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rMBP: got 2 viruses through email that ClamXav only quarantined

I right-clicked on an e-mail to delete it because it was an obvious scam. Instead of deleting it, it opened. ClamXav quarantined it but I want it completely removed. ClamXav shows the two viruses as, “F.B.I. scam email.” I need to run a back up on an external drive but don’t want the virus to transfer to it. Norton 360 has always done well on my pc’s. Does anyone have any experience with Norton on Macs? I don’t mind paying for anti-virus. Thanks, in advance.

MacBook Pro with Retina display, Mac OS X (10.7.5)

Posted on Apr 13, 2014 1:12 PM

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Posted on Apr 13, 2014 1:20 PM

Norton is a total waste on Macs.


All it does on Macs is cause problems and eat up resources.


I strongly recommend against its use on Macs.


Allan

4 replies

Apr 13, 2014 3:39 PM in response to 05.56er

For fastest, most efficient answers to questions such as these always visit the ClamXav Forum first.

05.56er wrote:


I right-clicked on an e-mail to delete it because it was an obvious scam. Instead of deleting it, it opened. ClamXav quarantined it but I want it completely removed.

You should have just deleted it after it opened, read and determined it was not something you needed.


Never use ClamXav (or any other A-V software) to move (quarantine) or delete e-mail. It will corrupt the mailbox index which could cause loss of other e-mail and other issues with functions such as searching. It may also leave the original e-mail on your ISP's e-mail server and will be re-downloaded to your hard drive the next time you check for new mail.


So, if you choose to "Scan e-mail content for malware and phishing" in the General Preferences, make sure you do not elect to either Quarantine or Delete infected files.


When possibly infected e-mail files are found:

  • Highlight the entry in the ClamXav window's top pane that needs to be dealt with.
  • Right-click/Control-click on the entry.
  • Select "Reveal In Finder" from the pop-up menu.
  • When the window opens, double-click on the file to open the message in your e-mail client application.
  • Read the message and if you agree that it is junk/spam/phishing then note the date and subject of the message and close the e-mail window. Now, using your e-mail client, locate that message in whatever mailbox folder it was found in and delete the message using the delete button. Reading it is especially important when the word "Heuristics" appears in the infection name.If you disagree and choose to retain the message, return to ClamXav and choose "Exclude From Future Scans" from the pop-up menu.
  • If this is a g-mail account and those messages continue to show up after you have deleted them in the above manner, you may need to log in to webmail using your browser, go to the "All Mail" folder, find the message(s) and use the delete button there to permanently delete them from the server. Then check the "Trash" folder and delete them there.


To fix the corrupted mailbox index(es), highlight each one that was corrupted and choose "Rebuild" from the Mailbox menu.


Reading an e-mail would not have infected your computer. You would have had to launch an attachment or click a link taking you to an infected site for anything to have come occurred.

rMBP: got 2 viruses through email that ClamXav only quarantined

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