Copyright AVG Technologies CZ, s.r.o. All rights reserved.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
This product uses RSA Data Security, Inc. MD5 Message-Digest Algorithm, C opyright (C) 1991-2, RSA Data
Security, Inc. C reated 1991.
This product uses code from C -SaCzech library, C opyright (c) 1996-2001 Jaromir Dolecek
(dolecek@ics.muni.cz).
This product uses compression library zlib, Copyright (c) 1995-2002 Jean-loup Gailly and Mark Adler.
This product uses compression library libbzip2, C opyright (c) 1996-2002 Julian R. Seward.
This user manual provides comprehensive documentation for AVG Internet Security 2012.
AVG Internet Security 2012 provides multiple layers of protection for everything you do online,
which means you don’t have to worry about identity theft, viruses, or visiting harmful sites. AVG
Protective Cloud Technology and AVG Community Protection Network are included, meaning we
collect the latest threat information and share it with our community to make sure you receive the
best protection:
Shop and bank online safely with AVG Firewall, Anti-Spam & Identity Protection
Stay safe on social networks with AVG Social Networking Protection
Surf and search with confidence with LinkScanner’s real-time protection
AVG Internet Security 2012 is intended to protect workstations with the following operating
systems:
Windows XP Home Edition SP2
Windows XP Professional SP2
Windows XP Professional x64 Edition SP1
Windows Vista (x86 and x64, all editions)
Windows 7 (x86 and x64, all editions)
(and possibly higher service packs for specific operating systems)
Note: The ID Protection component is not supported on Windows XP x64. On this operating system
you can install AVG Internet Security 2012 but only without the IDP component.
2.2. Minimum & Recommended HW Requirements
Minimum hardware requirements for AVG Internet Security 2012:
Intel Pentium CPU 1.5 GHz
512 MB of RAM memory
1000 MB of free hard drive space (for installation purposes)
Recommended hardware requirements for AVG Internet Security 2012:
Intel Pentium CPU 1.8 GHz
512 MB of RAM memory
1550 MB of free hard drive space (for installation purposes)
To install AVG Internet Security 2012 on your computer, you need to get the latest installation file.
To make sure you are installing the up-to-date version of AVG Internet Security 2012, it is
recommended that you download the installation file from the AVG website (http://www.avg.com/). T
he Support Center / Download section provides a structured overview of the installation files for
each AVG edition.
If you are not sure which files you need to download and install, you may want to use the Selectproduct service at the bottom of the web page. After you answer three simple questions, this
service defines the exact files you need. Press the Continue button to get redirected to a complete
list of download files customized for your personal needs.
What does the installation process look like?
Once you have downloaded and saved the installation file on your hard disk, you can launch the
installation process. The installation is a sequence of simple and easy to understand dialogs. Each
dialog briefly describes what do at each step of the installation process. We offer a detailed
explanation of each dialog window below:
3.1. Welcome: Language Selection
The installation process starts with the Welcome to AVG Installer dialog:
In this dialog you can select the language used for the installation process. Click the combo box to
roll down the language menu. Select the desired language, and the installation process will proceed
further in the language of your choice.
Attention: At the moment you are only selecting the language of the installation process. The
AVG Internet Security 2012 application will be installed in the selected language, and in
English which is always installed automatically. However, it is possible to have more
languages installed and to work with AVG Internet Security 2012 in any of these. You will be
invited to confirm your full selection of alternative languages in one of following setup
dialogs named Custom Options.
3.2. Welcome: License Agreement
The Welcome to AVG Installer dialog provides then the full wording of the AVG license agreement:
Please read the entire text carefully. To confirm that you have read, understood, and accept the
agreement press the Accept button. If you do not agree with the license agreement press the
Decline button, and the installation process will be terminated immediately.
AVG Privacy Policy
Besides the license agreement, this setup dialog also offers you the option to learn more about the
AVG Privacy Policy and AVG Fair Processing Notice. Click the respective link to get redirected to
AVG website (http://www.avg.com/) where you can find the full wording of these statements.
Control buttons
From the first setup dialog, there are only two control buttons available:
Printable version - Click to have printed the full wording of the AVG license agreement.
Decline - Click to refuse the license agreement. The setup process will quit immediately.
Back - Click to return one step back to the previous setup dialog.
Accept - Click to confirm you have read, understood, and accepted the license agreement.
The installation will continue, and you will go on one step further to the following setup
dialog.
3.3. Activate your license
In the Activate Your License dialog you are invited to enter your license number into the provided
text field:
Where to find the license number
The sales number can be found on the CD packaging in your AVG Internet Security 2012 box. The
license number will be in the confirmation email that you received after purchasing your AVGInternet Security 2012 online. You must type in the number exactly as shown. If the digital form of
the license number is available (in the e-mail), it is recommended that you use the copy and paste
method to insert it.
How to use the Copy & Paste method
Using the Copy & Paste method to enter your AVG Internet Security 2012 license number into the
program ensures that the number is correctly entered. Please follow these steps:
Open the e-mail containing your license number.
Click the left mouse button at the beginning of the license number, hold and drag the
mouse to the end of the number, and then release the button. The number should now be
highlighted.
Press and hold Ctrl,and then press C. This copies the number.
Point and click the position where you would like to paste the copied number.
Press and hold Ctrl,and then press V. This pastes the number to the location you selected.
Control buttons
As in most setup dialogs, there are three control buttons available:
Cancel - click to exit the setup process immediately; AVG Internet Security 2012 will not
be installed!
Back - click to go one step back to the previous setup dialog.
Next - click to continue the installation and go one step further.
3.4. Select type of installation
The Select type of installation dialog offers the choice of two installation options: Express and
Custom Install:
Express installation
For most users, it is highly recommended that you keep the standard Express installation. This way
you install AVG Internet Security 2012 in fully automatic mode with settings predefined by the
program vendor, including the AVG Gadget, the AVG Security Toolbar, and having configured the
AVG Secure Search as the default search provider. This configuration provides maximum security
combined with the optimal use of resources. In the future, if the need arises to change the
configuration, you will always have the option of doing so directly in the AVG Internet Security2012 application.
Press the Next button to proceed to the following dialog of the installation process.
Custom installation
Custom Install should only be used by experienced users who have a valid reason to install AVG
Internet Security 2012 with non-standard settings; e.g. to fit specific system requirements. In this
section you can decide whether the following features should be installed (both features are marked
as to be installed, and will be installed automatically unless you opt-out):
Sets, keeps and protects AVG Secure Search as your default search provider - keep
checked to confirm you want to use the AVG Secure Search engine that closely
cooperates with the Link Scanner component for your maximum security online.
Installs the AVG Security Toolbar to protect your computer from dangerous websites keep checked to have installed AVG Security Toolbar that guards your maximum security
while browsing the Internet.
If you decide for this option, a new section called Destination Folder appears in the dialog. Here,
you are supposed to specify the location where AVG Internet Security 2012 should be installed.
By default, AVG Internet Security 2012 will be installed to the program files folder located on drive
C:, as stated in the text field in the dialog. If you want to change this location, use the Browse
button to display the drive structure, and select the respective folder. To revert to the default
destination pre-set by the software vendor use the Default button.
Then, press the Next button to proceed to the Custom Options dialog.
Control buttons
As within most setup dialogs, there are three control buttons available:
Cancel - click to exit the setup process immediately; AVG Internet Security 2012 will not
be installed!
Back - click to go one step back to the previous setup dialog.
Next - click to continue the installation and go one step further.
The Custom Options dialog allows you to set up detailed parameters for the installation:
The Component Selection section provides an overview of all AVG Internet Security 2012
components that can be installed. If the default settings do not suit you, you can remove/add
specific components.
However, you can only select from components that are included in your purchased AVG
edition!
Highlight any item in the Component Selection list, and a brief description of the respective
component will be displayed on the right side of this section. For detailed information on each
component's functionality please consult the Components Overview chapter of this documentation.
To revert to the default configuration pre-set by the software vendor use the Default button.
Control buttons
As in most setup dialogs, there are three control buttons available:
Cancel - click to exit the setup process immediately; AVG Internet Security 2012 will not
be installed!
Back - click to go one step back to the previous setup dialog.
Next - click to continue the installation and go one step further.
The Install Progress dialog shows the progress of the installation process, and does not require any
intervention:
After the installation process is finished, you will be automatically redirected to the next dialog.
Control buttons
There are two control buttons available in this dialog:
Minimize - The installation process may take several minutes. Click the button to minimize
the dialog window into an icon visible on the system bar. The dialog appears again once the
installation is completed.
Cancel - This button should only be used if you want to stop the current installation
process. Please mind that in such a case your AVG Internet Security 2012 will not be
installed!
The Installation was successful dialog confirms that your AVG Internet Security 2012 has been
fully installed and configured:
Product Improvement Program and Privacy Policy
Here you can decide whether you want to participate in the Product Improvement Program (for
details see the chapter AVG Advanced Settings / Product Improvement Program) that collects
anonymous information on detected threats in order to increase the overall Internet security level. All
data are treated as confidential and in compliance with AVG Privacy Policy; click the Privacy Policy
link to get redirected to AVG website (http://www.avg.com/) where you can find the the full wording of
AVG Privacy Policy. If you agree, please keep the option checked (the option is confirmed, bydefault).
Computer restart
To finalize the installation process you need restart your computer: select whether you want to
Restart Now, or you want to postpone this action - Restart Later.
Having finished the AVG Internet Security 2012 installation, please register you product online on
the AVG website (http://www.avg.com/). After the registration you will be able to gain full access to
your AVG user account, the AVG Update newsletter, and other services provided exclusively for
registered users.
The easiest way to register is directly from the AVG Internet Security 2012 user interface. In the
main menu please select the Help/Register now item. You will be redirected to the Registration
page on the AVG website (http://www.avg.com/). Please follow the instruction provided on the page.
4.2. Access to user interface
The AVG main dialog is accessible in several ways:
double-click the AVG system tray icon
double-click the AVG icon on the desktop
from the menu Start / All Programs / AVG 2012
4.3. Scanning of the whole computer
There is a potential risk that a computer virus has been transmitted to your computer prior to AVG
Internet Security 2012 installation. For this reason you should run a Scan of the whole computer to
make sure there are no infections on your PC. The first scan might take quite some time (about an
hour) but it is recommended that you launch it to make sure your computer has not been
compromised by a threat. For instructions on running a Scan of the whole computer consult the
chapter AVG Scanning.
4.4. Eicar test
To confirm that AVG Internet Security 2012 has been installed correctly you can perform the
EICAR test.
The EICAR test is a standard and absolutely safe method used to test antivirus system operation. It
is safe to pass around, because it is not an actual virus, and does not include any fragments of viral
code. Most products react to it as if it were a virus (though they typically report it with an obviousname, such as "EICAR-AV-Test"). You can download the EICAR virus from the EICAR website at
www.eicar.com, and you will also find all necessary EICAR test information there.
Try to download the eicar.com file, and save it on your local disk. Immediately after you confirm
downloading of the test file, the Online Shield (a part of LinkScanner component) will react to it with
a warning. This notice demonstrates that AVG is correctly installed on your computer.
From the http://www.eicar.com website you can also download the compressed version of the
EICAR 'virus' (e.g. in the form of eicar_com.zip). Online Shield allows you to download this file and
save it on your local disk but then the Resident Shield (within Anti-Virus component) detects the
'virus' as you try to unpack it.
If AVG fails to identify the EICAR test file as a virus, you should check the program
configuration again!
4.5. AVG default configuration
The default configuration (i.e. how the application is set up right after installation) of AVG Internet
Security 2012 is set by the software vendor so that all components and functions are tuned up to
achieve optimum performance.
Unless you have a real reason to do so, do not change the AVG configuration! Changes to
settings should only be performed by an experienced user.
Some minor editing of AVG components settings is accessible directly from the specific component
user interface. If you want to change the AVG configuration to better suit your needs, go to AVG
Advanced Settings: select the system menu item Tools/Advanced settings and edit the AVG
configuration in the newly opened AVG Advanced Settings dialog.
AVG Internet Security 2012 opens with the main window:
The main window is divided into several sections:
System Menu(top system line in the window) is the standard navigation that allows you to
access all components, services, and features of AVG Internet Security 2012 - details >>
Security Status Info(upper section of the window) provides you with information on the
current status of your AVG Internet Security 2012 - details >>
Join us on Facebook(upper right-hand section of the window) button allows you to join
the AVG community on Facebook. However, the button only appears in case all
components are fully functional and working properly (for details on how to recognize the
status of AVG components see chapter Security Status Info)
Quick Links(left section of the window) allow you to quickly access the most important
and most frequently used tasks of AVG Internet Security 2012 - details >>
My Apps (left bottom section of the window) open an overview of additional applications
available for AVG Internet Security 2012: LiveKive, Family Safety, and PC Tuneup
Components Overview(central section of the window) offers an overview of all components
installed within AVG Internet Security 2012 - details >>
System Tray Icon(bottom right corner of the monitor, on the system tray) indicates the
current status of AVG Internet Security 2012 - details >>
AVG gadget (Windows sidebar, supported in Windows Vista/7) allows quick access to
scanning and updating within AVG Internet Security 2012 - details >>
5.1. System Menu
The System menu is the standard navigation used in all Windows applications. It is located
horizontally in the very top part of the AVG Internet Security 2012 main window. Use the system
menu to access specific AVG components, features, and services.
The system menu is divided into six main sections:
5.1.1. File
Exit - closes the AVG Internet Security 2012 user interface. However, the AVG application
will continue running in the background and your computer will still be protected!
5.1.2. Components
The Components item of the system menu includes links to all installed AVG components, opening
their default dialog page in the user interface:
System overview - switch to the default user interface dialog with the overview of all
installed components and their status
Anti-Virus detects viruses, spyware, worms, trojans, unwanted executable files or libraries
within your system, and protects you from malicious adware - details >>
LinkScanner protects you from web-based attacks while you search and surf the Internet -
details >>
E-mail Protection checks your incoming e-mail messages for SPAM, and blocks viruses,
phishing attacks, or other threats - details >>
Firewall controls all communication on each network port, protecting you from malicious
attacks and blocking all intrusion attempts - details >>
Anti-Rootkit scans for dangerous rootkits hidden inside applications, drivers, or libraries -
details >>
System Tools offers a detailed summary of the AVG environment and operating system
information - details >>
PC Analyzer provides information about your computer status - details >>
Identity Protection is constantly protecting your digital assets from new and unknown
threats - details >>Remote Administration is only displayed within AVG Business Editions in case you have
specified during the installation process you want to have this component installed
Scan results - switches to the AVG testing interface, specifically to the Scan Results
Overview dialog
Resident Shield detection - opens a dialog with an overview of threats detected by Resident
Shield
E-mail Scanner detection - opens a dialog with an overview of mail messages attachments
detected as dangerous by the E-mail Protection component
Online Shield findings - opens a dialog with an overview of threats detected by Online Shield
service within the LinkScanner component
Virus Vault - opens the interface to the quarantine space (Virus Vault) to where AVG
removes all detected infections that cannot be healed automatically for some reason. Inside
this quarantine the infected files are isolated, your computer's security is guaranteed, and
at the same time the infected files are stored for possible future repair
Event history log - opens the history log interface with an overview of all logged AVG
Internet Security 2012 actions
Firewall log - opens the Firewall settings interface on the Logs tab with a detailed overview
of all Firewall actions
5.1.4. Tools
Scan computer - launches a scan of the whole computer.
Scan selected folder... - switches to the AVG scanning interface and allows you to define
within the tree structure of your computer which files and folders should be scanned.
Scan file... - allows you to run an on-demand test on a single specific file. Click this option
to open a new window with the tree structure of your disk. Select the desired file, and
confirm the scan launch.
Update - automatically launches the update process for AVG Internet Security 2012.
Update from directory... - runs the update process from the update files located in a
specified folder on your local disk. However, this option is only recommended as an
emergency, e.g. in situations where there is no connection to the Internet (for example, your
computer is infected and disconnected from the Internet; your computer is connected to a
network with no access to the Internet, etc.). In the newly opened window select the folder
where you have previously placed the update file, and launch the update process.
Advanced settings... - opens the AVG advanced settings dialog where you can edit the
AVG Internet Security 2012 configuration. Generally, it is recommended that you keep the
default settings of the application as defined by the software vendor.
Firewall settings... - opens a standalone dialog for advanced configuration of the Firewall
Contents - opens the AVG help files
Get Support - opens the AVG website (http://www.avg.com/) at the customer support
center page
Your AVG Web - opens the AVG website (http://www.avg.com/)
About Viruses and Threats - opens the online Virus Encyclopedia where you can look up
detailed information on the identified virus
Reactivate - opens the Activate AVG dialog with the data you have entered in the
Personalize AVG dialog of the installation process. Within this dialog you can enter your
license number to either replace the sales number (you have installed AVG with), or to
replace the old license number (e.g. when upgrading to a new AVG product).
Register now - connects to the registration page of the AVG website (http://www.avg.com/).
Please fill in your registration data; only customers who register their AVG product can
receive free technical support.
Note: If using the trial version of AVG Internet Security 2012, the latter two items appear as
Buy now and Activate, allowing you to buy the full version of the program right away. For
AVG Internet Security 2012 installed with a sales number, the items display as Register
and Activate.
About AVG - opens the AVG Information dialog with four tabs providing data on your
purchased license and accessible support, product and program information, and the full
wording of the license agreement.
5.1.6. Support
The Support link opens a new AVG Information dialog with all types of information you might need
when trying to find help. The dialog includes basic data on your installed AVG program (program/database version), license details, and a list of quick support links. The AVG Information dialog is
divided into four tabs:
The License and Support tab provides information on the product name (type of licence, and
number of seats), the license number, and the expiration date:
Control buttons and links
You will find the following buttons and hyperlinks in the tab:
(Re)Activate - Click the button to open the new AVG Activate Software dialog. Fill in your
license number into the respective field to either replace your sales number (that you useduring the AVG Internet Security 2012 installation), or to change your current license
number for another (e.g. when upgrading to a higher AVG product).
Copy to clipboard - Use this link to copy the license number, and paste it where needed.
This way you can be sure the license number is entered correctly.
Renew now - We recommend that you purchase your AVG Internet Security 2012
license renewal in good time, at least one month prior to your current license expiration.
You will be noticed of the approaching expiration date. Click this link to get redirected to
AVG website (http://www.avg.com/) where you find detailed information on your license
status, the expiration date, and the renewal/upgrade offer.
The Product Information tab provides an overview of the AVG Internet Security 2012 most
important technical data:
The tab is divided into several sections:
Product information - provides information on the AVG Internet Security 2012 version,
the virus database version, the LinkScanner version, and the AVG Security Toolbar version.
Installed components - provides a complete list of all currently installed components.
Installed e-mail protection - offers an overview of all installed e-mail protection plug-ins.
System information - lists all relevant parameters of your operating system (processor
type, operating system and its version, build number, service packs used, total memory
size, and free memory size).
On the License Agreement tab you can read the full wording of the license agreement between you
and AVG Technologies:
5.2. Security Status Info
The Security Status Info section is located in the upper part of the AVG Internet Security 2012
main window. Within this section you will always find information on the current security status of
your AVG Internet Security 2012. Please see an overview of icons possibly depicted in this
section, and their meaning:
- the green icon indicates that your AVG Internet Security 2012 is fully functional.
Your computer is completely protected, up-to-date, and all installed components are working
properly.
- the yellow icon warns that one or more components are incorrectly configured
and you should check their properties/settings. There is no critical problem in AVG InternetSecurity 2012 and you have probably decided to switch a component off for some reason.
You are still protected!. However, please pay attention to the problem component's settings!
Its name will be provided in the Security Status Info section.
The yellow icon also appears if for some reason you have decided to ignore a component's
error status. The Ignore component state option is available from the context menu (openedby your mouse right-click) over the respective component's icon in the component overview of
the AVG Internet Security 2012 main window. Select this option to state you are aware of
the component's error state but for some reason you wish to keep your AVG InternetSecurity 2012 so and you do not want to be warned by the system tray icon. You may need
to use this option in a specific situation but it is strictly recommended that you switch off the
Ignore component state option as soon as possible.
Alternatively, the yellow icon will also be displayed if your AVG Internet Security 2012
requires a computer restart (Restart needed). Please pay attention to this warning and restart
your PC using the Restart now button.
- the orange icon indicates that AVG Internet Security 2012 has a critical status!
One or more components does not work properly and AVG Internet Security 2012 cannot
protect your computer. Please pay immediate attention to fixing the reported problem. If you
are not able to fix the error yourself, contact the AVG technical support team.
In case AVG Internet Security 2012 is not set to the optimum performance, a new button
named Fix (alternatively Fix all if the problem involves more than one component) appears
next to the security status information. Press the button to launch an automatic process of
checking and configuring the program. This is an easy way to set AVG Internet Security
2012 to the optimum performance and reach the maximum security level!
It is strongly recommended that you pay attention to Security Status Info and if the report indicates
any problem, go ahead and try to solve it immediately. Otherwise your computer is at risk!
Note: AVG Internet Security 2012 status information can also be obtained at any time from the
system tray icon.
5.3. Quick Links
Quick links are located on the left side of AVG Internet Security 2012user interface. These links
allow you to immediately access the most important and most frequently used features of the
application, i.e. scanning and update. The quick links are accessible from all dialogs of the user
interface:
Quick links are graphically divided into three sections:
Scan now - by default, the button provides information on the last scan launched (i.e. the
scan type, and the date of last launch). Click the Scan now command to launch the same
scan again. If you want to launch another scan, click the Scan options link. This is how
you open the AVG scanning interface where you can run scans, schedule scans, or edit
their parameters. (For details see chapter AVG Scanning)
Scan options - use this link to switch from any currently opened AVG dialog to the default
window with an overview of all installed components. (For details see chapter Components
Overview)
Update now - the link provides the date and time of the update last launch. Press the
button to run the update process immediately, and to follow its progress. (For details see
chapter AVG Updates)
Quick links are accessible from AVG User Interface at all times. Once you use a quick link to run a
specific process, either a scan or an update, the application will switch to a new dialog but the quick
links are still available. Moreover, the running process is also graphically depicted in the navigation,
so that you have a full control over all launched processes running within AVG Internet Security2012 at the moment.
5.4. Components Overview
Components Overview sections
The Components Overview section is located in the central part of your AVG Internet Security
2012 user interface. The section is divided into two parts:
Overview of all installed components consisting of graphic panels for all installed
components. Each panel is labeled by the component's icon and providing information on
whether the respective component is active or inactive at the moment.
Component's description is located in the bottom part of this dialog. The description
briefly explains the component's basic functionality. It also provides the information on the
current status of the selected component.
Installed components' list
Within the AVG Internet Security 2012 the Components Overview section contains information
on the following components:
Anti-Virus detects viruses, spyware, worms, trojans, unwanted executable files, or libraries
within your system, and protects you from malicious adware - details >>
LinkScanner protects you from web-based attacks while you search and surf the Internet -
details >>
E-mail Protection checks your incoming e-mail messages for SPAM, and blocks viruses,
phishing attacks, or other threats - details >>
Firewall controls all communication on each network port, protecting you from malicious
attacks and blocking all intrusion attempts - details >>
Anti-Rootkit scans for dangerous rootkits hidden inside applications, drivers, or libraries -
details >>
System Tools offers a detailed summary of the AVG environment and operating system
information - details >>
PC Analyzer analyzer provides information about your computer status - details >>
Identity Protection is constantly protecting your digital assets from new and unknown
threats - details >>Remote Administration is only displayed within AVG Business Editions in case you have
specified during the installation process you want to have this component installed
Actions accessible
Move mouse over any component's icon to highlight it within the components overview.
At the same time, the component's basic functionality description appears in the bottom
part of the user interface.
Single-click any component's icon to open the component's own interface with a list of
basic statistical data.
Right-click you mouse over a component's icon to expand a context menu with several
options:
o Open - Click this option to open the component's own dialog (just like a single-click
on the component's icon).
o Ignore the state of this component - Select this option to express you are aware of
the component's error state but for some reason you wish to keep this status, and
you do not want to be warned by the system tray icon.
o Open in Advanced settings ... - This option is only available for some components;
i.e. those that provide the option of advanced settings.
5.5. System Tray Icon
The AVG System Tray Icon (on your Windows taskbar, right-hand bottom corner of your monitor)
indicates the current status of your AVG Internet Security 2012. It is visible at all times in your
system tray, no matter whether the user interface of your AVG Internet Security 2012 is opened or
closed:
In full color with no added elements the icon indicates that all AVG Internet Security
2012 components are active and fully functional. However, the icon can also be displayed
this way in a situation when one of the components is not fully functional but the user has
decided to ignore the component state. (Having confirmed the ignore for component state
option you express, you are aware of the component's error state but for some reason you
wish to keep it so, and you do not want to be warned about the situation.)
The icon with an exclamation mark indicates that a component (or even more
components) is in error state. Always pay attention to such a warning and try to remove the
configuration issue for a component that is not set up properly. In order to be able to
perform the changes in the component's configuration, double-click the system tray icon to
open the application user interface. For detailed information on which components is in error
state please consult the security status info section.
The system tray icon can further be displayed in full color with a flashing and rotating
beam of light. This graphic version signalizes a currently launched update process.
The alternative display of a full color icon with an arrow means that one of the AVG
Internet Security 2012 scans is running now.
AVG System Tray Icon information
The AVG System Tray Icon also informs about current activities within your AVG Internet Security
2012, and on possible status changes in the program (e.g. automatic launch of a scheduled scan or
update, Firewall profile switch, a component's status change, error status occurrence, ...) via a popup window opened from the system tray icon:
Actions accessible from AVG System Tray Icon
AVG System Tray Icon can also be used as a quick link to access the user interface of AVG
Internet Security 2012; just double-click the icon. By right-click the icon you open a brief context
menu with the following options:
Open AVG User Interface - click to open the user interface of AVG Internet Security
2012.
Temporarily disable AVG protection - the option allows you to switch off the entire
protection secured by your AVG Internet Security 2012 at once. Please remember that
you should not use this option unless it is absolutely necessary! In most cases, it is not
necessary to disable AVG Internet Security 2012 before installing new software or drivers,
not even if the installer or software wizard suggests that running programs and applications
be shut down first to make sure there are no unwanted interruptions during the installation
process. If you do have to temporarily disable AVG Internet Security 2012, you should reenable it as soon as you're done. If you are connected to the Internet or a network during
the time your antivirus software is disabled, your computer is vulnerable to attacks.
Firewall - click to open the context menu for Firewall settings options where you can edit
the major parameters: Firewall status (Firewall enabled/Firewall disabled/Emergency mode),
gaming mode switching and Firewall profiles.
Scans - click to open the context menu for predefined scans (Whole Computer scan, and
Scan Specific Files or Folders) and select the required scan; it will be launched
immediately.
Running scans ... - this item is displayed only if a scan is currently running on your
computer. For this scan you can then set its priority, alternatively stop or pause the running
scan. The following actions are also accessible: Set priority for all scans, Pause all scans
or Stop all scans.
Run PC Analyzer - click to launch the PC Analyzer component.
Update now - launches an immediate update.
Help - opens the help file on the start page.
5.6. AVG Advisor
AVG Advisor has been designed to detect problems that might be slowing your computer down, or
putting it at risk, and to recommend an action to solve the situation. If you see a sudden computer
slowdown (Internet browsing, overall performance), it is not usually obvious what exactly the culprit
is, and subsequently, how to solve the problem. That is where AVG Advisor comes in: It will
display a notification in the system tray informing you what the problem might be, and suggesting
how to fix it. AVG Advisor keeps monitoring all running processes within your PC for possible
issues, and offering tips on how to avoid the problem.
AVG Advisor is visible in the form of a sliding pop-up over the system tray:
The state of any currently opened web browser. Web browsers may overload the
memory, especially if multiple tabs or windows have been opened for some time, and
consume too much of system resources, i.e. slowing down your computer. In such
situation, restarting the web browser usually helps.
Running Peer-To-Peer connections. After using the P2P protocol for sharing files, the
connection can sometimes remain active, using up certain amount of your bandwidth. As a
result, you can see web browsing slowdown.
Unknown network with a familiar name. This usually only applies to users who connect
to various networks, typically with portable computers: If a new, unknown network has the
same name as a well-known, frequently used network (e.g. Home or MyWifi), confusion can
occur, and you can accidentally connect to a completely unknown and potentially unsafe
network. AVG Advisor can prevent this by warning you that the known name actually
represents a new network. Of course, if you decide that the unknown network is safe, you
can save it to an AVG Advisor list of known networks so that it is not reported again in the
future.
In each of these situation, AVG Advisor warns you of the possible problem that might occur, and it
provides the name and icon of the conflicting process, or application. Also, AVG Advisor suggests
what steps should be taken to avoid the possible problem.
Supported web browsers
The feature works with the following web browsers: Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Safari.
5.7. AVG Gadget
The AVG gadget is displayed on the Windows desktop (Windows Sidebar). This application is only
supported in the operating systems Windows Vista and Windows 7. The AVG gadget offers
immediate access to the most important AVG Internet Security 2012 function, i.e. scanning and
If needed, the AVG gadget allows you to launch a scan or an update immediately:
Scan now - click the Scan now link to start the whole computer scan directly. You can
watch the progress of the scanning in the alternative user interface of the gadget. A brief
statistical overview provides information on the number of scanned objects, threats
detected, and threats healed. During the scan you can always pause , or stop the
scanning process. For detailed data related to the scan results please consult the
standard Scan results overview dialog that can be opened directly from the gadget via the
Show details option (the respective scan results will be listed under Sidebar gadget scan).
Update now - click the Update now link to launch the AVG Internet Security 2012
update directly from within the gadget:
Social networks access
AVG gadget also provides a quick link connecting you to the major social networks. Use the
respective button to get connected to AVG communities in Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn:
Twitter link - opens a new AVG gadget interface providing an overview of the latest
AVG feeds posted to Twitter. Follow the View all the AVG Twitter feeds link to open your
Internet browser in a new window, and you will be redirected directly to the Twitter website,
specifically to the page devoted to AVG news:
Facebook link - opens your Internet browser to the Facebook website, specifically on
the AVG community page.
LinkedIn - this option is only available within the network installation (i.e. provided that
you have installed AVG using one of the AVG Business Editions licenses), and it opens
your Internet browser on AVG SMB Community website within LinkedIn social network.
Other features accessible via gadget
PC Analyzer - opens the user interface in the PC Analyzer component, and starts the
analysis right away.
Search box - type in a keyword and get the search results immediately in a newly opened
window with your default web browser.
The scanning engine which is the base of the Anti-Virus component scans all files and file activity
(opening/closing files, etc.) for known viruses. Any detected virus will be blocked from taking any
action and will then be cleaned or quarantined in the Virus Vault.
The important feature of AVG Internet Security 2012 protection is that no known virus can run
on the computer!
Detection methods
Most antivirus software also uses heuristic scanning, where files are scanned for typical virus
characteristics, so-called viral signatures. This means that the antivirus scanner can detect a new,
unknown virus, if the new virus contains some typical characteristics of existing viruses. Anti-Virus
uses the following detection methods:
Scanning - searching for character strings that are characteristic of a given virus
Heuristic analysis - dynamic emulation of the scanned object’s instructions in a virtual
computer environment
Generic detection - detection of instructions characteristic of the given virus/group of viruses
Where just a single technology might fall short of detecting or identifying a virus, Anti-Virus
combines several technologies to ensure that your computer is protected from viruses. AVGInternet Security 2012 is also able to analyze and detect executable applications or DLL libraries
that could be potentially unwanted within the system. We call such threats Potentially Unwanted
Programs (various kinds of spyware, adware etc.). Furthermore, AVG Internet Security 2012 scans
your system registry for suspicious entries, temporary Internet files, and tracking cookies, and
allows you to treat all potentially harmful items in the same way as any other infection.
AVG Internet Security 2012 provides non-stop protection for your computer!
AVG Internet Security 2012 gives you continuous protection in the form of so-called resident
protection. The Anti-Virus component scans every single file (with specific extensions or withoutextensions at all) that is being opened, saved, or copied. It guards the system areas of the
computer, and removable media (flash disk etc.). In case a virus is discovered in a file that is
accessed, it stops the operation currently being performed and does not allow the virus to activate
itself. Normally, you do not even notice the process, as the resident protection runs "in the
background". You only get notified when threats are found; at the same time, Anti-Virus blocks the
activation of the threat and removes it.
Resident protection is loaded in the memory of your computer during startup, and it is vital
that you keep it switched on at all times!
6.1.3. Anti-Spyware Protection
Anti-Spyware consists of a spyware database used for identifying known types of spyware
definitions. AVG spyware experts work hard to identify and describe the latest spyware patterns as
soon as they emerge, and then add the definitions to the database. Via the update process, these
new definitions are downloaded to your computer so that you are always reliably protected even
against the latest spyware types. Anti-Spyware allows you to fully scan your computer for malware/
spyware. It also detects sleeping and non-active malware, i.e. malware that has been downloaded
but not yet activated.
What is spyware?
Spyware is usually defined as a type of malware, i.e. software, that gathers information from a user's
computer without the user's knowledge or consent. Some spyware applications may also be
installed on purpose and often contain advertisements, window pop-ups, or different types of
unpleasant software. Currently, the most common source of infection is websites with potentially
dangerous content. Other methods of transmission, such as via e-mail or transmission by worms
and viruses, are also prevalent. The most important protection is to use an always-on background
scanner, Anti-Spyware, which works like a resident shield and scans your applications in the
background as you run them.
6.1.4. Anti-Virus Interface
The Anti-Virus component's interface provides brief information on the component's functionality,
information on the component's current status (Active), and basic configuration options for the
component:
The dialog provides some elementary configuration options for features available within the AntiVirus component. You can find a brief description of these below:
View an online report for how AVG has protected you - the link redirects you to a
specific page on the AVG website (http://www.avg.com/). On the page you can find a
detailed statistical overview of all AVG Internet Security 2012 activities performed on your
computer within a specified period of time and in total.
Enable Resident Shield - this option allows you to easily switch resident protection on/off.
Resident Shield scans files as they are copied, opened, or saved. When a virus or any kind
of threat is detected, you will be warned immediately. By default, the function is on, and it
is recommended that you keep it so! With resident protection on you can also decide how
an detected infections should be treated:
o Ask me before removing threats - keep the option checked to confirm you want to
be asked whenever a threat is detected before it is removed to the Virus Vault. This
choice has no impact on the security level, and it only reflects your preferences.
o Scan for Tracking Cookies - independently of the previous options, you can decide
whether you want to scan for tracking cookies. (Cookies are parcels of text sent by a
server to a web browser and then sent back unchanged by the browser each time it
accesses that server. HTTP cookies are used for authenticating, tracking, and
maintaining specific information about users, such as site preferences or the
contents of their electronic shopping carts.) In specific cases you can switch this
option on to achieve maximum security levels, however it is switched off by default.
o Enable Instant Messaging and P2P downloads protection - check this item if you
wish to verify that the instant messaging communication (e.g. ICQ, MSN Messenger,
...) is virus free.
Advanced settings... - click the link to get redirected to the respective dialog within the
Advanced settings of AVG Internet Security 2012. There you can edit the component's
configuration in detail. However, please note that the default configuration of all components
is set up so that AVG Internet Security 2012 provides optimum performance, and
maximum security. Unless you have a real reason to do so, it is recommended that you
keep the default configuration!
Control buttons
Within the dialog you may use the following control buttons:
Manage exceptions - opens a new dialog named Resident Shield - Exceptions. The
configuration of exceptions from Resident Shield scanning is also accessible from the main
menu, following the sequence Advanced settings / Anti-Virus / Resident Shield /
Exceptions(please see the respective chapter for detailed descriptions). Within the dialog
you may specify files and folders that should be excluded from the Resident Shield
scanning. If this is not essential, we strongly recommend not excluding any items! The
dialog provides the following control buttons:
o Add Path – specify a directory (or directories) to be excluded from the scanning by
selecting them one by one from the local disk navigation tree.
o Add File – specify files to be excluded from the scanning by selecting them one by
one from the local disk navigation tree.
o Edit Item – allows you to edit the specified path to a selected file or folder.
o Remove Item – allows you to delete the path to a selected item from the list.
o Edit List - allows you to edit the entire list of defined exceptions in a new dialog that
behaves like a standard text editor.
Apply - saves all changes to the component's settings performed in this dialog, and returns
to the main user interface of AVG Internet Security 2012 (components overview).
Cancel - cancels all changes to the component's settings performed in this dialog. No
changes will be saved. You will return to the main user interface of AVG Internet Security2012 (components overview).
Resident Shield scans files as they are copied, opened, or saved. When a virus or any kind of
threat is detected, you will be warned immediately via the following dialog:
Within this warning dialog you will find data on the file that was detected and assigned as infected (
File name), the name of the recognized infection (Threat name), and a link to the Virus encyclopedia
where you can find detailed information on the detected infection, if known (More info).
You also have to decide what action should be taken now. Several alternative options are available.
Please note that, depending upon specific conditions (what kind of file is infected, and where
it is located), not all of the options are always available!
Heal - this button only appears if the detected infection can be healed. Then, it removes it
from the file, and restores the file to the original state. If the file itself is a virus, use this
function to delete it (i.e. removed to the Virus Vault)
Move to Vault (Recommended) - the virus will be moved to the Virus Vault
Go to file - this option redirects you to the exact location of the suspicious object (opens
new Windows Explorer window)
Ignore the threat - we strictly recommend NOT using this option unless you have a very
good reason to do so!
Note: It may happen that the size of the detected object exceeds the free space limit in the Virus
Vault. If so, a warning message pops up informing you about the issue as you try to move the
infected object to the Virus Vault. However, the Virus Vault size can be modified. It is defined as an
adjustable percentage of the real size of your hard disk. To increase the size of your Virus Vault, go
to the Virus Vault dialog within the AVG Advanced Settings, via the 'Limit Virus Vault size' option.
In the bottom section of the dialog you can find the Show details link - click it to open a pop-up
window with detailed information on the process running while the infection was detected, and the
process' identification.
The entire overview of all threats detected by Resident Shield can be found in the Resident Shield
detection dialog accessible from the system menu option History / Resident Shield detection:
The Resident Shield detection offers an overview of objects that were detected by the Resident
Shield, evaluated as dangerous, and either cured or moved to the Virus Vault. For each detected
object the following information is provided:
Infection - description (possibly even name) of the detected object
Object - object location
Result - action performed with the detected object
Detection time - date and time the object was detected
Object Type - type of the detected object
Process - what action was performed to call up the potentially dangerous object so that it
could be detected
In the bottom part of the dialog, below the list, you will find information on the total number of
detected objects listed above. You can also export the entire list of detected objects in a file (Exportlist to file) and delete all entries on detected objects (Empty list). The Refresh list button will
update the list of finding detected by Resident Shield. The Back button switches you back to the
LinkScanner protects you from the increasing number of ‘here today, gone tomorrow’ threats on the
web. These threats can be hidden on any type of website, from governments to big, well-known
brands to small businesses, and they rarely stick around on those sites for more than 24 hours.
LinkScanner protects you by analyzing the web pages behind all the links on any web page you’re
viewing and making sure they’re safe at the only time that matters – when you’re about to click that
link.
LinkScanner Supports the following search engines: Google Search, Yahoo Search, Bing Search.
LinkScanner is not intended for server platforms protection!
The LinkScanner technology consists of the following main features:
Surf-Shield scans the contents of the websites you are visiting, regardless of the websites
address.
Online Shield works as a real-time protection when surfing the Internet. It scans the
contents of visited web pages, and possible files included in them, even before these are
displayed in your web browser or downloaded to your computer. Online Shield detects
viruses and spyware contained in the page you are about to visit and stops the download
instantly so that no threats ever get to your computer.
AVG Accelerator allows smoother online video playback and makes additional downloads
easier. When the video-acceleration process is in progress, you will be notified via the
system tray pop-up window.
The LinkScanner component main dialog provides a brief description of the component's functionality
and information on its current status (Active):
In the bottom part of the dialog basic configuration options for the component are available:
Enable Surf-Shield - (on by default): Active (real-time) protection against exploitive sites
as they are accessed. Known malicious site connections and their exploitive content is
blocked as they are accessed by the user via a web browser (or any other application thatuses HTTP).
Enable Online Shield - (on by default): Real-time scanning of the web pages you are
about to visit for possible viruses or spyware. If these are detected, the download stops
immediately so that no threats ever get to your computer.
6.2.2. Surf-Shield detections
This powerful protection will block malicious content of any web page you try to open, and prevent it
from being downloaded to your computer. With this feature enabled, clicking a link or typing in a
URL to a dangerous site will automatically block you from opening the web page thus protecting you
from inadvertently being infected. It is important to remember that exploited web pages can infect
your computer simply by visiting the affected site, for this reason when you request a dangerous web
page containing exploitation or other serious threats, the LinkScanner will not allow your browser to
display it.
If you do encounter a malicious web site, within your web browser the LinkScanner will warn you
with a screen similar to:
Entering such website is highly risky and cannot be recommended!
6.2.3. Online Shield detections
Online Shield scans the content of visited web pages and possible files included in them even
before these are displayed in your web browser or downloaded to your computer. If a threat is
detected, you will be warned immediately with the following dialog:
Within this warning dialog you will find data on the file that was detected and assigned as infected (
File name), the name of the recognized infection (Threat name), and a link to the Virus encyclopedia
where you can find detailed information on the detected infection (if known). The dialog provides the
following buttons:
Show details - click the Show details button to open a new pop-up window where you can
find information on the process running while the infection was detected, and the process'
identification.
Close - click the button to close the warning dialog.
The suspicious web page will not be opened, and the threat detection will be logged in the list of
Online Shield findings - this overview of detected threats is accessible via the system menu
History / Online Shield findings.
For each detected object the following information is provided:
Infection - description (possibly even name) of the detected object
Object - object source (web page)
Result - action performed with the detected object
Detection time - date and time the threat was detected and blocked
Object Type - type of the detected object
Process - what action was performed to call up the potentially dangerous object so that it
could be detected
In the bottom part of the dialog, below the list, you will find information on the total number of
detected objects listed above. You can also export the entire list of detected objects in a file (Exportlist to file) and delete all entries on detected objects (Empty list).
Refresh list - update the list of findings detected by Online Shield
Back - switch back to the default AVG main dialog(components overview)
6.3. E-mail Protection
One of the most common sources of viruses and trojans is via e-mail. Phishing and spam make email an even greater source of risks. Free e-mail accounts are more likely to receive such malicious
e-mails (as they rarely employ anti-spam technology), and home users rely quite heavily on such e-
mail. Also home users, surfing unknown sites and filling in online forms with personal data (such astheir e-mail address), increase exposure to attacks via e-mail. Companies usually use corporate email accounts and employ anti-spam filters etc, to reduce the risk.
The E-mail Protection component is responsible for scanning every e-mail message sent or
received; whenever a virus is detected in an e-mail, it is removed to the Virus Vault immediately. The
component can also filter out certain types of e-mail attachments, and add a certification text to
infection-free messages. E-mail Protection consists of two main functions:
E-mail Scanner
Anti-Spam
6.3.1. E-mail Scanner
Personal E-mail Scanner scans incoming/outgoing e-mails automatically. You can use it with email clients that do not have their own plug-in in AVG (but can be also used to scan e-mailmessages for e-mail clients that AVG supports with a specific plug-in, i.e. Microsoft Outlook).
Primarily, it is to be used with e-mail applications such as Outlook Express, Incredimail, etc.
During AVG installation there are automatic servers created for e-mail control: one for checking
incoming e-mails and the second one for checking outgoing e-mails. Using these two servers emails are automatically checked on ports 110 and 25 (standard ports for sending/receiving e-mails).
E-mail Scanner works as an interface between the e-mail client and e-mail servers on the Internet.
Incoming mail: While receiving a message from the server, the E-mail Scanner
component tests it for viruses, removes infected attachments, and adds certification. When
detected, viruses are quarantined in the Virus Vault immediately. Then the message is
passed to the e-mail client.
Outgoing mail: The message is sent from the e-mail client to E-mail Scanner; it tests the
message and its attachments for viruses and then sends the message to the SMTP server (
scanning of outgoing e-mails is disabled by default, and can be set up manually).
E-mail Scanner is not intended for server platforms!
Anti-Spam checks all incoming e-mail messages and marks unwanted e-mails as spam. Anti-
Spam can modify the subject of the email (that has been identified as spam) by adding a special
text string. You can then easily filter your emails in your email client. The Anti-Spam component
uses several analysis methods to process each e-mail message, offering maximum possible
protection from unwanted e-mail messages. Anti-Spam uses a regularly updated database for the
detection of spam. It is also possible to use RBL servers (public databases of "known spammer"email addresses) and to manually add email addresses to your Whitelist (never mark as spam) and
Blacklist (always mark as spam).
What is a spam?
Spam refers to unsolicited e-mail, mostly advertising a product or service that is mass mailed to a
huge number of e-mail addresses at the same time, filling recipients’ mail boxes. Spam does not
refer to legitimate commercial e-mail for which consumers have given their consent. Spam is not
only annoying, but also can often be a source of scams, viruses, or offensive content.
6.3.3. E-mail Protection Interface
In the E-mail Protection dialog you can find a brief text describing the component's functionality,
and information on its current status (Active). Use the View an online report for how AVG hasprotected you link to review detailed statistics of AVG Internet Security 2012 activities and
detections on a dedicated page on the AVG website (http://www.avg.com/).
In the E-mail Protection dialog you can also edit some elementary features of the component's
functionality:
Scan incoming messages (on by default) - tick the box to specify that all e-mails delivered
to your account should be scanned for viruses.
Scan outgoing messages(off by default) - tick the box to confirm all e-mail sent from your
account should be scanned for viruses.
Display notification window while e-mail is being scanned (on by default) - mark the
item to confirm you want to be informed via a notification dialog displayed over the AVG
icon on the system tray during the scanning of your e-mail.
Enable Anti-Spam(on by default) - mark the item to specify whether you want to have
your incoming mail filtered for unsolicited e-mail.
The software vendor has set up all AVG components to give optimum performance. Unless
you have a real reason to do so, do not change the AVG configuration. Any changes to
settings should only be performed by an experienced user. If you need to change the AVG
configuration, select the system menu item Tools / Advanced settings and edit the AVG
configuration in the newly opened AVG Advanced Settings dialog.
Control buttons
The control buttons available within the E-mail Protection dialog are as follows:
Save changes - press this button to save and apply any changes made in this dialog
Cancel - press this button to return to the default AVG main dialog (components overview)
In the E-mail Scanner detection dialog (accessible via system menu option History / E-mail
Scanner detection) you will be able to see a list of all findings detected by the E-mail Protection
component. For each detected object the following information is provided:
Infection - description (possibly even name) of the detected object
Object - object location
Result - action performed with the detected object
Detection time - date and time the suspicious object was detected
Object Type - type of the detected object
In the bottom part of the dialog, below the list, you will find information on total number of detected
objects listed above. You can also export the entire list of detected objects in a file (Export list tofile) and delete all entries on detected objects (Empty list).
Control buttons
The control buttons available within the E-mail Scanner detection interface are as follows:
Refresh list - updates the list of detected threats.
Back - switches you back to the previously displayed dialog.
6.4. Firewall
The Firewall is a system that enforces an access control policy between two or more networks by
blocking/permitting traffic. The Firewall contains a set of rules that protect the internal network from
attacks originating outside (typically from the Internet) and controls all communication on every
single network port. The communication is evaluated according to the defined rules, and then either
allowed or forbidden. If the Firewall recognizes any intrusion attempts, it “blocks” the attempt and
does not allow the intruder access to the computer.
Firewall is configured to allow or deny internal/external communication (both ways, in and out)
through defined ports, and for defined software applications. For example, the firewall could be
configured to only permit web data to flow in and out using Microsoft Explorer. Any attempt to
transmit web data by any other browser would be blocked.
Firewall protects your personally-identifiable information from being sent from your computer without
your permission. It controls how your computer exchanges data with other computers on the Internet
or local network. Within an organization, Firewall also protects individual computers from attacks
initiated by internal users on other computers in the network.
Computers that are not protected by the Firewall become an easy target to computer hackers
and data thefts.
Recommendation: Generally it is not recommended that you use more than one firewall on an
individual computer. The security of the computer is not enhanced if you install more firewalls. It is
more probable that some conflicts between these two applications will occur. Therefore we
recommend that you use only one firewall on your computer and deactivate all others, thus
eliminating the risk of possible conflict and any problems related to this.
6.4.1. Firewall Principles
In AVG Internet Security 2012, the Firewall controls all traffic on every network port of your
computer. Based on the defined rules, Firewall evaluates applications that are either running on
your computer (and want to connect to the Internet/local network), or applications that approach your
computer from outside trying to connect to your PC. For each of these applications the Firewall
then either allows or forbids the communication on the network ports. By default, if the application is
unknown (i.e. has no defined Firewall rules), the Firewall will ask you if you wish to allow or block
the communication attempt.
AVG Firewall is not intended for server platforms!
What AVG Firewall can do:
Allow or block communication attempts of known applications automatically, or ask you for
confirmation
Use complete profiles with predefined rules, according to your needs
Switch profiles automatically when connecting to various networks, or using various network
The Firewall allows you to define specific security rules based on whether your computer is located
in a domain, is a standalone computer, or even a notebook. Each of these options requires a
different level of protection, and the levels are covered by the respective profiles. In short, a Firewall
profile is a specific configuration of the Firewall component, and you can use a number of such
predefined configurations.
Available profiles
Allow all - a Firewall system profile that has been pre-set by the manufacturer and is
always present. When this profile is activated, all network communication is allowed and no
safety policy rules are applied, as if the Firewall protection was switched off (i.e. all
applications are allowed but packets are still being checked - to completely disable any
filtering you need to disable Firewall). This system profile cannot be duplicated, deleted,
and its settings cannot be modified.
Block all - a Firewall system profile that has been pre-set by the manufacturer and is
always present. When this profile is activated, all network communication is blocked, and
the computer is neither accessible from external networks, nor can communicate outside.
This system profile cannot be duplicated, deleted, and its settings cannot be modified.
Custom profiles - the custom profiles enable you to take advantage of automatic profile
switching which can be especially useful if you connect to various networks frequently (e.g.
with a notebook). Custom profiles are generated automatically after AVG Internet Security
2012 installation, and covering any individual needs for Firewall policy rules. The following
custom profiles are available:
o Directly connected to the Internet – suitable for common desktop home computers
or notebooks connected directly to the Internet, without any extra protection. This
option is also recommended when you connect your notebook to various unknown
and probably unsecured networks (e.g. in an Internet cafe, hotel room, etc.).The
strictest Firewall policy rules of this profile ensure that such a computer is
adequately protected.
o Computer within domain – suitable for computers in a local network, typically at
school or work. It is assumed that the network is professionally administered and
protected by some additional measures, so the security level can be lower than in
the above-mentioned cases, allowing access to shared folders, disk units etc.
o Small home or office network – suitable for computers in a small network,
typically at home or in a small business. Usually, this kind of network has no
"central" administrator, and only consists of several computers connected together,
often sharing a printer, scanner or similar device, which the Firewall rules must
reflect.
The profile switching feature allows the Firewall to switch automatically to the defined profile when
using a certain network adapter, or when connected to a certain type of network. If no profile has
been assigned to a network area yet, then upon next connection to that area, the Firewall will
display a dialog asking you to assign a profile. You can assign profiles to all local network interfaces
or areas and specify further settings in the Areas and Adapters Profiles dialog, where you can also
disable the feature if you do not wish to use it (then, for any kind of connection, the default profilewill be used).
Typically, users who have a notebook and use various types of connection will find this feature
useful. If you have a desktop computer, and only ever use one type of connection (e.g. cableconnection to the Internet), you do not have to bother with profile switching as most likely you will
never use it.
6.4.3. Firewall Interface
The main dialog named Firewall Component provides some basic information on the component's
functionality, its status (Active), and a brief overview of the component's statistics:
Firewall has been enabled for - time elapsed since the Firewall was last launched
Blocked packets - number of blocked packets from the total number of packets checked
Overall packets - number of all packets checked during the Firewall run
Select Firewall profile - from the roll-down menu select one of the defined profiles (for a
detailed description of each profile and its recommended use please consult chapter
Firewall Profiles)
Enable Game mode - check this option to ensure that when running full-screen
applications (games, presentations, movies, etc.), the Firewall will not display dialogs
asking you whether you want to allow or block communication for unknown applications. In
case an unknown application tries to communicate over the network at that time, the
Firewall will allow or block the attempt automatically according to settings in the current
profile. Note: With the gaming mode on, all scheduled tasks (scans, updates) are
postponed till the application is closed.
Furthermore, in this basic settings section you can select from three alternative options
defining the current status of the Firewall component:
o Firewall enabled (by default) - select this option to allow communication to those
applications that are 'allowed' in the set of rules defined within the selected Firewall
profile.
o Firewall disabled - this option switches the Firewall off completely; all network traffic
is allowed but not checked!
o Emergency mode (block all Internet traffic) - select this option to block all traffic
on every single network port; the Firewall is still running but all network traffic is
stopped.
Please note: The software vendor has set up all AVG Internet Security 2012 components to give
optimum performance. Unless you have a real reason to do so, do not change the AVG
configuration. Any changes to settings should only be performed by an experienced user. If you
need to change the Firewall configuration, select the system menu item Tools/Firewall settings and
edit the Firewall configuration in the newly opened Firewall Settings dialog.
Control buttons
Regenerate configuration - press this button to overwrite the current Firewall configuration,
and to revert to the default configuration based on automatic detection.
Save changes - press this button to save and apply any changes made in this dialog.
Cancel - press this button to return to the default AVG main dialog (components overview).
6.5. Anti-Rootkit
Anti-Rootkit is a specialized tool detecting and effectively removing dangerous rootkits, i.e.
programs and technologies that can camouflage the presence of malicious software on your
computer. Anti-Rootkit is able to detect rootkits based on a predefined set of rules. Please note,
that all rootkits are detected (not just the infected ones). If Anti-Rootkit finds a rootkit, it does not
necessarily mean the rootkit is infected. Sometimes, rootkits are used as drivers or they are a part
of correct applications.
A rootkit is a program designed to take fundamental control of a computer system, without
authorization by the system's owners and legitimate managers. Access to the hardware is rarely
required as a rootkit is intended to seize control of the operating system running on the hardware.
Typically, rootkits act to obscure their presence on the system through subversion or evasion of
standard operating system security mechanisms. Often they are also Trojans, thus fooling users
into believing they are safe to run on their systems. Techniques used to accomplish this can include
concealing running processes from monitoring programs, or hiding files or system data from the
operating system.
6.5.1. Anti-Rootkit Interface
The Anti-Rootkit dialog provides a brief description of the component's functionality, provides
information on the component's current status (Active), and also gives information on the last time
the Anti-Rootkit test was launched (Last rootkit search; the rootkit test is a default process runningwithin the Whole Computer Scan). The Anti-Rootkit dialog also provides the Tools/Advanced
Settings link. Use the link to get redirected to the environment for the advanced configuration of the
Anti-Rootkit component.
The software vendor has set up all AVG components to give optimum performance. Unless
you have a real reason to do so, do not change the AVG configuration. Any changes to
settings should only be performed by an experienced user.
In the bottom part of the dialog you can set up some elementary functions of the rootkit presence
scanning. First, mark up the respective check-boxes to specify objects that should be scanned:
Scan applications
Scan drivers
You can also pick the rootkit scanning mode:
Quick rootkit scan - scans all running processes, loaded drivers, and the system folder (
typically c:\Windows).
Full rootkit scan - scans all running processes, loaded drivers, the system folder (typically
c:\Windows), plus all local disks (including the flash disk, but excluding floppy disk/CD
drives).
Control buttons
Search for rootkits - since the rootkit scan is not an implicit part of the Scan of the whole
computer, you can run the rootkit scan directly from the Anti-Rootkit interface using this
button.
Save changes - press this button to save all changes made in this interface and to return to
the default AVG main dialog (components overview).Cancel - press this button to return to the default AVG main dialog (components overview)
without having saved any changes you made.
6.6. System Tools
System Tools refer to tools offering a detailed summary of the AVG Internet Security 2012
environment and the operating system. The component displays an overview of:
Processes - list of processes (i.e. running applications) that are currently active on your
computer
Network connections - list of currently active connections
Autostart - list of all applications that are executed during Windows system start-up
Browser Extensions - list of plug-ins (i.e. applications) that are installed inside your Internet
browser
LSP Viewer - list of Layered Service Providers (LSP)
Specific overviews can also be edited but this is only recommended for highly experienced
users!
The Processes dialog contains a list of processes (i.e. running applications) that are currently active
on your computer. The list is divided into several columns:
Severity Level – graphical identification of the respective process severity on a four-levels
scale from less important () up to critical ()
Process name - name of the running process
Process path - physical path to the running process
Window - if applicable, indicates application Window name
PID - the process identification number is a unique Windows internal process identifier
Control buttons
The control buttons available within the Processes tab are as follows:
Refresh - updates the list of processes according to the current status
Terminate Process - you can select one or more applications and then terminate them by
pressing this button. We strongly suggest not terminating any applications, unless you
are absolutely sure that they represent a real threat!
Back - switches you back to the default AVG main dialog (components overview)
6.6.2. Network Connections
The Network Connections dialog contains a list of currently active connections. The list is divided
into the following columns:
Application - name of the application related to the connection (with the exception of
Windows 2000 where the information is not available)
Protocol - transmission protocol type used for the connection:
o TCP - protocol used in conjunction with Internet Protocol (IP) to transmit information
over the Internet
o UDP - alternative to TCP protocol
Local address - IP address of the local computer and the port number used
Remote address - IP address of the remote computer and the port number connected to. If
possible, it will also look up the host name of the remote computer.
State - indicates the most probable current state (Connected, Server should close, Listen,
Active close finished, Passive close, Active close)
To list only external connections, tick the Hide local connections checkbox in the bottom section
of the dialog under the list.
The control buttons available within the Network Connections tab are as follows:
Terminate Connection - closes one or more connections selected in the list
Terminate Process - closes one or more applications related to connections selected in
the list
Back - switches back to the default AVG main dialog (components overview).
Sometimes it is possible to terminate only applications that are currently in the connected
state. We strongly suggest not terminating any connections, unless you are absolutely sure
that they represent a real threat!
6.6.3. Autostart
The Autostart dialog shows a list of all applications that are executed during Windows system start-
up. Very often, several malware applications add themselves automatically to the start-up registry
entry.
Control buttons
The control buttons available within the Autostart tab are as follows:
Remove selected - press the button to delete one or more selected entries.
Back - switches you back to the default AVG main dialog(components overview).
We strongly suggest not deleting any applications from the list, unless you are absolutely sure
that they represent a real threat!
6.6.4. Browser Extensions
The Browser Extensions dialog contains a list of plug-ins (i.e. applications) that are installed inside
your Internet browser. This list may contain regular application plug-ins as well as potential malware
programs. Click on an object in the list to obtain detailed information on the selected plug-in that will
be displayed in the bottom section of the dialog.
Control buttons
The control buttons available within the Browser Extensions tab are as follows:
Remove selected object - removes the plug-in that is currently highlighted in the list. We
strongly suggest not deleting any plug-ins from the list, unless you are absolutely
sure that they represent a real threat!
Back - switches you back to the default AVG main dialog (components overview).
The LSP Viewer dialog shows a list of Layered Service Providers (LSP).
A Layered Service Provider (LSP) is a system driver linked into the networking services of the
Windows operating system. It has access to all data entering and leaving the computer, including
the ability to modify this data. Some LSPs are necessary to allow Windows to connect you to other
computers, including the Internet. However, certain malware applications may also install
themselves as an LSP, thus having access to all data your computer transmits. Therefore, this
review may help you to check all possible LSP threats.
Under certain circumstances, it is also possible to repair broken LSPs (for example when the filehas been removed but the registry entries remain untouched). A new button for fixing the issue is
displayed once a repairable LSP is discovered.
Control buttons
The control buttons available within the LSP Viewer tab are as follows:
Hide Windows LSP - to include Windows LSP in the list, uncheck this item.
Back - switches you back to the default AVG main dialog (components overview).
The PC Analyzer component is able to scan your computer for system problems, and give you a
transparent overview of what might be aggravating your computer’s overall performance. In the
component's user interface you can see a chart divided into four lines referring to respective
categories: registry errors, junk files, fragmentation, and broken shortcuts:
Registry Errors will give you the number of errors in Windows Registry. As fixing the
Registry requires quite advanced knowledge, we do not recommend that you try and fix it
yourself.
Junk Files will give you the number of files that can be most likely done without. Typically,
these will be many kinds of temporary files, and files in the Recycle Bin.
Fragmentation will calculate the percentage of your hard disk that is fragmented, i.e. used
for a long time so that most files are now scattered on different parts of the physical disk.
You can use some defragmentation tool to fix this.
Broken Shortcuts will notify you of shortcuts that no longer work, lead to non-existing
locations etc.
To start the analysis of your system, press the Analyze now button. You will then be able to watch
the analysis progress and its results directly in the chart:
The results overview provides the number of detected system problems (Errors) divided according to
the respective categories tested. The analysis results will also be displayed graphically on an axis in
the Severity column.
Control buttons
Analyze now (displayed before the analysis stars) - press this button to launch the
immediate analysis of your computer
Fix now (displayed once the analysis is finished) - press the button to get to the AVG
website (http://www.avg.com/) at page providing detailed and up-to-date information related
to PC Analyzer component
Cancel - press this button to stop the running analysis, or to return to the default AVG main
dialog (components overview) once the analysis is completed
6.8. Identity Protection
Identity Protection is an anti-malware component that protects you from all kinds of malware (
spyware, bots, identity theft, ...) using behavioral technologies and provide zero day protection for
new viruses. Identity Protection is focused on preventing identity thieves from stealing your
passwords, bank account details, credit card numbers and other personal digital valuables from all
kinds of malicious software (malware) that target your PC. It makes sure that all programs running
on your PC or in your shared network are operating correctly. Identity Protection spots and blocks
suspicious behavior on a continuous basis and protects your computer from all new malware.
Identity Protection gives your computer a realtime protection against new and even unknown
threats. It monitors all (including hidden) processes and over 285 different behaviour patterns, and
can determine if something malicious is happening within your system. For this reason, it can reveal
threats not even yet described in the virus database. Whenever an unknown piece of code comes
onto your computer, it is immediately watched for malicious behaviour, and tracked. If the file is
found to be malicious, Identity Protection will remove the code into the Virus Vault and undo any
changes that have been made to the system (code injections, registry changes, ports opening etc).
You do not need to initiate a scan to be protected. The technology is very proactive, rarely needs
updating, and is always on guard.
Identity Protection is a complimentary protection to Anti-Virus. We strongly recommend you
have the both components installed, in order to have complete protection for your PC!
6.8.1. Identity Protection Interface
The Identity Protection dialog provides a brief description of the component's basic functionality, its
status (Active), and some statistical data:
Threat items removed - gives the number of applications detected as malware, and
removed
Processes monitored - number of currently running applications that are being monitored
by IDP
Behaviors monitored - number of specific actions running within the monitored
applications
Below you can find the Display monitored processes and Activity monitor link that will take you to
the user interface of the System tools component where you can find a detailed overview of all
monitored processes.
Basic Identity Protection settings
In the bottom part of the dialog you can edit some elementary features of the component's
functionality:
Activate Identity Protection - (on by default): check to activate the IDP component, and to
open further editing options.
In some cases, Identity Protection may report that some legitimate file is suspicious or
dangerous. Since Identity Protection detects threats based on their behavior, this usually
occurs when some program tries to monitor key presses, install other programs or a new
driver is installed on the computer. Therefore please select one of the following options
specifying the Identity Protection component's behavior in case of detecting suspicious
activity:
o Always prompt - if an application is detected as malware, you will be asked whether
it should be blocked (this option is on by default and it is recommended not tochange it unless you have a real reason to do so)
o Automatically quarantine detected threats - all applications detected as malware
will be blocked automatically
o Automatically quarantine known threats - only those applications that are with
absolute certainty detected as malware will be blocked
Advanced settings... - Click the link to get redirected to the respective dialog within the
Advanced settings of AVG Internet Security 2012. There you can edit the component's
configuration in detail. However, please note that the default configuration of all components
is set up so that AVG Internet Security 2012 provides optimum performance, and
maximum security. Unless you have a real reason to do so, it is recommended that you
keep the default configuration!
Control buttons
The control buttons available within the Identity Protection interface are as follows:
Save changes - press this button to save and apply any changes made in this dialog
Cancel - press this button to return to the default AVG main dialog (components overview)
6.9. Remote Administration
The Remote Administration component only displays in the user interface of AVG Internet
Security 2012 in case you have installed the Business Edition of your product (for information on
the license used for installation please see the Version tab of the Information dialog that can be
opened via the Support system menu item). For detailed description of the component's options and
functionality within the AVG Remote Administration system please refer to the specific
documentation dedicated to this topic exclusivity. This documentation is available for download at
AVG website (http://www.avg.com/), in the Support center / Download / Documentation section.
My Apps dialog (accessible via the My Apps button directly from the AVG main dialog) provides an
overview of AVG standalone applications, both already installed on your computer, or ready to be
installed, as options:
The dialog is divided into two sections:
Your AVG Apps - provides an overview of all AVG standalone applications that are already
installed on your computer;
Get AVG Apps - offers an overview of AVG standalone applications, that you might be
interested in. These applications are ready to be installed. The offer changes dynamically
based on your license, location, and other criteria. For detailed information on these
applications please consult AVG website (http://www.avg.com/).
Following please find a brief overview of all applications available, and a short explanation of their
functionality:
7.1. AVG Family Safety
AVG Family Safety helps you protect your children from inappropriate websites, media content, and
online searches, and provides you with reports regarding their online activity. AVG Family Safety
uses key-stroke technology to monitor your child's activities in chat-rooms and on social networking
sites. If it spots words, phrases or language that are known to be used to victimize children online, it
will notify you immediately via SMS or e-mail. The application allows you to set the appropriate level
of protection for each of your children, and monitor them separately via unique logins.
For detailed information please visit the dedicated AVG webpage, where you can also
download the component immediately. To do so, you may use the AVG Family Safety link
within the My Apps dialog.
7.2. AVG LiveKive
AVG LiveKive is dedicated to online data backup on secured servers. AVG LiveKive automatically
backs up all your files, photos, and music to one safe place, allowing you to share them with family
and friends and access them from any web-enabled device, including iPhones and Android devices.
AVG LiveKive features include:
Safety measure in case your computer and/or hard disk gets corrupted
Access to your data from any device connected to the Internet
Easy organization
Sharing with anyone you authorize
For detailed information please visit the dedicated AVG webpage, where you can also
download the component immediately. To do so, you may use the AVG LiveKive link within
the My Apps dialog.
7.3. AVG Mobilation
AVG Mobilation protects your cell phone from viruses and malware, and also provides you with the
ability of tracking your smart phone remotely if you should become separated from it. AVGMobilation features include:
File Scanner enables security scanning of files in different storage locations;
Task Killer allows you to stop an application in case the device gets slow or stuck;
App Locker allows you to lock and protect one or more applications by password against
misuse;
Tuneup collects various system parameters (battery meter, storage use, applications
installation size and location, etc.) into a single centralize view to help you control the
system performance;
App Backup allows you to backup applications to the SD card, and restore them later;
Spam and Scam feature allows you to mark SMS messages as spam, and report websites
as scam;
Wipe personal data remotely in case your phone gets stolen;
Safe Web Surfing offers a real time monitoring of the web pages you visit.
For detailed information please visit the dedicated AVG webpage, where you can also
download the component immediately. To do so, you may use the AVG Mobilation link
within the My Apps dialog.
7.4. AVG PC Tuneup
AVG PC Tuneup application is an advanced tool for detailed system analysis and correction, as to
how the speed and overall performance of your computer might be improved. AVG PC Tuneup
features include:
Disk Cleaner - removes junk files that slow down a computer.
Disk Defrag - defragments disk drives and optimizes system files placement.
Registry Cleaner - repairs registry errors to increase PC stability.
Registry Defrag - compacts the registry eliminating memory-consuming gaps.
Disk Doctor - finds bad sectors, lost clusters, and directory errors and fixes them.
Internet Optimizer - tailors the one-size-fits-all settings to a specific Internet connection.
Track Eraser - removes the history of computer and Internet usage.
Disk Wiper - wipes free space on disks to prevent the recovery of sensitive data.
File Shredder - erases selected files beyond recovery on a disk or USB stick.
File Recovery - recovers accidentally deleted files from disks, USB sticks, or cameras.
Duplicate File Finder - helps to find and remove duplicate files that waste disk space.
Services Manager - disables unnecessary services slowing down a computer.
Startup Manager - allows a user to manage programs that start automatically on Windows
boot.
Uninstall Manager - completely uninstalls the software programs that you no longer need.
Tweak Manager - allows a user to tune hundreds of hidden Windows settings.
Task Manager - lists all running processes, services, and locked files.
Disk Explorer - shows which files take up the most space on a computer.
System Information - provides detailed information about installed hardware and software.
For detailed information please visit the dedicated AVG webpage, where you can also
download the component immediately. To do so, you may use the AVG PC Tuneup link
AVG Security Toolbar is a tool that closely cooperates with the LinkScanner component, and
guards your maximum security while browsing the Internet. Within AVG Internet Security 2012, the
installation of AVG Security Toolbar is optional; during the installation process you were invited to
decide whether the component should be installed. AVG Security Toolbar is available directly in
your Internet browser. At the moment, the supported Internet browsers are Internet Explorer (version
6.0 and higher), and/or Mozilla Firefox (version 3.0 and higher). No other browsers are supported (in
case you are using some alternative Internet browser, e.g Avant Browser, you may encounter
unexpected behavior).
AVG Security Toolbar consists of the following items:
AVG logo with the drop-down menu:
o Use AVG Secure Search - allows you to search directly from the AVG Security
Toolbar using the AVG Secure Search engine. All search results are continuously
checked by the Search-Shield service, and you can feel absolutely safe online.
o Current Threat Level - opens the virus lab web page with a graphical display of the
current threat level on the web.
o AVG Threat Labs - opens the specific AVG Threat Lab website (at http://www.
avgthreatlabs.com) where you can find information on various websites security and
the current threat level online.
o Toolbar Help - opens the online help covering all AVG Security Toolbar
functionality.
o Submit Product feedback - opens a web page with a form that you can fill in and
tell us how you feel about the AVG Security Toolbar.
o About... - opens a new window with the information on the currently installed AVG
Security Toolbar version.
Search field - search the Internet using the AVG Security Toolbar to be absolutely
secure and comfortable since all displayed search results are hundred percent safe. Fill in
the keyword or a phrase into the search field, and press the Search button (or Enter). All
search results are continuously checked by the Search-Shield service (within the
LinkScanner component).
Site Safety - this button opens a new dialog providing information on the current threat level
(Currently safe) of the page you are just visiting. This brief overview can be expanded, and
displayed with full details of all security activities related to the page right within the browser
window (View complete report):
Delete - the 'trash bin' button offers a roll down the menu where you can select whether you
want to delete information on your browsing, downloads, online forms, or delete all of your
search history at once.
Weather - the button opens a new dialog providing information on the current weather in
your location, and the weather forecast for the next two days. This information is updated
regularly, every 3-6 hours. In the dialog, you can change the desired location manually, and
to decide whether you want to see the temperature info in Celsius or Fahrenheit.
Facebook - This buttons allows you connect to the Facebook social network directly from
within the AVG Security Toolbar.
Speedtest - This button redirects you to an on-line application that can help you verify the
quality of your internet connection (ping), and your download and upload speed.
Shortcut buttons for quick access to these applications: Calculator, Notepad, WindowsExplorer.
AVG Do Not Track helps you identify websites that are collecting data about your online activities.
An icon in your browser shows the websites or advertisers collecting data about your activity and
gives you the choice to allow or disallow it.
AVG Do Not Track provides you with additional information about privacy policy of each
respective service as well as a direct link to Opt-out from the service, if that is available.
In addition, AVG Do Not Track supports the W3C DNT protocol to automatically notify
sites that you don’t want to be tracked. This notification is enabled by default, but can be
changed at any time.
AVG Do Not Track is provided under these terms and conditions.
AVG Do Not Track is enabled by default, but can be easily disabled at any time.
Instructions can be found in the FAQ article Disabling the AVG Do Not Track feature.
For more information on AVG Do Not Track, please visit our website.
Currently, the AVG Do Not Track functionality is supported in Mozilla Firefox, Chrome, and Internet
Explorer browsers. (In Internet Explorer, the AVG Do Not Track icon is located at the right hand side
of the command bar. Should you experience problems seeing the AVG Do Not Track icon with the
browser's default settings, please make sure that you have the command bar activated. If you still
cannot see the icon, please drag the command bar to the left to reveal all icons and buttons
available in this toolbar.)
While online, AVG Do Not Track warns you as soon as any kind of data collection activity is
detected. You will see the following dialog:
All detected data collection services are listed by name in the Trackers on this page overview.
There are three types of data collection activities recognized by AVG Do Not Track:
Web Analytics (allowed by default): Services used to improve the performance and
experience of the respective website. In this category you can find services as Google
Analytics, Omniture, or Yahoo Analytics. We recommend not to block web analytics
services, as the website might not work as intended.
Social Buttons (allowed by default): Elements designed for improving the social-networking
experience. Social buttons are served from the social networks to the site you are visiting.
They can collect data about your online activity while you are logged-in. Examples of Social
buttons include: Facebook Social Plugins, Twitter Button, Google +1.
Ad Networks (some blocked by default): Services that collect or share data about your
online activity on multiple sites, either directly or indirectly, to offer you personalized Ads
unlike of content-based Ads. This is determined based on the privacy policy of each Ad
network as available on their website. Some ad networks are blocked by default.
Note: Depending on what services are running in the background of the website, some of the three
above described sections might not appear in the AVG Do Not Track dialog.
What is tracking? - click this link in the upper section of the dialog to get redirected to the
dedicated webpage providing detailed explanation on the tracking principles, and description
of specific tracking types.
Settings - click this link in the bottom section of the dialog to get redirected to the
dedicated webpage where you can set the specific configuration of various AVG Do NotTrack parameters (see the AVG Do Not Track settings chapter for detailed information)
9.2. Information on tracking processes
The list of detected data collection services provides just the name of the specific service. To make a
conversant decision about whether the respective service should be blocked or allowed, you may
need to know more. Move your mouse over the respective list item. An information bubble appears
providing detailed data on the service. You will learn whether the service collects personal data, or
other data available; whether the data are being shared with other third party subjects, and whether
the collected data are being filed for possible further use.
In the lower section of the information bubble you can see the Privacy Policy hyperlink that
redirects you to the website dedicated to privacy policy of the respective detected service.
9.3. Blocking tracking processes
With the lists of all Ad Networks / Social Buttons / Web Analytics you have now the option to
control which services should be blocked. You can go two ways:
Block All - Click this button located in the bottom section of the dialog to to say you do
not wish any data collection activity at all. (However, please keep in mind that this action
may break functionality in the respective webpage where the service is running!)
- If you do not want to block all the detected services at once, you can specify whether
the service should be allowed or blocked individually. You may allow running of some of the
detected systems (e.g. Web Analytics): these systems use the collected data for their own
website optimization, and this way they help to improve the common Internet environment
for all users. However, at the same time you may block the data collection activities of all
processes classified as Ad Networks. Just click the icon next to the respective service
to block the data collection (the process name will appear as crossed out), or to allow the
data collection again.
9.4. AVG Do Not Track settings
Directly in the AVG Do Not Track dialog, there is only one configuration option: in the bottom part
you can see the Alert me when active trackers are detected checkbox. By default, this item is opt
out. Mark the checkbox to confirm you want to be notified each time you enter a webpage containing
a new data collection service that has not been blocked yet. When marked, if AVG Do Not Track
detects a new data collection service in the page you are currently visiting, the notification dialog
appears on your screen. Otherwise, you will only be able to notice the newly detected service by
AVG Do Not Track icon (located in the command bar of your browser) changing its color from green
to yellow.
However, in the bottom part of the AVG Do Not Track dialog you can find the Settings link. Click
the link to get redirected to a dedicated web page where you can specify your detailed AVG Do NotTrack Options:
Notification position(Top-Right by default) - Open the roll-down menu to specify in which
position you want the AVG Do Not Track dialog to appear on your monitor.
Display notification for (10 by default) - In this field you should decide for how long (in
seconds) you wish to see the AVG Do Not Track notification on your screen. You mayspecify a number ranging from 0 to 60 seconds (for 0, the notification will not appear on
your screen at all).
Alert me when active trackers are detected (off by default) - Mark the checkbox to
confirm you want to be notified each time you enter a webpage containing a new data
collection service that has not been blocked yet. When marked, if AVG Do Not Track
detects a new data collection service in the page you are currently visiting, the notification
dialog appears on your screen. Otherwise, you will only be able to notice the newly
detected service by AVG Do Not Track icon (located in the command bar of your browser)
changing its color from green to yellow.
Notify web sites that I do not want to be tracked (on by default) - Keep this option
marked to confirm that you want AVG Do Not Track to inform the provider of a detected
data collection service that you do not want to be tracked.
Block the following(all listed data collection services allowed by default) - In this section
you can see a box with a list of known data collection services that can be classified as Ad
Networks. By default, AVG Do Not Track blocks some of Ad Networks automatically and it
remains up to your decision whether the rest should be blocked as well, or left allowed. To
do so, just click the Block All button under the list.
The control buttons available within the AVG Do Not Track Options page are as follows:
Block All - click to block at once all the services listed in the above box that are classified
as Ad Networks;
Allow All - click to unblock at once all previously blocked services listed in the above box,
and classified as Ad Networks;
Defaults - click to discard all your customized settings, and to return to the default
configuration;
Save - click to apply and save all your specified configuration;
Cancel - click to cancel all your previously specified settings.
The advanced configuration dialog of AVG Internet Security 2012 opens in a new window named
Advanced AVG Settings. The window is divided into two sections: the left part offers a treearranged navigation to the program configuration options. Select the component for which you want
to change the configuration (or its specific part) to open the editing dialog in the right-hand section of
the window.
10.1. Appearance
The first item of the navigation tree, Appearance, refers to the general settings of the AVG Internet
Security 2012 user interface, and provides a few elementary options of the application's behavior:
Language selection
In the Language selection section you can chose your desired language from the drop-down menu.
The selected language will then be used for the entire AVG Internet Security 2012user interface.
The drop-down menu only offers those languages you have previously selected to be installed during
the installation process (see chapter Custom options) plus English (English is always installedautomatically, by default). To finish switching your AVG Internet Security 2012 to another language
you have to restart the application. Please follow these steps:
In the drop-down menu, select the desired language of the application
Confirm your selection by pressing the Apply button (right-hand bottom corner of the
dialog)
Press the OK button confirm
A new dialog pops-up informing you that in order to change the language of the application,
you need to restart your AVG Internet Security 2012
Press the Restart the application now button to agree with the program restart, and wait a
second for the language change to take effect:
System tray notifications
Within this section you can suppress displaying system tray notifications on the status of the AVG
Internet Security 2012 application. By default, the system notifications are allowed to be displayed.
It is highly recommended that you keep this configuration! System notifications provide information
for example on launching the scanning or updating process, or on status changes of a AVG InternetSecurity 2012 component. You should certainly pay attention to these notifications!
However, if for some reason you decide that you do not wish to be informed in this way, or that you
would like only certain notifications (related to a specific AVG Internet Security 2012 component) to
be displayed, you can define and specify your preferences by checking/unchecking the following
options:
Display system tray notifications(on, by default) - by default, all notifications are
displayed. Uncheck this item to completely turn off the display of all system notifications.
When turned on, you can further select what specific notifications should be displayed:
o Display tray notifications about update(on, by default) - decide whether
information regarding the AVG Internet Security 2012 update process launch,
progress, and finalization should be displayed.
o Display components state change notifications (off, by default) - decide whether
information regarding the component's activity/inactivity, or its potential problem
should be displayed. When reporting a component's fault status, this option is
equivalent to the informative function of the system tray icon reporting a problem in
any AVG Internet Security 2012 component.
o Display Resident Shield related tray notifications (automatic action) (on, by
default) - decide whether information regarding file saving, copying, and openingprocesses should be displayed or suppressed (this configuration only appears if the
Resident Shield Auto-heal option is on).
o Display tray notifications about scanning (on, by default) - decide whether
information upon automatic launch of the scheduled scan, its progress, and results
should be displayed.
o Display Firewall related tray notifications(on, by default) - decide whether
information concerning Firewall status and processes, e.g. component's activation/
deactivation warnings, possible traffic blocking etc. should be displayed. This item
provides two more specific selection options (for detailed explanations of each ofthem please consult the Firewall chapter of this document):
- Display notifications about profile changes (on, by default) - notifies you about
automatic changes of Firewall profiles.
- Display notifications about new application rule created (off, by default) -
notifies you about the automatic creation of Firewall rules for new applications
based on a safe list.
o Display E-mail Scanner related tray notifications (on, by default) - decide whether
information on scanning of all incoming and outgoing e-mail messages should be
displayed.
o Display statistical notifications (on, by default) - keep the option checked to allow
regular statistical review notification to be displayed in the system tray.
o Display tray notification about AVG Accelerator (on, by default) - decide whether
information on AVG Accelerator activities should be displayed. The AVGAccelerator service allows smoother online video playback and makes additional
downloads easier.
o Display AVG Advisor notifications (on, by default) - decide whether information
upon AVG Advisor activities should be displayed in the slide panel on the system
tray.
Gaming mode
This AVG function is designed for full-screen applications where any AVG information balloons (
displayed e.g. when a scheduled scan is started) would be disturbing (they could minimize the
application or corrupt its graphics). To avoid this situation, keep the checkbox for the Enablegaming mode when a full-screen application is executed option marked (default setting).
Within the Sounds dialog you can specify whether you want to be informed about specific AVG
Internet Security 2012 actions by a sound notification:
The settings are only valid for the current user account. That means, each user on the computer can
have their own sound settings. If you want to allow the sound notification, keep the Enable soundevents option checked (the option is on, by default) to activate the list of all relevant actions. You
may also want to check the Do not play sounds when fullscreen application is active option to
suppress the sound notification in situations when it might be disturbing (see also the Gaming modesection of the Advanced settings/Appearance chapter in this document).
Control buttons
Browse - having selected the respective event from the list, use the Browse button to
search your disk for the desired sound file you want to assign to it. (Please note that only *.
wav sounds are supported at the moment!)
Play - to listen to the selected sound, highlight the event in the list and push the Play
button.
Delete - use the Delete button to remove the sound assigned to a specific event.
In the Temporarily disable AVG protection dialog you have the option of switching off the entire
protection secured by your AVG Internet Security 2012 at once.
Please remember that you should not use this option unless it is absolutely necessary!
In most cases, it is not necessary to disable AVG Internet Security 2012 before installing new
software or drivers, not even if the installer or software wizard suggests that running programs and
applications be shut down first to make sure there are no unwanted interruptions during the
installation process. Should you really experience problems during installation, try to deactivate the
resident protection (Enable Resident Shield) first. If you do have to temporarily disable AVG Internet
Security 2012, you should re-enable it as soon as you're done. If you are connected to the Internet
or a network when your antivirus software is disabled, your computer is vulnerable to attacks.
How to disable AVG protection
Tick the Temporarily disable AVG protection checkbox, and confirm your choice by
pressing the Apply button
In the newly open Temporarily disable AVG protection dialog specify for how long you
wish to disable your AVG Internet Security 2012. By default, the protection will be turned
off for 10 minutes which should be sufficient for any common task such as installing new
software etc. You can decide for a longer time period, however this option is not
recommended if not absolutely necessary. Afterwards, all deactivated components will be
automatically activated again. At most, you can disable the AVG protection till the next
computer restart.
10.4. Anti-Virus
The Anti-Virus component protects your computer continuously from all known types of viruses and
spyware (including so-called sleeping and non-active malware, i.e. malware that has beendownloaded but not yet activated).
Resident Shield performs live protection of files and folders against viruses, spyware, and other
malware.
In the Resident Shield Settings dialog you can activate or deactivate the resident protection
completely by checking or unchecking the Enable Resident Shield item (this option is switched onby default). In addition, you can select which features of the resident protection should be activated:
Ask me before removing threats (on by default) - check to ensure that the Resident
Shield will not perform any action automatically; instead it will display a dialog describing
the detected threat, allowing you to decide what should be done. If you leave the box
unchecked, AVG Internet Security 2012 will automatically heal the infection, and if this is
not possible, the object will be moved into the Virus Vault.
Scan for Tracking cookies (off by default) - this parameter defines that cookies should be
detected during scanning. (HTTP cookies are used for authenticating, tracking, and
maintaining specific information about users, such as site preferences or the contents of
their electronic shopping carts.)
Report Potentially Unwanted Programs and Spyware threats (on by default) - check to
activate the Anti-Spyware engine, and scan for spyware as well as for viruses. Spyware
represents a questionable malware category: even though it usually represents a security
risk, some of these programs can be installed intentionally. We recommend that you keep
this feature activated as it increases your computer's security.
Report enhanced set of Potentially Unwanted Programs (off by default) - mark to detect
extended packages of spyware: programs that are perfectly ok and harmless when acquired
from the manufacturer directly, but can be misused for malicious purposes later. This is an
additional measure that increases your computer's security even more, however it can
possibly block legal programs, and is therefore switched off by default.
Scan files on close (off by default) - on-close scanning ensures that AVG scans active
objects (e.g. applications, documents …) when they are being opened, and also when they
are being closed; this feature helps to protect your computer against some types of
sophisticated virus.
Scan boot sector of removable media (on by default)
Use Heuristics (on by default) - heuristic analysis will be used for detection (dynamic
emulation of the scanned object’s instructions in a virtual computer environment).
Scan files referred in registry (on by default) - this parameter defines that AVG will scan
all executable files added to the startup registry to avoid a known infection being executed
upon next computer startup.
Enable thorough scanning (off by default) - in specific situations (in a state of extreme
emergency) you may check this option to activate the most thorough algorithms that will
check all possibly threatening objects in-depth. Remember though that this method is
rather time consuming.
Enable Instant Messaging protection and P2P download protection (on by default) check this item if you wish to verify that the instant messaging communication (e.g. AIM,Yahoo!, ICQ, Skype, MSN Messenger, ...) and data downloaded within Peer-to-Peer
networks (networks allowing direct connection between clients, without a server, which ispotentially dangerous; typically used to share music files) are virus free.
In the Files scanned by the Resident Shield dialog it is possible to configure which files will be
scanned (by specific extensions):
Mark the respective checkbox to decide whether you want to Scan all files or Scan infectable filesand selected types of documents only. If you have chosen the latter option, you can further specify
a list of extensions defining files that should be excluded from scanning, and also a list of file
extensions defining files that must be scanned under all circumstances.
Check the Always scan files without extensions (on by default) to ensure that even files with no
extension and unknown format should be scanned by the Resident Shield. We recommend that you
keep this feature switched on, as files without extensions are suspicious.
The section below called The Resident Shield will scan further summarizes the current settings,
displaying a detailed overview of what the Resident Shield will actually scan.
The Resident Shield - Exceptions dialog offers the option of defining files and/or folders that should
be excluded from the Resident Shield scanning.
If this is not essential, we strongly recommend not excluding any items!
Control buttons
The dialog provides the following control buttons:
Add Path – specify a directory (directories) to be excluded from the scanning by selecting
them one by one from the local disk navigation tree
Add File – specify files to be excluded from the scanning by selecting them one by one
from the local disk navigation tree
Edit Item – allows you to edit the specified path to a selected file or folder
Remove Item – allows you to delete the path to a selected item from the list
Edit List - allows you to edit the entire list of defined exceptions in a new dialog that
The Cache Server Settings dialog refers to the cache server process designed to speed up all types
of AVG Internet Security 2012 scans:
The cache server gathers and keeps information on trustworthy files (a files is considered trustworthyif signed with digital signature on a trustworthy source). These files are then automatically
considered to be safe, and do not need to be re-scanned; therefore these files are skipped during
scanning.
The Cache Server Settings dialog offers the following options for configuration:
Caching enabled (on by default) - uncheck the box to switch off the Cache Server, and
empty the cache memory. Please note that scanning might slow down, and overall
performance of your computer decrease, as every single file in use will be scanned for
viruses and spyware first.
Enable adding new files into cache (on by default) - uncheck the box to stop adding
more files into the cache memory. Any already cached files will be kept and used until
caching is turned off completely, or until the next update of the virus database.
Unless you have a good reason to switch the cache server off, we strongly recommend that
you keep the default settings and leave both the options on! Otherwise you may experience a
significant decrease in your system speed and performance.
In the E-mail protection section you can edit the detailed configuration of E-mail Scanner and Anti-
Spam:
10.5.1. E-mail Scanner
The E-mail Scanner dialog is divided into three sections:
E-mail scanning
In this section, you can set these basics for incoming and/or outgoing e-mail messages:
Check incoming e-mail (on by default) - mark to switch on/off the option of scanning of all
e-mail messages delivered to your e-mail client
Check outgoing e-mail (off by default) - mark to switch on/off the option of scanning of all
e-mails sent from your account
Modify subject of virus infected messages (off by default) - if you want to be warned that
the scanned e-mail message was detected as infected, mark this item and fill in the desired
text into the text field. This text will then be added to the "Subject" field for each detected email message for easier identification and filtering. The default value is ***VIRUS*** which
we recommend that you keep.
In this section, you can specify how the e-mail messages will be scanned:
Use Heuristics (on by default) - check to use the heuristics detection method when
scanning e-mail messages. When this option is on, you can filter e-mail attachments not
only by the extension but the actual contents of the attachment will also be considered.
The filtering can be set in the Mail Filtering dialog.
Report Potentially Unwanted Programs and Spyware threats (on by default) - check to
activate the Anti-Spyware engine, and scan for spyware as well as for viruses. Spyware
represents a questionable malware category: even though it usually represents a security
risk, some of these programs can be installed intentionally. We recommend that you keep
this feature activated as it increases your computer security.
Report enhanced set of Potentially Unwanted Programs (off by default) - mark to detect
extended packages of spyware: programs that are perfectly ok and harmless when acquired
from the manufacturer directly, but can be misused for malicious purposes later. This is an
additional measure that increases your computer security even more, however it may block
legal programs, and is therefore switched off by default.
Scan inside archives (on by default) - check to scan contents of archives attached to e-
mail messages.
Enable thorough scanning (off by default) - in specific situations (e.g. suspicions of your
computer being infected by an virus or attack) you may check this option to activate the
most thorough scanning algorithms that will scan even those areas of your computer that
hardly ever get infected, just to be absolutely sure. Remember though that this method is
rather time-consuming.
E-mail attachments reporting
In this section, you can set additional reports about potentially dangerous or suspicious files. Please
note that no warning dialog will be displayed; a certification text will only be added to the end of the
e-mail message, and all such reports will be listed in the E-mail Scanner detection dialog:
Report password protected archives – archives (ZIP, RAR etc.) that are protected by
password cannot be scanned for viruses; check the box to report these as potentially
dangerous.
Report password protected documents – documents protected by password cannot be
scanned for viruses; check the box to report these as potentially dangerous.
Report files containing macro – a macro is a predefined sequence of steps aimed to
make certain tasks easier for a user (MS Word macros are widely known). As such, a
macro can contain potentially dangerous instructions, and you might like to check the box
to ensure that files with macros will be reported as suspicious.
Report hidden extensions – a hidden extension can make e.g. a suspicious executable
file "something.txt.exe" appear as harmless plain text file "something.txt"; check the box to
report these as potentially dangerous.
Move reported attachments to Virus Vault - specify whether you wish to be notified via email about password protected archives, password protected documents, files containing
macros, and/or files with hidden extensions detected as an attachment to the scanned email message. If such a message is identified during scanning, define whether the detected
infectious object should be moved to the Virus Vault.
In the Certification dialog you can mark the specific checkboxes to decide whether you want to
certify your incoming mail (Certify incoming e-mail) and/or outgoing mail (Certify outgoing e-mail
). For each of these options you can further specify the With attachments only parameter so that
the certification is only added to e-mail messages with attachments:
By default, the certification text consists of just a basic information that states No virus found in thismessage. However, this information can be extended or changed according to your needs: write the
desired text of certification into the E-mail certification text field. In the Language used for the e-mail certification text section you can further define in which language the automatically generated
part of the certification (No virus found in this message) should be displayed.
Note: Please bear in mind that only the default text will be displayed in the requested language, and
your customized text will not be translated automatically!
The Attachment filter dialog allows you to set up parameters for e-mail message attachment
scanning. By default, the Remove attachments option is switched off. If you decide to activate it, all
e-mail message attachments detected as infected or potentially dangerous will be removed
automatically. If you want to define specific types of attachments that should be removed, select the
respective option:
Remove all executable files - all *.exe files will be deleted
Remove all documents - all *.doc, *.docx, *.xls, *.xlsx files will be deleted
Remove files with these comma separated extensions - will remove all files with the
defined extensions
In the Servers section you can edit parameters for the E-mail Scanner servers:
You can also define new servers for incoming or outgoing mail, using the Add new server button.
POP3
In this dialog (opened via Servers / POP3) you can set up a new E-mail Scanner server using the
POP3 protocol for incoming mail:
POP3 Server Name - in this field you can specify the name of newly added servers (to add
a POP3 server, click the right mouse button over the POP3 item of the left navigation
menu). For automatically created "AutoPOP3" servers this field is deactivated.
Type of login - defines the method for determining the mail server used for incoming mail:
o Automatic - login will be carried out automatically, according to your e-mail client
settings.
o Fixed host - in this case, the program will always use the server specified here.
Please specify the address or name of your mail server. The login name remains
unchanged. For a name, you may use a domain name (for example, pop.acme.com)
as well as an IP address (for example, 123.45.67.89). If the mail server uses a nonstandard port, you can specify this port after the server name using a colon as the
delimiter (for example, pop.acme.com:8200). The standard port for POP3
communication is 110.
Additional settings - specifies more detailed parameters:
o Local port - specifies the port on which the communication from your mail
application should be expected. You must then specify in your mail application this
port as the port for POP3 communication.
o Connection - in the drop-down menu, you can specify which kind of connection to
use (regular/SSL/SSL default). If you choose SSL connection, the data sent is
encrypted without the risk of being traced or monitored by a third party. This feature
is also only available when the destination mail server supports it.
E-mail client POP3 server activation - check/uncheck this item to activate or deactivate
the specified POP3 server
In this dialog (opened via Servers / SMTP) you can set up a new E-mail Scanner server using the
SMTP protocol for outgoing mail:
SMTP Server Name - in this field you can specify the name of newly added servers (to add
a SMTP server, click the right mouse button over the SMTP item of the left navigation
menu). For automatically created "AutoSMTP" servers this field is deactivated.
Type of login - defines the method for determining the mail server used for outgoing mail:
o Automatic - login will be carried out automatically, according to your e-mail client
settings
o Fixed host - in this case, the program will always use the server specified here.
Please specify the address or name of your mail server. You may use a domain
name (for example, smtp.acme.com) as well as an IP address (for example,
123.45.67.89) for a name. If the mail server uses a non-standard port, you can type
this port behind the server name using a colon as the delimiter (for example, smtp.acme.com:8200). The standard port for SMTP communication is 25.
Additional settings - specifies more detailed parameters:
o Local port - specifies the port on which the communication from your mail
application should be expected. You must then specify in your mail application this
port as the port for SMTP communication.
o Connection - in this drop-down menu, you can specify which kind of connection to
use (regular/SSL/SSL default). If you choose SSL connection, the data sent is
encrypted without the risk of being traced or monitored by a third party. This feature
is available only when the destination mail server supports it.
IMAP
E-mail client SMTP server activation - check/uncheck this box to activate/deactivate the
SMTP server specified above
In this dialog (opened via Servers / IMAP) you can set up a new E-mail Scanner server using the
IMAP protocol for outgoing mail:
IMAP Server Name - in this field you can specify the name of newly added servers (to add
a IMAP server, click the right mouse button over the IMAP item of the left navigation menu
). For automatically created "AutoIMAP" servers this field is deactivated.
Type of login - defines the method for determining the mail server used for outgoing mail:
o Automatic - login will be carried out automatically, according to your e-mail client
settings
o Fixed host - in this case, the program will always use the server specified here.
Please specify the address or name of your mail server. You may use a domain
name (for example, smtp.acme.com) as well as an IP address (for example,
123.45.67.89) for a name. If the mail server uses a non-standard port, you can type
this port behind the server name using a colon as the delimiter (for example, imap.acme.com:8200). The standard port for IMAP communication is 143.
Additional settings - specifies more detailed parameters:
o Local port - specifies the port on which the communication from your mail
application should be expected. You must then specify in your mail application this
port as the port for IMAP communication.
o Connection - in this drop-down menu, you can specify which kind of connection to
use (regular/SSL/SSL default). If you choose a SSL connection, the data sent is
encrypted without the risk of being traced or monitored by a third party. This feature
is available only when the destination mail server supports it.
E-mail client IMAP server activation - check/uncheck this box to activate/deactivate the
IMAP server specified above
10.5.2. Anti-Spam
In the Anti-Spam settings dialog you can check/uncheck the Turn on Anti-Spam protection
checkbox to allow/prohibit the anti-spam scanning of e-mail communication. This option is on by
default, and as always, it is recommended that you keep this configuration unless you have a real
reason to change it.
Next, you can also select more or less aggressive scoring measures. The Anti-Spam filter assigns
each message a score (i.e. how similar the message content is to SPAM) based on several dynamic
scanning techniques. You can adjust the Mark message as spam if score is greater than setting
by either typing the value or by moving the slider left or right (the range of values is limited to 50-90).
Generally we recommended setting the threshold between 50-90, or if you are really unsure, to 90.
Here is a general review of the scoring threshold:
Value 80-90 - e-mail messages likely to be spam will be filtered out. Some non-spam
messages may be incorrectly filtered as well.
Value 60-79 - considered as a quite aggressive configuration. E-mail messages that are
possibly spam will be filtered out. Non-spam messages are likely to be caught as well.
Value 50-59 - very aggressive configuration. Non-spam e-mail messages are as likely to be
caught as real spam messages. This threshold range is not recommended for normal use.
In the Anti-Spam settings dialog you can further define how the detected spam e-mail messages
should be treated:
Move message to the junk folder (Microsoft Outlook plugin only) - mark this checkbox to
specify that each detected spam message should be automatically moved to the specific
junk folder within your MS Outlook e-mail client. At the moment, the feature is not
supported in other mail clients.
Add recipients of sent e-mails to whitelist - tick this checkbox to confirm that all
recipients of sent e-mails can be trusted, and all e-mail messages coming from their e-mail
accounts can be delivered.
Modify subject for messages marked as SPAM - tick this checkbox if you would like all
messages detected as spam to be marked with a specific word or character in the e-mail
subject field; the desired text can be typed in the activated text field.
Ask before reporting wrong detection - provided that during the installation process you
agreed to participate in the Product Improvement Program. If so, you allowed reporting of
detected threats to AVG. The report is made automatically. However, you may tick this
checkbox to confirm you want to be asked before any detected spam gets reported to AVG
to make sure the message should really be classified as spam.
Control buttons
The Train Anti-Spam button opens the Anti-Spam training wizard described in details in the next
chapter.
Anti-Spam Training Wizard
The first dialog of the Anti-Spam Training Wizard asks you to select the source of e-mail
messages you want to use for training. Usually, you will want to use either e-mails that have been
incorrectly marked as SPAM, or spam messages that have not been recognized.
A specific e-mail client - if you use one of the listed e-mail clients (MS Outlook, Outlook
Express, The Bat!), simply select the respective option
Folder with EML files - if you use any other e-mail program, you should first save the
messages to a specific folder (in .eml format), or make sure that you know the location of
your e-mail client message folders. Then select Folder with EML files, which will enable
you to locate the desired folder in the next step
For a faster and easier training process, it is a good idea to sort the e-mails in the folders
beforehand, so that the folder you will use for training contains only the training messages (either
wanted, or unwanted). However, this is not necessary, as you will be able to filter the e-mails later
on.
Select the appropriate option and click Next to continue the wizard.
Folders with EML files
Dialog displayed in this step depends on your previous selection.
In this dialog, please select the folder with the messages you want to use for training. Press the
Add folder button to locate the folder with the .eml files (saved e-mail messages). The selected
folder will then be displayed in the dialog.
In the Folders contain drop-down menu, set one of the two options - whether the selected folder
contains wanted (HAM), or unsolicited (SPAM) messages. Please note that you will be able to filter
the messages in the next step, so the folder does not have to contain only training e-mails. You can
also remove unwanted selected folders from the list by clicking the Remove folder button.
When done, click Next and proceed to Message filtering options.
Specific e-mail client
Once you confirm one of the options, a new dialog will appear.
Note: In case of Microsoft Office Outlook, you will be prompted to select the MS Office Outlook
In the Folders contain drop-down menu, set one of the two options - whether the selected folder
contains wanted (HAM), or unsolicited (SPAM) messages. Please note that you will be able to filter
the messages in the next step, so the folder does not have to contain only training e-mails. A
navigation tree of the selected e-mail client is already displayed in the main section of the dialog.
Please locate the desired folder in the tree and highlight it with your mouse.
When done, click Next and proceed to Message filtering options.
Message filtering options
In this dialog, you can set filtering of the e-mail messages.
All messages (no filtering) - If you are sure that the selected folder contains only
messages you want to use for training, select the All messages (no filtering) option.
Use filter - For more advanced filtering, select the Use filter option. You can fill in a word (name), part of a word, or phrase to be searched for in the e-mail subject and/or the sender's
field. All messages matching exactly the entered criteria will be used for the training,
without further prompting. When you fill in both text fields, addresses that match just one of
the two conditions will also be used!
Ask for each message - If you are unsure about the messages contained in the folder, and
you want the wizard to ask you about every single message (so that you can determinewhether to use it for training or not), select the Ask for each message option.
When the appropriate option has been selected, click Next. The following dialog will be informative
only, telling you that the wizard is ready to process the messages. To start training, click the Next
button again. Training will then start according to the previously selected conditions.
The Engine performance settings dialog (linked to via the Performance item of the left navigation)
offers the Anti-Spam component performance settings:
Move the slider left or right to change the level of scanning performance ranging between Low
memory / High performance modes.
Low memory - during the scanning process to identify spam, no rules will be used. Only
training data will be used for identification. This mode is not recommended for common use,
unless the computer hardware is really poor.
High performance - this mode will consume a large amount of memory. During the
scanning process to identify spam, the following features will be used: rules and spam
database cache, basic and advanced rules, spammer IP addresses, and spammer
databases.
The Enable on-line checking item is on by default. It results in more precise spam detection via
communication with the Mailshell servers, i.e. the scanned data will be compared with Mailshell
databases online.
Generally it is recommended that you keep the default settings and only change them if you
have a valid reason to do so. Any changes to this configuration should only be made by
expert users!
RBL
The RBL item opens an editing dialog called Realtime Blackhole Lists where you can switch the
Query RBL servers functions:
The RBL (Realtime Blackhole List) server is a DNS server with an extensive database of known
spam senders. When this feature is switched on, all e-mail messages will be verified against the
RBL server database and marked as spam if identical to any of the database entries. The RBL
servers databases contain the latest up-to-the-minute spam fingerprints to provide the very best and
most accurate spam detection. This feature is especially useful for users who receive large amounts
of spam that is not normally detected by the Anti-Spam engine.
The RBL servers list allows you to define specific RBL server locations (please note, that enabling
this feature may, on some systems and configurations, slow down the e-mail receiving process, as
every single message must be verified against the RBL server database).