McAfee AVDCDE-BA-CA User Guide - Page 273

Using Specialized Scanning Tools Figure 8-10. Advanced Scan Settings dialog box The presence of a sufficient number of these characteristics in a file leads the utility to identify the file as potentially infected with a new or previously unidentified virus. Because the utility looks simultaneously for file characteristics that rule out the possibility of virus infection, it will rarely give you a false indication of a virus infection. Therefore, unless you know that the file does not contain a virus, you should treat "potential" infections with the same caution you would confirmed infections. The ScreenScan utility starts out without any heuristic scan options active. To activate heuristic scanning, follow these substeps: a. Select the Enable heuristics scanning checkbox. The remaining options in the dialog box activate. b. Select the types of heuristics scanning you want the ScreenScan utility to use. Your choices are: - Enable macro heuristics scanning. Choose this option to have the utility identify all Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and other Microsoft Office files that contain embedded macros, then compare the macro code to its virus definitions database. The utility will identify exact matches with the virus name; code signatures that resemble existing viruses cause it to tell you it has found a potential macro virus. - Enable program file heuristics scanning. Choose this option to have the ScreenScan utility locate new viruses in program files by examining file characteristics and comparing them against a list of known virus characteristics. The utility will identify files with a sufficient number of these characteristics as potential viruses. User's Guide 273