a virus attack were the time and money it took
to combat an infection and restore computer systems to working order. To
those costs the new types of virus attacks now added the costs of lost
productivity, network and server downtime, service denials for e-mail and
other critical business tools, exposure—and perhaps widespread distribution
—of confidential information, and other ills.
Ultimately, the qualifying differences between a hacker-directed security
breach in a network and a security breach that results from a virus attack
might become merely ones of intent and method, not results. Already new
attacks have shaken the foundations of Net-enabled businesses, many of
which require 24-hour availability for networks and e-mail, high data
integrity, confidential customer lists, secure credit card data and purchase
verification, reliable communications, and hundreds of other computer-aided
transactional details. The costs from these virus attacks in the digital economy
now cut directly into the bottom line.
Because they do, protecting that bottom line means implementing a total
solution for information and network security—one that includes
comprehensive anti-virus protection. It’s not enough to rely only on
desktop-based anti-virus protection, or on haphazard or ad hoc security
measures. The best defense requires sealing all potential points by which
viruses can enter or attack your network, from the firewall and gateway down
to the individual workstation, and keeping the anti-virus sentries at those
points updated and current.
Part of the solution is deploying the McAfee Active Virus Defense* software
suite, which provides a comprehensive, multi-platform series of defensive
perimeters for your network. You can also build on that security with the
McAfee Active Security suite, which allows you to monitor your network
against intrusions, watch actual network packet traffic, and encrypt e-mail and
network transmissions. But even with anti-virus and security software
installed, new and previously unidentified viruses will inevitably find their
way into your network. That’s where the other part of the equation comes in:
a thorough, easy-to-follow anti-virus security policy and set of practices for
your enterprise—in the last analysis, only that can help to stop a virus attack
before it becomes a virus epidemic.

Administrator’s Guide xi
Preface
Active Virus Defense security perimeters
The McAfee Active Virus Defense product suite exists for one simple reason:
there is no such thing as too much anti-virus protection for the modern,
automated enterprise. Although at first glance it might seem needlessly
redundant to protect all of your desktop computers, file and network servers,
gateways, e-mail servers and firewalls, each of these network nodes serves a
different function in your network, and has different duties. An anti-virus
scanner designed to keep a production workstation virus-free, for example,
can’t intercept viruses that flood e-mail servers and effectively deny their
services. Nor would you want to make a file server responsible for
continuously scanning its client workstations—the cost in network bandwidth
would be too high.
More to the point, each node’s specialized functions mean that viruses infect
them in different ways that, in turn, call for optimized anti-virus solutions.
Viruses and other malicious code can enter your network from a variety of
sources—floppy disks and CD-ROMs, e-mail attachments, downloaded files,
and Internet sites, for example. These unpredictable points of entry mean that
infecting agents can slip through the chinks in incomplete anti-virus armor.
Desktop workstations, for example, can spread viruses by any of a variety of
means—via floppy disks, by downloading them from the Internet, by
mapping server shares or other workstations’hard disks. E-mail servers, by
contrast, rarely use floppy disks and tend not to use mapped drives—the
Melissa virus showed, however, that they are quite vulnerable to e-mail–borne
infections, even if they don’t execute the virus code themselves.
At the desktop: VirusScan software
The McAfee Active Virus Defense product suite matches each point of
vulnerability with a specialized, and optimized, anti-virus application. At the
desktop level, the cornerstone of the suite is the VirusScan anti-virus product.
VirusScan software protects some of your most vulnerable virus entry points
with an interlocking set of scanners, utilities, and support files that allow it to
cover:
•Local hard disks, floppy disks, CD-ROMs, and other removable media. The
VShield scanner resides in memory, waiting for local file access of any sort.
As soon as one of your network users opens, runs, copies, saves, renames,
or sets attributes for any file on their system—even from mapped network
drives—the VShield scanner examines it for infections.
You can supplement this continuous protection with scan operations you
configure and schedule for your own needs. Comprehensive security
options let you protect individual options with a password, or run the
entire application in secure mode to lock out all unauthorized access.

Preface
xii McAfee VirusScan Anti-Virus Software
•System memory, boot sectors, and master boot records. You can configure
regularly scheduled scan operations that examine these favorite virus
hideouts, or set up periodic operations whenever a threat seems likely.
•Microsoft Exchange mailboxes. VirusScan software includes a specialized
E-Mail Scan extension that assumes your network user’s Microsoft
Exchange or Outlook identity to scan his or her mailbox directly—before
viruses get downloaded to the local workstation. This can prevent some
Melissa-style infections and avoid infections from the next generation of
VBS/Bubbleboy descendants.
•Internet mail and file downloads. The VShield scanner includes two
modules that specialize in intercepting SMTP and POP-3 e-mail messages,
and that can examine files your network users download from Internet
sites. The E-Mail Scan and Download Scan modules work together to scan
the stream of file traffic that most workstations generate and receive daily.
•Hostile code. The Olympus scan engine at the heart of VirusScan software
routinely looks for suspicious script code, macro code, known Trojan horse
programs—even virus jokes or hoaxes. With the help of the VShield
Internet Filter module, it also blocks hostile ActiveX and Java objects, many
of which can lurk unnoticed on websites, waiting to deploy sophisticated
virus-like payloads. The Internet Filter module can even block entire
websites, preventing network users from visiting sites that pose a threat to
network integrity.
VirusScan software ties these powerful scanning capabilities together with a
powerful set of alerting, updating, and management tools. These include:
•Alert Manager client configuration. VirusScan software includes a client
configuration utility you can use to have it pass alert messages directly to
Alert Manager servers on your network, to a Centralized Alerting share, or
to a Desktop Management Interface administrative application. Other alert
methods include local custom messages and beeps, detection alerts and
response options, and e-mail alert messages.
•Next-generation AutoUpdate and AutoUpgrade utilities. AutoUpdate v4.5
features complete and transparent support for new incremental .DAT file
updates, which save you time and network bandwidth by adding only
virus definitions you don’t already have installed on your system. The new
AutoUpgrade version includes support for v1.2 of the McAfee SuperDAT
utility, which you can use to update the Olympus scan engine and its
support files.
•Integration with McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator management software.
Centralized anti-virus management takes a quantum leap forward with
this highly scalable management tool. VirusScan software ships with a
plug-in library file that works with the ePolicy Orchestrator server to
enforce enterprise-wide network security policies.

Administrator’s Guide xiii
Preface
You can use ePolicy Orchestrator to configure, update, distribute and
manage VirusScan installations at the group, workstation or user level.
Schedule and run scan tasks, change configurations, update .DAT and
engine files—all from a central console.
Taken together, the Active Virus Defense suite forms a tight series of anti-virus
security perimeters around your network that protect you against both
external and internal sources of infection. Those perimeters, correctly
configured and implemented in conjunction with a clear enterprise-wide
anti-virus security policy, do indeed offer useful redundancy, but their chief
benefit lies in their ability to stop viruses as they enter your network, without
your having to await a tardy or accidental discovery. Early detection contains
infections, saves on the costs of virus eradication, and in many cases can
prevent a destructive virus payload from triggering.
McAfee anti-virus research
Even the best anti-virus software is only as good as its latest update. Because
as many as 200 to 300 viruses and variants appear each month, the .DAT files
that enable McAfee software to detect and remove viruses can get quickly
outdated. If you have not updated the files that originally came with your
software, you could risk infection from newly emerging viruses. McAfee has,
however, assembled the world’s largest and most experienced anti-virus
research staff in its Anti-Virus Emergency Response Team (AVERT)*. This
premier anti-virus research organization has a worldwide reach and a “follow
the sun”coverage policy, that ensures that you get the files you need to combat
new viruses as soon as—and often before—you need them. You can take
advantage of many of the direct products of this research by visiting the
AVERT research site on the Network Associates website:
http://www.nai.com/asp_set/anti_virus/introduction/default.asp
Contact your McAfee representative, or visit the McAfee website, to find out
how to enlist the power of the Active Virus Defense security solution on your
side:
http://www.mcafeeb2b.com/

Preface
xiv McAfee VirusScan Anti-Virus Software
How to contact McAfee and Network Associates
Customer service
On December 1, 1997, McAfee Associates merged with Network General
Corporation, Pretty Good Privacy, Inc., and Helix Software, Inc. to form
Network Associates, Inc. The combined Company subsequently acquired Dr
Solomon’s Software, Trusted Information Systems, Magic Solutions, and
CyberMedia, Inc.
A January 2000 company reorganization formed four independent business
units, each concerned with a particular product line. These are:
•Magic Solutions. This division supplies the Total Service desk product line
and related products
•McAfee. This division provides the Active Virus Defense product suite
and related anti-virus software solutions to corporate and retail customers.
•PGP Security. This division provides award-winning encryption and
security solutions, including the PGP data security and encryption product
line, the Gauntlet firewall product line, the WebShield E-ppliance
hardware line, and the CyberCop Scanner and Monitor product series.
•Sniffer Technologies. This division supplies the industry-leading Sniffer
network monitoring, reporting, and analysis utility and related software.
Network Associates continues to market and support the product lines from
each of the new independent business units. You may direct all questions,
comments, or requests concerning the software you purchased, your
registration status, or similar issues to the Network Associates Customer
Service department at the following address:
Network Associates Customer Service
4099 McEwan, Suite 500
Dallas, Texas 75244
U.S.A.
The department's hours of operation are 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Central Time,
Monday through Friday
Other contact information for corporate-licensed customers:
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone] (24-hour, Group III fax)
E-Mail: [e-mail]
Web: http://www.nai.com

Administrator’s Guide xv
Preface
Other contact information for retail-licensed customers:
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone] (24-hour, Group III fax)
E-Mail: [e-mail]
Web: http://www.mcafee.com/
Technical support
McAfee and Network Associates are famous for their dedication to customer
satisfaction. The companies have continued this tradition by making their sites
on the World Wide Web valuable resources for answers to technical support
issues. McAfee encourages you to make this your first stop for answers to
frequently asked questions, for updates to McAfee and Network Associates
software, and for access to news and virus information.
If you do not find what you need or do not have web access, try one of our
automated services.
If the automated services do not have the answers you need, contact Network
Associates at one of the following numbers Monday through Friday between
8:00 A.M. and 8:00 P.M. Central time to find out about Network Associates
technical support plans.
For corporate-licensed customers:
For retail-licensed customers:
This guide includes a summary of the PrimeSupport plans available to
McAfee customers. To learn more about plan features and other details, see
Appendix E, “Network Associates Support Services.”
World Wide Web http://www.nai.com/asp_set/services/technical_support
/tech_intro.asp
Internet [e-mail]
CompuServe GO NAI
America Online keyword MCAFEE
Phone [phone]
Fax [phone]
Phone [phone]
Fax [phone]

Preface
xvi McAfee VirusScan Anti-Virus Software
To provide the answers you need quickly and efficiently, the Network
Associates technical support staff needs some information about your
computer and your software. Please include this information in your
correspondence:
•Product name and version number
•Computer brand and model
•Any additional hardware or peripherals connected to your computer
•Operating system type and version numbers
•Network type and version, if applicable
•Contents of your AUTOEXEC.BAT, CONFIG.SYS, and system LOGIN
script
•Specific steps to reproduce the problem
Download support
To get help with navigating or downloading files from the Network Associates
or McAfee websites or FTP sites, call:
Network Associates training
For information about scheduling on-site training for any McAfee or Network
Associates product, call Network Associates Customer Service at:
[phone].
Comments and feedback
McAfee appreciates your comments and reserves the right to use any
information you supply in any way it believes appropriate without incurring
any obligation whatsoever. Please address your comments about McAfee
anti-virus product documentation to: McAfee, 20460 NW Von Neumann,
Beaverton, OR 97006-6942, U.S.A. You can also send faxed comments to
[phone] or e-mail to tvd_documentat[email protected]om.
Corporate customers [phone]
Retail customers [phone]

Administrator’s Guide xvii
Preface
Reporting new items for anti-virus data file updates
McAfee anti-virus software offers you the best available detection and
removal capabilities, including advanced heuristic scanning that can detect
new and unnamed viruses as they emerge. Occasionally, however, an entirely
new type of virus that is not a variation on an older type can appear on your
system and escape detection.
Because McAfee researchers are committed to providing you with effective
and up-to-date tools you can use to protect your system, please tell them about
any new Java classes, ActiveX controls, dangerous websites, or viruses that
your software does not now detect. Note that McAfee reserves the right to use
any information you supply as it deems appropriate, without incurring any
obligations whatsoever. Send your questions or virus samples to:
To report items to the McAfee European research office, use these e-mail
addresses:
To report items to the McAfee Asia-Pacific research office, or the office in
Japan, use one of these e-mail addresses:
[e-mail] Use this address to send questions or
virus samples to our North America
and South America offices
[e-mail] Use this address to send questions or
virus samples gathered with Dr
Solomon’s Anti-Virus Toolkit* software
to our offices in the United Kingdom
[e-mail] Use this address to send questions or
virus samples to our offices in Western
Europe
[e-mail] Use this address to send questions or
virus samples gathered with Dr
Solomon’s Anti-Virus Toolkit software
to our offices in Germany
[e-mail] Use this address to send questions or
virus samples to our offices in Japan
and East Asia
[e-mail] Use this address to send questions or
virus samples to our offices in Australia
and South East Asia

Preface
xviii McAfee VirusScan Anti-Virus Software
International contact information
To contact Network Associates outside the United States, use the addresses,
phone numbers and fax numbers below.
Network Associates
Australia
Level 1, 500 Pacific Highway
St. Leonards, NSW
Sydney, Australia 2065
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Network Associates
Austria
Pulvermuehlstrasse 17
Linz, Austria
Postal Code A-4040
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Network Associates
Belgique
BDC Heyzel Esplanade, boîte 43
1020 Bruxelles
Belgique
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Network Associates
do Brasil
Rua Geraldo Flausino Gomez 78
Cj. - 51 Brooklin Novo - São Paulo
SP - 04575-060 - Brasil
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Network Associates
Canada
139 Main Street, Suite 201
Unionville, Ontario
Canada L3R 2G6
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Network Associates
People’s Republic of China
New Century Office Tower, Room 1557
No. 6 Southern Road Capitol Gym
Beijing
People’s Republic of China 100044
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Network Associates Denmark
Lautruphoej 1-3
2750 Ballerup
Danmark
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
NA Network Associates Oy
Mikonkatu 9, 5. krs.
00100 Helsinki
Finland
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Administrator’s Guide xix
Preface
Network Associates
France S.A.
50 Rue de Londres
75008 Paris
France
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Network Associates
Deutschland GmbH
Ohmstraße 1
D-85716 Unterschleißheim
Deutschland
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Network Associates Hong Kong
19th Floor, Matheson Centre
3 Matheson Way
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong 63225
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Network Associates Srl
Centro Direzionale Summit
Palazzo D/1
Via Brescia, 28
20063 - Cernusco sul Naviglio (MI)
Italy
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Network Associates Japan, Inc.
Toranomon 33 Mori Bldg.
3-8-21 Toranomon Minato-Ku
Tokyo 105-0001 Japan
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Network Associates Latin America
1200 S. Pine Island Road, Suite 375
Plantation, Florida 33324
United States
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Network Associates
de Mexico
Andres Bello No. 10, 4 Piso
4th Floor
Col. Polanco
Mexico City, Mexico D.F. 11560
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Network Associates
International B.V.
Gatwickstraat 25
1043 GL Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Preface
xx McAfee VirusScan Anti-Virus Software
Network Associates
Portugal
Av. da Liberdade, 114
1269-046 Lisboa
Portugal
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Net Tools Network Associates
South Africa
Bardev House, St. Andrews
Meadowbrook Lane
Epson Downs, P.O. Box 7062
Bryanston, Johannesburg
South Africa 2021
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Network Associates
South East Asia
78 Shenton Way
#29-02
Singapore 079120
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Network Associates
Spain
Orense 4, 4aPlanta.
Edificio Trieste
28020 Madrid, Spain
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Network Associates Sweden
Datavägen 3A
Box 596
S-175 26 Järfälla
Sweden
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Network Associates AG
Baeulerwisenstrasse 3
8152 Glattbrugg
Switzerland
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Network Associates
Taiwan
Suite 6, 11F, No. 188, Sec. 5
Nan King E. Rd.
Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Network Associates
International Ltd.
227 Bath Road
Slough, Berkshire
SL1 5PP
United Kingdom
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]