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AntiVirus-OldIMPORTANT NOTE: This page documents anti-virus procedures used until March 30, 2006. Please see here after that date. UTORmail: Virus FilteringOverview In order to reduce the amount of virus laden e-mail reaching your Inbox every day, Computing and Networking Services (CNS) has installed an anti-virus filter at the UTORmail postoffice. The filter will remove all attachments that may contain a virus, and replace each attachment with advisory text explaining what happened. Removal of the attachment neutralizes the virus preventing infection and further propogation. The Subject line of these messages will also be altered to include the special tag "[PMX:suspect attachment]". Adding the special tag will help you to quickly identify affected messages. The resulting message is then delivered to your junk-mail folder. Messages older than seven days will be regularly deleted from your junk-mail folder. You must regularly check your junk-mail folder for good messages that were misclassifiedand move them to your inbox. IMPORTANT NOTE: Only messages from other post offices are filtered. Messages sent from one UTORmail customer to another using a campus network connection or UTORdial are NOT filtered. If you receive a virus internally, please report the virus to security.admin@utoronto.ca . You will need to send the security administrator the full header of the message in question. The full header is required in order to track the message's point of origin. Instructions for viewing the full header of a message are available under the E-mail Security section of UTORprotect. Frequently Asked Questions What are viruses and where do they come from? Why is an email virus filter at the post office necessary? If CNS is filtering viruses at the postoffice, do I still need to run anti-virus software on my computer? Do you notify the sender(s) of removed attachments? What if someone needs to send me a legitimate attachment? I need the attachment to arrive intact. Is anti-virus filtering the same as anti-spam filtering? \\ No. Spam is unsolicited email, often called junk mail. It is generally commercial in nature and considered a high volume nuisance. A virus, on the other hand, is considered 'malicious code' and is typically designed to cause harm to the recipient's computer. The only thing spam and viruses have in common is that both get filtered to your junk-mail folder. For more information on anti-spam filtering, please visit the UTORmail anti-spam page. If both spam messages and messages with virus attachments are filtered to my junk-mail folder, how do I tell the difference? I can't find my junk-mail folder! What happens if I accidentally delete my junk-mail folder? Will my other email addresses also be filtered? \\ The anti-virus filter function only works on email handled by UTORmail. At present, only email arriving to addresses ending in @utoronto.ca can be filtered. Some departments run their own email systems independent of UTORmail. Messages going directly to such systems are not affected by this filter. If I forward mail from my UTORmail address to another address, will viruses be filtered? \\ Yes, any suspected viral attachments will be removed, replaced with the advisory text and forwarded to your designated address. What happens to anti-virus filtering when I go on vacation and set my auto-reply? Will email be delayed as a result of the filtering? What if my email program is configured to use POP instead of IMAP? Are any other Universities also blocking attachments? Yes, here are some examples: Blocking Unsafe E-mail Attachments - University of Denver E-mail Filtering - Seattle Pacific University Attachments that are blocked from e-mail accounts - Indiana University Blocked Email Attachments - Rutgers University Blocking File Attachments - University of Washington I am technical staff, technically advanced or just curious about how the anti-virus filter works - where can I find more information? |