User's Guide
Acronis Internet Security 2011
User's Guide
Publication date 2010.12.06
Copyright© 2010 Acronis
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Table of Contents
Getting Started ........................................................... 1
1. Overview ....... . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . 2
1.1. Opening Acronis Internet Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.2. System Tray Icon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.3. Scan Activity Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.3.1. Scan Files and Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.3.2. Disable/Restore Scan Activity Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.4. Automatic Device Detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2. Setting Up Acronis Internet Security 2011 . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 6
3. Main Application Window . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . 8
3.1. Basic View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
3.1.1. Status Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
3.1.2. Protect Your PC Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
3.1.3. Help Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
3.2. Intermediate View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
3.2.1. Dashboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
3.2.2. Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
3.2.3. File Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
3.2.4. Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
3.3. Expert View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
4. My Tools .. . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . 16
5. Alerts and Pop-ups . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... . . . 18
5.1. Antivirus Alerts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
5.2. Active Virus Control Alerts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
5.3. Device Detection Alerts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
5.4. Firewall Pop-ups and Alerts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
5.5. Antiphishing Alerts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
5.6. Parental Control Alert Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
5.7. Privacy Control Alerts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
5.7.1. Registry Alerts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
5.7.2. Script Alerts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
5.7.3. Cookie Alerts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
6. Fixing Issues . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... 24
6.1. Fix Issues Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
6.2. Configuring Status Alerts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
7. Configuring Main Settings . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . 27
7.1. Security Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
7.2. Alerts Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
7.3. General Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
8. History and Events ... . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 32
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Configuration and Management ................................... 33
9. General Settings . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . 34
10. Antivirus Protection . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . 38
10.1. Real-time Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
10.1.1. Adjusting the Real-time Protection Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
10.1.2. Creating a Custom Protection Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
10.1.3. Changing the Actions Taken on Detected Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
10.1.4. Restoring the Default Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
10.1.5. Configuring Active Virus Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
10.1.6. Configuring the Intrusion Detection System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
10.2. On-demand Scanning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
10.2.1. Scanning Files and Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
10.2.2. Antivirus Scan Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
10.2.3. Viewing Scan Logs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
10.2.4. Managing Existing Scan Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
10.3. Configuring Scan Exclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
10.3.1. Excluding Files or Folders from Scanning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
10.3.2. Excluding File Extensions from Scanning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
10.3.3. Managing Scan Exclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
10.4. Quarantine Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
11. Antiphishing Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . 60
11.1. Configuring the Antiphishing White List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
11.2. Managing the Acronis Internet Security Antiphishing Protection in Internet
Explorer and Firefox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
12. Search Advisor . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... . . . . . . . 63
12.1. Disabling Search Advisor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
13. Antispam ... . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . 64
13.1. Antispam Insights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
13.1.1. Antispam Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
13.1.2. Antispam Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
13.1.3. Antispam Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
13.1.4. Supported E-mail Clients and Protocols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
13.2. Antispam Optimization Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
13.3. Using the Antispam Toolbar in Your Mail Client Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
13.3.1. Indicating Detection Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
13.3.2. Indicating Undetected Spam Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
13.3.3. Retraining the Learning Engine (Bayesian) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
13.3.4. Saving and Loading Bayesian Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
13.3.5. Configuring General Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
13.4. Adjusting the Protection Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
13.5. Configuring the Friends List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
13.6. Configuring the Spammers List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
13.7. Configuring the Antispam Filters and Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
14. Parental Control . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
14.1. Configuring Parental Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
iv
14.1.1. Protecting Parental Control Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
14.1.2. Web Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
14.1.3. Application Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
14.1.4. Keywords Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
14.1.5. Instant Messaging (IM) Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
14.2. Monitoring Children Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
14.2.1. Checking the Parental Control Logs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
14.2.2. Configuring E-mail Notifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
15. Privacy Control . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . 88
15.1. Configuring Protection Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
15.2. Identity Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
15.2.1. About Identity Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
15.2.2. Configuring Identity Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
15.2.3. Managing Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
15.3. Registry Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
15.4. Cookie Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
15.5. Script Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
16. Firewall ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . 97
16.1. Protection Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
16.1.1. Setting the Default Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
16.1.2. Configuring Advanced Firewall Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
16.2. Application Access Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
16.2.1. Viewing Current Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
16.2.2. Adding Rules Automatically . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
16.2.3. Adding Rules Manually . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
16.2.4. Advanced Rule Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
16.2.5. Deleting and Reseting Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
16.3. Network Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
16.3.1. Network Zones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
16.4. Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
16.5. Connection Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
16.6. Troubleshooting Firewall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
17. Vulnerability . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
17.1. Checking for Vulnerabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
17.2. Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
17.3. Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
18. Chat Encryption . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... 112
18.1. Disabling Encryption for Specific Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
18.2. Acronis Internet Security Toolbar in the Chat Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
19. File Encryption . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . 114
19.1. Managing File Vaults From the Acronis Internet Security Interface . . . . . . . . . 114
19.1.1. Create Vault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
19.1.2. Open Vault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
19.1.3. Lock Vault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
19.1.4. Change Vault Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
19.1.5. Add Files to Vault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
v
19.1.6. Remove Files from Vault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
19.1.7. View Vault Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
19.1.8. Delete File Vault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
19.2. Managing File Vaults From Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
19.2.1. Create Vault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
19.2.2. Open Vault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
19.2.3. Lock Vault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
19.2.4. Add to File Vault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
19.2.5. Remove from File Vault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
19.2.6. Change Vault Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
20. Game / Laptop Mode .. . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . 125
20.1. Game Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
20.1.1. Configuring Automatic Game Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
20.1.2. Managing the Game List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
20.1.3. Adding or Editing Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
20.1.4. Configuring Game Mode Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
20.1.5. Changing Game Mode Hotkey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
20.2. Laptop Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
20.2.1. Configuring Laptop Mode Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
20.3. Silent Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
20.3.1. Configuring Full Screen Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
20.3.2. Configuring Silent Mode Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
21. Home Network . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . 131
21.1. Enabling the Acronis Internet Security Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
21.2. Adding Computers to the Acronis Internet Security Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
21.3. Managing the Acronis Internet Security Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
22. Update . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
22.1. Performing an Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
22.2. Configuring Update Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
22.2.1. Setting Update Locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
22.2.2. Configuring Automatic Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
22.2.3. Configuring Manual Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
22.2.4. Configuring Advanced Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
How To ................................................................... 139
23. How Do I Scan Files and Folders? . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... . 140
23.1. Using Windows Contextual Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
23.2. Using Scan Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
23.3. Using Scan Activity Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
24. How Do I Create a Custom Scan Task? . . . . . . .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... 142
25. How Do I Schedule a Computer Scan? . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... . . . 143
26. How Do I Use File Vaults? . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . 145
27. How Do I Create Windows User Accounts? . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . 147
vi
28. How Do I Update Acronis Internet Security Using a Proxy
Server? . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 148
Troubleshooting and Getting Help ............................... 149
29. Troubleshooting . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . 150
29.1. Scan Doesn't Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
29.2. I Can no Longer Use an Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
29.3. I Cannot Connect to the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
29.4. I Cannot Use a Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
29.5. I Cannot Share Files with Another Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
29.6. My Internet Is Slow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
29.7. How to Update Acronis Internet Security on a Slow Internet Connection . . . . 155
29.8. Acronis Internet Security Services Are Not Responding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
29.9. Antispam Filter Does Not Work Properly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
29.9.1. Legitimate Messages Are Marked as [spam] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
29.9.2. Many Spam Messages Are Not Detected . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
29.9.3. Antispam Filter Does Not Detect Any Spam Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
30. Removing Malware from Your System . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . 164
30.1. What to Do When Acronis Internet Security Finds Viruses on Your
Computer? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
30.2. If Your System Does Not Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
30.3. How Do I Clean a Virus in an Archive? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
30.4. How Do I Clean a Virus in an E-Mail Archive? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
30.5. What to Do When Acronis Internet Security Detected a Clean File as
Infected? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
30.6. How to Clean the Infected Files from System Volume Information . . . . . . . . . 168
30.7. What Are the Password-Protected Files in the Scan Log? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
30.8. What Are the Skipped Items in the Scan Log? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
30.9. What Are the Over-Compressed Files in the Scan Log? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
30.10. Why Did Acronis Internet Security Automatically Delete an Infected File? . . 170
31. Support . . . . . . . . . . . . .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . 171
32. Useful Information .. . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
32.1. How Do I Remove Other Security Solutions? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
32.2. How Do I Restart in Safe Mode? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
32.3. Am I Using a 32 bit or a 64 bit Version of Windows? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
32.4. How Do I Find Out My Proxy Settings? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
32.5. How Do I Enable / Disable the Real Time Protection? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
32.6. How Do I Display Hidden Objects in Windows? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Glossary . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . . . . . . . . . 176
vii
Getting Started
1
1. Overview
Once you have installed Acronis Internet Security 2011, your computer is protected
against all kinds of malware (such as viruses, spyware and trojans) and Internet
threats (such as hackers, phishing and spam).
However, you may want to take advantage of the Acronis Internet Security settings
to fine-tune and improve your protection. There are also some extra-features that
you may find useful. Start by setting up a usage profile as presented in “Setting Up
Acronis Internet Security 2011” (p. 6).
From time to time, you should open Acronis Internet Security and fix the existing
issues. You may have to configure specific Acronis Internet Security components
or take preventive actions to protect your computer and your data. If you want to,
you can configure Acronis Internet Security not to alert you about specific issues.
For detailed information, please refer to “Fixing Issues” (p. 24).
1.1. Opening Acronis Internet Security
To access the main interface of Acronis Internet Security 2011, use the Windows
Start menu, by following the path Start → All Programs → Acronis Backup and
Security 2011 → Acronis Internet Security 2011 → Acronis Internet Security
2011 or, quicker, double-click the Acronis Internet Security icon in the system
tray.
For more information on the main application window, please refer to “Main
Application Window” (p. 8).
1.2. System Tray Icon
To manage the entire product more quickly, you can use the Acronis Internet Security
icon in the system tray. If you double-click this icon, Acronis Internet Security will
open. Also, by right-clicking the icon, a contextual menu will allow you to quickly
manage the Acronis Internet Security product.
● Show - opens the main interface of Acronis
Internet Security.
● Help - opens the help file, which explains in detail
how to configure and use Acronis Internet Security
2011.
● About - opens a window where you can see
information about Acronis Internet Security and
where to look for help in case something
unexpected appears.
Tray Icon
Overview
2
● Fix All Issues - helps you remove current security vulnerabilities. If the option
is unavailable, there are no issues to be fixed. For detailed information, please
refer to “Fixing Issues” (p. 24).
● Turn Game Mode On / Off - activates / deactivates Game Mode.
● Update Now - starts an immediate update. A new window will appear where you
can see the update status.
● Preferences - opens a window where you can enable or disable the main product
settings and reconfigure your user profile. For more information, please refer to
“Configuring Main Settings” (p. 27).
The Acronis Internet Security system tray icon informs you when issues affect your
computer or how the product operates, by displaying a special symbol, as follows:
Red triangle with an exclamation mark: Critical issues affect the security of
your system. They require your immediate attention and must be fixed as soon as
possible.
Letter G: The product operates in Game Mode.
If Acronis Internet Security is not working, the system tray icon is grayed out .
This usually happens when the license key expires. It can also occur when the
Acronis Internet Security services are not responding or when other errors affect
the normal operation of Acronis Internet Security.
1.3. Scan Activity Bar
The Scan activity bar is a graphic visualization of the scanning activity on your
system. This small window is by default available only in Expert View.
Scan Activity Bar
The gray bars (the File Zone) show the number of scanned files per second, on a
scale from 0 to 50. The orange bars displayed in the Net Zone show the number
of Kbytes transferred (sent and received from the Internet) every second, on a scale
from 0 to 100.
Note
The Scan activity bar will notify you when real-time protection or the Firewall is
disabled by displaying a red cross over the corresponding area (File Zone or Net
Zone).
Overview
3
1.3.1. Scan Files and Folders
You can use the Scan activity bar to quickly scan files and folders. Drag the file or
folder you want to be scanned and drop it over the Scan Activity Bar as shown
below.
Drag File
Drop File
The Antivirus Scan wizard will appear and guide you through the scanning process.
Scanning options. The scanning options are pre-configured for the best detection
results. If infected files are detected, Acronis Internet Security will try to disinfect
them (remove the malware code). If disinfection fails, the Antivirus Scan wizard will
allow you to specify other actions to be taken on infected files. The scanning options
are standard and you cannot change them.
1.3.2. Disable/Restore Scan Activity Bar
When you no longer want to see the graphic visualization, just right-click it and
select Hide. To restore the Scan activity bar, follow these steps:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security.
2. Click the Options button in the upper-right corner of the window and select
Preferences.
3. In the General Settings category, use the switch corresponding to Scan Activity
Bar to enable it.
4. Click OK to save and apply the changes.
1.4. Automatic Device Detection
Acronis Internet Security automatically detects when you connect a removable
storage device to your computer and offers to scan it before you access its files.
Overview
4
This is recommended in order to prevent viruses and other malware from infecting
your computer.
Detected devices fall into one of these categories:
● CDs/DVDs
● USB storage devices, such as flash pens and external hard-drives
● mapped (remote) network drives
When such a device is detected, an alert window is displayed.
To scan the storage device, just click Yes. The Antivirus Scan wizard will appear
and guide you through the scanning process.
If you do not want to scan the device, you must click No. In this case, you may find
one of these options useful:
● Don't ask me again about this type of device - Acronis Internet Security will
no longer offer to scan storage devices of this type when they are connected to
your computer.
● Disable automatic device detection - You will no longer be prompted to scan
new storage devices when they are connected to the computer.
If you accidentally disabled automatic device detection and you want to enable it,
or if you want to configure its settings, follow these steps:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Antivirus>Virus Scan.
3. In the list of scan tasks, locate the Device Scanning task.
4. Right-click the task and select Properties. A new window will appear.
5. On the Overview tab, configure the scanning options as needed. For more
information, please refer to “Configuring Scan Settings” (p. 52).
6. On the Detection tab, choose which types of storage devices to be detected.
7. Click OK to save and apply the changes.
Overview
5
2. Setting Up Acronis Internet Security 2011
Acronis Internet Security 2011 allows you to easily configure its main settings and
user interface by setting up a usage profile. The usage profile reflects the main
activities performed on the computer. Depending on the usage profile, the product
interface is organized to allow easy access to your preferred tasks.
After installation, a default usage profile is applied.
To reconfigure the usage profile, follow these steps:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Preferences.
2. Click the Reconfigure Profile link.
3. Follow the configuration wizard. You can navigate through the wizard using the
Next and Back buttons. To exit the wizard, click Cancel.
a. Choose Your View
Select the preferred user interface view.
b. Configure My Tools
If you have selected Basic View or Intermediate View, choose the features you
would like to create shortcuts to on the Dashboard.
c. Configure Settings
If you have selected Expert View, configure the Acronis Internet Security
settings as needed. To turn on or off a setting, use the corresponding switch.
d. Set Up Parental Control
Note
This step appears only if you have added Parental Control to My Tools.
You can select one of three options:
● Set Parental Control on children accounts
Select this option to enable Parental Control on the Windows accounts
created for your children and manage it from the administrative account.
● Set Parental Control on current account
Select this option to enable Parental Control on the current Windows account.
This means you will not have to create separate accounts for your children,
but Parental Control rules will affect everyone using the current account.
Setting Up Acronis Internet Security 2011
6
In this case, a password is required to protect the Parental Control settings.
You can set it now or at a later time from the Acronis Internet Security
window.
● Skip setup for now
Select this option to configure this feature at a later time from the Acronis
Internet Security window.
e. Home Network Management
Note
This step appears only if you have added Home Network Management to My
Tools.
You can select one of three options:
● Set up this PC as "Server"
Select this option if you intend to manage Acronis Internet Security products
on other computers in the home network from this one.
A password is required to join the network. Enter the password in the
provided text boxes and click Submit.
● Set up this PC as "Client"
Select this option if Acronis Internet Security will be managed from another
computer in the home network which is also running Acronis Internet
Security.
A password is required to join the network. Enter the password in the
provided text boxes and clickSubmit.
● Skip setup for now
Select this option to configure this feature at a later time from the Acronis
Internet Security window.
f. Setup Complete
Click Finish.
Setting Up Acronis Internet Security 2011
7
3. Main Application Window
Acronis Internet Security 2011 meets the needs of computer beginners and very
technical people alike. Its graphical user interface is designed to suit each and every
category of users.
You can choose to view the user interface under any of three modes, depending on
your computer skills and on your previous experience with Acronis Internet Security.
Basic View
Suited for computer beginners and people who want Acronis Internet Security
to protect their computer and data without being bothered. This mode is simple
to use and requires minimal interaction on your side.
All you have to do is fix the existing issues when indicated by Acronis Internet
Security. An intuitive step-by-step wizard assists you in fixing issues. Additionally,
you can perform common tasks, such as updating the Acronis Internet Security
virus signature and product files or scanning the computer.
Intermediate View
Aimed at users with average computer skills, this interface extends what you
can do in Basic View.
You can fix issues separately and choose which issues to be monitored.
Moreover, you can manage remotely the Acronis Internet Security products
installed on the computers in your household.
Expert View
Suited for more technical users, this mode allows you to fully configure each
functionality of Acronis Internet Security. You can also use all tasks provided
to protect your computer and data.
To change the view mode:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security.
2. Click the Options button in the upper-right corner of the window.
3. Select the desired view mode from the menu.
3.1. Basic View
If you are a computer beginner, displaying the user interface in Basic View may be
the most adequate choice for you. This mode is simple to use and requires minimal
interaction on your side.
The window is organized into three main areas:
Status area
Status information is presented in the left side of the window.
Main Application Window
8
Protect Your PC area
This is where you can take the necessary actions to manage your protection.
Help area
This is where you can find out how to use Acronis Internet Security 2011 and
get help.
The Options button in the upper-right corner of the window allows you to change
the user interface view mode and to configure the main program settings.
In the bottom-right corner of the window, you can find several useful links.
DescriptionLink
View Logs
Allows you to see a detailed history of all tasks performed by
Acronis Internet Security on your system.
Click this link if you need help with Acronis Internet Security.Help and Support
Gives you access to a help file that shows you how to use
Acronis Internet Security.
3.1.1. Status Area
Status information is presented in the left side of the window.
● Security Status informs you of the issues that affect your computer's security
and helps you fix them. By clicking Fix All Issues, a wizard will help you easily
remove any threats to your computer and data security. For detailed information,
please refer to “Fixing Issues” (p. 24).
● License Status displays how many days are left until the license expires. If you
are using a trial version or if your license is going to expire, you can click Buy
Now to buy a license key.
3.1.2. Protect Your PC Area
This is where you can take the necessary actions to manage your protection.
Three buttons are available:
● Security provides you with shortcuts to security tasks and settings.
● Update Now helps you update the virus signature and product files of Acronis
Internet Security. A new window will appear where you can see the update status.
If updates are detected, they are automatically downloaded and installed on your
computer.
● My Tools allows you to create shortcuts to your favorite tasks and settings.
To perform a task or configure settings, click the corresponding button and choose
the desired tool from the menu. To add or remove shortcuts, click the corresponding
Main Application Window
9
button and choose More Options. For detailed information, please refer to “My
Tools” (p. 16).
3.1.3. Help Area
This is where you can find out how to use Acronis Internet Security 2011 and get
help.
Smart Tips are a fun and easy way to learn about computer security best practices
and how to use Acronis Internet Security 2011.
If you need help, type a keyword or a question in the Help and Support field and
click Search.
3.2. Intermediate View
Aimed at users with average computer skills, Intermediate View is a simple interface
that gives you access to all modules at a basic level. You'll have to keep track of
warnings and critical alerts and fix undesired issues.
The Intermediate View window is organized into several tabs.
Dashboard
The dashboard helps you easily monitor and manage your protection.
Security
Displays the status of the security settings and helps you fix detected issues.
You can run security tasks or configure security settings.
File Storage
Displays the status of File Encryption and allows you to manage your file vaults.
Network
Displays the Acronis Internet Security home network structure. This is where
you can perform various actions to configure and manage the Acronis Internet
Security products installed in your home network. In this way, you can manage
the security of your home network from a single computer.
The Options button in the upper-right corner of the window allows you to change
the user interface view mode and to configure the main program settings.
In the bottom-right corner of the window, you can find several useful links.
View Logs
Buy/Renew
Main Application Window
DescriptionLink
Allows you to see a detailed history of all tasks performed by
Acronis Internet Security on your system.
Helps you purchase a license key for your Acronis Internet
Security 2011 product.
10
DescriptionLink
Click this link if you need help with Acronis Internet Security.Help and Support
Gives you access to a help file that shows you how to use
Acronis Internet Security.
3.2.1. Dashboard
The dashboard helps you easily monitor and manage your protection.
The dashboard consists of the following sections:
● Status Details indicates the status of each main module using explicit sentences
and one of the following icons:
Green circle with a check mark: No issues affect the security status. Your
computer and data are protected.
Red circle with an exclamation mark: There are issues that affect the
security of your system. Critical issues require your immediate attention.
Non-critical issues should also be addressed as soon as possible.
Gray circle with an exclamation mark: The activity of this module's
components is not monitored. Thus, no information is available regarding their
security status. There may be specific issues related to this module.
Click the name of a module to see more details about its status and to configure
status tracking for its components.
● License Status displays how many days are left until the license expires. If you
are using a trial version or if your license is going to expire, you can click Buy
Now to buy a license key.
● My Tools allows you to create shortcuts to your favorite tasks and settings. For
detailed information, please refer to “My Tools” (p. 16).
● Smart Tips are a fun and easy way to learn about computer security best
practices and how to use Acronis Internet Security 2011.
3.2.2. Security
The Security tab allows you to manage the security of your computer and data.
“Status Area” (p. 11)
“Quick Tasks” (p. 12)
Status Area
The status area is where you can see the complete list of monitored security
components and their current status. By monitoring each security module, Acronis
Main Application Window
11
Internet Security will let you know not only when you configure settings that might
affect your computer's security, but also when you forget to do important tasks.
The current status of a component is indicated using explicit sentences and one of
the following icons:
Green circle with a check mark: No issues affect the component.
Red circle with an exclamation mark: Issues affect the component.
Just click the Fix button corresponding to a sentence to fix the reported issue. If an
issue is not fixed on the spot, follow the wizard to fix it.
To configure which components must be monitored:
1. Click Add/Edit List.
2. To turn on or off monitoring for a specific item, use the corresponding switch.
3. Click Close to save the changes and close the window.
Important
To ensure that your system is fully protected, enable tracking for all components and
fix all reported issues.
Quick Tasks
This is where you can find links to the most important security tasks:
● Update Now - starts an immediate update.
● Full System Scan - starts a standard scan of your computer (archives excluded).
For additional on-demand scan tasks, click the arrow on this button and select
a different scan task.
● Custom Scan - starts a wizard that lets you create and run a custom scan task.
● Vulnerability Scan - starts a wizard that checks your system for vulnerabilities
and helps you fix them.
● Parental Control - opens the Parental Control configuration window. For more
information, please refer to “Parental Control” (p. 77).
● Configure Firewall - opens a window where you can view and configure the
Firewall settings. For more information, please refer to “Firewall” (p. 97).
3.2.3. File Storage
In the File Storage tab, you can store your sensitive files in encrypted file vaults to
prevent them from being accessed by someone else.
“Status Area” (p. 13)
“Quick Tasks” (p. 13)
Main Application Window
12
Status Area
The current status of a component is indicated using explicit sentences and one of
the following icons:
Green circle with a check mark: No issues affect the component.
Red circle with an exclamation mark: Issues affect the component.
Just click the Fix button corresponding to a sentence to fix the reported issue.
To configure which components must be monitored:
1. Click Add/Edit List.
2. To turn on or off monitoring for a specific item, use the corresponding switch.
3. Click Close to save the changes and close the window.
Quick Tasks
The following buttons are available:
● Add File to Vault - starts the wizard that allows you to store your important files
/ documents privately by encrypting them in special, vaulted drives.
● Remove Vault Files - starts the wizard that allows you to erase data from the
file vault.
● View File Vault - starts the wizard that allows you to view the content of your
file vaults.
● Lock File Vault - starts the wizard that allows you to lock your vault in order to
start protecting its content.
For detailed information on how to protect your files using file vaults, please refer
to “File Encryption” (p. 114).
3.2.4. Network
This is where you can perform various actions to configure and manage the Acronis
Internet Security products installed in your home network. In this way, you can
manage the security of your home network from a single computer.
For detailed information, please refer to “Home Network” (p. 131).
3.3. Expert View
Expert View gives you access to each specific component of Acronis Internet Security.
This is where you can configure Acronis Internet Security in detail.
Note
Expert View is suited for users having above average computer skills, who know the
type of threats a computer is exposed to and how security programs work.
Main Application Window
13
On the left side of the window there is a menu containing all security modules. Each
module has one or more tabs where you can configure the corresponding security
settings or perform security or administrative tasks. The following list briefly
describes each module. For detailed information, please refer to the “Configuration
and Management” (p. 33) part of this user guide.
General
Allows you to access the general settings or to view the dashboard and detailed
system info.
Antivirus
Allows you to configure your virus shield and scanning operations in detail, to
set exceptions and to configure the quarantine module. This is were you can
also configure antiphishing protection and Search Advisor.
Antispam
Allows you to keep your Inbox SPAM-free and to configure the antispam settings
in detail.
Parental Control
Allows you to protect your children against inappropriate content by using your
customized computer access rules.
Privacy Control
Allows you to prevent data theft from your computer and protect your privacy
while you are online.
Firewall
Allows you to protect your computer from inbound and outbound unauthorized
connection attempts. It is quite similar to a guard at your gate - it will keep a
watchful eye on your Internet connection and keep track of who to allow access
to the Internet and who to block.
Vulnerability
Allows you to keep crucial software on your PC up-to-date.
Encryption
Allows you to encrypt Yahoo and Windows Live (MSN) Messenger
communications and also to local encrypt your critical files, folders or partitions.
Game/Laptop Mode
Allows you to postpone the Acronis Internet Security scheduled tasks while your
laptop runs on batteries and also to eliminate all alerts and pop-ups when you
are playing.
Home Network
Allows you to configure and manage several computers in your household.
Update
Allows you to obtain info on the latest updates, to update the product and to
configure the update process in detail.
Main Application Window
14
Registration
Allows you to register your product with a new license key.
The Options button in the upper-right corner of the window allows you to change
the user interface view mode and to configure the main program settings.
In the bottom-right corner of the window, you can find several useful links.
DescriptionLink
View Logs
Buy/Renew
Allows you to see a detailed history of all tasks performed by
Acronis Internet Security on your system.
Helps you purchase a license key for your Acronis Internet
Security 2011 product.
Click this link if you need help with Acronis Internet Security.Help and Support
Gives you access to a help file that shows you how to use
Acronis Internet Security.
Main Application Window
15
4. My Tools
When using Acronis Internet Security in Basic View or Intermediate View, you can
customize your dashboard by adding shortcuts to tasks and settings that are
important to you. This way, you can quickly gain access to features you use regularly
and to advanced settings without having to switch to a more advanced interface
view mode.
Depending on the user interface view mode you use, the shortcuts added to My
Tools are available as follows:
Basic View
In the Protect Your PC area, click My Tools. A menu will appear. Click a shortcut
to launch the corresponding tool.
Intermediate View
The shortcuts appear under My Tools. Click a shortcut to launch the
corresponding tool.
To open the window from which you can select the shortcuts that will appear in My
Tools, proceed as follows:
Basic View
In the Protect Your PC area, click My Tools and choose More Options.
Intermediate View
Click one of the buttons under My Tools or the Configure link.
Use the switches to select the tools to be added to My Tools. You can select any of
the following categories of tools.
● Scan Tasks
Add the tasks you regularly use to scan your system for security threats.
My Tools
Full System Scan
My Documents Scan
Custom Scan
Deep System Scan
DescriptionScan Task
Scans the entire system, except for archives. In the
default configuration, it scans for all types of
malware other than rootkits.
Use this task to scan important current user folders:
My Documents, Desktop and StartUp. This will
ensure the safety of your documents, a safe
workspace and clean applications running at startup.
Starts a wizard that lets you create a custom scan
task.
Scans the entire system. In the default configuration,
it scans for all types of malware threatening your
16
DescriptionScan Task
system's security, such as viruses, spyware, adware,
rootkits and others.
Quick Scan
Schedule My Scans
For more information about scan tasks, please refer to “Managing Existing Scan
Tasks” (p. 49).
● Settings
Add shortcuts to the Acronis Internet Security settings you want to configure:
Quick Scan uses in-the-cloud scanning to detect
malware running in your system. Running a Quick
Scan usually takes less than a minute and uses a
fraction of the system resources needed by a regular
virus scan.
Takes you to the Antivirus settings window where
you can customize the on-demand scan tasks.
DescriptionSettings
Update Now
Parental Control
Configure Firewall
Game Mode
Laptop Mode
Configure Antivirus
View & Fix All Issues
Trigger an update of Acronis Internet Security. For
more information, please refer to “Update” (p. 135).
Configure the Parental Control module. For more
information, please refer to “Parental Control” (p.
77).
Configure the Firewall module. For more information,
please refer to “Firewall” (p. 97).
Toggle the Game Mode. For more information, please
refer to “Game Mode” (p. 125).
Toggle the Laptop Mode. For more information,
please refer to “Laptop Mode” (p. 128).
Configure the Antivirus module. For more
information, please refer to “Antivirus Protection”
(p. 38).
Open a wizard that will help you fix all the security
issues affecting your system. For more information,
please refer to “Fixing Issues” (p. 24).
● Help & Support
Allows you to contact the Acronis support team.
My Tools
17
5. Alerts and Pop-ups
Acronis Internet Security uses pop-ups and alerts to inform you about its operation
or special events that may interest you and to prompt you for action when needed.
This chapter presents the Acronis Internet Security pop-ups and alerts that you may
encounter.
Pop-ups are small windows that temporarily appear on the screen to inform you
about various Acronis Internet Security events, such as e-mail scanning, a new
computer that logged to your wireless network, a firewall rule added etc. When
pop-ups appear, you will be required to click an OK button or a link, at the most.
Alerts are larger windows that prompt you for action or inform you about something
very important (for example, a virus has been detected). Besides alert windows,
you may receive e-mail, instant message or web page alerts.
The Acronis Internet Security pop-ups and alerts include:
● Antivirus Alerts
● Active Virus Control Alerts
● Device Detection Alerts
● Firewall Pop-ups and Alerts
● Antiphishing Alert Web Pages
● Parental Control Alert Messages
● Privacy Control Alerts
5.1. Antivirus Alerts
Acronis Internet Security protects you against various kinds of malware, such as
viruses, spyware or rootkits. When it detects a virus or other malware, Acronis
Internet Security takes a specific action on the infected file and informs you about
it through an alert window.
You can see the virus name, the path to the infected file and the action taken by
Acronis Internet Security.
Click OK to close the window.
Important
When a virus is detected, it is best practice to scan the entire computer to make sure
there are no other viruses. For more information, please refer to “How Do I Scan Files
and Folders?” (p. 140).
If the virus has not been blocked, please refer to “Removing Malware from Your
System” (p. 164).
Alerts and Pop-ups
18
5.2. Active Virus Control Alerts
Active Virus Control can be configured to alert you and prompt you for action
whenever an application tries to perform a possible malicious action.
If you are using the Basic View or Intermediate View interface, a pop-up will inform
you whenever Active Virus Control blocks a potentially harmful application. If you
are using Expert View, you will be prompted for action, through an alert window,
when an application exhibits malicious behavior.
If you know and trust the detected application, click Allow.
If you want to immediately close the application, click OK.
Select the Remember this action for this application check box before making
your choice and Acronis Internet Security will take the same action for the detected
application in the future. The rule that is thus created will be listed in the Active
Virus Control configuration window.
5.3. Device Detection Alerts
Acronis Internet Security automatically detects when you connect a removable
storage device to your computer and offers to scan it before you access its files.
This is recommended in order to prevent viruses and other malware from infecting
your computer.
Detected devices fall into one of these categories:
● CDs/DVDs
● USB storage devices, such as flash pens and external hard-drives
● mapped (remote) network drives
When such a device is detected, an alert window is displayed.
To scan the storage device, just click Yes. The Antivirus Scan wizard will appear
and guide you through the scanning process.
If you do not want to scan the device, you must click No. In this case, you may find
one of these options useful:
● Don't ask me again about this type of device - Acronis Internet Security will
no longer offer to scan storage devices of this type when they are connected to
your computer.
● Disable automatic device detection - You will no longer be prompted to scan
new storage devices when they are connected to the computer.
If you accidentally disabled automatic device detection and you want to enable it,
or if you want to configure its settings, follow these steps:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
Alerts and Pop-ups
19
2. Go to Antivirus>Virus Scan.
3. In the list of scan tasks, locate the Device Scanning task.
4. Right-click the task and select Properties. A new window will appear.
5. On the Overview tab, configure the scanning options as needed. For more
information, please refer to “Configuring Scan Settings” (p. 52).
6. On the Detection tab, choose which types of storage devices to be detected.
7. Click OK to save and apply the changes.
5.4. Firewall Pop-ups and Alerts
The firewall uses pop-ups to inform you about various events related to your network
connection (for example, when a new computer connects to your Wi-Fi network,
when a new application is allowed to access the Internet or when a port scan is
blocked). These pop-ups may be very useful in detecting intrusion attempts and
protecting yourself against network threats.
If you are using Expert View, you will be prompted for action, through an alert
window, whenever an unknown application tries to connect to the Internet.
You can see the following: the application that is trying to access the Internet, the
path to the application file, the destination, the protocol used and the port on which
the application is trying to connect.
Click Allow to allow all traffic (inbound and outbound) generated by this application
from the local host to any destination, over the respective IP protocol and on all
ports. If you click Block, the application will be denied access to the Internet over
the respective IP protocol completely.
Important
Allow inbound connection attempts only from IPs or domains you are sure to trust.
Based on your answer, a rule will be created, applied and listed in the table. The
next time the application tries to connect, this rule will be applied by default.
If you are using Basic View or Intermediate View, the connection attempt will be
automatically blocked.
5.5. Antiphishing Alerts
With antiphishing protection enabled, Acronis Internet Security alerts you when you
try to access web pages that may be set up to steal personal information. Before
you can access such a web page, Acronis Internet Security will block that page and
display a generic web page alert instead.
Alerts and Pop-ups
20
Check the web page address in the address bar of your browser. Look for clues that
might indicate that the web page is used for phishing. If the web address is
suspicious, it is recommended that you do not open it.
Here are some tips you may find useful:
● If you have typed the address of a legitimate website, check if the address is
correct. If the address is incorrect, re-type it and go to the web page again.
● If you have clicked a link in an e-mail or an instant message, verify who sent it
to you. If the sender is unknown, this is probably a phishing attempt. If you know
the sender, you should check if that person really sent you the link.
● If you reached the web page by browsing the Internet, check the web page where
you found the link (click the Back button on your web browser).
If you want to view the web page, click the appropriate link to take one of these
actions:
● View the web page this time only. There is no risk as long as you do not
submit any information on the web page. If the web page is legitimate, you can
add it to the White List (click the Acronis Internet Security Antiphishing toolbar
and select Add to White List).
● Add the web page to the White List. The web page will be displayed
immediately and Acronis Internet Security will no longer alert you about it.
Important
Add to the White List only the web pages that you fully trust (for example, your
bank's web address, known online shops, etc). Acronis Internet Security does not
check for phishing the web pages in the White List.
You can manage antiphishing protection and the White List using the Acronis Internet
Security toolbar in your web browser. For more information, please refer to
“Managing the Acronis Internet Security Antiphishing Protection in Internet Explorer
and Firefox” (p. 61).
5.6. Parental Control Alert Messages
You can configure Parental Control to block:
● inappropriate web pages.
● Internet access, for specific periods of time (such as when it's time for lessons).
● web pages, e-mail messages and instant messages if they contain specific
keywords.
● applications like games, chat, filesharing programs or others.
● instant messages sent by IM contacts other than those allowed.
Alerts and Pop-ups
21
The user is informed whenever an activity is blocked through a specific alert message
(for example, a standard alert web page, e-mail or instant message). Detailed
information is provided so that the user can find out why the activity was blocked.
5.7. Privacy Control Alerts
Privacy Control provides advanced users with some extra features to protect their
privacy. You will be prompted for action through specific alert windows if you choose
to enable any of these components:
● Registry Control - asks for your permission whenever a program tries to modify
a registry entry in order to be executed at Windows start-up.
● Cookie Control - asks for your permission whenever a new website tries to set a
cookie.
● Script Control - asks for your permission whenever a website tries to activate a
script or other active content.
5.7.1. Registry Alerts
If you enable Registry Control, you will be prompted for permission whenever a new
program tries to modify a registry entry in order to be executed at Windows start-up.
You can see the program that is trying to modify Windows Registry.
Note
Acronis Internet Security will usually alert you when you install new programs that
need to run after the next startup of your computer. In most cases, these programs
are legitimate and can be trusted.
If you do not recognize the program and if it seems suspicious, click Block to prevent
it from modifying Windows Registry. Otherwise, click Allow to permit the
modification.
Based on your answer, a rule is created and listed in the rules table. The same action
is applied whenever this program tries to modify a registry entry.
For more information, please refer to “Registry Control” (p. 93).
5.7.2. Script Alerts
If you enable Script Control, you will be prompted for permission whenever a new
web site tries to run a script or other active content.
You can see the name of the resource.
Click Yes or No and a rule will be created, applied and listed in the rules table. The
same action will be applied automatically whenever the respective site tries to run
active content.
Alerts and Pop-ups
22
Note
Some web pages may not be properly displayed if you block active content.
For more information, please refer to “Script Control” (p. 95).
5.7.3. Cookie Alerts
If you enable Cookie Control, you will be prompted for permission whenever a new
web site tries to set or request a cookie.
You can see the name of the application that is trying to send the cookie file.
Click Yes or No and a rule will be created, applied and listed in the rules table. The
same action will be applied automatically whenever you connect to the respective
site.
For more information, please refer to “Cookie Control” (p. 93).
Alerts and Pop-ups
23
6. Fixing Issues
Acronis Internet Security uses an issue tracking system to detect and inform you
about the issues that may affect the security of your computer and data. By default,
it will monitor only a series of issues that are considered to be very important.
However, you can configure it as needed, choosing which specific issues you want
to be notified about.
This is how pending issues are notified:
●
A special symbol is displayed over the Acronis Internet Security icon in the
system tray to indicate pending issues. Also, if you move the mouse cursor over
the icon, a pop-up will confirm the existence of pending issues.
● When you open Acronis Internet Security, the Security Status area will indicate
the number of issues affecting your system.
▶ In Basic View, the security status is displayed on the left side of the window.
▶ In Expert View, go to General > Dashboard to check the security status.
6.1. Fix Issues Wizard
The easiest way to fix the existing issues is to follow the Fix Issues Wizard. To
open the wizard, do any of the following:
●
Right-click the Acronis Internet Security icon in the system tray and select Fix
All Issues.
● Open Acronis Internet Security and, depending on the user interface view mode,
proceed as follows:
▶ In Basic View, click View All Issues.
▶ In Expert View, go to General > Dashboard and click View All Issues.
Note
You can also add a shortcut to My Tools.
A list of existing security threats on your computer is displayed.
All current issues are selected to be fixed. If there is an issue that you do not want
to be fixed, just clear the corresponding check box. If you do so, its status will change
to Skip.
Note
If you do not want to be notified about specific issues, you must configure the alert
system accordingly, as described in the next section.
Fixing Issues
24
To fix the selected issues, click Start. Some issues are fixed immediately. For others,
a wizard helps you fix them.
The issues that this wizard helps you fix can be grouped into these main categories:
● Disabled security settings. Such issues are fixed immediately, by enabling
the respective security settings.
● Preventive security tasks you need to perform. An example of such a task
is scanning your computer. It is recommended that you scan your computer at
least once a week. Acronis Internet Security will automatically do that for you in
most cases. However, if you have changed the scanning schedule or if the schedule
is not completed, you will be notified about this issue.
When fixing such issues, a wizard helps you successfully complete the task.
● System vulnerabilities. Acronis Internet Security automatically checks your
system for vulnerabilities and alerts you about them. System vulnerabilities include
the following:
▶ weak passwords to Windows user accounts.
▶ outdated software on your computer.
▶ missing Windows updates.
▶ Windows Automatic Updates is disabled.
When such issues are to be fixed, the vulnerability scan wizard is started. This
wizard assists you in fixing the detected system vulnerabilities. For detailed
information, please refer to section “Checking for Vulnerabilities” (p. 109).
6.2. Configuring Status Alerts
The status alert system is pre-configured to monitor and alert you about the most
important issues that may affect the security of your computer and data. Besides
the issues monitored by default, there are several other issues you can be informed
about.
You can configure the alert system to best serve your security needs by choosing
which specific issues to be informed about. You can do this either in Intermediate
View or in Expert View.
● In Intermediate View, the alert system can be configured from separate locations.
Follow these steps:
1. Go to the Security tab.
2. Click the Add/Edit List link in the Status area.
3. Use the switch corresponding to an item to change its alert state.
● In Expert View, the alert system can be configured from a central location. Follow
these steps:
1. Go to General > Dashboard.
Fixing Issues
25
2. Click Add/Edit Alerts.
3. Use the switch corresponding to an item to change its alert state.
Fixing Issues
26
7. Configuring Main Settings
You can configure the main product settings (including reconfiguring the usage
profile) from the Preferences window. To open it, do any of the following:
● Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Preferences.
●
Right-click the Acronis Internet Security icon in the system tray and select
Preferences.
Note
To configure the product settings in detail, use the Expert View interface. For detailed
information, please refer to the “Configuration and Management” (p. 33) part of this
user guide.
The settings are organized into three categories:
● Security Settings
● Alerts Settings
● General Settings
To turn on or off a setting, use the corresponding switch.
To apply and save the configuration changes you make, click OK. To close the
window without saving the changes, click Cancel.
The Reconfigure Profile link in the upper-right corner of the window allows you
to reconfigure the usage profile. For more information, please refer to “Setting Up
Acronis Internet Security 2011” (p. 6).
7.1. Security Settings
In this area, you can enable or disable product settings that cover various aspects
of computer and data security. To turn on or off a setting, use the corresponding
switch.
Warning
Use caution when disabling real-time antivirus protection, firewall or automatic update.
Disabling these features may compromise your computer's security. If you really
need to disable them, remember to re-enable them as soon as possible.
These are the available settings:
Antivirus
Real-time protection ensures that all files are scanned as they are accessed by
you or by an application running on this system.
Configuring Main Settings
27
Automatic Update
Automatic update ensures that the newest Acronis Internet Security product
and signature files are downloaded and installed automatically, on a regular
basis. Updates are performed by default every hour.
Vulnerability Scan
Automatic Vulnerability Scan alerts you about and helps you fix vulnerabilities
in your system that might affect its security. Such vulnerabilities include
outdated software, weak passwords to user accounts or missing Windows
updates.
Antispam
Antispam filters the e-mail messages that you receive, marking unsolicited and
junk mail as SPAM.
Antiphishing
Antiphishing detects and alerts you in real-time if a web page is set up to steal
personal information.
Search Advisor
Search Advisor scans the links in your search results and informs you which of
them are safe and which are not.
Identity Control
Identity Control helps you prevent your personal data from being sent out on
the Internet without your consent. It blocks any instant messages, e-mail
messages or web forms transmitting data you defined as being private to
unauthorized recipients (addresses).
Chat Encryption
Chat Encryption secures your conversations via Yahoo! Messenger and Windows
Live Messenger provided that your IM contacts use a compatible Acronis Internet
Security product and IM software.
Parental Control (current user)
Parental Control restricts the computer and online activities of your children
based on the rules you defined. Restrictions may include blocking inappropriate
web sites, as well as limiting gaming and Internet access according to a specified
schedule.
Firewall
Firewall protects your computer from hacker and malicious outside attacks.
File Encryption
File Encryption keeps your documents private by encrypting them in special
vaulted drives. If you disable File Encryption, all file vaults will be locked and
you will no longer be able to access the files they contain.
Configuring Main Settings
28
The status of some of these settings may be monitored by the Acronis Internet
Security issue tracking system. If you disable a monitored setting, Acronis Internet
Security will indicate this as an issue that you need to fix.
If you do not want a monitored setting that you disabled to be shown as an issue,
you must configure the tracking system accordingly. You can do that either in
Intermediate View or in Expert View. For detailed information, please refer to
“Configuring Status Alerts” (p. 25).
7.2. Alerts Settings
In this area, you can turn off the Acronis Internet Security pop-ups and alerts. Acronis
Internet Security uses alerts to prompt you for action and pop-ups to inform you
about actions it has taken automatically or about other events. To turn on or off a
category of alerts, use the corresponding switch.
Important
Most of these alerts and pop-ups should be kept turned on in order to avoid potential
problems.
These are the available settings:
Antivirus Alerts
Antivirus alerts inform you when Acronis Internet Security detects and blocks
a virus. When a virus is detected, it is best practice to scan the entire computer
to make sure there are no other viruses.
Active Virus Control Pop-ups
If you are using the Basic View or Intermediate View interface, a pop-up will
inform you whenever Active Virus Control blocks a potentially harmful
application. If you are using Expert View, you will be prompted for action,
through an alert window, when an application exhibits malicious behavior.
Scan Email Pop-ups
These pop-ups are displayed to inform you that Acronis Internet Security is
scanning e-mails for malware.
Home Network Management Alerts
These alerts inform the user when administrative actions are being performed
remotely.
Firewall Pop-ups
The firewall uses pop-ups to inform you about various events related to your
network connection (for example, when a new computer connects to your Wi-Fi
network, when a new application is allowed to access the Internet or when a
port scan is blocked). If you are using Expert View, you will be prompted for
action, through an alert window, whenever an unknown application tries to
connect to the Internet.
Configuring Main Settings
29
These pop-ups may be very useful in detecting intrusion attempts and protecting
yourself against network threats.
Quarantine Alerts
Quarantine alerts inform you when old quarantined files have been deleted.
Parental Control Alerts
Whenever Parental Control blocks an activity, an alert is displayed to inform
the user why the activity is being blocked (for example, an alert web page is
displayed instead of a blocked web page).
Registration Pop-ups
Registration pop-ups are used to remind you that you need to register Acronis
Internet Security or to inform you that the license key is about to or has already
expired.
7.3. General Settings
In this area, you can enable or disable settings that affect product behavior and
user experience. To turn on or off a setting, use the corresponding switch.
These are the available settings:
Game Mode
Game Mode temporarily modifies protection settings so as to minimize their
impact on system performance during games.
Laptop Mode Detection
Laptop Mode temporarily modifies protection settings so as to minimize their
impact on the life of your laptop battery.
Settings Password
To prevent someone else from changing the Acronis Internet Security settings,
you can protect them with a password. When you enable this option, you will
be prompted to configure the settings password. Type the desired password in
both fields and click OK to set the password.
Acronis Internet Security News
By enabling this option, you will receive important company news, product
updates or new security threats from Acronis Internet Security.
Product Notification Alerts
By enabling this option, you will receive information alerts.
Scan Activity Bar
The Scan Activity Bar is a small, transparent window indicating the progress of
the Acronis Internet Security scanning activity.
Send Virus Reports
By enabling this option, virus scanning reports are sent to Acronis Internet
Security labs for analysis. Please note that these reports will contain no
Configuring Main Settings
30
confidential data, such as your name or IP address, and that they will not be
used for commercial purposes.
Outbreak Detection
By enabling this option, reports regarding potential virus-outbreaks are sent to
Acronis Internet Security labs for analysis. Please note that these reports will
contain no confidential data, such as your name or IP address, and that they
will not be used for commercial purposes.
Configuring Main Settings
31
8. History and Events
The View Logs link at the bottom of the Acronis Internet Security main window
opens another window with the Acronis Internet Security history & events. This
window offers you an overview of the security-related events. For instance, you can
easily check if the update was successfully performed, if malware was found on
your computer etc.
In order to help you filter the Acronis Internet Security history & events, the following
categories are provided on the left side:
● Dashboard
● Antivirus
● Antispam
● Parental Control
● Privacy Control
● Firewall
● Vulnerability
● Chat encryption
● File encryption
● Game/Laptop Mode
● Home Network
● Update
● Registration
A list of events is available for each category. Each event comes with the following
information: a short description, the action Acronis Internet Security took on it when
it happened, and the date and time when it occurred. If you want to find out more
information about a particular event in the list, double-click that event.
This is also where you can view detailed information and statistics regarding Parental
Control events such as websites accessed or applications used by your children.
Click Clear all logs if you want to remove old logs or Refresh to make sure the
latest logs are displayed.
History and Events
32
Configuration and Management
33
9. General Settings
The General module provides information on the Acronis Internet Security activity
and the system. Here you can also change the overall behavior of Acronis Internet
Security.
To configure the general settings:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to General > Settings.
● Enable password protection for product settings - enables setting a password
in order to protect the Acronis Internet Security configuration.
Note
If you are not the only person with administrative rights using this computer, it is
recommended that you protect your Acronis Internet Security settings with a
password.
Type the password in the Password field, re-type it in the Retype password
field and click OK.
Once you have set the password, you will be asked for it whenever you want to
change the Acronis Internet Security settings. The other system administrators
(if any) will also have to provide this password in order to change the Acronis
Internet Security settings.
If you want to be prompted for the password only when configuring Parental
Control, you must also select Apply password protection to parental control
settings only. On the other hand, if a password was set only for Parental Control
and you uncheck this option, the respective password will be requested when
configuring any Acronis Internet Security option.
Important
If you forgot the password you will have to repair the product in order to modify
the Acronis Internet Security configuration.
● Ask me if I want to create a password when I enable Parental Control prompts you to configure a password when you want to enable Parental Control
and no password is set. By setting a password, you will prevent other users with
administrative rights from changing the Parental Control settings that you
configured for a specific user.
● Show Acronis Internet Security News (security related notifications) shows from time to time security notifications regarding virus outbreaks, sent by
the Acronis Internet Security server.
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● Show pop-ups (on-screen notes) - shows pop-up windows regarding the product
status. You can configure Acronis Internet Security to display pop-ups only when
the interface is in Basic / Intermediate View or in Expert View.
● Show the Scan Activity bar (on screen graph of product activity) - displays
the Scan Activity bar whenever you log on to Windows. Clear this check box if
you do not want the Scan Activity bar to be displayed anymore.
Virus Report Settings
● Send virus reports - sends to the Acronis Internet Security Labs reports regarding
viruses identified in your computer. It helps us keep track of virus-outbreaks.
The reports will contain no confidential data, such as your name, IP address or
others, and will not be used for commercial purposes. The information supplied
will contain only the virus name and will be used solely to create statistic reports.
● Enable Acronis Internet Security Outbreak Detection - sends to the Acronis
Internet Security Labs reports regarding potential virus-outbreaks.
The reports will contain no confidential data, such as your name, IP address or
others, and will not be used for commercial purposes. The information supplied
will contain only the potential virus and will be used solely to detect new viruses.
Connection Settings
Several Acronis Internet Security components (the Firewall, LiveUpdate, Real-Time
Virus Reporting and Real-Time Spam Reporting modules) require access to the
Internet. Acronis Internet Security comes with a proxy manager that allows
configuring from one location the proxy settings used by the Acronis Internet Security
components to access the Internet.
If your company uses a proxy server to connect to the Internet, you must specify
the proxy settings in order for Acronis Internet Security to update itself. Otherwise,
it will use the proxy settings of the administrator that installed the product or of the
current user's default browser, if any. For more information, please refer to “How
Do I Find Out My Proxy Settings?” (p. 173).
Note
The proxy settings can be configured only by users with administrative rights on the
computer or by power users (users who know the password to the product settings).
To manage the proxy settings, click Proxy Settings.
There are three sets of proxy settings:
● Proxy Detected at Install Time - proxy settings detected on the administrator’s
account during installation and which can be configured only if you are logged
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on to that account. If the proxy server requires a username and a password, you
must specify them in the corresponding fields.
● Default Browser Proxy - proxy settings of the current user, extracted from the
default browser. If the proxy server requires a username and a password, you
must specify them in the corresponding fields.
Note
The supported web browsers are Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and Opera. If
you use another browser by default, Acronis Internet Security will not be able to
obtain the proxy settings of the current user.
● Custom Proxy - proxy settings that you can configure if you are logged in as an
administrator.
The following settings must be specified:
▶ Address - type in the IP of the proxy server.
▶ Port - type in the port Acronis Internet Security uses to connect to the proxy
server.
▶ Username - type in a user name recognized by the proxy.
▶ Password - type in the valid password of the previously specified user.
Acronis Internet Security will use the proxy settings sets in the following order until
it manages to connect to the Internet:
1. the specified proxy settings.
2. the proxy settings detected at install time.
3. the proxy settings of the current user.
When trying to connect to the Internet, each set of proxy settings is tried at a time,
until Acronis Internet Security manages to connect.
First, the set containing your own proxy settings will be used to connect to the
Internet. If it does not work, the proxy settings detected at installation time will be
tried next. Finally, if those do not work either, the proxy settings of the current user
will be taken from the default browser and used to connect to the Internet.
Click OK to save the changes and close the window.
Click Apply to save the changes or click Default to load the default settings.
System Information
Acronis Internet Security allows you to view, from a single location, all system
settings and the applications registered to run at startup. In this way, you can
monitor the activity of the system and of the applications installed on it as well as
identify possible system infections.
To obtain system information:
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1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to General > System Info.
The list contains all the items loaded when starting the system as well as the items
loaded by different applications.
Three buttons are available:
● Restore - changes a current file association to default. Available for the File
Associations settings only!
● Go to - opens a window where the selected item is placed (the Registry for
example).
Note
Depending on the selected item, the Go to button may not appear.
● Refresh - re-opens the System Info section.
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10. Antivirus Protection
Acronis Internet Security protects your computer from all kinds of malware (viruses,
Trojans, spyware, rootkits and so on). The protection Acronis Internet Security offers
is divided into two categories:
● Real-time protection - prevents new malware threats from entering your system.
Acronis Internet Security will, for example, scan a word document for known
threats when you open it, and an e-mail message when you receive one.
Real-time protection is also referred to as on-access scanning - files are scanned
as the users access them.
Important
To prevent viruses from infecting your computer keep Real-time protection
enabled.
● On-demand scanning - allows detecting and removing the malware that already
resides in the system. This is the classic scan initiated by the user - you choose
what drive, folder or file Acronis Internet Security should scan, and Acronis Internet
Security scans it - on-demand. The scan tasks allow you to create customized
scanning routines and they can be scheduled to run on a regular basis.
When it detects a virus or other malware, Acronis Internet Security will automatically
attempt to remove the malware code from the infected file and reconstruct the
original file. This operation is referred to as disinfection. Files that cannot be
disinfected are moved to quarantine in order to contain the infection. For more
information, please refer to “Quarantine Area” (p. 58).
If your computer has been infected with malware, please refer to “Removing Malware
from Your System” (p. 164).
Advanced users can configure scan exclusions if they do not want specific files to
be scanned. For more information, please refer to “Configuring Scan Exclusions”
(p. 55).
10.1. Real-time Protection
Acronis Internet Security provides continuous, real-time protection against a wide
range of malware threats by scanning all accessed files, e-mail messages and the
communications through Instant Messaging Software applications (ICQ, NetMeeting,
Yahoo Messenger, MSN Messenger).
The default real-time protection settings ensure good protection against malware,
with minor impact on system performance. You can easily change the real-time
protection settings according to your needs by switching to one of the predefined
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protection levels. Or, if you are an advanced user, you can configure the scan settings
in detail by creating a custom protection level.
To learn more, please refer to these topics:
● “Adjusting the Real-time Protection Level” (p. 39)
● “Creating a Custom Protection Level” (p. 39)
● “Changing the Actions Taken on Detected Files” (p. 41)
● “Restoring the Default Settings” (p. 42)
To protect you against unknown malicious applications, Acronis Internet Security
uses an advanced heuristic technology (Active Virus Control) and an Intrusion
Detection System, which continuously monitor your system. To learn more, please
refer to these topics:
● “Configuring Active Virus Control” (p. 42)
● “Configuring the Intrusion Detection System” (p. 44)
10.1.1. Adjusting the Real-time Protection Level
The real-time protection level defines the scan settings for real-time protection. You
can easily change the real-time protection settings according to your needs by
switching to one of the predefined protection levels.
To adjust the real-time protection level:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Antivirus > Shield.
3. Drag the slider along the scale to set the desired protection level. Use the
description on the right side of the scale to choose the protection level that better
fits your security needs.
Note
In Basic View and Intermediate View, you can configure a shortcut so that you can
access these settings from your dashboard. For more information, please refer to
“My Tools” (p. 16).
10.1.2. Creating a Custom Protection Level
Advanced users might want to take advantage of the scan settings Acronis Internet
Security offers. The scanner can be set to scan only specific file extensions, to search
for specific malware threats or to skip archives. This may greatly reduce scanning
times and improve your computer's responsiveness during a scan.
You can configure the real-time protection settings in detail by creating a custom
protection level. To create a custom protection level:
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1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Antivirus > Shield.
3. Click Custom Level.
4. Configure the scan settings as needed. To find out what an option does, keep
the mouse over it and read the description displayed at the bottom of the window.
5. Click OK to save the changes and close the window.
You may find this information useful:
● If you are not familiar with some of the terms, check them in the glossary. You
can also find useful information by searching the Internet.
● Scan accessed files. You can set Acronis Internet Security to scan all accessed
files, applications (program files) only or specific file types you consider to be
dangerous. Scanning all accessed files provides best protection, while scanning
applications only can be used for better system performance.
Applications (or program files) are far more vulnerable to malware attacks than
other types of files. This category includes the following file extensions: .exe;
.bat; .com; .dll; .ocx; .scr; .bin; .dat; .386; .vxd; .sys; .wdm; .cla;
.class; .ovl; .ole; .exe; .hlp; .doc; .dot; .xls; .ppt; .wbk; .wiz; .pot;
.ppa; .xla; .xlt; .vbs; .vbe; .mdb; .rtf; .htm; .hta; .html; .xml; .xtp;
.php; .asp; .js; .shs; .chm; .lnk; .pif; .prc; .url; .smm; .pdf; .msi;
.ini; .csc; .cmd; .bas; .eml; .nws.
If you opt for Scan user defined extensions, it is recommended that you include
all application extensions beside other file extensions you consider to be
dangerous.
● Scan only new and changed files. By scanning only new and changed files,
you may greatly improve overall system responsiveness with a minimum trade-off
in security.
● Scan boot sectors. You can set Acronis Internet Security to scan the boot
sectors of your hard disk. This sector of the hard disk contains the necessary
computer code to start the boot process. When a virus infects the boot sector,
the drive may become inaccessible and you may not be able to start your system
and access your data.
● Scan inside archives. Scanning inside archives is a slow and resource-intensive
process, which is therefore not recommended for real-time protection. Archives
containing infected files are not an immediate threat to the security of your
system. The malware can affect your system only if the infected file is extracted
from the archive and executed without having real-time protection enabled.
● Action options. If you consider changing the actions taken on detected files,
check for tips in “Changing the Actions Taken on Detected Files” (p. 41).
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● Scan options for e-mail, web and instant messaging traffic. To prevent
malware from being downloaded to your computer, Acronis Internet Security
automatically scans the following malware entry points:
▶ incoming e-mails
▶ web traffic
▶ files received via Yahoo! Messenger and Windows Live Messenger
Scanning the web traffic may slow down web browsing a little, but it will block
malware coming from the Internet, including drive-by downloads.
Though not recommended, you can disable e-mail, web or instant messaging
antivirus scan to increase system performance. If you disable the corresponding
scan options, the e-mails and files received or downloaded from the Internet will
not be scanned, thus allowing infected files to be saved to your computer. This
is not a major threat because real-time protection will block the malware when
the infected files are accessed (opened, moved, copied or executed).
10.1.3. Changing the Actions Taken on Detected Files
Files detected by real-time protection are grouped into two categories:
● Infected files. Files detected as infected match a malware signature in the
Acronis Internet Security Malware Signature Database. Acronis Internet Security
can normally remove the malware code from an infected file and reconstruct the
original file. This operation is known as disinfection.
Note
Malware signatures are snippets of code extracted from actual malware samples.
They are used by antivirus programs to perform pattern-matching and detect
malware.
The Acronis Internet Security Malware Signature Database is a collection of malware
signatures updated hourly by the Acronis Internet Security malware researchers.
● Suspicious files. Files are detected as suspicious by the heuristic analysis.
Suspicious files cannot be disinfected, because no disinfection routine is available.
Depending on the type of detected file, the following actions are taken automatically:
● If an infected file is detected, Acronis Internet Security will automatically attempt
to disinfect it. If disinfection fails, the file is moved to quarantine in order to contain
the infection.
Important
For particular types of malware, disinfection is not possible because the detected
file is entirely malicious. In such cases, the infected file is deleted from the disk.
● If a suspicious file is detected, access to that file will be denied to prevent a
potential infection.
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You should not change the default actions taken on detected files unless you have
a strong reason to do so.
To change the default actions taken on the infected or suspicious files detected:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Antivirus > Shield.
3. Click Custom Level.
4. Configure the actions to be taken on each category of detected files, as needed.
The second action is taken if the first one fails (for example, if disinfection is not
possible, the infected file is moved to quarantine).
10.1.4. Restoring the Default Settings
The default real-time protection settings ensure good protection against malware,
with minor impact on system performance.
To restore the default real-time protection settings:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Antivirus > Shield.
3. Click Default Level.
10.1.5. Configuring Active Virus Control
The Acronis Internet Security Active Virus Control detects potentially harmful
applications based on their behavior.
Active Virus Control continuously monitors the applications running on the computer,
looking for malware-like actions. Each of these actions is scored and an overall score
is computed for each process. When the overall score for a process reaches a given
threshold, the process is considered to be harmful. Depending on the program
settings, the process is blocked automatically or you may prompted to specify the
action to be taken.
Active Virus Control can be configured to alert you and prompt you for action
whenever an application tries to perform a possible malicious action.
If you know and trust the detected application, click Allow.
If you want to immediately close the application, click OK.
Select the Remember this action for this application check box before making
your choice and Acronis Internet Security will take the same action for the detected
application in the future. The rule that is thus created will be listed in the Active
Virus Control configuration window.
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To configure Active Virus Control:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Antivirus > Shield.
3. Click Advanced Settings.
4. Go to the AVC tab.
5. Select the corresponding check box to enable Active Virus Control.
6. Drag the slider along the scale to set the desired protection level. Use the
description on the right side of the scale to choose the protection level that better
fits your security needs.
Adjusting the Aggressiveness Level
To configure the Active Virus Control protection level:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Antivirus > Shield.
3. Click Advanced Settings.
4. Go to the AVC tab.
5. Drag the slider along the scale to set the desired protection level. Use the
description on the right side of the scale to choose the protection level that better
fits your security needs.
Configuring the Response to Malicious Behavior
If an application exhibits malicious behavior, you will be prompted whether to allow
or block it.
To configure the response to malicious behavior:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Antivirus > Shield.
3. Click Advanced Settings.
4. Go to the AVC tab.
5. If you want to be prompted for action when Active Virus Control detects a
potentially harmful application, select the Alert me before taking an action
check box. To automatically block an application that exhibits malicious behavior
(without displaying an alert window), clear this check box.
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Managing Trusted / Untrusted Applications
You can add applications you know and trust to the list of trusted applications. These
applications will no longer be checked by the Acronis Internet Security Active Virus
Control and will automatically be allowed access.
To manage the applications that are not being monitored by Active Virus Control:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Antivirus > Shield.
3. Click Advanced Settings.
4. Go to the AVC tab.
5. Click the Exclusions tab.
The applications for which rules have been created are listed in the Exclusions
table. The path to the application and the action you have set for it (Allowed or
Blocked) is displayed for each rule.
To change the action for an application, click the current action and select the other
action from the menu.
To manage the list, use the buttons placed above the table:
Add - add a new application to the list.
Remove - remove an application from the list.
Edit - edit an application rule.
10.1.6. Configuring the Intrusion Detection System
The Acronis Internet Security Intrusion Detection System monitors network and
system activities for malicious activities or policy violations.
To configure the Intrusion Detection System:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Antivirus > Shield.
3. Click Advanced Settings.
4. Go to the IDS tab.
5. Select the corresponding check box to enable the Intrusion Detection System.
6. Drag the slider along the scale to set the desired aggressiveness level. Use the
description on the right side of the scale to choose the aggressiveness level that
better fits your security needs.
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10.2. On-demand Scanning
The main objective for Acronis Internet Security is to keep your computer clean of
viruses. This is first and foremost done by keeping new viruses out of your computer
and by scanning your e-mail messages and any new files downloaded or copied to
your system.
There is a risk that a virus is already lodged in your system, before you even install
Acronis Internet Security. This is why it's a very good idea to scan your computer
for resident viruses after you've installed Acronis Internet Security. And it's definitely
a good idea to frequently scan your computer for viruses.
On-demand scanning is based on scan tasks. Scan tasks specify the scanning options
and the objects to be scanned. You can scan the computer whenever you want by
running the default tasks or your own scan tasks (user-defined tasks). You can also
schedule them to run on a regular basis or when the system is idle so as not to
interfere with your work. For quick instructions, please refer to these topics:
● “How Do I Scan Files and Folders?” (p. 140)
● “How Do I Create a Custom Scan Task?” (p. 142)
● “How Do I Schedule a Computer Scan?” (p. 143)
10.2.1. Scanning Files and Folders
You should scan files and folders whenever you suspect they might be infected.
Right-click the file or folder you want to be scanned and select Scan with Acronis
Internet Security. The Antivirus Scan wizard will appear and guide you through
the scanning process.
If you want to scan specific locations on your computer, you can configure and run
a custom scan task. For more information, please refer to “How Do I Create a Custom
Scan Task?” (p. 142).
To scan your computer or part of it you can run the default scan tasks or your own
scan tasks. To run a scan task, open Acronis Internet Security and, depending on
the user interface view mode, proceed as follows:
Basic View
Click the Security button and choose one of the available scan tasks.
Intermediate View
Go to the Security tab. Click Full System Scan in the left-side Quick Tasks
area and choose one of the available scan tasks.
Expert View
Go to Antivirus > Virus Scan. To run a system or user-defined scan task, click
the corresponding Run Task button.
These are the default tasks you can use to scan your computer:
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Full System Scan
Scans the entire system, except for archives. In the default configuration, it
scans for all types of malware other than rootkits.
Quick Scan
Quick Scan uses in-the-cloud scanning to detect malware running in your system.
Running a Quick Scan usually takes less than a minute and uses a fraction of
the system resources needed by a regular virus scan.
Deep System Scan
Scans the entire system. In the default configuration, it scans for all types of
malware threatening your system's security, such as viruses, spyware, adware,
rootkits and others.
Before you initiate a scanning process, you should make sure that Acronis Internet
Security is up to date with its malware signatures. Scanning your computer using
an outdated signature database may prevent Acronis Internet Security from detecting
new malware found since the last update.
In order for Acronis Internet Security to make a complete scanning, you need to
shut down all open programs. Especially your email-client (i.e. Outlook, Outlook
Express or Eudora) is important to shut down.
Scanning Tips
Here are some more scanning tips you may find useful:
● Depending on the size of your hard disk, running a comprehensive scan of your
computer (such as Deep System Scan or System Scan) may take a while (up to
an hour or even more). Therefore, you should run such scans when you do not
need to use your computer for a longer time (for example, during the night).
You can schedule the scan to start when convenient. Make sure you leave your
computer running. With Windows Vista, make sure your computer is not in sleep
mode when the task is scheduled to run.
● If you frequently download files from the Internet to a specific folder, create a
new scan task and set that folder as scan target. Schedule the task to run every
day or more often.
● There is a kind of malware which sets itself to be executed at system startup by
changing Windows settings. To protect your computer against such malware, you
can schedule the Auto-logon Scan task to run at system startup. Please note
that autologon scanning may affect system performance for a short time after
startup.
10.2.2. Antivirus Scan Wizard
Whenever you initiate an on-demand scan (for example, right-click a folder and
select Scan with Acronis Internet Security), the Acronis Internet Security
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Antivirus Scan wizard will appear. Follow the three-step guided procedure to complete
the scanning process.
Note
If the scan wizard does not appear, the scan may be configured to run silently, in the
background. Look for the scan progress icon in the system tray. You can click this
icon to open the scan window and to see the scan progress.
Step 1/3 - Scanning
Acronis Internet Security will start scanning the selected objects.
You can see the scan status and statistics (scanning speed, elapsed time, number
of scanned / infected / suspicious / hidden objects and other).
Wait for Acronis Internet Security to finish scanning.
Note
The scanning process may take a while, depending on the complexity of the scan.
Password-protected archives. When a password-protected archive is detected,
depending on the scan settings, you may be prompted to provide the password.
Password-protected archives cannot be scanned unless you provide the password.
The following options are available:
● I want to enter the password for this object. If you want Acronis Internet
Security to scan the archive, select this option and type the password. If you do
not know the password, choose one of the other options.
● I do not want to enter the password for this object (skip this object).
Select this option to skip scanning this archive.
● I do not want to enter the password for any object (skip all
password-protected objects). Select this option if you do not want to be
bothered about password-protected archives. Acronis Internet Security will not
be able to scan them, but a record will be kept in the scan log.
Click OK to continue scanning.
Stopping or pausing the scan. You can stop scanning anytime you want by
clicking Stop&Yes. You will go directly to the last step of the wizard. To temporarily
stop the scanning process, just click Pause. You will have to click Resume to resume
scanning.
Step 2/3 - Select Actions
When the scanning is completed, a new window will appear, where you can see the
scan results.
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If there are no unresolved threats, click Continue. Otherwise, you must configure
new actions to be taken on the unresolved threats in order to protect your system.
The infected objects are displayed in groups, based on the malware they are infected
with. Click the link corresponding to a threat to find out more information about the
infected objects.
You can choose an overall action to be taken for all issues or you can select separate
actions for each group of issues. One or several of the following options can appear
on the menu:
Take No Action
No action will be taken on the detected files. After the scan is completed, you
can open the scan log to view information on these files.
Disinfect
Removes the malware code from infected files.
Delete
Removes detected files from the disk.
Move to quarantine
Moves detected files to quarantine. Quarantined files cannot be executed or
opened; therefore, the risk of getting infected disappears. For more information,
please refer to “Quarantine Area” (p. 58).
Rename files
Changes the name of hidden files by appending .bd.ren to their name. As a
result, you will be able to search for and find such files on your computer, if
any.
Please note that these hidden files are not the files that you deliberately hide
from Windows. They are the files hidden by special programs, known as rootkits.
Rootkits are not malicious in nature. However, they are commonly used to make
viruses or spyware undetectable by normal antivirus programs.
Click Continue to apply the specified actions.
Step 3/3 - View Results
When Acronis Internet Security finishes fixing the issues, the scan results will appear
in a new window. If you want comprehensive information on the scanning process,
click Show Log to view the scan log.
Important
If required, please restart your system in order to complete the cleaning process.
Click Close to close the window.
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Acronis Internet Security Could Not Solve Some Issues
In most cases Acronis Internet Security successfully disinfects the infected files it
detects or it isolates the infection. However, there are issues that cannot be solved
automatically. For more information and instructions on how to remove malware
manually, please refer to “Removing Malware from Your System” (p. 164).
Acronis Internet Security Detected Suspect Files
Suspect files are files detected by the heuristic analysis as potentially infected with
malware the signature of which has not been released yet.
If suspect files were detected during the scan, you will be requested to submit them
to the Acronis Internet Security Lab. Click OK to send these files to the Acronis
Internet Security Lab for further analysis.
10.2.3. Viewing Scan Logs
Each time you perform a scan, a scan log is created. The scan log contains detailed
information about the logged scanning process, such as scanning options, the
scanning target, the threats found and the actions taken on these threats.
You can open the scan log directly from the scan wizard, once the scan is completed,
by clicking Show Log.
To check scan logs at a later time:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security.
2. Click the View Logs link in the bottom-right corner of the window.
3. Click Antivirus on the left-side menu.
4. In the On-demand Tasks section, you can check what scans have been
performed recently. Double-click the events in the list to see more details. To
open the scan log, click View Scan Log. The scan log will open in your default
web browser.
To delete a log entry, right-click it and select Delete.
10.2.4. Managing Existing Scan Tasks
Acronis Internet Security comes with several tasks, created by default, which cover
common security issues. You can also create your own customized scan tasks. For
more information, please refer to “How Do I Create a Custom Scan Task?” (p. 142).
To manage the existing scan tasks:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Antivirus > Virus Scan.
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Note
In Basic View and Intermediate View, you can configure a shortcut so that you can
access these settings from your dashboard. For more information, please refer to
“My Tools” (p. 16).
There are three categories of scan tasks:
● System tasks - contains the list of default system tasks. The following tasks are
available:
Full System Scan
Scans the entire system, except for archives. In the default configuration, it
scans for all types of malware other than rootkits.
Quick Scan
Quick Scan uses in-the-cloud scanning to detect malware running in your
system. Running a Quick Scan usually takes less than a minute and uses a
fraction of the system resources needed by a regular virus scan.
Auto-logon Scan
Scans the items that are run when a user logs on to Windows. By default, the
autologon scan is disabled.
If you want to use this task, right-click it, select Schedule and set the task
to run at system startup. You can specify how long after the startup the
task should start running (in minutes).
Deep System Scan
Scans the entire system. In the default configuration, it scans for all types of
malware threatening your system's security, such as viruses, spyware, adware,
rootkits and others.
Note
Since the Deep System Scan and Full System Scan tasks analyze the entire
system, the scanning may take a while. Therefore, we recommend you to run these
tasks on low priority or, better, when your system is idle.
● User tasks - contains the user-defined tasks.
A task called My Documents is provided. Use this task to scan important current
user folders: My Documents, Desktop and StartUp. This will ensure the safety
of your documents, a safe workspace and clean applications running at startup.
● Misc tasks - contains a list of miscellaneous scan tasks. These scan tasks refer
to alternative scanning types that cannot be run from this window. You can only
modify their settings or view the scan reports. The following tasks are available:
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Device Scanning
Acronis Internet Security can detect automatically when a new storage device
is connected to the computer and scan it. Use this task to configure the
options of the automatic detection and scanning of storage devices
(CDs/DVDs, USB storage devices or mapped network drives).
Contextual Scan
This task is used when scanning via the Windows contextual menu or using
the scan activity bar. You can modify the scan options to better suit your
needs.
● Idle Scan Tasks - contains a list of default system tasks which can be scheduled
to run when you are away from your computer. With complex tasks, the scanning
process will take some time and it will work best if you don't use your system
during that time. That is why you should schedule such tasks when your computer
has gone into the idle mode.
You can manage scan tasks using the buttons or the shortcut menu.
To run a system or user-defined scan task, click the corresponding Run Task button.
The Antivirus Scan wizard will appear and guide you through the scanning process.
To set a scan task to run automatically, at a later moment or regularly, click the
corresponding Schedule button and configure the task schedule as needed.
If you no longer need a scan task that you have created (a user-defined task), you
can delete it by clicking the Delete button, located to the right of the task. You
cannot remove system or miscellaneous tasks.
Each scan task has a Properties window where you can configure its settings and
view the scan logs. To open this window click the Properties button to the left of
the task (or right-click the task and then click Properties).
To learn more, please refer to these topics:
● “Configuring Scan Settings” (p. 52)
● “Setting Scan Target” (p. 54)
● “Scheduling Scan Tasks” (p. 55)
Using Shortcut Menu
A shortcut menu is available for each task. Right-click the selected task to open it.
For system and user-defined tasks, the following commands are available on the
shortcut menu:
● Scan Now - runs the selected task, initiating an immediate scan.
● Paths - opens the Properties window, Paths tab, where you can change the
scan target of the selected task. In the case of system tasks, this option is replaced
by Show Scan Paths, as you can only see their scan target.
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● Schedule - opens the Properties window, Scheduler tab, where you can schedule
the selected task.
● View Logs - opens the Properties window, Logs tab, where you can see the
reports generated after the selected task was run.
● Clone Task - duplicates the selected task. This is useful when creating new tasks,
as you can modify the settings of the task duplicate.
● Delete - deletes the selected task.
Note
Available for user-created tasks only. You cannot remove a default task.
● Properties - opens the Properties window, Overview tab, where you can change
the settings of the selected task.
Due to the particular nature of the Misc Tasks category, only the View Logs and
Properties options are available in this case.
Configuring Scan Settings
To configure the scanning options of a specific scan task, right-click it and select
Properties.
You can easily configure the scanning options by adjusting the scan level. Drag the
slider along the scale to set the desired scan level. Use the description on the right
side of the scale to identify the scan level that better fits your needs.
You can also configure these general options:
● Run the task with Low priority. Decreases the priority of the scan process.
You will allow other programs to run faster and increase the time needed for the
scan process to finish.
● Minimize Scan Wizard to system tray. Minimizes the scan window to the
system tray. Double-click the Acronis Internet Security icon to open it.
● Specify the action to be taken if no threats are found.
Advanced users might want to take advantage of the scan settings Acronis Internet
Security offers. The scanner can be set to scan only specific file extensions, to search
for specific malware threats or to skip archives. This may greatly reduce scanning
times and improve your computer's responsiveness during a scan.
To configure the scan settings in detail:
1. Click Custom.
2. Configure the scan settings as needed. To find out what an option does, keep
the mouse over it and read the description displayed at the bottom of the window.
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3. Click OK to save the changes and close the window.
You may find this information useful:
● If you are not familiar with some of the terms, check them in the glossary. You
can also find useful information by searching the Internet.
● Scan Level. Specify the type of malware you want Acronis Internet Security to
scan for by selecting the appropriate options.
● Scan files. You can set Acronis Internet Security to scan all types of files,
applications (program files) only or specific file types you consider to be dangerous.
Scanning all files provides best protection, while scanning applications only can
be used to perform a quicker scan.
Applications (or program files) are far more vulnerable to malware attacks than
other types of files. This category includes the following file extensions: .exe;
.bat; .com; .dll; .ocx; .scr; .bin; .dat; .386; .vxd; .sys; .wdm; .cla;
.class; .ovl; .ole; .exe; .hlp; .doc; .dot; .xls; .ppt; .wbk; .wiz; .pot;
.ppa; .xla; .xlt; .vbs; .vbe; .mdb; .rtf; .htm; .hta; .html; .xml; .xtp;
.php; .asp; .js; .shs; .chm; .lnk; .pif; .prc; .url; .smm; .pdf; .msi;
.ini; .csc; .cmd; .bas; .eml; .nws.
If you opt for Scan user defined extensions, it is recommended that you include
all application extensions beside other file extensions you consider to be
dangerous.
● Scan only new and changed files. By scanning only new and changed files,
you may greatly improve overall system responsiveness with a minimum trade-off
in security.
● Scan inside archives. Archives containing infected files are not an immediate
threat to the security of your system. The malware can affect your system only
if the infected file is extracted from the archive and executed without having
real-time protection enabled. However, it is recommended to use this option in
order to detect and remove any potential threat, even if it is not an immediate
threat.
Note
Scanning archived files increases the overall scanning time and requires more
system resources.
● Action options. Specify the actions to be taken on each category of detected
files using the options in this category. There are three categories of detected
files:
▶ Infected files. Files detected as infected match a malware signature in the
Acronis Internet Security Malware Signature Database. Acronis Internet Security
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can normally remove the malware code from an infected file and reconstruct
the original file. This operation is known as disinfection.
Note
Malware signatures are snippets of code extracted from actual malware samples.
They are used by antivirus programs to perform pattern-matching and detect
malware.
The Acronis Internet Security Malware Signature Database is a collection of
malware signatures updated hourly by the Acronis Internet Security malware
researchers.
▶ Suspicious files. Files are detected as suspicious by the heuristic analysis.
Suspicious files cannot be disinfected, because no disinfection routine is
available.
▶ Hidden files (rootkits). Please note that these hidden files are not the files
that you deliberately hide from Windows. They are the files hidden by special
programs, known as rootkits. Rootkits are not malicious in nature. However,
they are commonly used to make viruses or spyware undetectable by normal
antivirus programs.
You should not change the default actions taken on detected files unless you have
a strong reason to do so.
To set a new action, click the current First action and select the desired option
from the menu. Specify a Second action that will be taken in case the first one
fails.
Click OK to save the changes and close the window. To run the task, just click Scan.
Setting Scan Target
You cannot modify the scan target of the scan tasks from the System Tasks
category. You can only see their scan target. To view the scan target of a specific
system scan task, right-click the task and select Show Scan Paths.
To set the scan target of a specific user scan task, right-click the task and select
Paths. Alternatively, if you are already in the Properties window of a task, select
the Paths tab.
You can see the list of local, network and removable drives as well as the files or
folders added previously, if any. All checked items will be scanned when running
the task.
The following buttons are available:
● Add Item(s) - opens a browsing window where you can select the file(s) / folder(s)
that you want to be scanned.
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Note
You can also use drag and drop to add files/folders to the list.
● Delete Item(s) - removes the file(s) / folder(s) previously selected from the list
of objects to be scanned.
Besides these buttons, there are some options that allow the fast selection of the
scan locations.
● Local Drives - to scan the local drives.
● Network Drives - to scan all network drives.
● Removable Drives - to scan removable drives (CD-ROM, floppy-disk unit).
● All Entries - to scan all drives, no matter if they are local, in the network or
removable.
Click OK to save the changes and close the window. To run the task, just click Scan.
Scheduling Scan Tasks
To see the schedule of a specific task or to modify it, choose a task and select
Schedule. If you are already in a task's Properties window, select the Scheduler
tab.
You can see the task schedule, if any.
When scheduling a task, you must choose one of the following options:
● No - launches the task only when the user requests it.
● Once - launches the scan only once, at a certain moment. Specify the start date
and time in the Start Date/Time fields.
● Periodically - launches the scan periodically, at certain time intervals(minutes,
hours, days, weeks, months) starting with a specified date and time.
● At system startup - launches the scan at the specified number of minutes after
a user has logged on to Windows.
Click OK to save the changes and close the window. To run the task, just click Scan.
10.3. Configuring Scan Exclusions
There are cases when you may need to exclude certain files from scanning. For
example, you may want to exclude an EICAR test file from on-access scanning or
.avi files from on-demand scanning.
Acronis Internet Security allows excluding objects from on-access or on-demand
scanning, or from both. This feature is intended to decrease scanning times and to
avoid interference with your work.
Two types of objects can be excluded from scanning:
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● Paths - the file or the folder (including all the objects it contains) indicated by a
specified path will be excluded from scanning.
● Extensions - all files having a specific extension will be excluded from scanning,
no matter what their location on the hard drive.
The objects excluded from on-access scanning will not be scanned, no matter if
they are accessed by you or by an application.
Note
Exclusions will NOT apply for contextual scanning. Contextual scanning is a type of
on-demand scanning: you right-click the file or folder you want to scan and select
Scan with Acronis Internet Security.
10.3.1. Excluding Files or Folders from Scanning
To exclude paths from scanning:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Antivirus > Exclusions.
Note
In Basic View and Intermediate View, you can configure a shortcut so that you can
access these settings from your dashboard. For more information, please refer to
“My Tools” (p. 16).
3. Select the corresponding check box to enable scan exclusions.
4. Start the configuration wizard as follows:
● Right-click in the Files and Folders table and select Add new path.
● Click the Add button, located at the top of the exclusions table.
5. Follow the configuration wizard. You can navigate through the wizard using the
Next and Back buttons. To exit the wizard, click Cancel.
a. Select the option of excluding a path from scanning. This step appears only
when you start the wizard by clicking the Add button.
b. To specify the paths to be excluded from scanning use either of the following
methods:
● Click Browse, select the file or folder that you want to be excluded from
scanning and then click Add.
● Type the path that you want to be excluded from scanning in the edit field
and click Add.
The paths will appear in the table as you add them. You can add as many paths
as you want.
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c. By default, the selected paths are excluded from both on-access and
on-demand scanning. To change when to apply the exception, click on the
right column and select the desired option from the list.
d. It is highly recommended to scan the files in the specified paths to make sure
that they are not infected. Select the check box to scan these files before
excluding them from scanning.
Click Finish to add the scan exclusions.
6. Click Apply to save the changes.
10.3.2. Excluding File Extensions from Scanning
To exclude file extensions from scanning:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Antivirus > Exclusions.
Note
In Basic View and Intermediate View, you can configure a shortcut so that you can
access these settings from your dashboard. For more information, please refer to
“My Tools” (p. 16).
3. Select the corresponding check box to enable scan exclusions.
4. Start the configuration wizard as follows:
● Right-click in the Extensions table and select Add new extensions.
● Click the Add button, located at the top of the exclusions table.
5. Follow the configuration wizard. You can navigate through the wizard using the
Next and Back buttons. To exit the wizard, click Cancel.
a. Select the option of excluding extensions from scanning. This step appears
only when you start the wizard by clicking the Add button.
b. To specify the extensions to be excluded from scanning use either of the
following methods:
● Select from the menu the extension that you want to be excluded from
scanning and then click Add.
● Type the extension that you want to be excluded from scanning in the edit
field and click Add.
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The menu contains a list of all the extensions registered on your system.
When you select an extension, you can see its description, if available.
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The extensions will appear in the table as you add them. You can add as many
extensions as you want.
c. By default, the selected extensions are excluded from both on-access and
on-demand scanning. To change when to apply the exception, click on the
right column and select the desired option from the list.
d. It is highly recommended to scan the files with the specified extensions to
make sure that they are not infected.
Click Finish to add the scan exclusions.
6. Click Apply to save the changes.
10.3.3. Managing Scan Exclusions
If the configured scan exclusions are no longer needed, it is recommended that you
delete them or disable scan exclusions.
To manage scan exclusions:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Antivirus > Exclusions.
To remove an entry from the table, select it and click the Delete button.
To edit an entry from the table, select it and click the Edit button. A new window
will appear where you can change the extension or the path to be excluded and the
type of scanning you want them to be excluded from, as needed. Make the necessary
changes and click OK.
Note
You can also right-click an object and use the options on the shortcut menu to edit
or delete it.
To disable scan exclusions, clear the corresponding check box.
10.4. Quarantine Area
Acronis Internet Security allows isolating the infected or suspicious files in a secure
area, named quarantine. By isolating these files in the quarantine, the risk of getting
infected disappears and, at the same time, you have the possibility to send these
files for further analysis to the Acronis Internet Security lab.
Note
When a virus is in quarantine it cannot do any harm because it cannot be executed
or read.
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In addition, Acronis Internet Security scans the quarantined files after each malware
signature update. Cleaned files are automatically moved back to their original
location.
To see and manage quarantined files and to configure the quarantine settings:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Antivirus > Quarantine.
Note
In Basic View and Intermediate View, you can configure a shortcut so that you can
access these settings from your dashboard. For more information, please refer to
“My Tools” (p. 16).
Managing Quarantined Files
You can send any selected file from the quarantine to the Acronis Internet Security
Lab by clicking Send. By default, Acronis Internet Security will automatically submit
quarantined files every 60 minutes.
To delete a quarantined file, select it and click the Delete button.
If you want to restore a quarantined file to its original location, select it and click
Restore.
Configuring Quarantine Settings
To configure the quarantine settings, click Settings. Using the quarantine settings,
you can set Acronis Internet Security to automatically perform the following actions:
Delete old files. To automatically delete old quarantined files, check the
corresponding option. You must specify the number of days after which the
quarantined files should be deleted and frequency with which Acronis Internet
Security should check for old files.
Automatically submit files. To automatically submit quarantined files, check
the corresponding option. You must specify the frequency with which to submit
files.
Scan quarantined files after update. To automatically scan quarantined files
after each update performed, check the corresponding option. You can choose to
automatically move back the cleaned files to their original location by selecting
Restore clean files.
Click OK to save the changes and close the window.
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11. Antiphishing Protection
Acronis Internet Security Antiphishing prevents you from disclosing personal
information while browsing the Internet by alerting you about potential phishing
web pages.
Acronis Internet Security provides real-time antiphishing protection for:
● Internet Explorer
● Mozilla Firefox
● Yahoo! Messenger
● Windows Live (MSN) Messenger
11.1. Configuring the Antiphishing White List
You can configure and manage a white list of web sites that will not be scanned by
the Acronis Internet Security Antiphishing engines. The white list should contain
only web sites you fully trust. For example, add the web sites where you currently
shop online.
Note
You can easily add web sites to the white list from the Acronis Internet Security
Antiphishing toolbar integrated into your web browser. For more information, please
refer to “Managing the Acronis Internet Security Antiphishing Protection in Internet
Explorer and Firefox” (p. 61).
To configure and manage the antiphishing white list:
● If you are using a supported web browser, click the Acronis Internet Security
toolbar and choose White List from the menu.
● Alternatively, follow these steps:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Antivirus > Shield.
3. Click White List.
To add a site to the White List, provide its address in the corresponding field and
click Add.
If you want to remove a web site from the white list, click the corresponding Remove
button.
Click Save to save the changes and close the window.
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11.2. Managing the Acronis Internet Security Antiphishing Protection in Internet Explorer and Firefox
Acronis Internet Security integrates directly through an intuitive and easy-to-use
toolbar into the following web browsers:
● Internet Explorer
● Mozilla Firefox
You can easily and efficiently manage antiphishing protection and the White List
using the Acronis Internet Security Antiphishing toolbar integrated into one of the
above web browsers.
The antiphishing toolbar, represented by the Acronis Internet Security icon, is
located on the topside of browser. Click it in order to open the toolbar menu.
Note
If you cannot see the toolbar, open the View menu, point to Toolbars and check
Acronis Internet Security Toolbar.
The following commands are available on the toolbar menu:
● Enable / Disable - enables / disables the Acronis Internet Security antiphishing
protection in the current web browser.
● Settings - opens a window where you can specify the antiphishing toolbar's
settings. The following options are available:
▶ Real-time Antiphishing Web Protection - detects and alerts you in real-time
if a web site is phished (set up to steal personal information). This option controls
the Acronis Internet Security antiphishing protection in the current web browser
only.
▶ Ask before adding to whitelist - prompts you before adding a web site to
the White List.
● Add to White List - adds the current web site to the White List.
Important
Adding a site to the White List means that Acronis Internet Security will not scan
the site for phishing attempts anymore. We recommend you to add to the White
List only sites that you fully trust.
● White List - opens the White List. For more information, please refer to
“Configuring the Antiphishing White List” (p. 60).
● Report as Phishing - informs the Acronis Internet Security Lab that you consider
the respective web site to be used for phishing. By reporting phished web sites
you help protect other people against identity theft.
● Help - opens the help file.
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● About - opens a window where you can see information about Acronis Internet
Security and where to look for help in case something unexpected appears.
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12. Search Advisor
Search Advisor improves your online threat protection by alerting you about phishing
or untrusted web pages directly from your search results page.
Search Advisor works with any web browser and checks the search results displayed
by the most popular search engines:
● Google
● Yahoo!
● Bing
Search Advisor indicates whether a search result is safe or not by placing a small
status icon before the link.
Green circle with a check mark: You can safely access the link.
Red circle with an exclamation mark: This is a phishing or untrusted web
page. You should avoid opening the link. If you are using Internet Explorer or Firefox
and you try to open the link, Acronis Internet Security will automatically block the
web page and display an alert page instead. If you want to ignore the alert and
access the web page, follow the instructions in the alert page.
12.1. Disabling Search Advisor
To disable Search Advisor:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Preferences.
2. Go to Security Settings.
3. Use the switch to turn off Search Advisor.
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13. Antispam
Spam is a term used to describe unsolicited e-mail. Spam is a growing problem,
both for individuals and for organizations. It's not pretty, you wouldn't want your
kids to see it, it can get you fired (for wasting too much time or from receiving porn
in your office mail) and you can't stop people from sending it. The next best thing
to that is, obviously, to stop receiving it. Unfortunately, Spam comes in a wide range
of shapes and sizes, and there's a lot of it.
Acronis Internet Security Antispam employs remarkable technological innovations
and industry standard antispam filters to weed out spam before it reaches the user's
Inbox. For more information, please refer to “Antispam Insights” (p. 64).
The Acronis Internet Security Antispam protection is available only for e-mail clients
configured to receive e-mail messages via the POP3 protocol. POP3 is one of the
most widely used protocols for downloading e-mail messages from a mail server.
Note
Acronis Internet Security does not provide antispam protection for e-mail accounts
that you access through a web-based e-mail service.
The spam messages detected by Acronis Internet Security are marked with the
[spam] prefix in the subject line. Acronis Internet Security automatically moves
spam messages to a specific folder, as follows:
● In Microsoft Outlook, spam messages are moved to a Spam folder, located in the
Deleted Items folder. The Spam folder is created during the installation of
Acronis Internet Security.
● In Outlook Express and Windows Mail, spam messages are moved directly to
Deleted Items.
● In Mozilla Thunderbird, spam messages are moved to a Spam folder, located in
the Trash folder. The Spam folder is created during the installation of Acronis
Internet Security.
If you use other mail clients, you must create a rule to move the e-mail messages
marked as [spam] by Acronis Internet Security to a custom quarantine folder.
13.1. Antispam Insights
13.1.1. Antispam Filters
The Acronis Internet Security Antispam Engine incorporates several different filters
that ensure your Inbox to be SPAM-free: Friends list, Spammers list, Charset filter,
Image filter, URL filter, NeuNet (Heuristic) filter and Bayesian filter.
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Friends List / Spammers List
Most people communicate regularly to a group of people or even receive messages
from companies or organizations in the same domain. By using friends or
spammers list, you can easily classify which people you want to receive e-mail
from (friends) no matter what the message contains, or which people you never
want to hear from again (spammers).
Note
We recommend that you add your friends' names and e-mail addresses to the Friends
list. Acronis Internet Security does not block messages from those on the list;
therefore, adding friends helps ensure that legitimate messages get through.
Charset Filter
Many spam messages are written in Cyrillic and / or Asian charsets. The Charset
Filter detects this kind of messages and tags them as SPAM.
Image Filter
Since avoiding heuristic filter detection has become quite a challenge, nowadays'
inbox folders are full with more and more messages only containing an image with
unsolicited content. To cope with this growing problem, Acronis Internet Security
introduced the Image filter that compares the image signature from the e-mail
with those from the Acronis Internet Security database. In case of a match the e-mail
will be tagged as SPAM.
URL Filter
Almost all spam messages include links to various web locations. These locations
usually contain more advertising and the possibility to buy things, and, sometimes,
they are used for phishing.
Acronis Internet Security maintains a database of such links. The URL filter checks
every URL link in a message against its database. If a match is made, the message
is tagged as SPAM.
NeuNet (Heuristic) Filter
The NeuNet (Heuristic) filter performs a set of tests on all the message
components, (i.e. not only the header but also the message body in either HTML or
text format), looking for words, phrases, links or other characteristics of SPAM. Based
on the results of the analysis, it adds a SPAM score to the message.
The filter also detects messages marked as SEXUALLY-EXPLICIT: in the subject
line and tags them as SPAM.
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Note
Starting May 19, 2004, spam that contains sexually oriented material must include
the warning SEXUALLY-EXPLICIT: in the subject line or face fines for violations
of federal law.
Bayesian Filter
The Bayesian filter module classifies messages according to statistical information
regarding the rate at which specific words appear in messages classified SPAM as
compared to those declared NON-SPAM (by you or by the heuristic filter).
This means, for example, if a certain four-letter word is seen to appear more often
in SPAM, it is natural to assume there is an increased probability that the next
incoming message that includes it actually IS SPAM. All relevant words within a
message are taken into account. By synthesizing the statistical information, the
overall probability for the whole message to be SPAM is computed.
This module presents another interesting characteristic: it is trainable. It adapts
quickly to the type of messages received by a certain user, and stores information
about all. To function effectively, the filter must be trained, meaning, to be presented
with samples of SPAM and legitimate messages, much like a hound is primed to
trace a certain scent. Sometimes the filter must be corrected too - prompted to
adjust when it makes a wrong decision.
Important
You can correct the Bayesian filter using the Is Spam and Not Spam buttons
from the Antispam toolbar.
13.1.2. Antispam Operation
The Acronis Internet Security Antispam Engine uses all antispam filters combined
to determine whether a certain e-mail message should get into your Inbox or not.
Every e-mail that comes from the Internet is first checked with the Friends
list/Spammers list filter. If the sender's address is found in the Friends list the e-mail
is moved directly to your Inbox.
Otherwise, the Spammers list filter will take over the e-mail to verify if the sender's
address is on its list. If a match is made, the e-mail will be tagged as SPAM and
moved in the Spam folder.
Else, the Charset filter will check if the e-mail is written in Cyrillic or Asian characters.
If so the e-mail will be tagged as SPAM and moved in the Spam folder.
If the e-mail is not written in Asian or Cyrillic it will be passed to the Image filter.
The Image filter will detect all the e-mail messages containing attached images
with spam content.
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The URL filter will compare the links found in the e-mail against the links from the
Acronis Internet Security database of known spam links. In case of a match, the
e-mail will be considered SPAM.
The NeuNet (Heuristic) filter will take over the e-mail and will perform a set of tests
on all the message components, looking for words, phrases, links or other
characteristics of SPAM. Based on the results of the analysis, the e-mail will receive
a spam score.
Note
If the e-mail is tagged as SEXUALLY EXPLICIT in the subject line, Acronis Internet
Security will consider it SPAM.
The Bayesian filter module will further analyze the message, according to statistical
information regarding the rate at which specific words appear in messages classified
SPAM as compared to those declared NON-SPAM (by you or by the heuristic filter).
A Spam score will be added to the e-mail.
If the aggregate spam score (heuristic score + Bayesian score) exceeds the threshold
level, the e-mail is considered SPAM. The threshhold level is defined by the antispam
protection level. For more information, please refer to “Adjusting the Protection
Level” (p. 72).
13.1.3. Antispam Updates
Every time you perform an update:
● new image signatures will be added to the Image filter.
● new links will be added to the URL filter.
● new rules will be added to the NeuNet (Heuristic) filter.
This will help increase the effectiveness of your Antispam engine.
To protect you against spammers, Acronis Internet Security can perform automatic
updates. Keep the Automatic Update option enabled.
13.1.4. Supported E-mail Clients and Protocols
Antispam protection is provided for all POP3/SMTP e-mail clients. The Acronis Internet
Security Antispam toolbar however is integrated only into:
● Microsoft Outlook 2003 / 2007 / 2010
● Microsoft Outlook Express
● Microsoft Windows Mail
● Mozilla Thunderbird 3.0.4
Note
Acronis Internet Security 2011 doesn't scan Lotus Notes POP3 traffic.
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13.2. Antispam Optimization Wizard
The first time you run your mail client after you have installed Acronis Internet
Security, a wizard will appear helping you to configure the Friends list and the
Spammers list and to train the Bayesian filter in order to increase the efficiency of
the Antispam filters.
Note
The wizard can also be launched any time you want by clicking the Wizard button
from the Antispam toolbar.
You can navigate through the wizard using the Next and Back buttons. If you want
to skip a configuration step, select Skip this step. To exit the wizard, click Cancel.
1. Welcome Window
2. Add Contacts to Friends List
Here you can see all the addresses from your Address Book. Please select those
you want to be added to your Friends list (we recommend to select them all).
You will receive all the e-mail messages from these addresses, regardless of their
content.
To add all your contacts to the Friends list, check Select all.
3. Delete Bayesian Database
Note
The first time you run the wizard, just go to the next step.
You may find that your antispam filter has begun to lose efficiency. This may be
due to improper training. (i.e. you have mistakenly tagged a number of legitimate
messages as spam, or vice versa). If your filter is very inaccurate, you may need
to wipe the filter database and retrain the filter by following the next steps of
this wizard.
Select Wipe antispam filter database if you want to reset the Bayesian
database.
You can save the Bayesian database to a file so that you can use it with another
Acronis Internet Security product or after reinstalling Acronis Internet Security.
To save the Bayesian database, click the Save Bayes button and save it to the
desired location. The file will have a .dat extension.
To load a previously saved Bayesian database, click the Load Bayes button and
open the corresponding file.
4. Train the Bayesian Filter on Legitimate (Non-Spam) E-mails
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Please select a folder that contains legitimate e-mail messages. These messages
will be used to train the antispam filter.
There are two advanced options under the directory list:
● Include all subfolders - to include the subfolders to your selection.
● Automatically add to Friends list - to add the senders to the Friends list.
5. Train the Bayesian Filter on Spam E-mails
Please select a folder that contains spam e-mail messages. These messages will
be used to train the antispam filter.
Important
Please make sure that the folder you choose contains no legitimate e-mail at all,
otherwise the antispam performance will be considerably reduced.
There are two advanced options under the directory list:
● Include all subfolders - to include the subfolders to your selection.
● Automatically add to Spammers list - to add the senders to the Spammers
list. E-mail messages from these senders will always be marked as SPAM and
processed accordingly.
6. Summary
Here you can view all the settings for the configuration wizard. You can make
any changes, by returning to the previous steps (click Back).
If you do not want to make any modifications, click Finish to end the wizard.
13.3. Using the Antispam Toolbar in Your Mail Client Window
In the upper area of your mail client window you can see the Antispam toolbar. The
Antispam toolbar helps you manage antispam protection directly from your mail
client. You can easily correct Acronis Internet Security if it marked a legitimate
message as SPAM.
Important
Acronis Internet Security integrates into the most commonly used mail clients through
an easy-to-use antispam toolbar. For a complete list of supported mail clients, please
refer to “Supported E-mail Clients and Protocols” (p. 67).
Each button from the Acronis Internet Security toolbar will be explained below:
● Is Spam - sends a message to the Bayesian module indicating that the selected
e-mail is spam. The e-mail will be tagged as SPAM and moved to the Spam folder.
The future e-mail messages that fit the same patterns will be tagged as SPAM.
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● Not Spam - sends a message to the Bayesian module indicating that the
selected e-mail is not spam and Acronis Internet Security should not have tagged
it. The e-mail will be moved from the Spam folder to the Inbox directory.
The future e-mail messages that fit the same patterns will no longer be tagged
as SPAM.
Important
The Not Spam button becomes active when you select a message marked as
SPAM by Acronis Internet Security (normally these messages are located in the
Spam folder).
●
Add Spammer - adds the sender of the selected e-mail to the Spammers list.
You may need to click OK to acknowledge. The e-mail messages received from
addresses in the Spammers list are automatically marked as [spam].
●
Add Friend - adds the sender of the selected e-mail to the Friends list. You
may need to click OK to acknowledge. You will always receive e-mail messages
from this address no matter what they contain.
●
Spammers - opens the Spammers list that contains all the e-mail addresses
from which you don't want to receive messages, regardless of their content. For
more information, please refer to “Configuring the Spammers List” (p. 74).
●
Friends - opens the Friends list that contains all the e-mail addresses from
which you always want to receive e-mail messages, regardless of their content.
For more information, please refer to “Configuring the Friends List” (p. 73).
● Settings - opens the Settings window where you can specify some options
for the Antispam module.
● Wizard - opens the antispam optimization wizard. This wizard help you train
the Bayesian filter in order to further increase the efficiency of your antispam
protection. You can also add addresses from your Address Book to your Friends
list / Spammers list.
●
Acronis Internet Security Antispam - opens a window where you can
configure the antispam protection level and the antispam filters.
13.3.1. Indicating Detection Errors
If you are using a supported mail client, you can easily correct the antispam filter
(by indicating which e-mail messages should not have been marked as [spam]).
Doing so will considerably improve the efficiency of the antispam filter. Follow these
steps:
1. Open your mail client.
2. Go to the junk mail folder where spam messages are moved.
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3. Select the legitimate message incorrectly marked as [spam] by Acronis Internet
Security.
4.
Click the Add Friend button on the Acronis Internet Security antispam toolbar
to add the sender to the Friends list. You may need to click OK to acknowledge.
You will always receive e-mail messages from this address no matter what they
contain.
5. Click the Not Spam button on the Acronis Internet Security antispam toolbar
(normally located in the upper part of the mail client window). This indicates to
the Learning Engine that the selected message is not spam. The e-mail message
will be moved to the Inbox folder. The next e-mail messages that fit the same
patterns will no longer be marked as [spam].
13.3.2. Indicating Undetected Spam Messages
If you are using a supported mail client, you can easily indicate which e-mail
messages should have been detected as spam. Doing so will considerably improve
the efficiency of the antispam filter. Follow these steps:
1. Open your mail client.
2. Go to the Inbox folder.
3. Select the undetected spam messages.
4. Click the Is Spam button on the Acronis Internet Security antispam toolbar
(normally located in the upper part of the mail client window). This indicates to
the Learning Engine that the selected messages are spam. They are immediately
marked as [spam] and moved to the junk mail folder. The next e-mail messages
that fit the same patterns will be marked as [spam].
13.3.3. Retraining the Learning Engine (Bayesian)
If your antispam filter is very inaccurate, you may need to wipe the Bayesian
database and retrain the Bayesian filter.
Before training the Learning Engine (Bayesian), prepare a folder containing only
SPAM messages and another one containing only legitimate messages. The Learning
Engine will analyze them and learn the characteristics that define the spam or
legitimate messages that you usually receive. In order for the training to be efficient,
there must be over 50 messages in each category.
To reset the Bayesian database and retrain the Learning Engine, follow these steps:
1. Open your mail client.
2. On the Acronis Internet Security antispam toolbar, click the Wizard button to
start the antispam configuration wizard.
3. Click Next.
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4. Select Skip this step and click Next.
5. Select Clear antispam filter database and click Next.
6. Select the folder containing legitimate messages and click Next.
7. Select the folder containing SPAM messages and click Next.
8. Click Finish to start the training process.
9. When training is completed, click Close.
13.3.4. Saving and Loading Bayesian Database
You can save the Bayesian database to a file so that you can use it with another
Acronis Internet Security product or after reinstalling Acronis Internet Security.
Click the Settings button on the Acronis Internet Security antispam toolbar.
To save the Bayesian database, click the Save Bayes button and save it to the
desired location. The file will have a .dat extension.
To load a previously saved Bayesian database, click the Load Bayes button and
open the corresponding file.
13.3.5. Configuring General Settings
To configure general antispam settings for your mail client, click the Settings
button on the Acronis Internet Security antispam toolbar.
The following options are available:
● Move message to Deleted Items - moves the spam messages to the Deleted
Items (only for Microsoft Outlook Express / Windows Mail);
● Mark spam e-mail messages as 'read' - marks the spam messages as read
automatically, so as not to be disturbing when they arrive.
Click the Alerts tab if you want to access the section where you can disable the
apparition of the confirmation windows for the Add spammer and Add friend
buttons.
In the Alerts window you can also enable/disable the apparition of the Please
select an email message alert. This alert appears when you select a group instead
of an email message.
13.4. Adjusting the Protection Level
Some of the antispam filters can identify spam e-mails directly, while others add a
spam score to the e-mail, based on the spam characteristics detected.
The antispam protection level is used to determine if an e-mail message can be
considered spam based on its total spam score (received after being checked by
all of the antispam filters).
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You should not change the antispam protection level, unless the antispam protection
does not work as expected. However, rather than independently change the
protection level, it is recommended that you first read “Antispam Filter Does Not
Work Properly” (p. 156) and follow the instructions to correct the problem.
To adjust the antispam protection level:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Antispam > Status.
3. Drag the slider along the scale to set the appropriate protection level. To set the
default protection level (Moderate to Aggressive) click Default Level.
Use the description on the right side of the scale to choose the protection level that
better fits your security needs. The description also informs you about any additional
actions you should take in order to avoid potential problems or to increase antispam
detection efficiency.
13.5. Configuring the Friends List
The Friends list is a list of all the e-mail addresses from which you always want to
receive messages, regardless of their content. Messages from your friends are not
labeled as spam, even if the content resembles spam.
Note
Any mail coming from an address contained in the Friends list, will automatically
be delivered to your Inbox without further processing.
To configure and manage the Friends list:
● If you are using Microsoft Outlook / Outlook Express / Windows Mail / Thunderbird,
click the Friends button on the Acronis Internet Security antispam toolbar
integrated into your mail client.
● Alternatively, follow these steps:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Antispam > Status.
3. Click Manage Friends.
To add an e-mail address, select the E-mail address option, enter the address and
click the button next to the edit field. Syntax: name@domain.com.
To add all the e-mail addresses from a specific domain, select the Domain name
option, enter the domain name and click the button next to the edit field. Syntax:
● @domain.com, *domain.com and domain.com - all the received e-mail messages
from domain.com will reach your Inbox regardless of their content;
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● *domain* - all the received e-mail messages from domain (no matter the domain
suffixes) will reach your Inbox regardless of their content;
● *com - all the received e-mail messages having the domain suffix com will reach
your Inbox regardless of their content;
It is recommended to avoid adding entire domains, but this may be useful in some
situations. For example, you can add the e-mail domain of the company you work
for, or those of your trusted partners.
To delete an item from the list, select it and click the Remove button. To delete all
entries from the list, click the Clear list button and then Yes to confirm.
You can save the Friends list to a file so that you can use it on another computer or
after reinstalling the product. To save the Friends list, click the Save button and
save it to the desired location. The file will have a .bwl extension.
To load a previously saved Friends list, click the Load button and open the
corresponding .bwl file. To reset the content of the existing list when loading a
previously saved list, select Overwrite the current list.
Click Apply and OK to save and close the Friends list.
13.6. Configuring the Spammers List
The Spammers list is a list of all the e-mail addresses from which you don't want
to receive messages, regardless of their content. Any e-mail message received from
an address contained in the Spammers list will be automatically marked as SPAM,
without further processing.
To configure and manage the Spammers list:
● If you are using Microsoft Outlook / Outlook Express / Windows Mail / Thunderbird,
click the Spammers button on the Acronis Internet Security antispam toolbar
integrated into your mail client.
● Alternatively, follow these steps:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Antispam > Status.
3. Click Manage Spammers.
To add an e-mail address, select the E-mail address option, enter the address and
click the button next to the edit field. Syntax: name@domain.com.
To add all the e-mail addresses from a specific domain, select the Domain name
option, enter the domain name and click the button next to the edit field. Syntax:
● @domain.com, *domain.com and domain.com - all the received e-mail messages
from domain.com will be tagged as SPAM;
● *domain* - all the received e-mail messages from domain (no matter the domain
suffixes) will be tagged as SPAM;
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● *com - all the received e-mail messages having the domain suffix com will be
tagged as SPAM.
It is recommended to avoid adding entire domains, but this may be useful in some
situations.
Warning
Do not add domains of legitimate web-based e-mail services (such as Yahoo, Gmail,
Hotmail or other) to the Spammers list. Otherwise, the e-mail messages received
from any registered user of such a service will be detected as spam. If, for example,
you add yahoo.com to the Spammers list, all e-mail messages coming from
yahoo.com addresses will be marked as [spam].
To delete an item from the list, select it and click the Remove button. To delete all
entries from the list, click the Clear list button and then Yes to confirm.
You can save the Spammers list to a file so that you can use it on another computer
or after reinstalling the product. To save the Spammers list, click the Save button
and save it to the desired location. The file will have a .bwl extension.
To load a previously saved Spammers list, click the Load button and open the
corresponding .bwl file. To reset the content of the existing list when loading a
previously saved list, select Overwrite the current list.
Click Apply and OK to save and close the Spammers list.
13.7. Configuring the Antispam Filters and Settings
As described in “Antispam Insights” (p. 64), Acronis Internet Security uses a
combination of different antispam filters to identify spam. The antispam filters are
pre-configured for efficient protection.
You can disable each one of these filters or change their settings, but this is not
recommended. These are some changes you may want to make:
● Depending on whether or not you receive legitimate e-mails written in Asian or
Cyrillic characters, disable or enable the setting that automatically blocks such
e-mails.
Note
The corresponding setting is disabled in the localized versions of the program that
use such charsets (for example, in the Russian or Chinese version).
● If you do not want to automatically add the recipients of your sent mail to the
Friends list, you can disable the corresponding setting. In this case, add your
contacts to the Friends list, as described in “Configuring the Friends List” (p. 73).
● Advanced users can try to adjust the size of the Bayesian dictionary to achieve
better antispam performance. A smaller number of words will result in faster, but
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less precise, antispam processing. A larger number of words will increase antispam
detection accuracy, but it will take more time to access your e-mails.
Note
It may take several adjustments of the Bayesian dictionary size to reach the desired
performance level. If the result is not as expected, set back the default and
recommended size of 200.000 words.
To configure the antispam settings and filters:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Antispam > Settings.
3. Configure the settings as needed. To find out what an option does, keep the
mouse over it and read the description displayed at the bottom of the window.
4. Click Apply to save the changes.
To apply the default settings, click Default.
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14. Parental Control
Acronis Internet Security Parental Control enables you to control the access to the
Internet and to specific applications for each user holding a user account on the
system.
You can configure Parental Control to block:
● inappropriate web pages.
● Internet access, for specific periods of time (such as when it's time for lessons).
● web pages, e-mail messages and instant messages if they contain specific
keywords.
● applications like games, chat, filesharing programs or others.
● instant messages sent by IM contacts other than those allowed.
Important
Only users with administrative rights on the system (system administrators) can
access and configure Parental Control. To make sure that only you can change the
Parental Control settings for any user, you can protect them with a password. You
will be prompted to configure the password when you enable the Parental Control
for a specific user.
Once you have configured Parental Control, you can easily find out what your children
are doing on the computer.
14.1. Configuring Parental Control
Before you configure Parental Control, create separate Windows user accounts for
your children to use. This will allow you to know exactly what each of them is doing
on the computer. You should create limited (standard) user accounts so that they
cannot change the Parental Control settings. For more information, please refer to
“How Do I Create Windows User Accounts?” (p. 147).
If your children can access an administrator account on their computer, you must
configure a password to protect the Parental Control settings. For more information,
please refer to “Protecting Parental Control Settings” (p. 79).
To configure Parental Control:
1. Make sure you are logged on to the computer with an administrator account.
Only users with administrative rights on the system (system administrators) can
access and configure Parental Control.
2. Open Acronis Internet Security.
3. Depending on the user interface view mode, access the Parental Control settings
as follows:
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Intermediate View
Go to the Security tab and click Parental Control in the Quick Tasks area
on the left side of the window.
Expert View
Click Parental Control on the left-side menu.
Note
In Basic View and Intermediate View, you can configure a shortcut so that you can
access these settings from your dashboard. For more information, please refer to
“My Tools” (p. 16).
You can see information regarding the Parental Control status for each Windows
user account. The age category is listed below each user name if Parental Control
is enabled. If Parental Control is disabled, the status is not configured.
To configure Parental Control for a specific user account:
1. Use the switch to turn on Parental Control for that user account.
2. You will be prompted to set the Parental Control password. Set a password to
protect your Parental Control settings. For more information, please refer to
“Protecting Parental Control Settings” (p. 79).
3. Set the age category to allow your child to access only websites appropriate for
his/her age. Setting the age of the child will automatically load settings considered
appropriate for that age category, based on child development standards.
4. If you want to configure the Parental Control settings in detail, click Settings.
Click a tab to configure the corresponding Parental Control feature:
● Web - to filter web navigation according to the rules set by you in the Web
section.
● Applications - to block access to the applications specified by you in the
Applications section.
● Keywords - to filter web, mail and instant messaging access according to the
rules set by you in the Keywords section.
● Messaging - to allow or block chat with IM contacts according to the rules set
by you in the Messaging section.
Note
To learn how to configure them, please refer to the following topics in this chapter.
Configure the monitoring options as needed:
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● Send me an activity report via e-mail. An e-mail notification is sent every
time Acronis Internet Security Parental Control blocks an activity. You must first
configure the notification settings.
● Save an internet traffic log. Logs the websites visited by users for whom
Parental Control is enabled.
For more information, please refer to “Monitoring Children Activity” (p. 84).
14.1.1. Protecting Parental Control Settings
If you are not the only person with administrative rights using this computer, it is
recommended that you protect your Parental Control settings with a password. By
setting a password, you will prevent other users with administrative rights from
changing the Parental Control settings that you configured for a specific user.
Acronis Internet Security will ask you by default to set a password when enabling
Parental Control. To set the password protection, do the following:
1. Type the password in the Password field.
2. Type the password again in the Retype Password field to confirm it.
3. Click OK to save the password and close the window.
Once you set the password, if you want to change the Parental Control settings,
you will be asked to provide the password. The other system administrators (if any)
will also have to provide this password in order to change the Parental Control
settings.
Note
This password will not protect other Acronis Internet Security settings.
In case you do not set a password and you do not want this window to appear again,
check Don't ask for a password when enabling Parental Control.
Important
If you forget the password, you will have to reinstall the program or to contact Acronis
Internet Security for support.
To remove the password protection:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security and click the Options button in the upper-right
corner of the window.
2. Go to General Settings.
3. Use the switch to turn off the Settings password option.
4. Enter the password.
5. Click OK.
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14.1.2. Web Control
The Web Control helps you to block access to web sites with inappropriate content.
A list of candidates for blocking both sites and parts thereof is provided and updated
by Acronis Internet Security, as part of the regular update process.
Note
When you enable Parental Control and set the age of your child, Web Control is
automatically enabled and configured to block access to websites considered to be
inappropriate for your child's age.
To configure Web Control for a specific user account:
1. Access the Acronis Internet Security Parental Control settings window for that
user account.
2. Click the Web tab.
3. Use the switch to turn on Web Control.
4. You can check what web categories are automatically blocked / restricted for the
currently selected age group. If you are not satisfied with the default settings,
you can configure them as needed.
To change the action configured for a specific category of web content, click the
current status and select the desired action from the menu.
5. If you want to, create your own rules to allow or block access to specific websites.
If Parental Control automatically blocks access to a website, you can create a
rule to explicitly allow access to that website.
6. You can set limits on how much time your child spends on the Internet. For more
information, please refer to “Restricting Internet Access By Time” (p. 81).
Creating Web Control Rules
To allow or block access to a website, follow these steps:
1. Click Allow Website or Block Website.
2. Enter the website address in the Website field.
3. Select the desired action for this rule - Allow or Block.
4. Click Finish to add the rule.
Managing Web Control Rules
The Website Control rules that have been configured are listed in the table on the
lower side of the window. The website address and current status are listed for each
Web Control rule.
To delete a rule, select it and click Remove.
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To edit a rule, select it and click Edit or double-click it. Make the necessary changes
in the configuration window.
Restricting Internet Access By Time
In the Schedule Web Access section, you can set limits on how much time your child
spends on the Internet.
To completely block access to the Internet, select Block Web Access.
To restrict Internet access to certain times of day:
1. Select Time limit web access.
2. Click Change Schedule.
3. Select from the grid the time intervals during which Internet access is blocked.
You can click individual cells, or you can click and drag to cover longer periods.
4. Click Save.
Note
Acronis Internet Security will perform updates every hour no matter if web access is
blocked.
14.1.3. Application Control
The Applications Control helps you to block any application from running. Games,
media and messaging software, as well as other categories of software and malware
can be blocked this way. Applications blocked in this manner are also protected
from modifications, and cannot be copied or moved. You can block applications
permanently or just during certain time intervals, such as those when your children
should be doing their homework.
To configure Application Control for a specific user account:
1. Access the Acronis Internet Security Parental Control settings window for that
user account.
2. Click the Applications tab.
3. Use the switch to turn on Application Control.
4. Create rules for the applications you want to block or restrict access to.
Creating Application Control Rules
To block or restrict access to an application, follow these steps:
1. Click Block Application or Restrict Application.
2. Click Browse to locate the application to which you want to block/restrict access.
Installed applications are usually located in the C:\Program Files folder.
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3. Select the action of the rule:
● Block permanently to block access to the application completely.
● Block based on this schedule to restrict access to certain time intervals.
If you choose to restrict access rather than block the application completely, you
must also select from the grid the days and the time intervals during which access
is blocked.
4. Click Save to add the rule.
Managing Application Control Rules
The Application Control rules that have been configured are listed in the table on
the lower side of the window. The name of the application, the path and the current
status are listed for each Application Control rule.
To delete a rule, select it and click Remove.
To edit a rule, select it and click Edit or double-click it. Make the necessary changes
in the configuration window.
14.1.4. Keywords Control
Keywords Control helps you block users' access to e-mail messages, web pages and
instant messages that contain specific words. Using Keywords Control, you can
prevent your children from seeing inappropriate words or phrases when they are
online. Furthermore, you can ensure they will not be giving out personal information
(such as the home address or phone number) to people they met on the Internet.
Note
The instant messaging Keywords Control is only available for Yahoo Messenger and
Windows Live (MSN) Messenger.
To configure Keywords Control for a specific user account:
1. Access the Acronis Internet Security Parental Control settings window for that
user account.
2. Click the Keywords tab.
3. Use the switch to turn on Keywords Control.
4. Create Keywords Control rules to prevent inappropriate words from being
displayed or important information from being sent.
Creating Keywords Control Rules
To block a word or phrase, follow these steps:
1. Click Block Keyword.
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2. Set Keyword Information.
You must set the following parameters:
● Keyword category - type the name of the rule in this field.
● Keyword - type the word or phrase you want to block in the field. If you want
only whole words to be detected, select the Match whole words check box.
3. Select the Filtering Type.
● Block viewing - select this option for rules created to prevent inapropiate
words from being displayed.
● Block sending - select this option for rules created to prevent important
information from being sent.
4. Select the traffic type Acronis Internet Security should scan for the specified
word.
DescriptionOption
Web pages that contain the keyword are blocked.Web
E-mail messages that contain the keyword are blocked.E-mail
Instant messages that contain the keyword are blocked.Instant Messaging
5. Click Finish to add the rule.
From now on, any attempt to send the specified data (through e-mail, instant
messaging or over a web page) will fail. An alert message will be displayed indicating
that Acronis Internet Security has blocked identity specific content from being sent.
Managing Keywords Control Rules
The Keywords Control rules that have been configured are listed in the table. Detailed
information is provided for each rule.
To delete a rule, select it and click Remove.
To edit a rule, select it and click Edit or double-click it. Make the necessary changes
in the configuration window.
14.1.5. Instant Messaging (IM) Control
The Instant Messaging (IM) Control allows you to specify the IM contacts your children
are allowed to chat with.
Note
The IM Control is only available for Yahoo Messenger and Windows Live (MSN)
Messenger.
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To configure IM Control for a specific user account:
1. Access the Acronis Internet Security Parental Control settings window for that
user account.
2. Click the Messaging tab.
3. Use the switch to turn on Instant Messaging Control.
4. Select the preferred filtering method and, depending on your choice, create
appropriate rules.
● Allow IM with all contacts, except the ones in the list
In this case, you must specify the IM IDs to be blocked (people who your child
should not talk to).
● Block IM with all contacts, except the ones in the list
In this case, you must specify the IM IDs your child is explicitly allowed to
instant message with. For example, you can allow instant messaging with
family members, friends from school or neighbours.
This second option is recommended if your child is under 14 years old.
Creating Instant Messaging (IM) Control Rules
To allow or block instant messaging with a contact, follow these steps:
1. Click Block IM ID or Allow IM ID.
2. Type the e-mail address or the user name used by the IM contact in the E-mail
or IM ID field.
3. Choose the IM program the contact associates with.
4. Select the desired action for this rule - Allow or Block.
5. Click Finish to add the rule.
Managing Instant Messaging (IM) Control Rules
The IM Control rules that have been configured are listed in the table on the lower
side of the window.
To delete a rule, select it and click Remove.
To edit a rule, select it and click Edit or double-click it. Make the necessary changes
in the configuration window.
14.2. Monitoring Children Activity
Acronis Internet Security helps you keep track of what your children are doing on
the computer even when you are away.
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By default, when Parental Control is enabled, your children's activities are logged.
In this way, you can always find out exactly what websites they have visited, what
applications they have used, what activities have been blocked by Parental Control
etc.
You can also configure Acronis Internet Security to send you e-mail notifications
when Parental Control blocks an activity.
14.2.1. Checking the Parental Control Logs
To check what your children have been doing recently on the computer, access the
Parental Control logs. Follow these steps:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security.
2. Click the View Logs link in the bottom-right corner of the window.
3. Click Parental Control on the left-side menu.
Note
You can also open these logs from the Parental Control window by clicking View
Logs.
If you do not share the computer with your children, you can configure the Acronis
Internet Security home network so that you can access the Parental Control logs
remotely (from your computer). For more information, please refer to “Home
Network” (p. 131).
The Parental Control logs provide detailed information about your children's computer
and Internet activities. Information is organized under several tabs:
General
Provides general information about your children's recent activities, such as
the most visited websites and the most used applications.
You can filter information by user and time period.
Application Log
Helps you find out what applications your children have been using recently.
Double-click the events in the list to see more details. To delete a log entry,
right-click it and select Delete.
Internet Log
Helps you find out what websites your children have been visiting recently.
You can filter information by user and time period.
Other Events
Helps you find out detailed information about the Parental Control activity (for
example, when Parental Control was enabled / disabled, what events have been
blocked).
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Double-click the events in the list to see more details. To delete a log entry,
right-click it and select Delete.
14.2.2. Configuring E-mail Notifications
To receive e-mail notifications when Parental Control blocks an activity:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security.
2. Depending on the user interface view mode, access the Parental Control settings
as follows:
Intermediate View
Go to the Security tab and click Parental Control in the Quick Tasks area
on the left side of the window.
Expert View
Click Parental Control on the left-side menu.
Note
In Basic View and Intermediate View, you can configure a shortcut so that you can
access these settings from your dashboard. For more information, please refer to
“My Tools” (p. 16).
3. In the Settings section, select Send me an activity report via e-mail.
4. You will be prompted to configure your e-mail account settings. Click Yes to open
the configuration window.
Note
You can open the configuration window later by clicking Notifications Settings.
5. Enter the e-mail address where the e-mail notifications are to be sent.
6. Configure the e-mail settings of the server used to send the e-mail notifications.
There are three options to configure the e-mail settings:
Use the current mail client settings
This option is selected by default when Acronis Internet Security manages to
import the mail server settings from your mail client.
Click Test Settings to validate the settings. If any issues are found during
validation, you will be informed what you have to do to correct them.
Select from one of the known servers
Select this option if you have an e-mail account with one of the web-based
e-mail services in the list.
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Click Test Settings to validate the settings. If any issues are found during
validation, you will be informed what you have to do to correct them.
I want to configure the server settings myself
If you know the mail server settings, select this option and configure the settings
as follows:
● Outgoing SMTP Server - type the address of the mail server used to send
e-mail messages.
● If the server uses a different port than the default port 25, type it in the
corresponding field.
● If the server requires authentication, select the My SMTP server requires
authentication check box and type your user name and password in the
corresponding fields.
Click Test Settings to validate the settings. If any issues are found during
validation, you will be informed what you have to do to correct them.
Click OK to save the changes and close the window.
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15. Privacy Control
Acronis Internet Security monitors dozens of potential “hotspots” in your system
where spyware might act, and also checks any changes made to your system and
software. It is effective in blocking Trojan horses and other tools installed by hackers,
who try to compromise your privacy and send your personal information, like credit
card numbers, from your computer to the hacker.
Privacy Control includes these components:
● Identity Control - helps you make sure that your personal information is not sent
from your computer without your consent. It scans the e-mail and instant messages
sent from your computer, as well as any data sent via web pages, and blocks any
piece of information protected by the Identity Control rules you have created.
● Registry Control - asks for your permission whenever a program tries to modify
a registry entry in order to be executed at Windows start-up.
● Cookie Control - asks for your permission whenever a new website tries to set a
cookie.
● Script Control - asks for your permission whenever a website tries to activate a
script or other active content.
By default, only Identity Control is enabled. You must configure appropriate Identity
Control rules to prevent the unauthorized sending of confidential information. For
more information, please refer to “Configuring Identity Control” (p. 90).
The other components of Privacy Control are interactive. If you enable them, you
will be prompted, through alert windows, to allow or block specific actions when
you browse new web sites or install new software. This is why they are usually used
by advanced users.
15.1. Configuring Protection Level
The protection level helps you easily enable or disable the Privacy Control
components.
To configure the protection level:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Privacy Control > Status.
3. Make sure Privacy Control is enabled.
4. There are two options:
● Drag the slider along the scale to set the appropriate protection level. Click
Default Level to position the slider at the default level.
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Use the description on the right side of the scale to choose the protection level
that better fits your security needs.
● You can customize the protection level by clicking Custom level. In the window
that will appear, select the protection controls you want to enable and click
OK.
15.2. Identity Control
Identity Control protects you against the theft of sensitive data when you are online.
Consider a simple example: you have created an Identity Control rule that protects
your credit card number. If a spyware software somehow manages to install on your
computer, it cannot send your credit card number via e-mail, instant messages or
web pages. Moreover, your children cannot use it to buy online or reveal it to people
they met on the Internet.
To learn more, please refer to these topics:
● “About Identity Control” (p. 89).
● “Configuring Identity Control” (p. 90).
● “Managing Rules” (p. 92).
15.2.1. About Identity Control
Keeping confidential data safe is an important issue that bothers us all. Data theft
has kept pace with the development of Internet communications and it makes use
of new methods of fooling people into giving away private information.
Whether it is your e-mail or your credit card number, when they fall into the wrong
hands such information may cause you damage: you may find yourself drowning
in spam messages or you might be surprised to access an emptied account.
Identity Control protects you against the theft of sensitive data when you are online.
Based on the rules you create, Identity Control scans the web, e-mail and instant
messaging traffic leaving your computer for specific character strings (for example,
your credit card number). If there is a match, the respective web page, e-mail or
instant message is blocked.
You can create rules to protect any piece of information you might consider personal
or confidential, from your phone number or e-mail address to your bank account
information. Multiuser support is provided so that users logging on to different
Windows user accounts can configure and use their own identity protection rules.
If your Windows account is an administrator account, the rules you create can be
configured to also apply when other users of the computer are logged on to their
Windows user accounts.
Why use Identity Control?
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● Identity Control is very effective in blocking keylogger spyware. This type of
malicious applications records your keystrokes and sends them over the Internet
to a malicious person (hacker). The hacker can find out sensitive information from
the stolen data, such as bank account numbers and passwords, and use it to gain
personal benefits.
Supposing such an application manages to avoid antivirus detection, it cannot
send the stolen data by e-mail, web or instant messages if you have created
appropriate identity protection rules.
● Identity Control can protect you from phishing attempts (attempts to steal personal
information). The most common phishing attempts make use of a deceiving e-mail
to trick you into submitting personal information on a fake web page.
For example, you may receive an e-mail claiming to be from your bank and
requesting you to urgently update your bank account information. The e-mail
provides you with a link to the web page where you must provide your personal
information. Although they seem to be legitimate, the e-mail and the web page
the misleading link directs you to are fake. If you click the link in the e-mail and
submit your personal information on the fake web page, you will disclose this
information to the malicious persons who organized the phishing attempt.
If appropriate identity protection rules are in place, you cannot submit personal
information (such as your credit card number) on a web page unless you have
explicitly defined an exception for the respective web page.
● Using Identity Control rules, you can prevent your children from giving out personal
information (such as the home address or phone number) to people they met on
the Internet. Moreover, if you create rules to protect your credit card, they cannot
use it to buy things online without your consent.
15.2.2. Configuring Identity Control
If you want to use Identity Control, follow these steps:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Privacy Control > Identity.
3. Make sure Identity Control is enabled.
Note
If the option cannot be configured, go to the Status tab and enable Privacy Control.
4. Create rules to protect your sensitive data. For more information, please refer to
“Creating Identity Protection Rules” (p. 91).
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5. If needed, define specific exclusions from the rules you have created. For example,
if you have created a rule to protect your credit card number, add the web sites
where you usually use your credit card to the exclusions list. For more information,
please refer to “Defining Exclusions” (p. 92).
Creating Identity Protection Rules
To create an identity protection rule, click the Add button and follow the
configuration wizard. You can navigate through the wizard using the Next and Back
buttons. To exit the wizard, click Cancel.
1. Welcome Window
2. Set Rule Type and Data
You must set the following parameters:
● Rule Name - type the name of the rule in this edit field.
● Rule Type - choose the rule type (address, name, credit card, PIN, SSN etc).
● Rule Data - type the data you want to protect in this edit field. For example,
if you want to protect your credit card number, type all or part of it here.
Important
If you enter less than three characters, you will be prompted to validate the
data. We recommend you to enter at least three characters in order to avoid
the mistaken blocking of messages and web pages.
All of the data you enter is encrypted. For extra safety, do not enter all of the
data you wish to protect.
3. Select Traffic Types and Users
a. Select the type of traffic you want Acronis Internet Security to scan.
● Scan Web (HTTP traffic) - scans the HTTP (web) traffic and blocks the
outgoing data that matches the rule data.
● Scan e-mail (SMTP traffic) - scans the SMTP (mail) traffic and blocks the
outgoing e-mail messages that contain the rule data.
● Scan IM (Instant Messaging) traffic - scans the Instant Messaging traffic
and blocks the outgoing chat messages that contain the rule data.
You can choose to apply the rule only if the rule data matches whole words or
if the rule data and the detected string case match.
b. Specify the users for which the rule applies.
● Only for me (current user) - the rule will apply only to your user account.
● Limited user accounts - the rule will apply to you and all limited Windows
accounts.
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● All users - the rule will apply to all Windows accounts.
4. Describe Rule
Enter a short description of the rule in the edit field. Since the blocked data
(character string) is not displayed in plain text when accessing the rule, the
description should help you easily identify it.
Click Finish. The rule will appear in the table.
From now on, any attempt to send the specified data (through e-mail, instant
messaging or over a web page) will fail. An alert message will be displayed indicating
that Acronis Internet Security has blocked identity specific content from being sent.
Defining Exclusions
There are cases when you need to define exceptions to specific identity rules. Let's
consider the case when you create a rule that prevents your credit card number
from being sent over HTTP (web). Whenever your credit card number is submitted
on a website from your user account, the respective page is blocked. If you want,
for example, to buy footwear from an online shop (which you know to be secure),
you will have to specify an exception to the respective rule.
To open the window where you can manage exceptions, click Exclusions.
To add an exception, follow these steps:
1. Click the Add button to add a new entry in the table.
2. Double-click Specify excluded item and provide the web site, the e-mail address
or the IM contact that you want to add as exception.
3. Double-click Traffic type and choose from the menu the option corresponding
to the type of address previously provided.
● If you have specified a web address, select HTTP.
● If you have specified an e-mail address, select E-mail (SMTP).
● If you have specified an IM contact, select IM.
To remove an exception from the list, select it and click the Remove button.
Click OK to save the changes.
15.2.3. Managing Rules
To manage the Identity Control rules:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Privacy Control > Identity.
You can see the rules created so far listed in the table.
To delete a rule, select it and click the Delete button.
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To edit a rule select it and click the Edit button or double-click it. A new window
will appear. Here you can change the name, description and parameters of the rule
(type, data and traffic). Click OK to save the changes.
15.3. Registry Control
A very important part of the Windows operating system is called the Registry. This
is where Windows keeps its settings, installed programs, user information and so
on.
The Registry is also used to define which programs should be launched
automatically when Windows is started. Viruses often use this in order to be
automatically launched when the user restarts his computer.
Registry Control keeps an eye on the Windows Registry - this is again useful for
detecting Trojan horses. It will alert you whenever a program will try to modify a
registry entry in order to be executed at Windows start-up. For more information,
please refer to “Registry Alerts” (p. 22).
To configure Registry Control:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Privacy Control > Registry.
3. Select the corresponding check box to enable Registry Control.
Note
If the option cannot be configured, go to the Status tab and enable Privacy Control.
Managing Rules
To delete a rule, select it and click the Delete button.
15.4. Cookie Control
Cookies are a very common occurrence on the Internet. They are small files stored
on your computer. Websites create these cookies in order to keep track of specific
information about you.
Cookies are generally made to make your life easier. For example they can help
the website remember your name and preferences, so that you don't have to enter
them on every visit.
But cookies can also be used to compromise your privacy, by tracking your surfing
patterns.
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