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Enforced Client Product Guide Using the Virus and Spyware Protection Service
Scanning client computers
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Scanning client computers
The virus and spyware protection service safeguards computers by automatically scanning for
viruses and spyware. At any time, users can perform manual scans of files, folders, or email, and
administrators can set up scheduled scans.
Scan automatically (on-access scans)
Scan manually (on-demand scans)
Schedule on-demand scans
Scan email
Scan for spyware
The behavior of the scanning features on client computers is defined in the policies that you
configure using the SecurityCenter. Policy settings determine the types of files, programs, and
other items detected; whether users can manage their detections; how frequently computers
check for updates; and when scheduled scans occur. See
Configuring policies for virus and
spyware protection on page 95 for instructions on configuring these settings in policies.
Scan automatically (on-access scans)
The virus and spyware protection service scans files and folders on client computers whenever
they are accessed, which is referred to as an on-access scan.
The default on-access scanning policy is:
All types of files are scanned when opened, and again when closed (if they were modified).
All email attachments are scanned when accessed and when saved to the hard drive,
protecting the computer from email infections.
Programs are scanned for spyware identifiers, to detect if a spyware program attempts to run
or a program attempts to install spyware.
To customize on-access scans, administrators can:
Exclude certain folders, file types, or programs from on-access scanning by configuring the
virus and spyware protection settings in policies (see Specify approved programs on
page 101).
Select an option to scan only files meeting the current file extension criteria specified in the
detection definition (
DAT) files (see Set advanced virus protection options on page 97).
Select an option to scan compressed archives (see Set advanced virus protection options on
page 97).
Specify other options for scanning email attachments and spyware (see Configuring policies
for virus and spyware protection on page 95).
How detections are handled