624471

Acronis Internet Security 2011 Handleiding

13
Verklein
Vergroot
Pagina terug
1/189
Pagina verder
User's Guide
Acronis Internet Security 2011
User's Guide
Publication date 2010.12.06
Copyright© 2010 Acronis
Legal Notice
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic
or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without
written permission from an authorized representative of Acronis. The inclusion of brief quotations in reviews may
be possible only with the mention of the quoted source. The content can not be modified in any way.
Warning and Disclaimer. This product and its documentation are protected by copyright. The information in
this document is provided on an “as is” basis, without warranty. Although every precaution has been taken in the
preparation of this document, the authors will not have any liability to any person or entity with respect to any
loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the information contained in this work.
This book contains links to third-party Websites that are not under the control of Acronis, therefore Acronis is not
responsible for the content of any linked site. If you access a third-party website listed in this document, you will
do so at your own risk. Acronis provides these links only as a convenience, and the inclusion of the link does not
imply that Acronis endorses or accepts any responsibility for the content of the third-party site.
Trademarks. Trademark names may appear in this book. All registered and unregistered trademarks in this
document are the sole property of their respective owners, and are respectfully acknowledged.
Table of Contents
Getting Started ........................................................... 1
1. Overview ................................................................ 2
1.1. Opening Acronis Internet Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.2. System Tray Icon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.3. Scan Activity Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.3.1. Scan Files and Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.3.2. Disable/Restore Scan Activity Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.4. Automatic Device Detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2. Setting Up Acronis Internet Security 2011 ............................ 6
3. Main Application Window .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
3.1. Basic View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
3.1.1. Status Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
3.1.2. Protect Your PC Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
3.1.3. Help Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
3.2. Intermediate View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
3.2.1. Dashboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
3.2.2. Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
3.2.3. File Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
3.2.4. Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
3.3. Expert View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
4. My Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
5. Alerts and Pop-ups .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
5.1. Antivirus Alerts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
5.2. Active Virus Control Alerts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
5.3. Device Detection Alerts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
5.4. Firewall Pop-ups and Alerts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
5.5. Antiphishing Alerts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
5.6. Parental Control Alert Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
5.7. Privacy Control Alerts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
5.7.1. Registry Alerts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
5.7.2. Script Alerts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
5.7.3. Cookie Alerts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
6. Fixing Issues ........................................................... 24
6.1. Fix Issues Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
6.2. Configuring Status Alerts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
7. Configuring Main Settings ............................................ 27
7.1. Security Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
7.2. Alerts Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
7.3. General Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
8. History and Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
iii
Configuration and Management ................................... 33
9. General Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
10. Antivirus Protection .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
10.1. Real-time Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
10.1.1. Adjusting the Real-time Protection Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
10.1.2. Creating a Custom Protection Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
10.1.3. Changing the Actions Taken on Detected Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
10.1.4. Restoring the Default Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
10.1.5. Configuring Active Virus Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
10.1.6. Configuring the Intrusion Detection System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
10.2. On-demand Scanning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
10.2.1. Scanning Files and Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
10.2.2. Antivirus Scan Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
10.2.3. Viewing Scan Logs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
10.2.4. Managing Existing Scan Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
10.3. Configuring Scan Exclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
10.3.1. Excluding Files or Folders from Scanning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
10.3.2. Excluding File Extensions from Scanning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
10.3.3. Managing Scan Exclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
10.4. Quarantine Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
11. Antiphishing Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
11.1. Configuring the Antiphishing White List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
11.2. Managing the Acronis Internet Security Antiphishing Protection in Internet
Explorer and Firefox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
12. Search Advisor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
12.1. Disabling Search Advisor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
13. Antispam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
13.1. Antispam Insights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
13.1.1. Antispam Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
13.1.2. Antispam Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
13.1.3. Antispam Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
13.1.4. Supported E-mail Clients and Protocols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
13.2. Antispam Optimization Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
13.3. Using the Antispam Toolbar in Your Mail Client Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
13.3.1. Indicating Detection Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
13.3.2. Indicating Undetected Spam Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
13.3.3. Retraining the Learning Engine (Bayesian) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
13.3.4. Saving and Loading Bayesian Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
13.3.5. Configuring General Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
13.4. Adjusting the Protection Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
13.5. Configuring the Friends List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
13.6. Configuring the Spammers List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
13.7. Configuring the Antispam Filters and Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
14. Parental Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
14.1. Configuring Parental Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
iv
14.1.1. Protecting Parental Control Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
14.1.2. Web Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
14.1.3. Application Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
14.1.4. Keywords Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
14.1.5. Instant Messaging (IM) Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
14.2. Monitoring Children Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
14.2.1. Checking the Parental Control Logs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
14.2.2. Configuring E-mail Notifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
15. Privacy Control ....................................................... 88
15.1. Configuring Protection Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
15.2. Identity Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
15.2.1. About Identity Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
15.2.2. Configuring Identity Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
15.2.3. Managing Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
15.3. Registry Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
15.4. Cookie Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
15.5. Script Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
16. Firewall .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
16.1. Protection Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
16.1.1. Setting the Default Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
16.1.2. Configuring Advanced Firewall Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
16.2. Application Access Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
16.2.1. Viewing Current Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
16.2.2. Adding Rules Automatically . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
16.2.3. Adding Rules Manually . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
16.2.4. Advanced Rule Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
16.2.5. Deleting and Reseting Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
16.3. Network Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
16.3.1. Network Zones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
16.4. Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
16.5. Connection Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
16.6. Troubleshooting Firewall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
17. Vulnerability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
17.1. Checking for Vulnerabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
17.2. Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
17.3. Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
18. Chat Encryption .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
18.1. Disabling Encryption for Specific Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
18.2. Acronis Internet Security Toolbar in the Chat Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
19. File Encryption .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
19.1. Managing File Vaults From the Acronis Internet Security Interface . . . . . . . . . 114
19.1.1. Create Vault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
19.1.2. Open Vault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
19.1.3. Lock Vault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
19.1.4. Change Vault Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
19.1.5. Add Files to Vault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
v
19.1.6. Remove Files from Vault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
19.1.7. View Vault Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
19.1.8. Delete File Vault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
19.2. Managing File Vaults From Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
19.2.1. Create Vault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
19.2.2. Open Vault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
19.2.3. Lock Vault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
19.2.4. Add to File Vault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
19.2.5. Remove from File Vault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
19.2.6. Change Vault Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
20. Game / Laptop Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
20.1. Game Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
20.1.1. Configuring Automatic Game Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
20.1.2. Managing the Game List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
20.1.3. Adding or Editing Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
20.1.4. Configuring Game Mode Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
20.1.5. Changing Game Mode Hotkey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
20.2. Laptop Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
20.2.1. Configuring Laptop Mode Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
20.3. Silent Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
20.3.1. Configuring Full Screen Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
20.3.2. Configuring Silent Mode Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
21. Home Network ..................................................... 131
21.1. Enabling the Acronis Internet Security Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
21.2. Adding Computers to the Acronis Internet Security Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
21.3. Managing the Acronis Internet Security Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
22. Update .............................................................. 135
22.1. Performing an Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
22.2. Configuring Update Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
22.2.1. Setting Update Locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
22.2.2. Configuring Automatic Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
22.2.3. Configuring Manual Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
22.2.4. Configuring Advanced Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
How To ................................................................... 139
23. How Do I Scan Files and Folders? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
23.1. Using Windows Contextual Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
23.2. Using Scan Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
23.3. Using Scan Activity Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
24. How Do I Create a Custom Scan Task? ............................ 142
25. How Do I Schedule a Computer Scan? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
26. How Do I Use File Vaults? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
27. How Do I Create Windows User Accounts? ....................... 147
vi
28. How Do I Update Acronis Internet Security Using a Proxy
Server? .................................................................. 148
Troubleshooting and Getting Help ............................... 149
29. Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
29.1. Scan Doesn't Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
29.2. I Can no Longer Use an Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
29.3. I Cannot Connect to the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
29.4. I Cannot Use a Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
29.5. I Cannot Share Files with Another Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
29.6. My Internet Is Slow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
29.7. How to Update Acronis Internet Security on a Slow Internet Connection . . . . 155
29.8. Acronis Internet Security Services Are Not Responding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
29.9. Antispam Filter Does Not Work Properly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
29.9.1. Legitimate Messages Are Marked as [spam] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
29.9.2. Many Spam Messages Are Not Detected . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
29.9.3. Antispam Filter Does Not Detect Any Spam Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
30. Removing Malware from Your System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
30.1. What to Do When Acronis Internet Security Finds Viruses on Your
Computer? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
30.2. If Your System Does Not Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
30.3. How Do I Clean a Virus in an Archive? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
30.4. How Do I Clean a Virus in an E-Mail Archive? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
30.5. What to Do When Acronis Internet Security Detected a Clean File as
Infected? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
30.6. How to Clean the Infected Files from System Volume Information . . . . . . . . . 168
30.7. What Are the Password-Protected Files in the Scan Log? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
30.8. What Are the Skipped Items in the Scan Log? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
30.9. What Are the Over-Compressed Files in the Scan Log? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
30.10. Why Did Acronis Internet Security Automatically Delete an Infected File? . . 170
31. Support .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
32. Useful Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
32.1. How Do I Remove Other Security Solutions? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
32.2. How Do I Restart in Safe Mode? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
32.3. Am I Using a 32 bit or a 64 bit Version of Windows? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
32.4. How Do I Find Out My Proxy Settings? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
32.5. How Do I Enable / Disable the Real Time Protection? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
32.6. How Do I Display Hidden Objects in Windows? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
vii
Getting Started
1
1. Overview
Once you have installed Acronis Internet Security 2011, your computer is protected
against all kinds of malware (such as viruses, spyware and trojans) and Internet
threats (such as hackers, phishing and spam).
However, you may want to take advantage of the Acronis Internet Security settings
to fine-tune and improve your protection. There are also some extra-features that
you may find useful. Start by setting up a usage profile as presented in “Setting Up
Acronis Internet Security 2011” (p. 6).
From time to time, you should open Acronis Internet Security and fix the existing
issues. You may have to configure specific Acronis Internet Security components
or take preventive actions to protect your computer and your data. If you want to,
you can configure Acronis Internet Security not to alert you about specific issues.
For detailed information, please refer to “Fixing Issues” (p. 24).
1.1. Opening Acronis Internet Security
To access the main interface of Acronis Internet Security 2011, use the Windows
Start menu, by following the path Start → All Programs → Acronis Backup and
Security 2011 → Acronis Internet Security 2011 → Acronis Internet Security
2011 or, quicker, double-click the Acronis Internet Security icon in the system
tray.
For more information on the main application window, please refer to “Main
Application Window” (p. 8).
1.2. System Tray Icon
To manage the entire product more quickly, you can use the Acronis Internet Security
icon in the system tray. If you double-click this icon, Acronis Internet Security will
open. Also, by right-clicking the icon, a contextual menu will allow you to quickly
manage the Acronis Internet Security product.
Tray Icon
● Show - opens the main interface of Acronis
Internet Security.
● Help - opens the help file, which explains in detail
how to configure and use Acronis Internet Security
2011.
● About - opens a window where you can see
information about Acronis Internet Security and
where to look for help in case something
unexpected appears.
Overview
2
● Fix All Issues - helps you remove current security vulnerabilities. If the option
is unavailable, there are no issues to be fixed. For detailed information, please
refer to “Fixing Issues” (p. 24).
● Turn Game Mode On / Off - activates / deactivates Game Mode.
● Update Now - starts an immediate update. A new window will appear where you
can see the update status.
● Preferences - opens a window where you can enable or disable the main product
settings and reconfigure your user profile. For more information, please refer to
“Configuring Main Settings” (p. 27).
The Acronis Internet Security system tray icon informs you when issues affect your
computer or how the product operates, by displaying a special symbol, as follows:
Red triangle with an exclamation mark: Critical issues affect the security of
your system. They require your immediate attention and must be fixed as soon as
possible.
Letter G: The product operates in Game Mode.
If Acronis Internet Security is not working, the system tray icon is grayed out .
This usually happens when the license key expires. It can also occur when the
Acronis Internet Security services are not responding or when other errors affect
the normal operation of Acronis Internet Security.
1.3. Scan Activity Bar
The Scan activity bar is a graphic visualization of the scanning activity on your
system. This small window is by default available only in Expert View.
Scan Activity Bar
The gray bars (the File Zone) show the number of scanned files per second, on a
scale from 0 to 50. The orange bars displayed in the Net Zone show the number
of Kbytes transferred (sent and received from the Internet) every second, on a scale
from 0 to 100.
Note
The Scan activity bar will notify you when real-time protection or the Firewall is
disabled by displaying a red cross over the corresponding area (File Zone or Net
Zone).
Overview
3
1.3.1. Scan Files and Folders
You can use the Scan activity bar to quickly scan files and folders. Drag the file or
folder you want to be scanned and drop it over the Scan Activity Bar as shown
below.
Drag File
Drop File
The Antivirus Scan wizard will appear and guide you through the scanning process.
Scanning options. The scanning options are pre-configured for the best detection
results. If infected files are detected, Acronis Internet Security will try to disinfect
them (remove the malware code). If disinfection fails, the Antivirus Scan wizard will
allow you to specify other actions to be taken on infected files. The scanning options
are standard and you cannot change them.
1.3.2. Disable/Restore Scan Activity Bar
When you no longer want to see the graphic visualization, just right-click it and
select Hide. To restore the Scan activity bar, follow these steps:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security.
2. Click the Options button in the upper-right corner of the window and select
Preferences.
3. In the General Settings category, use the switch corresponding to Scan Activity
Bar to enable it.
4. Click OK to save and apply the changes.
1.4. Automatic Device Detection
Acronis Internet Security automatically detects when you connect a removable
storage device to your computer and offers to scan it before you access its files.
Overview
4
This is recommended in order to prevent viruses and other malware from infecting
your computer.
Detected devices fall into one of these categories:
● CDs/DVDs
● USB storage devices, such as flash pens and external hard-drives
● mapped (remote) network drives
When such a device is detected, an alert window is displayed.
To scan the storage device, just click Yes. The Antivirus Scan wizard will appear
and guide you through the scanning process.
If you do not want to scan the device, you must click No. In this case, you may find
one of these options useful:
● Don't ask me again about this type of device - Acronis Internet Security will
no longer offer to scan storage devices of this type when they are connected to
your computer.
● Disable automatic device detection - You will no longer be prompted to scan
new storage devices when they are connected to the computer.
If you accidentally disabled automatic device detection and you want to enable it,
or if you want to configure its settings, follow these steps:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Antivirus>Virus Scan.
3. In the list of scan tasks, locate the Device Scanning task.
4. Right-click the task and select Properties. A new window will appear.
5. On the Overview tab, configure the scanning options as needed. For more
information, please refer to “Configuring Scan Settings” (p. 52).
6. On the Detection tab, choose which types of storage devices to be detected.
7. Click OK to save and apply the changes.
Overview
5
2. Setting Up Acronis Internet Security 2011
Acronis Internet Security 2011 allows you to easily configure its main settings and
user interface by setting up a usage profile. The usage profile reflects the main
activities performed on the computer. Depending on the usage profile, the product
interface is organized to allow easy access to your preferred tasks.
After installation, a default usage profile is applied.
To reconfigure the usage profile, follow these steps:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Preferences.
2. Click the Reconfigure Profile link.
3. Follow the configuration wizard. You can navigate through the wizard using the
Next and Back buttons. To exit the wizard, click Cancel.
a. Choose Your View
Select the preferred user interface view.
b. Configure My Tools
If you have selected Basic View or Intermediate View, choose the features you
would like to create shortcuts to on the Dashboard.
c. Configure Settings
If you have selected Expert View, configure the Acronis Internet Security
settings as needed. To turn on or off a setting, use the corresponding switch.
d. Set Up Parental Control
Note
This step appears only if you have added Parental Control to My Tools.
You can select one of three options:
● Set Parental Control on children accounts
Select this option to enable Parental Control on the Windows accounts
created for your children and manage it from the administrative account.
● Set Parental Control on current account
Select this option to enable Parental Control on the current Windows account.
This means you will not have to create separate accounts for your children,
but Parental Control rules will affect everyone using the current account.
Setting Up Acronis Internet Security 2011
6
In this case, a password is required to protect the Parental Control settings.
You can set it now or at a later time from the Acronis Internet Security
window.
● Skip setup for now
Select this option to configure this feature at a later time from the Acronis
Internet Security window.
e. Home Network Management
Note
This step appears only if you have added Home Network Management to My
Tools.
You can select one of three options:
● Set up this PC as "Server"
Select this option if you intend to manage Acronis Internet Security products
on other computers in the home network from this one.
A password is required to join the network. Enter the password in the
provided text boxes and click Submit.
● Set up this PC as "Client"
Select this option if Acronis Internet Security will be managed from another
computer in the home network which is also running Acronis Internet
Security.
A password is required to join the network. Enter the password in the
provided text boxes and clickSubmit.
● Skip setup for now
Select this option to configure this feature at a later time from the Acronis
Internet Security window.
f. Setup Complete
Click Finish.
Setting Up Acronis Internet Security 2011
7
3. Main Application Window
Acronis Internet Security 2011 meets the needs of computer beginners and very
technical people alike. Its graphical user interface is designed to suit each and every
category of users.
You can choose to view the user interface under any of three modes, depending on
your computer skills and on your previous experience with Acronis Internet Security.
Basic View
Suited for computer beginners and people who want Acronis Internet Security
to protect their computer and data without being bothered. This mode is simple
to use and requires minimal interaction on your side.
All you have to do is fix the existing issues when indicated by Acronis Internet
Security. An intuitive step-by-step wizard assists you in fixing issues. Additionally,
you can perform common tasks, such as updating the Acronis Internet Security
virus signature and product files or scanning the computer.
Intermediate View
Aimed at users with average computer skills, this interface extends what you
can do in Basic View.
You can fix issues separately and choose which issues to be monitored.
Moreover, you can manage remotely the Acronis Internet Security products
installed on the computers in your household.
Expert View
Suited for more technical users, this mode allows you to fully configure each
functionality of Acronis Internet Security. You can also use all tasks provided
to protect your computer and data.
To change the view mode:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security.
2. Click the Options button in the upper-right corner of the window.
3. Select the desired view mode from the menu.
3.1. Basic View
If you are a computer beginner, displaying the user interface in Basic View may be
the most adequate choice for you. This mode is simple to use and requires minimal
interaction on your side.
The window is organized into three main areas:
Status area
Status information is presented in the left side of the window.
Main Application Window
8
Protect Your PC area
This is where you can take the necessary actions to manage your protection.
Help area
This is where you can find out how to use Acronis Internet Security 2011 and
get help.
The Options button in the upper-right corner of the window allows you to change
the user interface view mode and to configure the main program settings.
In the bottom-right corner of the window, you can find several useful links.
DescriptionLink
Allows you to see a detailed history of all tasks performed by
Acronis Internet Security on your system.
View Logs
Click this link if you need help with Acronis Internet Security.Help and Support
Gives you access to a help file that shows you how to use
Acronis Internet Security.
3.1.1. Status Area
Status information is presented in the left side of the window.
● Security Status informs you of the issues that affect your computer's security
and helps you fix them. By clicking Fix All Issues, a wizard will help you easily
remove any threats to your computer and data security. For detailed information,
please refer to “Fixing Issues” (p. 24).
● License Status displays how many days are left until the license expires. If you
are using a trial version or if your license is going to expire, you can click Buy
Now to buy a license key.
3.1.2. Protect Your PC Area
This is where you can take the necessary actions to manage your protection.
Three buttons are available:
● Security provides you with shortcuts to security tasks and settings.
● Update Now helps you update the virus signature and product files of Acronis
Internet Security. A new window will appear where you can see the update status.
If updates are detected, they are automatically downloaded and installed on your
computer.
● My Tools allows you to create shortcuts to your favorite tasks and settings.
To perform a task or configure settings, click the corresponding button and choose
the desired tool from the menu. To add or remove shortcuts, click the corresponding
Main Application Window
9
button and choose More Options. For detailed information, please refer to “My
Tools” (p. 16).
3.1.3. Help Area
This is where you can find out how to use Acronis Internet Security 2011 and get
help.
Smart Tips are a fun and easy way to learn about computer security best practices
and how to use Acronis Internet Security 2011.
If you need help, type a keyword or a question in the Help and Support field and
click Search.
3.2. Intermediate View
Aimed at users with average computer skills, Intermediate View is a simple interface
that gives you access to all modules at a basic level. You'll have to keep track of
warnings and critical alerts and fix undesired issues.
The Intermediate View window is organized into several tabs.
Dashboard
The dashboard helps you easily monitor and manage your protection.
Security
Displays the status of the security settings and helps you fix detected issues.
You can run security tasks or configure security settings.
File Storage
Displays the status of File Encryption and allows you to manage your file vaults.
Network
Displays the Acronis Internet Security home network structure. This is where
you can perform various actions to configure and manage the Acronis Internet
Security products installed in your home network. In this way, you can manage
the security of your home network from a single computer.
The Options button in the upper-right corner of the window allows you to change
the user interface view mode and to configure the main program settings.
In the bottom-right corner of the window, you can find several useful links.
DescriptionLink
Allows you to see a detailed history of all tasks performed by
Acronis Internet Security on your system.
View Logs
Helps you purchase a license key for your Acronis Internet
Security 2011 product.
Buy/Renew
Main Application Window
10
DescriptionLink
Click this link if you need help with Acronis Internet Security.Help and Support
Gives you access to a help file that shows you how to use
Acronis Internet Security.
3.2.1. Dashboard
The dashboard helps you easily monitor and manage your protection.
The dashboard consists of the following sections:
● Status Details indicates the status of each main module using explicit sentences
and one of the following icons:
Green circle with a check mark: No issues affect the security status. Your
computer and data are protected.
Red circle with an exclamation mark: There are issues that affect the
security of your system. Critical issues require your immediate attention.
Non-critical issues should also be addressed as soon as possible.
Gray circle with an exclamation mark: The activity of this module's
components is not monitored. Thus, no information is available regarding their
security status. There may be specific issues related to this module.
Click the name of a module to see more details about its status and to configure
status tracking for its components.
● License Status displays how many days are left until the license expires. If you
are using a trial version or if your license is going to expire, you can click Buy
Now to buy a license key.
● My Tools allows you to create shortcuts to your favorite tasks and settings. For
detailed information, please refer to “My Tools” (p. 16).
● Smart Tips are a fun and easy way to learn about computer security best
practices and how to use Acronis Internet Security 2011.
3.2.2. Security
The Security tab allows you to manage the security of your computer and data.
“Status Area” (p. 11)
“Quick Tasks” (p. 12)
Status Area
The status area is where you can see the complete list of monitored security
components and their current status. By monitoring each security module, Acronis
Main Application Window
11
Internet Security will let you know not only when you configure settings that might
affect your computer's security, but also when you forget to do important tasks.
The current status of a component is indicated using explicit sentences and one of
the following icons:
Green circle with a check mark: No issues affect the component.
Red circle with an exclamation mark: Issues affect the component.
Just click the Fix button corresponding to a sentence to fix the reported issue. If an
issue is not fixed on the spot, follow the wizard to fix it.
To configure which components must be monitored:
1. Click Add/Edit List.
2. To turn on or off monitoring for a specific item, use the corresponding switch.
3. Click Close to save the changes and close the window.
Important
To ensure that your system is fully protected, enable tracking for all components and
fix all reported issues.
Quick Tasks
This is where you can find links to the most important security tasks:
● Update Now - starts an immediate update.
● Full System Scan - starts a standard scan of your computer (archives excluded).
For additional on-demand scan tasks, click the arrow on this button and select
a different scan task.
● Custom Scan - starts a wizard that lets you create and run a custom scan task.
● Vulnerability Scan - starts a wizard that checks your system for vulnerabilities
and helps you fix them.
● Parental Control - opens the Parental Control configuration window. For more
information, please refer to “Parental Control” (p. 77).
● Configure Firewall - opens a window where you can view and configure the
Firewall settings. For more information, please refer to “Firewall” (p. 97).
3.2.3. File Storage
In the File Storage tab, you can store your sensitive files in encrypted file vaults to
prevent them from being accessed by someone else.
“Status Area” (p. 13)
“Quick Tasks” (p. 13)
Main Application Window
12
Status Area
The current status of a component is indicated using explicit sentences and one of
the following icons:
Green circle with a check mark: No issues affect the component.
Red circle with an exclamation mark: Issues affect the component.
Just click the Fix button corresponding to a sentence to fix the reported issue.
To configure which components must be monitored:
1. Click Add/Edit List.
2. To turn on or off monitoring for a specific item, use the corresponding switch.
3. Click Close to save the changes and close the window.
Quick Tasks
The following buttons are available:
● Add File to Vault - starts the wizard that allows you to store your important files
/ documents privately by encrypting them in special, vaulted drives.
● Remove Vault Files - starts the wizard that allows you to erase data from the
file vault.
● View File Vault - starts the wizard that allows you to view the content of your
file vaults.
● Lock File Vault - starts the wizard that allows you to lock your vault in order to
start protecting its content.
For detailed information on how to protect your files using file vaults, please refer
to “File Encryption” (p. 114).
3.2.4. Network
This is where you can perform various actions to configure and manage the Acronis
Internet Security products installed in your home network. In this way, you can
manage the security of your home network from a single computer.
For detailed information, please refer to “Home Network” (p. 131).
3.3. Expert View
Expert View gives you access to each specific component of Acronis Internet Security.
This is where you can configure Acronis Internet Security in detail.
Note
Expert View is suited for users having above average computer skills, who know the
type of threats a computer is exposed to and how security programs work.
Main Application Window
13
On the left side of the window there is a menu containing all security modules. Each
module has one or more tabs where you can configure the corresponding security
settings or perform security or administrative tasks. The following list briefly
describes each module. For detailed information, please refer to the “Configuration
and Management” (p. 33) part of this user guide.
General
Allows you to access the general settings or to view the dashboard and detailed
system info.
Antivirus
Allows you to configure your virus shield and scanning operations in detail, to
set exceptions and to configure the quarantine module. This is were you can
also configure antiphishing protection and Search Advisor.
Antispam
Allows you to keep your Inbox SPAM-free and to configure the antispam settings
in detail.
Parental Control
Allows you to protect your children against inappropriate content by using your
customized computer access rules.
Privacy Control
Allows you to prevent data theft from your computer and protect your privacy
while you are online.
Firewall
Allows you to protect your computer from inbound and outbound unauthorized
connection attempts. It is quite similar to a guard at your gate - it will keep a
watchful eye on your Internet connection and keep track of who to allow access
to the Internet and who to block.
Vulnerability
Allows you to keep crucial software on your PC up-to-date.
Encryption
Allows you to encrypt Yahoo and Windows Live (MSN) Messenger
communications and also to local encrypt your critical files, folders or partitions.
Game/Laptop Mode
Allows you to postpone the Acronis Internet Security scheduled tasks while your
laptop runs on batteries and also to eliminate all alerts and pop-ups when you
are playing.
Home Network
Allows you to configure and manage several computers in your household.
Update
Allows you to obtain info on the latest updates, to update the product and to
configure the update process in detail.
Main Application Window
14
Registration
Allows you to register your product with a new license key.
The Options button in the upper-right corner of the window allows you to change
the user interface view mode and to configure the main program settings.
In the bottom-right corner of the window, you can find several useful links.
DescriptionLink
Allows you to see a detailed history of all tasks performed by
Acronis Internet Security on your system.
View Logs
Helps you purchase a license key for your Acronis Internet
Security 2011 product.
Buy/Renew
Click this link if you need help with Acronis Internet Security.Help and Support
Gives you access to a help file that shows you how to use
Acronis Internet Security.
Main Application Window
15
4. My Tools
When using Acronis Internet Security in Basic View or Intermediate View, you can
customize your dashboard by adding shortcuts to tasks and settings that are
important to you. This way, you can quickly gain access to features you use regularly
and to advanced settings without having to switch to a more advanced interface
view mode.
Depending on the user interface view mode you use, the shortcuts added to My
Tools are available as follows:
Basic View
In the Protect Your PC area, click My Tools. A menu will appear. Click a shortcut
to launch the corresponding tool.
Intermediate View
The shortcuts appear under My Tools. Click a shortcut to launch the
corresponding tool.
To open the window from which you can select the shortcuts that will appear in My
Tools, proceed as follows:
Basic View
In the Protect Your PC area, click My Tools and choose More Options.
Intermediate View
Click one of the buttons under My Tools or the Configure link.
Use the switches to select the tools to be added to My Tools. You can select any of
the following categories of tools.
● Scan Tasks
Add the tasks you regularly use to scan your system for security threats.
DescriptionScan Task
Scans the entire system, except for archives. In the
default configuration, it scans for all types of
malware other than rootkits.
Full System Scan
Use this task to scan important current user folders:
My Documents, Desktop and StartUp. This will
My Documents Scan
ensure the safety of your documents, a safe
workspace and clean applications running at startup.
Starts a wizard that lets you create a custom scan
task.
Custom Scan
Scans the entire system. In the default configuration,
it scans for all types of malware threatening your
Deep System Scan
My Tools
16
DescriptionScan Task
system's security, such as viruses, spyware, adware,
rootkits and others.
Quick Scan uses in-the-cloud scanning to detect
malware running in your system. Running a Quick
Quick Scan
Scan usually takes less than a minute and uses a
fraction of the system resources needed by a regular
virus scan.
Takes you to the Antivirus settings window where
you can customize the on-demand scan tasks.
Schedule My Scans
For more information about scan tasks, please refer to “Managing Existing Scan
Tasks” (p. 49).
● Settings
Add shortcuts to the Acronis Internet Security settings you want to configure:
DescriptionSettings
Trigger an update of Acronis Internet Security. For
more information, please refer to “Update” (p. 135).
Update Now
Configure the Parental Control module. For more
information, please refer to “Parental Control” (p.
77).
Parental Control
Configure the Firewall module. For more information,
please refer to “Firewall” (p. 97).
Configure Firewall
Toggle the Game Mode. For more information, please
refer to “Game Mode” (p. 125).
Game Mode
Toggle the Laptop Mode. For more information,
please refer to “Laptop Mode” (p. 128).
Laptop Mode
Configure the Antivirus module. For more
information, please refer to “Antivirus Protection”
(p. 38).
Configure Antivirus
Open a wizard that will help you fix all the security
issues affecting your system. For more information,
please refer to “Fixing Issues” (p. 24).
View & Fix All Issues
● Help & Support
Allows you to contact the Acronis support team.
My Tools
17
5. Alerts and Pop-ups
Acronis Internet Security uses pop-ups and alerts to inform you about its operation
or special events that may interest you and to prompt you for action when needed.
This chapter presents the Acronis Internet Security pop-ups and alerts that you may
encounter.
Pop-ups are small windows that temporarily appear on the screen to inform you
about various Acronis Internet Security events, such as e-mail scanning, a new
computer that logged to your wireless network, a firewall rule added etc. When
pop-ups appear, you will be required to click an OK button or a link, at the most.
Alerts are larger windows that prompt you for action or inform you about something
very important (for example, a virus has been detected). Besides alert windows,
you may receive e-mail, instant message or web page alerts.
The Acronis Internet Security pop-ups and alerts include:
● Antivirus Alerts
● Active Virus Control Alerts
● Device Detection Alerts
● Firewall Pop-ups and Alerts
● Antiphishing Alert Web Pages
● Parental Control Alert Messages
● Privacy Control Alerts
5.1. Antivirus Alerts
Acronis Internet Security protects you against various kinds of malware, such as
viruses, spyware or rootkits. When it detects a virus or other malware, Acronis
Internet Security takes a specific action on the infected file and informs you about
it through an alert window.
You can see the virus name, the path to the infected file and the action taken by
Acronis Internet Security.
Click OK to close the window.
Important
When a virus is detected, it is best practice to scan the entire computer to make sure
there are no other viruses. For more information, please refer to “How Do I Scan Files
and Folders?” (p. 140).
If the virus has not been blocked, please refer to “Removing Malware from Your
System” (p. 164).
Alerts and Pop-ups
18
5.2. Active Virus Control Alerts
Active Virus Control can be configured to alert you and prompt you for action
whenever an application tries to perform a possible malicious action.
If you are using the Basic View or Intermediate View interface, a pop-up will inform
you whenever Active Virus Control blocks a potentially harmful application. If you
are using Expert View, you will be prompted for action, through an alert window,
when an application exhibits malicious behavior.
If you know and trust the detected application, click Allow.
If you want to immediately close the application, click OK.
Select the Remember this action for this application check box before making
your choice and Acronis Internet Security will take the same action for the detected
application in the future. The rule that is thus created will be listed in the Active
Virus Control configuration window.
5.3. Device Detection Alerts
Acronis Internet Security automatically detects when you connect a removable
storage device to your computer and offers to scan it before you access its files.
This is recommended in order to prevent viruses and other malware from infecting
your computer.
Detected devices fall into one of these categories:
● CDs/DVDs
● USB storage devices, such as flash pens and external hard-drives
● mapped (remote) network drives
When such a device is detected, an alert window is displayed.
To scan the storage device, just click Yes. The Antivirus Scan wizard will appear
and guide you through the scanning process.
If you do not want to scan the device, you must click No. In this case, you may find
one of these options useful:
● Don't ask me again about this type of device - Acronis Internet Security will
no longer offer to scan storage devices of this type when they are connected to
your computer.
● Disable automatic device detection - You will no longer be prompted to scan
new storage devices when they are connected to the computer.
If you accidentally disabled automatic device detection and you want to enable it,
or if you want to configure its settings, follow these steps:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
Alerts and Pop-ups
19
2. Go to Antivirus>Virus Scan.
3. In the list of scan tasks, locate the Device Scanning task.
4. Right-click the task and select Properties. A new window will appear.
5. On the Overview tab, configure the scanning options as needed. For more
information, please refer to “Configuring Scan Settings” (p. 52).
6. On the Detection tab, choose which types of storage devices to be detected.
7. Click OK to save and apply the changes.
5.4. Firewall Pop-ups and Alerts
The firewall uses pop-ups to inform you about various events related to your network
connection (for example, when a new computer connects to your Wi-Fi network,
when a new application is allowed to access the Internet or when a port scan is
blocked). These pop-ups may be very useful in detecting intrusion attempts and
protecting yourself against network threats.
If you are using Expert View, you will be prompted for action, through an alert
window, whenever an unknown application tries to connect to the Internet.
You can see the following: the application that is trying to access the Internet, the
path to the application file, the destination, the protocol used and the port on which
the application is trying to connect.
Click Allow to allow all traffic (inbound and outbound) generated by this application
from the local host to any destination, over the respective IP protocol and on all
ports. If you click Block, the application will be denied access to the Internet over
the respective IP protocol completely.
Important
Allow inbound connection attempts only from IPs or domains you are sure to trust.
Based on your answer, a rule will be created, applied and listed in the table. The
next time the application tries to connect, this rule will be applied by default.
If you are using Basic View or Intermediate View, the connection attempt will be
automatically blocked.
5.5. Antiphishing Alerts
With antiphishing protection enabled, Acronis Internet Security alerts you when you
try to access web pages that may be set up to steal personal information. Before
you can access such a web page, Acronis Internet Security will block that page and
display a generic web page alert instead.
Alerts and Pop-ups
20
Check the web page address in the address bar of your browser. Look for clues that
might indicate that the web page is used for phishing. If the web address is
suspicious, it is recommended that you do not open it.
Here are some tips you may find useful:
● If you have typed the address of a legitimate website, check if the address is
correct. If the address is incorrect, re-type it and go to the web page again.
● If you have clicked a link in an e-mail or an instant message, verify who sent it
to you. If the sender is unknown, this is probably a phishing attempt. If you know
the sender, you should check if that person really sent you the link.
● If you reached the web page by browsing the Internet, check the web page where
you found the link (click the Back button on your web browser).
If you want to view the web page, click the appropriate link to take one of these
actions:
● View the web page this time only. There is no risk as long as you do not
submit any information on the web page. If the web page is legitimate, you can
add it to the White List (click the Acronis Internet Security Antiphishing toolbar
and select Add to White List).
● Add the web page to the White List. The web page will be displayed
immediately and Acronis Internet Security will no longer alert you about it.
Important
Add to the White List only the web pages that you fully trust (for example, your
bank's web address, known online shops, etc). Acronis Internet Security does not
check for phishing the web pages in the White List.
You can manage antiphishing protection and the White List using the Acronis Internet
Security toolbar in your web browser. For more information, please refer to
“Managing the Acronis Internet Security Antiphishing Protection in Internet Explorer
and Firefox” (p. 61).
5.6. Parental Control Alert Messages
You can configure Parental Control to block:
● inappropriate web pages.
● Internet access, for specific periods of time (such as when it's time for lessons).
● web pages, e-mail messages and instant messages if they contain specific
keywords.
● applications like games, chat, filesharing programs or others.
● instant messages sent by IM contacts other than those allowed.
Alerts and Pop-ups
21
The user is informed whenever an activity is blocked through a specific alert message
(for example, a standard alert web page, e-mail or instant message). Detailed
information is provided so that the user can find out why the activity was blocked.
5.7. Privacy Control Alerts
Privacy Control provides advanced users with some extra features to protect their
privacy. You will be prompted for action through specific alert windows if you choose
to enable any of these components:
● Registry Control - asks for your permission whenever a program tries to modify
a registry entry in order to be executed at Windows start-up.
● Cookie Control - asks for your permission whenever a new website tries to set a
cookie.
● Script Control - asks for your permission whenever a website tries to activate a
script or other active content.
5.7.1. Registry Alerts
If you enable Registry Control, you will be prompted for permission whenever a new
program tries to modify a registry entry in order to be executed at Windows start-up.
You can see the program that is trying to modify Windows Registry.
Note
Acronis Internet Security will usually alert you when you install new programs that
need to run after the next startup of your computer. In most cases, these programs
are legitimate and can be trusted.
If you do not recognize the program and if it seems suspicious, click Block to prevent
it from modifying Windows Registry. Otherwise, click Allow to permit the
modification.
Based on your answer, a rule is created and listed in the rules table. The same action
is applied whenever this program tries to modify a registry entry.
For more information, please refer to “Registry Control” (p. 93).
5.7.2. Script Alerts
If you enable Script Control, you will be prompted for permission whenever a new
web site tries to run a script or other active content.
You can see the name of the resource.
Click Yes or No and a rule will be created, applied and listed in the rules table. The
same action will be applied automatically whenever the respective site tries to run
active content.
Alerts and Pop-ups
22
Note
Some web pages may not be properly displayed if you block active content.
For more information, please refer to “Script Control” (p. 95).
5.7.3. Cookie Alerts
If you enable Cookie Control, you will be prompted for permission whenever a new
web site tries to set or request a cookie.
You can see the name of the application that is trying to send the cookie file.
Click Yes or No and a rule will be created, applied and listed in the rules table. The
same action will be applied automatically whenever you connect to the respective
site.
For more information, please refer to “Cookie Control” (p. 93).
Alerts and Pop-ups
23
6. Fixing Issues
Acronis Internet Security uses an issue tracking system to detect and inform you
about the issues that may affect the security of your computer and data. By default,
it will monitor only a series of issues that are considered to be very important.
However, you can configure it as needed, choosing which specific issues you want
to be notified about.
This is how pending issues are notified:
●
A special symbol is displayed over the Acronis Internet Security icon in the
system tray to indicate pending issues. Also, if you move the mouse cursor over
the icon, a pop-up will confirm the existence of pending issues.
● When you open Acronis Internet Security, the Security Status area will indicate
the number of issues affecting your system.
▶ In Basic View, the security status is displayed on the left side of the window.
▶ In Expert View, go to General > Dashboard to check the security status.
6.1. Fix Issues Wizard
The easiest way to fix the existing issues is to follow the Fix Issues Wizard. To
open the wizard, do any of the following:
●
Right-click the Acronis Internet Security icon in the system tray and select Fix
All Issues.
● Open Acronis Internet Security and, depending on the user interface view mode,
proceed as follows:
▶ In Basic View, click View All Issues.
▶ In Expert View, go to General > Dashboard and click View All Issues.
Note
You can also add a shortcut to My Tools.
A list of existing security threats on your computer is displayed.
All current issues are selected to be fixed. If there is an issue that you do not want
to be fixed, just clear the corresponding check box. If you do so, its status will change
to Skip.
Note
If you do not want to be notified about specific issues, you must configure the alert
system accordingly, as described in the next section.
Fixing Issues
24
To fix the selected issues, click Start. Some issues are fixed immediately. For others,
a wizard helps you fix them.
The issues that this wizard helps you fix can be grouped into these main categories:
● Disabled security settings. Such issues are fixed immediately, by enabling
the respective security settings.
● Preventive security tasks you need to perform. An example of such a task
is scanning your computer. It is recommended that you scan your computer at
least once a week. Acronis Internet Security will automatically do that for you in
most cases. However, if you have changed the scanning schedule or if the schedule
is not completed, you will be notified about this issue.
When fixing such issues, a wizard helps you successfully complete the task.
● System vulnerabilities. Acronis Internet Security automatically checks your
system for vulnerabilities and alerts you about them. System vulnerabilities include
the following:
▶ weak passwords to Windows user accounts.
▶ outdated software on your computer.
▶ missing Windows updates.
▶ Windows Automatic Updates is disabled.
When such issues are to be fixed, the vulnerability scan wizard is started. This
wizard assists you in fixing the detected system vulnerabilities. For detailed
information, please refer to section “Checking for Vulnerabilities” (p. 109).
6.2. Configuring Status Alerts
The status alert system is pre-configured to monitor and alert you about the most
important issues that may affect the security of your computer and data. Besides
the issues monitored by default, there are several other issues you can be informed
about.
You can configure the alert system to best serve your security needs by choosing
which specific issues to be informed about. You can do this either in Intermediate
View or in Expert View.
● In Intermediate View, the alert system can be configured from separate locations.
Follow these steps:
1. Go to the Security tab.
2. Click the Add/Edit List link in the Status area.
3. Use the switch corresponding to an item to change its alert state.
● In Expert View, the alert system can be configured from a central location. Follow
these steps:
1. Go to General > Dashboard.
Fixing Issues
25
2. Click Add/Edit Alerts.
3. Use the switch corresponding to an item to change its alert state.
Fixing Issues
26
7. Configuring Main Settings
You can configure the main product settings (including reconfiguring the usage
profile) from the Preferences window. To open it, do any of the following:
● Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Preferences.
●
Right-click the Acronis Internet Security icon in the system tray and select
Preferences.
Note
To configure the product settings in detail, use the Expert View interface. For detailed
information, please refer to the “Configuration and Management” (p. 33) part of this
user guide.
The settings are organized into three categories:
● Security Settings
● Alerts Settings
● General Settings
To turn on or off a setting, use the corresponding switch.
To apply and save the configuration changes you make, click OK. To close the
window without saving the changes, click Cancel.
The Reconfigure Profile link in the upper-right corner of the window allows you
to reconfigure the usage profile. For more information, please refer to “Setting Up
Acronis Internet Security 2011” (p. 6).
7.1. Security Settings
In this area, you can enable or disable product settings that cover various aspects
of computer and data security. To turn on or off a setting, use the corresponding
switch.
Warning
Use caution when disabling real-time antivirus protection, firewall or automatic update.
Disabling these features may compromise your computer's security. If you really
need to disable them, remember to re-enable them as soon as possible.
These are the available settings:
Antivirus
Real-time protection ensures that all files are scanned as they are accessed by
you or by an application running on this system.
Configuring Main Settings
27
Automatic Update
Automatic update ensures that the newest Acronis Internet Security product
and signature files are downloaded and installed automatically, on a regular
basis. Updates are performed by default every hour.
Vulnerability Scan
Automatic Vulnerability Scan alerts you about and helps you fix vulnerabilities
in your system that might affect its security. Such vulnerabilities include
outdated software, weak passwords to user accounts or missing Windows
updates.
Antispam
Antispam filters the e-mail messages that you receive, marking unsolicited and
junk mail as SPAM.
Antiphishing
Antiphishing detects and alerts you in real-time if a web page is set up to steal
personal information.
Search Advisor
Search Advisor scans the links in your search results and informs you which of
them are safe and which are not.
Identity Control
Identity Control helps you prevent your personal data from being sent out on
the Internet without your consent. It blocks any instant messages, e-mail
messages or web forms transmitting data you defined as being private to
unauthorized recipients (addresses).
Chat Encryption
Chat Encryption secures your conversations via Yahoo! Messenger and Windows
Live Messenger provided that your IM contacts use a compatible Acronis Internet
Security product and IM software.
Parental Control (current user)
Parental Control restricts the computer and online activities of your children
based on the rules you defined. Restrictions may include blocking inappropriate
web sites, as well as limiting gaming and Internet access according to a specified
schedule.
Firewall
Firewall protects your computer from hacker and malicious outside attacks.
File Encryption
File Encryption keeps your documents private by encrypting them in special
vaulted drives. If you disable File Encryption, all file vaults will be locked and
you will no longer be able to access the files they contain.
Configuring Main Settings
28
The status of some of these settings may be monitored by the Acronis Internet
Security issue tracking system. If you disable a monitored setting, Acronis Internet
Security will indicate this as an issue that you need to fix.
If you do not want a monitored setting that you disabled to be shown as an issue,
you must configure the tracking system accordingly. You can do that either in
Intermediate View or in Expert View. For detailed information, please refer to
“Configuring Status Alerts” (p. 25).
7.2. Alerts Settings
In this area, you can turn off the Acronis Internet Security pop-ups and alerts. Acronis
Internet Security uses alerts to prompt you for action and pop-ups to inform you
about actions it has taken automatically or about other events. To turn on or off a
category of alerts, use the corresponding switch.
Important
Most of these alerts and pop-ups should be kept turned on in order to avoid potential
problems.
These are the available settings:
Antivirus Alerts
Antivirus alerts inform you when Acronis Internet Security detects and blocks
a virus. When a virus is detected, it is best practice to scan the entire computer
to make sure there are no other viruses.
Active Virus Control Pop-ups
If you are using the Basic View or Intermediate View interface, a pop-up will
inform you whenever Active Virus Control blocks a potentially harmful
application. If you are using Expert View, you will be prompted for action,
through an alert window, when an application exhibits malicious behavior.
Scan Email Pop-ups
These pop-ups are displayed to inform you that Acronis Internet Security is
scanning e-mails for malware.
Home Network Management Alerts
These alerts inform the user when administrative actions are being performed
remotely.
Firewall Pop-ups
The firewall uses pop-ups to inform you about various events related to your
network connection (for example, when a new computer connects to your Wi-Fi
network, when a new application is allowed to access the Internet or when a
port scan is blocked). If you are using Expert View, you will be prompted for
action, through an alert window, whenever an unknown application tries to
connect to the Internet.
Configuring Main Settings
29
These pop-ups may be very useful in detecting intrusion attempts and protecting
yourself against network threats.
Quarantine Alerts
Quarantine alerts inform you when old quarantined files have been deleted.
Parental Control Alerts
Whenever Parental Control blocks an activity, an alert is displayed to inform
the user why the activity is being blocked (for example, an alert web page is
displayed instead of a blocked web page).
Registration Pop-ups
Registration pop-ups are used to remind you that you need to register Acronis
Internet Security or to inform you that the license key is about to or has already
expired.
7.3. General Settings
In this area, you can enable or disable settings that affect product behavior and
user experience. To turn on or off a setting, use the corresponding switch.
These are the available settings:
Game Mode
Game Mode temporarily modifies protection settings so as to minimize their
impact on system performance during games.
Laptop Mode Detection
Laptop Mode temporarily modifies protection settings so as to minimize their
impact on the life of your laptop battery.
Settings Password
To prevent someone else from changing the Acronis Internet Security settings,
you can protect them with a password. When you enable this option, you will
be prompted to configure the settings password. Type the desired password in
both fields and click OK to set the password.
Acronis Internet Security News
By enabling this option, you will receive important company news, product
updates or new security threats from Acronis Internet Security.
Product Notification Alerts
By enabling this option, you will receive information alerts.
Scan Activity Bar
The Scan Activity Bar is a small, transparent window indicating the progress of
the Acronis Internet Security scanning activity.
Send Virus Reports
By enabling this option, virus scanning reports are sent to Acronis Internet
Security labs for analysis. Please note that these reports will contain no
Configuring Main Settings
30
confidential data, such as your name or IP address, and that they will not be
used for commercial purposes.
Outbreak Detection
By enabling this option, reports regarding potential virus-outbreaks are sent to
Acronis Internet Security labs for analysis. Please note that these reports will
contain no confidential data, such as your name or IP address, and that they
will not be used for commercial purposes.
Configuring Main Settings
31
8. History and Events
The View Logs link at the bottom of the Acronis Internet Security main window
opens another window with the Acronis Internet Security history & events. This
window offers you an overview of the security-related events. For instance, you can
easily check if the update was successfully performed, if malware was found on
your computer etc.
In order to help you filter the Acronis Internet Security history & events, the following
categories are provided on the left side:
● Dashboard
● Antivirus
● Antispam
● Parental Control
● Privacy Control
● Firewall
● Vulnerability
● Chat encryption
● File encryption
● Game/Laptop Mode
● Home Network
● Update
● Registration
A list of events is available for each category. Each event comes with the following
information: a short description, the action Acronis Internet Security took on it when
it happened, and the date and time when it occurred. If you want to find out more
information about a particular event in the list, double-click that event.
This is also where you can view detailed information and statistics regarding Parental
Control events such as websites accessed or applications used by your children.
Click Clear all logs if you want to remove old logs or Refresh to make sure the
latest logs are displayed.
History and Events
32
Configuration and Management
33
9. General Settings
The General module provides information on the Acronis Internet Security activity
and the system. Here you can also change the overall behavior of Acronis Internet
Security.
To configure the general settings:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to General > Settings.
● Enable password protection for product settings - enables setting a password
in order to protect the Acronis Internet Security configuration.
Note
If you are not the only person with administrative rights using this computer, it is
recommended that you protect your Acronis Internet Security settings with a
password.
Type the password in the Password field, re-type it in the Retype password
field and click OK.
Once you have set the password, you will be asked for it whenever you want to
change the Acronis Internet Security settings. The other system administrators
(if any) will also have to provide this password in order to change the Acronis
Internet Security settings.
If you want to be prompted for the password only when configuring Parental
Control, you must also select Apply password protection to parental control
settings only. On the other hand, if a password was set only for Parental Control
and you uncheck this option, the respective password will be requested when
configuring any Acronis Internet Security option.
Important
If you forgot the password you will have to repair the product in order to modify
the Acronis Internet Security configuration.
● Ask me if I want to create a password when I enable Parental Control -
prompts you to configure a password when you want to enable Parental Control
and no password is set. By setting a password, you will prevent other users with
administrative rights from changing the Parental Control settings that you
configured for a specific user.
● Show Acronis Internet Security News (security related notifications) -
shows from time to time security notifications regarding virus outbreaks, sent by
the Acronis Internet Security server.
General Settings
34
● Show pop-ups (on-screen notes) - shows pop-up windows regarding the product
status. You can configure Acronis Internet Security to display pop-ups only when
the interface is in Basic / Intermediate View or in Expert View.
● Show the Scan Activity bar (on screen graph of product activity) - displays
the Scan Activity bar whenever you log on to Windows. Clear this check box if
you do not want the Scan Activity bar to be displayed anymore.
Virus Report Settings
● Send virus reports - sends to the Acronis Internet Security Labs reports regarding
viruses identified in your computer. It helps us keep track of virus-outbreaks.
The reports will contain no confidential data, such as your name, IP address or
others, and will not be used for commercial purposes. The information supplied
will contain only the virus name and will be used solely to create statistic reports.
● Enable Acronis Internet Security Outbreak Detection - sends to the Acronis
Internet Security Labs reports regarding potential virus-outbreaks.
The reports will contain no confidential data, such as your name, IP address or
others, and will not be used for commercial purposes. The information supplied
will contain only the potential virus and will be used solely to detect new viruses.
Connection Settings
Several Acronis Internet Security components (the Firewall, LiveUpdate, Real-Time
Virus Reporting and Real-Time Spam Reporting modules) require access to the
Internet. Acronis Internet Security comes with a proxy manager that allows
configuring from one location the proxy settings used by the Acronis Internet Security
components to access the Internet.
If your company uses a proxy server to connect to the Internet, you must specify
the proxy settings in order for Acronis Internet Security to update itself. Otherwise,
it will use the proxy settings of the administrator that installed the product or of the
current user's default browser, if any. For more information, please refer to “How
Do I Find Out My Proxy Settings?” (p. 173).
Note
The proxy settings can be configured only by users with administrative rights on the
computer or by power users (users who know the password to the product settings).
To manage the proxy settings, click Proxy Settings.
There are three sets of proxy settings:
● Proxy Detected at Install Time - proxy settings detected on the administrator’s
account during installation and which can be configured only if you are logged
General Settings
35
on to that account. If the proxy server requires a username and a password, you
must specify them in the corresponding fields.
● Default Browser Proxy - proxy settings of the current user, extracted from the
default browser. If the proxy server requires a username and a password, you
must specify them in the corresponding fields.
Note
The supported web browsers are Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and Opera. If
you use another browser by default, Acronis Internet Security will not be able to
obtain the proxy settings of the current user.
● Custom Proxy - proxy settings that you can configure if you are logged in as an
administrator.
The following settings must be specified:
▶ Address - type in the IP of the proxy server.
▶ Port - type in the port Acronis Internet Security uses to connect to the proxy
server.
▶ Username - type in a user name recognized by the proxy.
▶ Password - type in the valid password of the previously specified user.
Acronis Internet Security will use the proxy settings sets in the following order until
it manages to connect to the Internet:
1. the specified proxy settings.
2. the proxy settings detected at install time.
3. the proxy settings of the current user.
When trying to connect to the Internet, each set of proxy settings is tried at a time,
until Acronis Internet Security manages to connect.
First, the set containing your own proxy settings will be used to connect to the
Internet. If it does not work, the proxy settings detected at installation time will be
tried next. Finally, if those do not work either, the proxy settings of the current user
will be taken from the default browser and used to connect to the Internet.
Click OK to save the changes and close the window.
Click Apply to save the changes or click Default to load the default settings.
System Information
Acronis Internet Security allows you to view, from a single location, all system
settings and the applications registered to run at startup. In this way, you can
monitor the activity of the system and of the applications installed on it as well as
identify possible system infections.
To obtain system information:
General Settings
36
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to General > System Info.
The list contains all the items loaded when starting the system as well as the items
loaded by different applications.
Three buttons are available:
● Restore - changes a current file association to default. Available for the File
Associations settings only!
● Go to - opens a window where the selected item is placed (the Registry for
example).
Note
Depending on the selected item, the Go to button may not appear.
● Refresh - re-opens the System Info section.
General Settings
37
10. Antivirus Protection
Acronis Internet Security protects your computer from all kinds of malware (viruses,
Trojans, spyware, rootkits and so on). The protection Acronis Internet Security offers
is divided into two categories:
● Real-time protection - prevents new malware threats from entering your system.
Acronis Internet Security will, for example, scan a word document for known
threats when you open it, and an e-mail message when you receive one.
Real-time protection is also referred to as on-access scanning - files are scanned
as the users access them.
Important
To prevent viruses from infecting your computer keep Real-time protection
enabled.
● On-demand scanning - allows detecting and removing the malware that already
resides in the system. This is the classic scan initiated by the user - you choose
what drive, folder or file Acronis Internet Security should scan, and Acronis Internet
Security scans it - on-demand. The scan tasks allow you to create customized
scanning routines and they can be scheduled to run on a regular basis.
When it detects a virus or other malware, Acronis Internet Security will automatically
attempt to remove the malware code from the infected file and reconstruct the
original file. This operation is referred to as disinfection. Files that cannot be
disinfected are moved to quarantine in order to contain the infection. For more
information, please refer to “Quarantine Area” (p. 58).
If your computer has been infected with malware, please refer to “Removing Malware
from Your System” (p. 164).
Advanced users can configure scan exclusions if they do not want specific files to
be scanned. For more information, please refer to “Configuring Scan Exclusions”
(p. 55).
10.1. Real-time Protection
Acronis Internet Security provides continuous, real-time protection against a wide
range of malware threats by scanning all accessed files, e-mail messages and the
communications through Instant Messaging Software applications (ICQ, NetMeeting,
Yahoo Messenger, MSN Messenger).
The default real-time protection settings ensure good protection against malware,
with minor impact on system performance. You can easily change the real-time
protection settings according to your needs by switching to one of the predefined
Antivirus Protection
38
protection levels. Or, if you are an advanced user, you can configure the scan settings
in detail by creating a custom protection level.
To learn more, please refer to these topics:
● “Adjusting the Real-time Protection Level” (p. 39)
● “Creating a Custom Protection Level” (p. 39)
● “Changing the Actions Taken on Detected Files” (p. 41)
● “Restoring the Default Settings” (p. 42)
To protect you against unknown malicious applications, Acronis Internet Security
uses an advanced heuristic technology (Active Virus Control) and an Intrusion
Detection System, which continuously monitor your system. To learn more, please
refer to these topics:
● “Configuring Active Virus Control” (p. 42)
● “Configuring the Intrusion Detection System” (p. 44)
10.1.1. Adjusting the Real-time Protection Level
The real-time protection level defines the scan settings for real-time protection. You
can easily change the real-time protection settings according to your needs by
switching to one of the predefined protection levels.
To adjust the real-time protection level:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Antivirus > Shield.
3. Drag the slider along the scale to set the desired protection level. Use the
description on the right side of the scale to choose the protection level that better
fits your security needs.
Note
In Basic View and Intermediate View, you can configure a shortcut so that you can
access these settings from your dashboard. For more information, please refer to
“My Tools” (p. 16).
10.1.2. Creating a Custom Protection Level
Advanced users might want to take advantage of the scan settings Acronis Internet
Security offers. The scanner can be set to scan only specific file extensions, to search
for specific malware threats or to skip archives. This may greatly reduce scanning
times and improve your computer's responsiveness during a scan.
You can configure the real-time protection settings in detail by creating a custom
protection level. To create a custom protection level:
Antivirus Protection
39
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Antivirus > Shield.
3. Click Custom Level.
4. Configure the scan settings as needed. To find out what an option does, keep
the mouse over it and read the description displayed at the bottom of the window.
5. Click OK to save the changes and close the window.
You may find this information useful:
● If you are not familiar with some of the terms, check them in the glossary. You
can also find useful information by searching the Internet.
● Scan accessed files. You can set Acronis Internet Security to scan all accessed
files, applications (program files) only or specific file types you consider to be
dangerous. Scanning all accessed files provides best protection, while scanning
applications only can be used for better system performance.
Applications (or program files) are far more vulnerable to malware attacks than
other types of files. This category includes the following file extensions: .exe;
.bat; .com; .dll; .ocx; .scr; .bin; .dat; .386; .vxd; .sys; .wdm; .cla;
.class; .ovl; .ole; .exe; .hlp; .doc; .dot; .xls; .ppt; .wbk; .wiz; .pot;
.ppa; .xla; .xlt; .vbs; .vbe; .mdb; .rtf; .htm; .hta; .html; .xml; .xtp;
.php; .asp; .js; .shs; .chm; .lnk; .pif; .prc; .url; .smm; .pdf; .msi;
.ini; .csc; .cmd; .bas; .eml; .nws.
If you opt for Scan user defined extensions, it is recommended that you include
all application extensions beside other file extensions you consider to be
dangerous.
● Scan only new and changed files. By scanning only new and changed files,
you may greatly improve overall system responsiveness with a minimum trade-off
in security.
● Scan boot sectors. You can set Acronis Internet Security to scan the boot
sectors of your hard disk. This sector of the hard disk contains the necessary
computer code to start the boot process. When a virus infects the boot sector,
the drive may become inaccessible and you may not be able to start your system
and access your data.
● Scan inside archives. Scanning inside archives is a slow and resource-intensive
process, which is therefore not recommended for real-time protection. Archives
containing infected files are not an immediate threat to the security of your
system. The malware can affect your system only if the infected file is extracted
from the archive and executed without having real-time protection enabled.
● Action options. If you consider changing the actions taken on detected files,
check for tips in “Changing the Actions Taken on Detected Files” (p. 41).
Antivirus Protection
40
● Scan options for e-mail, web and instant messaging traffic. To prevent
malware from being downloaded to your computer, Acronis Internet Security
automatically scans the following malware entry points:
▶ incoming e-mails
▶ web traffic
▶ files received via Yahoo! Messenger and Windows Live Messenger
Scanning the web traffic may slow down web browsing a little, but it will block
malware coming from the Internet, including drive-by downloads.
Though not recommended, you can disable e-mail, web or instant messaging
antivirus scan to increase system performance. If you disable the corresponding
scan options, the e-mails and files received or downloaded from the Internet will
not be scanned, thus allowing infected files to be saved to your computer. This
is not a major threat because real-time protection will block the malware when
the infected files are accessed (opened, moved, copied or executed).
10.1.3. Changing the Actions Taken on Detected Files
Files detected by real-time protection are grouped into two categories:
● Infected files. Files detected as infected match a malware signature in the
Acronis Internet Security Malware Signature Database. Acronis Internet Security
can normally remove the malware code from an infected file and reconstruct the
original file. This operation is known as disinfection.
Note
Malware signatures are snippets of code extracted from actual malware samples.
They are used by antivirus programs to perform pattern-matching and detect
malware.
The Acronis Internet Security Malware Signature Database is a collection of malware
signatures updated hourly by the Acronis Internet Security malware researchers.
● Suspicious files. Files are detected as suspicious by the heuristic analysis.
Suspicious files cannot be disinfected, because no disinfection routine is available.
Depending on the type of detected file, the following actions are taken automatically:
● If an infected file is detected, Acronis Internet Security will automatically attempt
to disinfect it. If disinfection fails, the file is moved to quarantine in order to contain
the infection.
Important
For particular types of malware, disinfection is not possible because the detected
file is entirely malicious. In such cases, the infected file is deleted from the disk.
● If a suspicious file is detected, access to that file will be denied to prevent a
potential infection.
Antivirus Protection
41
You should not change the default actions taken on detected files unless you have
a strong reason to do so.
To change the default actions taken on the infected or suspicious files detected:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Antivirus > Shield.
3. Click Custom Level.
4. Configure the actions to be taken on each category of detected files, as needed.
The second action is taken if the first one fails (for example, if disinfection is not
possible, the infected file is moved to quarantine).
10.1.4. Restoring the Default Settings
The default real-time protection settings ensure good protection against malware,
with minor impact on system performance.
To restore the default real-time protection settings:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Antivirus > Shield.
3. Click Default Level.
10.1.5. Configuring Active Virus Control
The Acronis Internet Security Active Virus Control detects potentially harmful
applications based on their behavior.
Active Virus Control continuously monitors the applications running on the computer,
looking for malware-like actions. Each of these actions is scored and an overall score
is computed for each process. When the overall score for a process reaches a given
threshold, the process is considered to be harmful. Depending on the program
settings, the process is blocked automatically or you may prompted to specify the
action to be taken.
Active Virus Control can be configured to alert you and prompt you for action
whenever an application tries to perform a possible malicious action.
If you know and trust the detected application, click Allow.
If you want to immediately close the application, click OK.
Select the Remember this action for this application check box before making
your choice and Acronis Internet Security will take the same action for the detected
application in the future. The rule that is thus created will be listed in the Active
Virus Control configuration window.
Antivirus Protection
42
To configure Active Virus Control:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Antivirus > Shield.
3. Click Advanced Settings.
4. Go to the AVC tab.
5. Select the corresponding check box to enable Active Virus Control.
6. Drag the slider along the scale to set the desired protection level. Use the
description on the right side of the scale to choose the protection level that better
fits your security needs.
Adjusting the Aggressiveness Level
To configure the Active Virus Control protection level:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Antivirus > Shield.
3. Click Advanced Settings.
4. Go to the AVC tab.
5. Drag the slider along the scale to set the desired protection level. Use the
description on the right side of the scale to choose the protection level that better
fits your security needs.
Configuring the Response to Malicious Behavior
If an application exhibits malicious behavior, you will be prompted whether to allow
or block it.
To configure the response to malicious behavior:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Antivirus > Shield.
3. Click Advanced Settings.
4. Go to the AVC tab.
5. If you want to be prompted for action when Active Virus Control detects a
potentially harmful application, select the Alert me before taking an action
check box. To automatically block an application that exhibits malicious behavior
(without displaying an alert window), clear this check box.
Antivirus Protection
43
Managing Trusted / Untrusted Applications
You can add applications you know and trust to the list of trusted applications. These
applications will no longer be checked by the Acronis Internet Security Active Virus
Control and will automatically be allowed access.
To manage the applications that are not being monitored by Active Virus Control:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Antivirus > Shield.
3. Click Advanced Settings.
4. Go to the AVC tab.
5. Click the Exclusions tab.
The applications for which rules have been created are listed in the Exclusions
table. The path to the application and the action you have set for it (Allowed or
Blocked) is displayed for each rule.
To change the action for an application, click the current action and select the other
action from the menu.
To manage the list, use the buttons placed above the table:
Add - add a new application to the list.
Remove - remove an application from the list.
Edit - edit an application rule.
10.1.6. Configuring the Intrusion Detection System
The Acronis Internet Security Intrusion Detection System monitors network and
system activities for malicious activities or policy violations.
To configure the Intrusion Detection System:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Antivirus > Shield.
3. Click Advanced Settings.
4. Go to the IDS tab.
5. Select the corresponding check box to enable the Intrusion Detection System.
6. Drag the slider along the scale to set the desired aggressiveness level. Use the
description on the right side of the scale to choose the aggressiveness level that
better fits your security needs.
Antivirus Protection
44
10.2. On-demand Scanning
The main objective for Acronis Internet Security is to keep your computer clean of
viruses. This is first and foremost done by keeping new viruses out of your computer
and by scanning your e-mail messages and any new files downloaded or copied to
your system.
There is a risk that a virus is already lodged in your system, before you even install
Acronis Internet Security. This is why it's a very good idea to scan your computer
for resident viruses after you've installed Acronis Internet Security. And it's definitely
a good idea to frequently scan your computer for viruses.
On-demand scanning is based on scan tasks. Scan tasks specify the scanning options
and the objects to be scanned. You can scan the computer whenever you want by
running the default tasks or your own scan tasks (user-defined tasks). You can also
schedule them to run on a regular basis or when the system is idle so as not to
interfere with your work. For quick instructions, please refer to these topics:
● “How Do I Scan Files and Folders?” (p. 140)
● “How Do I Create a Custom Scan Task?” (p. 142)
● “How Do I Schedule a Computer Scan?” (p. 143)
10.2.1. Scanning Files and Folders
You should scan files and folders whenever you suspect they might be infected.
Right-click the file or folder you want to be scanned and select Scan with Acronis
Internet Security. The Antivirus Scan wizard will appear and guide you through
the scanning process.
If you want to scan specific locations on your computer, you can configure and run
a custom scan task. For more information, please refer to “How Do I Create a Custom
Scan Task?” (p. 142).
To scan your computer or part of it you can run the default scan tasks or your own
scan tasks. To run a scan task, open Acronis Internet Security and, depending on
the user interface view mode, proceed as follows:
Basic View
Click the Security button and choose one of the available scan tasks.
Intermediate View
Go to the Security tab. Click Full System Scan in the left-side Quick Tasks
area and choose one of the available scan tasks.
Expert View
Go to Antivirus > Virus Scan. To run a system or user-defined scan task, click
the corresponding Run Task button.
These are the default tasks you can use to scan your computer:
Antivirus Protection
45
Full System Scan
Scans the entire system, except for archives. In the default configuration, it
scans for all types of malware other than rootkits.
Quick Scan
Quick Scan uses in-the-cloud scanning to detect malware running in your system.
Running a Quick Scan usually takes less than a minute and uses a fraction of
the system resources needed by a regular virus scan.
Deep System Scan
Scans the entire system. In the default configuration, it scans for all types of
malware threatening your system's security, such as viruses, spyware, adware,
rootkits and others.
Before you initiate a scanning process, you should make sure that Acronis Internet
Security is up to date with its malware signatures. Scanning your computer using
an outdated signature database may prevent Acronis Internet Security from detecting
new malware found since the last update.
In order for Acronis Internet Security to make a complete scanning, you need to
shut down all open programs. Especially your email-client (i.e. Outlook, Outlook
Express or Eudora) is important to shut down.
Scanning Tips
Here are some more scanning tips you may find useful:
● Depending on the size of your hard disk, running a comprehensive scan of your
computer (such as Deep System Scan or System Scan) may take a while (up to
an hour or even more). Therefore, you should run such scans when you do not
need to use your computer for a longer time (for example, during the night).
You can schedule the scan to start when convenient. Make sure you leave your
computer running. With Windows Vista, make sure your computer is not in sleep
mode when the task is scheduled to run.
● If you frequently download files from the Internet to a specific folder, create a
new scan task and set that folder as scan target. Schedule the task to run every
day or more often.
● There is a kind of malware which sets itself to be executed at system startup by
changing Windows settings. To protect your computer against such malware, you
can schedule the Auto-logon Scan task to run at system startup. Please note
that autologon scanning may affect system performance for a short time after
startup.
10.2.2. Antivirus Scan Wizard
Whenever you initiate an on-demand scan (for example, right-click a folder and
select Scan with Acronis Internet Security), the Acronis Internet Security
Antivirus Protection
46
Antivirus Scan wizard will appear. Follow the three-step guided procedure to complete
the scanning process.
Note
If the scan wizard does not appear, the scan may be configured to run silently, in the
background. Look for the scan progress icon in the system tray. You can click this
icon to open the scan window and to see the scan progress.
Step 1/3 - Scanning
Acronis Internet Security will start scanning the selected objects.
You can see the scan status and statistics (scanning speed, elapsed time, number
of scanned / infected / suspicious / hidden objects and other).
Wait for Acronis Internet Security to finish scanning.
Note
The scanning process may take a while, depending on the complexity of the scan.
Password-protected archives. When a password-protected archive is detected,
depending on the scan settings, you may be prompted to provide the password.
Password-protected archives cannot be scanned unless you provide the password.
The following options are available:
● I want to enter the password for this object. If you want Acronis Internet
Security to scan the archive, select this option and type the password. If you do
not know the password, choose one of the other options.
● I do not want to enter the password for this object (skip this object).
Select this option to skip scanning this archive.
● I do not want to enter the password for any object (skip all
password-protected objects). Select this option if you do not want to be
bothered about password-protected archives. Acronis Internet Security will not
be able to scan them, but a record will be kept in the scan log.
Click OK to continue scanning.
Stopping or pausing the scan. You can stop scanning anytime you want by
clicking Stop&Yes. You will go directly to the last step of the wizard. To temporarily
stop the scanning process, just click Pause. You will have to click Resume to resume
scanning.
Step 2/3 - Select Actions
When the scanning is completed, a new window will appear, where you can see the
scan results.
Antivirus Protection
47
If there are no unresolved threats, click Continue. Otherwise, you must configure
new actions to be taken on the unresolved threats in order to protect your system.
The infected objects are displayed in groups, based on the malware they are infected
with. Click the link corresponding to a threat to find out more information about the
infected objects.
You can choose an overall action to be taken for all issues or you can select separate
actions for each group of issues. One or several of the following options can appear
on the menu:
Take No Action
No action will be taken on the detected files. After the scan is completed, you
can open the scan log to view information on these files.
Disinfect
Removes the malware code from infected files.
Delete
Removes detected files from the disk.
Move to quarantine
Moves detected files to quarantine. Quarantined files cannot be executed or
opened; therefore, the risk of getting infected disappears. For more information,
please refer to “Quarantine Area” (p. 58).
Rename files
Changes the name of hidden files by appending .bd.ren to their name. As a
result, you will be able to search for and find such files on your computer, if
any.
Please note that these hidden files are not the files that you deliberately hide
from Windows. They are the files hidden by special programs, known as rootkits.
Rootkits are not malicious in nature. However, they are commonly used to make
viruses or spyware undetectable by normal antivirus programs.
Click Continue to apply the specified actions.
Step 3/3 - View Results
When Acronis Internet Security finishes fixing the issues, the scan results will appear
in a new window. If you want comprehensive information on the scanning process,
click Show Log to view the scan log.
Important
If required, please restart your system in order to complete the cleaning process.
Click Close to close the window.
Antivirus Protection
48
Acronis Internet Security Could Not Solve Some Issues
In most cases Acronis Internet Security successfully disinfects the infected files it
detects or it isolates the infection. However, there are issues that cannot be solved
automatically. For more information and instructions on how to remove malware
manually, please refer to “Removing Malware from Your System” (p. 164).
Acronis Internet Security Detected Suspect Files
Suspect files are files detected by the heuristic analysis as potentially infected with
malware the signature of which has not been released yet.
If suspect files were detected during the scan, you will be requested to submit them
to the Acronis Internet Security Lab. Click OK to send these files to the Acronis
Internet Security Lab for further analysis.
10.2.3. Viewing Scan Logs
Each time you perform a scan, a scan log is created. The scan log contains detailed
information about the logged scanning process, such as scanning options, the
scanning target, the threats found and the actions taken on these threats.
You can open the scan log directly from the scan wizard, once the scan is completed,
by clicking Show Log.
To check scan logs at a later time:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security.
2. Click the View Logs link in the bottom-right corner of the window.
3. Click Antivirus on the left-side menu.
4. In the On-demand Tasks section, you can check what scans have been
performed recently. Double-click the events in the list to see more details. To
open the scan log, click View Scan Log. The scan log will open in your default
web browser.
To delete a log entry, right-click it and select Delete.
10.2.4. Managing Existing Scan Tasks
Acronis Internet Security comes with several tasks, created by default, which cover
common security issues. You can also create your own customized scan tasks. For
more information, please refer to “How Do I Create a Custom Scan Task?” (p. 142).
To manage the existing scan tasks:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Antivirus > Virus Scan.
Antivirus Protection
49
Note
In Basic View and Intermediate View, you can configure a shortcut so that you can
access these settings from your dashboard. For more information, please refer to
“My Tools” (p. 16).
There are three categories of scan tasks:
● System tasks - contains the list of default system tasks. The following tasks are
available:
Full System Scan
Scans the entire system, except for archives. In the default configuration, it
scans for all types of malware other than rootkits.
Quick Scan
Quick Scan uses in-the-cloud scanning to detect malware running in your
system. Running a Quick Scan usually takes less than a minute and uses a
fraction of the system resources needed by a regular virus scan.
Auto-logon Scan
Scans the items that are run when a user logs on to Windows. By default, the
autologon scan is disabled.
If you want to use this task, right-click it, select Schedule and set the task
to run at system startup. You can specify how long after the startup the
task should start running (in minutes).
Deep System Scan
Scans the entire system. In the default configuration, it scans for all types of
malware threatening your system's security, such as viruses, spyware, adware,
rootkits and others.
Note
Since the Deep System Scan and Full System Scan tasks analyze the entire
system, the scanning may take a while. Therefore, we recommend you to run these
tasks on low priority or, better, when your system is idle.
● User tasks - contains the user-defined tasks.
A task called My Documents is provided. Use this task to scan important current
user folders: My Documents, Desktop and StartUp. This will ensure the safety
of your documents, a safe workspace and clean applications running at startup.
● Misc tasks - contains a list of miscellaneous scan tasks. These scan tasks refer
to alternative scanning types that cannot be run from this window. You can only
modify their settings or view the scan reports. The following tasks are available:
Antivirus Protection
50
Device Scanning
Acronis Internet Security can detect automatically when a new storage device
is connected to the computer and scan it. Use this task to configure the
options of the automatic detection and scanning of storage devices
(CDs/DVDs, USB storage devices or mapped network drives).
Contextual Scan
This task is used when scanning via the Windows contextual menu or using
the scan activity bar. You can modify the scan options to better suit your
needs.
● Idle Scan Tasks - contains a list of default system tasks which can be scheduled
to run when you are away from your computer. With complex tasks, the scanning
process will take some time and it will work best if you don't use your system
during that time. That is why you should schedule such tasks when your computer
has gone into the idle mode.
You can manage scan tasks using the buttons or the shortcut menu.
To run a system or user-defined scan task, click the corresponding Run Task button.
The Antivirus Scan wizard will appear and guide you through the scanning process.
To set a scan task to run automatically, at a later moment or regularly, click the
corresponding Schedule button and configure the task schedule as needed.
If you no longer need a scan task that you have created (a user-defined task), you
can delete it by clicking the Delete button, located to the right of the task. You
cannot remove system or miscellaneous tasks.
Each scan task has a Properties window where you can configure its settings and
view the scan logs. To open this window click the Properties button to the left of
the task (or right-click the task and then click Properties).
To learn more, please refer to these topics:
● “Configuring Scan Settings” (p. 52)
● “Setting Scan Target” (p. 54)
● “Scheduling Scan Tasks” (p. 55)
Using Shortcut Menu
A shortcut menu is available for each task. Right-click the selected task to open it.
For system and user-defined tasks, the following commands are available on the
shortcut menu:
● Scan Now - runs the selected task, initiating an immediate scan.
● Paths - opens the Properties window, Paths tab, where you can change the
scan target of the selected task. In the case of system tasks, this option is replaced
by Show Scan Paths, as you can only see their scan target.
Antivirus Protection
51
● Schedule - opens the Properties window, Scheduler tab, where you can schedule
the selected task.
● View Logs - opens the Properties window, Logs tab, where you can see the
reports generated after the selected task was run.
● Clone Task - duplicates the selected task. This is useful when creating new tasks,
as you can modify the settings of the task duplicate.
● Delete - deletes the selected task.
Note
Available for user-created tasks only. You cannot remove a default task.
● Properties - opens the Properties window, Overview tab, where you can change
the settings of the selected task.
Due to the particular nature of the Misc Tasks category, only the View Logs and
Properties options are available in this case.
Configuring Scan Settings
To configure the scanning options of a specific scan task, right-click it and select
Properties.
You can easily configure the scanning options by adjusting the scan level. Drag the
slider along the scale to set the desired scan level. Use the description on the right
side of the scale to identify the scan level that better fits your needs.
You can also configure these general options:
● Run the task with Low priority. Decreases the priority of the scan process.
You will allow other programs to run faster and increase the time needed for the
scan process to finish.
● Minimize Scan Wizard to system tray. Minimizes the scan window to the
system tray. Double-click the Acronis Internet Security icon to open it.
● Specify the action to be taken if no threats are found.
Advanced users might want to take advantage of the scan settings Acronis Internet
Security offers. The scanner can be set to scan only specific file extensions, to search
for specific malware threats or to skip archives. This may greatly reduce scanning
times and improve your computer's responsiveness during a scan.
To configure the scan settings in detail:
1. Click Custom.
2. Configure the scan settings as needed. To find out what an option does, keep
the mouse over it and read the description displayed at the bottom of the window.
Antivirus Protection
52
3. Click OK to save the changes and close the window.
You may find this information useful:
● If you are not familiar with some of the terms, check them in the glossary. You
can also find useful information by searching the Internet.
● Scan Level. Specify the type of malware you want Acronis Internet Security to
scan for by selecting the appropriate options.
● Scan files. You can set Acronis Internet Security to scan all types of files,
applications (program files) only or specific file types you consider to be dangerous.
Scanning all files provides best protection, while scanning applications only can
be used to perform a quicker scan.
Applications (or program files) are far more vulnerable to malware attacks than
other types of files. This category includes the following file extensions: .exe;
.bat; .com; .dll; .ocx; .scr; .bin; .dat; .386; .vxd; .sys; .wdm; .cla;
.class; .ovl; .ole; .exe; .hlp; .doc; .dot; .xls; .ppt; .wbk; .wiz; .pot;
.ppa; .xla; .xlt; .vbs; .vbe; .mdb; .rtf; .htm; .hta; .html; .xml; .xtp;
.php; .asp; .js; .shs; .chm; .lnk; .pif; .prc; .url; .smm; .pdf; .msi;
.ini; .csc; .cmd; .bas; .eml; .nws.
If you opt for Scan user defined extensions, it is recommended that you include
all application extensions beside other file extensions you consider to be
dangerous.
● Scan only new and changed files. By scanning only new and changed files,
you may greatly improve overall system responsiveness with a minimum trade-off
in security.
● Scan inside archives. Archives containing infected files are not an immediate
threat to the security of your system. The malware can affect your system only
if the infected file is extracted from the archive and executed without having
real-time protection enabled. However, it is recommended to use this option in
order to detect and remove any potential threat, even if it is not an immediate
threat.
Note
Scanning archived files increases the overall scanning time and requires more
system resources.
● Action options. Specify the actions to be taken on each category of detected
files using the options in this category. There are three categories of detected
files:
▶ Infected files. Files detected as infected match a malware signature in the
Acronis Internet Security Malware Signature Database. Acronis Internet Security
Antivirus Protection
53
can normally remove the malware code from an infected file and reconstruct
the original file. This operation is known as disinfection.
Note
Malware signatures are snippets of code extracted from actual malware samples.
They are used by antivirus programs to perform pattern-matching and detect
malware.
The Acronis Internet Security Malware Signature Database is a collection of
malware signatures updated hourly by the Acronis Internet Security malware
researchers.
▶ Suspicious files. Files are detected as suspicious by the heuristic analysis.
Suspicious files cannot be disinfected, because no disinfection routine is
available.
▶ Hidden files (rootkits). Please note that these hidden files are not the files
that you deliberately hide from Windows. They are the files hidden by special
programs, known as rootkits. Rootkits are not malicious in nature. However,
they are commonly used to make viruses or spyware undetectable by normal
antivirus programs.
You should not change the default actions taken on detected files unless you have
a strong reason to do so.
To set a new action, click the current First action and select the desired option
from the menu. Specify a Second action that will be taken in case the first one
fails.
Click OK to save the changes and close the window. To run the task, just click Scan.
Setting Scan Target
You cannot modify the scan target of the scan tasks from the System Tasks
category. You can only see their scan target. To view the scan target of a specific
system scan task, right-click the task and select Show Scan Paths.
To set the scan target of a specific user scan task, right-click the task and select
Paths. Alternatively, if you are already in the Properties window of a task, select
the Paths tab.
You can see the list of local, network and removable drives as well as the files or
folders added previously, if any. All checked items will be scanned when running
the task.
The following buttons are available:
● Add Item(s) - opens a browsing window where you can select the file(s) / folder(s)
that you want to be scanned.
Antivirus Protection
54
Note
You can also use drag and drop to add files/folders to the list.
● Delete Item(s) - removes the file(s) / folder(s) previously selected from the list
of objects to be scanned.
Besides these buttons, there are some options that allow the fast selection of the
scan locations.
● Local Drives - to scan the local drives.
● Network Drives - to scan all network drives.
● Removable Drives - to scan removable drives (CD-ROM, floppy-disk unit).
● All Entries - to scan all drives, no matter if they are local, in the network or
removable.
Click OK to save the changes and close the window. To run the task, just click Scan.
Scheduling Scan Tasks
To see the schedule of a specific task or to modify it, choose a task and select
Schedule. If you are already in a task's Properties window, select the Scheduler
tab.
You can see the task schedule, if any.
When scheduling a task, you must choose one of the following options:
● No - launches the task only when the user requests it.
● Once - launches the scan only once, at a certain moment. Specify the start date
and time in the Start Date/Time fields.
● Periodically - launches the scan periodically, at certain time intervals(minutes,
hours, days, weeks, months) starting with a specified date and time.
● At system startup - launches the scan at the specified number of minutes after
a user has logged on to Windows.
Click OK to save the changes and close the window. To run the task, just click Scan.
10.3. Configuring Scan Exclusions
There are cases when you may need to exclude certain files from scanning. For
example, you may want to exclude an EICAR test file from on-access scanning or
.avi files from on-demand scanning.
Acronis Internet Security allows excluding objects from on-access or on-demand
scanning, or from both. This feature is intended to decrease scanning times and to
avoid interference with your work.
Two types of objects can be excluded from scanning:
Antivirus Protection
55
● Paths - the file or the folder (including all the objects it contains) indicated by a
specified path will be excluded from scanning.
● Extensions - all files having a specific extension will be excluded from scanning,
no matter what their location on the hard drive.
The objects excluded from on-access scanning will not be scanned, no matter if
they are accessed by you or by an application.
Note
Exclusions will NOT apply for contextual scanning. Contextual scanning is a type of
on-demand scanning: you right-click the file or folder you want to scan and select
Scan with Acronis Internet Security.
10.3.1. Excluding Files or Folders from Scanning
To exclude paths from scanning:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Antivirus > Exclusions.
Note
In Basic View and Intermediate View, you can configure a shortcut so that you can
access these settings from your dashboard. For more information, please refer to
“My Tools” (p. 16).
3. Select the corresponding check box to enable scan exclusions.
4. Start the configuration wizard as follows:
● Right-click in the Files and Folders table and select Add new path.
● Click the Add button, located at the top of the exclusions table.
5. Follow the configuration wizard. You can navigate through the wizard using the
Next and Back buttons. To exit the wizard, click Cancel.
a. Select the option of excluding a path from scanning. This step appears only
when you start the wizard by clicking the Add button.
b. To specify the paths to be excluded from scanning use either of the following
methods:
● Click Browse, select the file or folder that you want to be excluded from
scanning and then click Add.
● Type the path that you want to be excluded from scanning in the edit field
and click Add.
The paths will appear in the table as you add them. You can add as many paths
as you want.
Antivirus Protection
56
c. By default, the selected paths are excluded from both on-access and
on-demand scanning. To change when to apply the exception, click on the
right column and select the desired option from the list.
d. It is highly recommended to scan the files in the specified paths to make sure
that they are not infected. Select the check box to scan these files before
excluding them from scanning.
Click Finish to add the scan exclusions.
6. Click Apply to save the changes.
10.3.2. Excluding File Extensions from Scanning
To exclude file extensions from scanning:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Antivirus > Exclusions.
Note
In Basic View and Intermediate View, you can configure a shortcut so that you can
access these settings from your dashboard. For more information, please refer to
“My Tools” (p. 16).
3. Select the corresponding check box to enable scan exclusions.
4. Start the configuration wizard as follows:
● Right-click in the Extensions table and select Add new extensions.
● Click the Add button, located at the top of the exclusions table.
5. Follow the configuration wizard. You can navigate through the wizard using the
Next and Back buttons. To exit the wizard, click Cancel.
a. Select the option of excluding extensions from scanning. This step appears
only when you start the wizard by clicking the Add button.
b. To specify the extensions to be excluded from scanning use either of the
following methods:
● Select from the menu the extension that you want to be excluded from
scanning and then click Add.
Note
The menu contains a list of all the extensions registered on your system.
When you select an extension, you can see its description, if available.
● Type the extension that you want to be excluded from scanning in the edit
field and click Add.
Antivirus Protection
57
The extensions will appear in the table as you add them. You can add as many
extensions as you want.
c. By default, the selected extensions are excluded from both on-access and
on-demand scanning. To change when to apply the exception, click on the
right column and select the desired option from the list.
d. It is highly recommended to scan the files with the specified extensions to
make sure that they are not infected.
Click Finish to add the scan exclusions.
6. Click Apply to save the changes.
10.3.3. Managing Scan Exclusions
If the configured scan exclusions are no longer needed, it is recommended that you
delete them or disable scan exclusions.
To manage scan exclusions:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Antivirus > Exclusions.
To remove an entry from the table, select it and click the Delete button.
To edit an entry from the table, select it and click the Edit button. A new window
will appear where you can change the extension or the path to be excluded and the
type of scanning you want them to be excluded from, as needed. Make the necessary
changes and click OK.
Note
You can also right-click an object and use the options on the shortcut menu to edit
or delete it.
To disable scan exclusions, clear the corresponding check box.
10.4. Quarantine Area
Acronis Internet Security allows isolating the infected or suspicious files in a secure
area, named quarantine. By isolating these files in the quarantine, the risk of getting
infected disappears and, at the same time, you have the possibility to send these
files for further analysis to the Acronis Internet Security lab.
Note
When a virus is in quarantine it cannot do any harm because it cannot be executed
or read.
Antivirus Protection
58
In addition, Acronis Internet Security scans the quarantined files after each malware
signature update. Cleaned files are automatically moved back to their original
location.
To see and manage quarantined files and to configure the quarantine settings:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Antivirus > Quarantine.
Note
In Basic View and Intermediate View, you can configure a shortcut so that you can
access these settings from your dashboard. For more information, please refer to
“My Tools” (p. 16).
Managing Quarantined Files
You can send any selected file from the quarantine to the Acronis Internet Security
Lab by clicking Send. By default, Acronis Internet Security will automatically submit
quarantined files every 60 minutes.
To delete a quarantined file, select it and click the Delete button.
If you want to restore a quarantined file to its original location, select it and click
Restore.
Configuring Quarantine Settings
To configure the quarantine settings, click Settings. Using the quarantine settings,
you can set Acronis Internet Security to automatically perform the following actions:
Delete old files. To automatically delete old quarantined files, check the
corresponding option. You must specify the number of days after which the
quarantined files should be deleted and frequency with which Acronis Internet
Security should check for old files.
Automatically submit files. To automatically submit quarantined files, check
the corresponding option. You must specify the frequency with which to submit
files.
Scan quarantined files after update. To automatically scan quarantined files
after each update performed, check the corresponding option. You can choose to
automatically move back the cleaned files to their original location by selecting
Restore clean files.
Click OK to save the changes and close the window.
Antivirus Protection
59
11. Antiphishing Protection
Acronis Internet Security Antiphishing prevents you from disclosing personal
information while browsing the Internet by alerting you about potential phishing
web pages.
Acronis Internet Security provides real-time antiphishing protection for:
● Internet Explorer
● Mozilla Firefox
● Yahoo! Messenger
● Windows Live (MSN) Messenger
11.1. Configuring the Antiphishing White List
You can configure and manage a white list of web sites that will not be scanned by
the Acronis Internet Security Antiphishing engines. The white list should contain
only web sites you fully trust. For example, add the web sites where you currently
shop online.
Note
You can easily add web sites to the white list from the Acronis Internet Security
Antiphishing toolbar integrated into your web browser. For more information, please
refer to “Managing the Acronis Internet Security Antiphishing Protection in Internet
Explorer and Firefox” (p. 61).
To configure and manage the antiphishing white list:
● If you are using a supported web browser, click the Acronis Internet Security
toolbar and choose White List from the menu.
● Alternatively, follow these steps:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Antivirus > Shield.
3. Click White List.
To add a site to the White List, provide its address in the corresponding field and
click Add.
If you want to remove a web site from the white list, click the corresponding Remove
button.
Click Save to save the changes and close the window.
Antiphishing Protection
60
11.2. Managing the Acronis Internet Security Antiphishing
Protection in Internet Explorer and Firefox
Acronis Internet Security integrates directly through an intuitive and easy-to-use
toolbar into the following web browsers:
● Internet Explorer
● Mozilla Firefox
You can easily and efficiently manage antiphishing protection and the White List
using the Acronis Internet Security Antiphishing toolbar integrated into one of the
above web browsers.
The antiphishing toolbar, represented by the Acronis Internet Security icon, is
located on the topside of browser. Click it in order to open the toolbar menu.
Note
If you cannot see the toolbar, open the View menu, point to Toolbars and check
Acronis Internet Security Toolbar.
The following commands are available on the toolbar menu:
● Enable / Disable - enables / disables the Acronis Internet Security antiphishing
protection in the current web browser.
● Settings - opens a window where you can specify the antiphishing toolbar's
settings. The following options are available:
▶ Real-time Antiphishing Web Protection - detects and alerts you in real-time
if a web site is phished (set up to steal personal information). This option controls
the Acronis Internet Security antiphishing protection in the current web browser
only.
▶ Ask before adding to whitelist - prompts you before adding a web site to
the White List.
● Add to White List - adds the current web site to the White List.
Important
Adding a site to the White List means that Acronis Internet Security will not scan
the site for phishing attempts anymore. We recommend you to add to the White
List only sites that you fully trust.
● White List - opens the White List. For more information, please refer to
“Configuring the Antiphishing White List” (p. 60).
● Report as Phishing - informs the Acronis Internet Security Lab that you consider
the respective web site to be used for phishing. By reporting phished web sites
you help protect other people against identity theft.
● Help - opens the help file.
Antiphishing Protection
61
● About - opens a window where you can see information about Acronis Internet
Security and where to look for help in case something unexpected appears.
Antiphishing Protection
62
12. Search Advisor
Search Advisor improves your online threat protection by alerting you about phishing
or untrusted web pages directly from your search results page.
Search Advisor works with any web browser and checks the search results displayed
by the most popular search engines:
● Google
● Yahoo!
● Bing
Search Advisor indicates whether a search result is safe or not by placing a small
status icon before the link.
Green circle with a check mark: You can safely access the link.
Red circle with an exclamation mark: This is a phishing or untrusted web
page. You should avoid opening the link. If you are using Internet Explorer or Firefox
and you try to open the link, Acronis Internet Security will automatically block the
web page and display an alert page instead. If you want to ignore the alert and
access the web page, follow the instructions in the alert page.
12.1. Disabling Search Advisor
To disable Search Advisor:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Preferences.
2. Go to Security Settings.
3. Use the switch to turn off Search Advisor.
Search Advisor
63
13. Antispam
Spam is a term used to describe unsolicited e-mail. Spam is a growing problem,
both for individuals and for organizations. It's not pretty, you wouldn't want your
kids to see it, it can get you fired (for wasting too much time or from receiving porn
in your office mail) and you can't stop people from sending it. The next best thing
to that is, obviously, to stop receiving it. Unfortunately, Spam comes in a wide range
of shapes and sizes, and there's a lot of it.
Acronis Internet Security Antispam employs remarkable technological innovations
and industry standard antispam filters to weed out spam before it reaches the user's
Inbox. For more information, please refer to “Antispam Insights” (p. 64).
The Acronis Internet Security Antispam protection is available only for e-mail clients
configured to receive e-mail messages via the POP3 protocol. POP3 is one of the
most widely used protocols for downloading e-mail messages from a mail server.
Note
Acronis Internet Security does not provide antispam protection for e-mail accounts
that you access through a web-based e-mail service.
The spam messages detected by Acronis Internet Security are marked with the
[spam] prefix in the subject line. Acronis Internet Security automatically moves
spam messages to a specific folder, as follows:
● In Microsoft Outlook, spam messages are moved to a Spam folder, located in the
Deleted Items folder. The Spam folder is created during the installation of
Acronis Internet Security.
● In Outlook Express and Windows Mail, spam messages are moved directly to
Deleted Items.
● In Mozilla Thunderbird, spam messages are moved to a Spam folder, located in
the Trash folder. The Spam folder is created during the installation of Acronis
Internet Security.
If you use other mail clients, you must create a rule to move the e-mail messages
marked as [spam] by Acronis Internet Security to a custom quarantine folder.
13.1. Antispam Insights
13.1.1. Antispam Filters
The Acronis Internet Security Antispam Engine incorporates several different filters
that ensure your Inbox to be SPAM-free: Friends list, Spammers list, Charset filter,
Image filter, URL filter, NeuNet (Heuristic) filter and Bayesian filter.
Antispam
64
Friends List / Spammers List
Most people communicate regularly to a group of people or even receive messages
from companies or organizations in the same domain. By using friends or
spammers list, you can easily classify which people you want to receive e-mail
from (friends) no matter what the message contains, or which people you never
want to hear from again (spammers).
Note
We recommend that you add your friends' names and e-mail addresses to the Friends
list. Acronis Internet Security does not block messages from those on the list;
therefore, adding friends helps ensure that legitimate messages get through.
Charset Filter
Many spam messages are written in Cyrillic and / or Asian charsets. The Charset
Filter detects this kind of messages and tags them as SPAM.
Image Filter
Since avoiding heuristic filter detection has become quite a challenge, nowadays'
inbox folders are full with more and more messages only containing an image with
unsolicited content. To cope with this growing problem, Acronis Internet Security
introduced the Image filter that compares the image signature from the e-mail
with those from the Acronis Internet Security database. In case of a match the e-mail
will be tagged as SPAM.
URL Filter
Almost all spam messages include links to various web locations. These locations
usually contain more advertising and the possibility to buy things, and, sometimes,
they are used for phishing.
Acronis Internet Security maintains a database of such links. The URL filter checks
every URL link in a message against its database. If a match is made, the message
is tagged as SPAM.
NeuNet (Heuristic) Filter
The NeuNet (Heuristic) filter performs a set of tests on all the message
components, (i.e. not only the header but also the message body in either HTML or
text format), looking for words, phrases, links or other characteristics of SPAM. Based
on the results of the analysis, it adds a SPAM score to the message.
The filter also detects messages marked as SEXUALLY-EXPLICIT: in the subject
line and tags them as SPAM.
Antispam
65
Note
Starting May 19, 2004, spam that contains sexually oriented material must include
the warning SEXUALLY-EXPLICIT: in the subject line or face fines for violations
of federal law.
Bayesian Filter
The Bayesian filter module classifies messages according to statistical information
regarding the rate at which specific words appear in messages classified SPAM as
compared to those declared NON-SPAM (by you or by the heuristic filter).
This means, for example, if a certain four-letter word is seen to appear more often
in SPAM, it is natural to assume there is an increased probability that the next
incoming message that includes it actually IS SPAM. All relevant words within a
message are taken into account. By synthesizing the statistical information, the
overall probability for the whole message to be SPAM is computed.
This module presents another interesting characteristic: it is trainable. It adapts
quickly to the type of messages received by a certain user, and stores information
about all. To function effectively, the filter must be trained, meaning, to be presented
with samples of SPAM and legitimate messages, much like a hound is primed to
trace a certain scent. Sometimes the filter must be corrected too - prompted to
adjust when it makes a wrong decision.
Important
You can correct the Bayesian filter using the Is Spam and Not Spam buttons
from the Antispam toolbar.
13.1.2. Antispam Operation
The Acronis Internet Security Antispam Engine uses all antispam filters combined
to determine whether a certain e-mail message should get into your Inbox or not.
Every e-mail that comes from the Internet is first checked with the Friends
list/Spammers list filter. If the sender's address is found in the Friends list the e-mail
is moved directly to your Inbox.
Otherwise, the Spammers list filter will take over the e-mail to verify if the sender's
address is on its list. If a match is made, the e-mail will be tagged as SPAM and
moved in the Spam folder.
Else, the Charset filter will check if the e-mail is written in Cyrillic or Asian characters.
If so the e-mail will be tagged as SPAM and moved in the Spam folder.
If the e-mail is not written in Asian or Cyrillic it will be passed to the Image filter.
The Image filter will detect all the e-mail messages containing attached images
with spam content.
Antispam
66
The URL filter will compare the links found in the e-mail against the links from the
Acronis Internet Security database of known spam links. In case of a match, the
e-mail will be considered SPAM.
The NeuNet (Heuristic) filter will take over the e-mail and will perform a set of tests
on all the message components, looking for words, phrases, links or other
characteristics of SPAM. Based on the results of the analysis, the e-mail will receive
a spam score.
Note
If the e-mail is tagged as SEXUALLY EXPLICIT in the subject line, Acronis Internet
Security will consider it SPAM.
The Bayesian filter module will further analyze the message, according to statistical
information regarding the rate at which specific words appear in messages classified
SPAM as compared to those declared NON-SPAM (by you or by the heuristic filter).
A Spam score will be added to the e-mail.
If the aggregate spam score (heuristic score + Bayesian score) exceeds the threshold
level, the e-mail is considered SPAM. The threshhold level is defined by the antispam
protection level. For more information, please refer to “Adjusting the Protection
Level” (p. 72).
13.1.3. Antispam Updates
Every time you perform an update:
● new image signatures will be added to the Image filter.
● new links will be added to the URL filter.
● new rules will be added to the NeuNet (Heuristic) filter.
This will help increase the effectiveness of your Antispam engine.
To protect you against spammers, Acronis Internet Security can perform automatic
updates. Keep the Automatic Update option enabled.
13.1.4. Supported E-mail Clients and Protocols
Antispam protection is provided for all POP3/SMTP e-mail clients. The Acronis Internet
Security Antispam toolbar however is integrated only into:
● Microsoft Outlook 2003 / 2007 / 2010
● Microsoft Outlook Express
● Microsoft Windows Mail
● Mozilla Thunderbird 3.0.4
Note
Acronis Internet Security 2011 doesn't scan Lotus Notes POP3 traffic.
Antispam
67
13.2. Antispam Optimization Wizard
The first time you run your mail client after you have installed Acronis Internet
Security, a wizard will appear helping you to configure the Friends list and the
Spammers list and to train the Bayesian filter in order to increase the efficiency of
the Antispam filters.
Note
The wizard can also be launched any time you want by clicking the Wizard button
from the Antispam toolbar.
You can navigate through the wizard using the Next and Back buttons. If you want
to skip a configuration step, select Skip this step. To exit the wizard, click Cancel.
1. Welcome Window
2. Add Contacts to Friends List
Here you can see all the addresses from your Address Book. Please select those
you want to be added to your Friends list (we recommend to select them all).
You will receive all the e-mail messages from these addresses, regardless of their
content.
To add all your contacts to the Friends list, check Select all.
3. Delete Bayesian Database
Note
The first time you run the wizard, just go to the next step.
You may find that your antispam filter has begun to lose efficiency. This may be
due to improper training. (i.e. you have mistakenly tagged a number of legitimate
messages as spam, or vice versa). If your filter is very inaccurate, you may need
to wipe the filter database and retrain the filter by following the next steps of
this wizard.
Select Wipe antispam filter database if you want to reset the Bayesian
database.
You can save the Bayesian database to a file so that you can use it with another
Acronis Internet Security product or after reinstalling Acronis Internet Security.
To save the Bayesian database, click the Save Bayes button and save it to the
desired location. The file will have a .dat extension.
To load a previously saved Bayesian database, click the Load Bayes button and
open the corresponding file.
4. Train the Bayesian Filter on Legitimate (Non-Spam) E-mails
Antispam
68
Please select a folder that contains legitimate e-mail messages. These messages
will be used to train the antispam filter.
There are two advanced options under the directory list:
● Include all subfolders - to include the subfolders to your selection.
● Automatically add to Friends list - to add the senders to the Friends list.
5. Train the Bayesian Filter on Spam E-mails
Please select a folder that contains spam e-mail messages. These messages will
be used to train the antispam filter.
Important
Please make sure that the folder you choose contains no legitimate e-mail at all,
otherwise the antispam performance will be considerably reduced.
There are two advanced options under the directory list:
● Include all subfolders - to include the subfolders to your selection.
● Automatically add to Spammers list - to add the senders to the Spammers
list. E-mail messages from these senders will always be marked as SPAM and
processed accordingly.
6. Summary
Here you can view all the settings for the configuration wizard. You can make
any changes, by returning to the previous steps (click Back).
If you do not want to make any modifications, click Finish to end the wizard.
13.3. Using the Antispam Toolbar in Your Mail Client Window
In the upper area of your mail client window you can see the Antispam toolbar. The
Antispam toolbar helps you manage antispam protection directly from your mail
client. You can easily correct Acronis Internet Security if it marked a legitimate
message as SPAM.
Important
Acronis Internet Security integrates into the most commonly used mail clients through
an easy-to-use antispam toolbar. For a complete list of supported mail clients, please
refer to “Supported E-mail Clients and Protocols” (p. 67).
Each button from the Acronis Internet Security toolbar will be explained below:
● Is Spam - sends a message to the Bayesian module indicating that the selected
e-mail is spam. The e-mail will be tagged as SPAM and moved to the Spam folder.
The future e-mail messages that fit the same patterns will be tagged as SPAM.
Antispam
69
● Not Spam - sends a message to the Bayesian module indicating that the
selected e-mail is not spam and Acronis Internet Security should not have tagged
it. The e-mail will be moved from the Spam folder to the Inbox directory.
The future e-mail messages that fit the same patterns will no longer be tagged
as SPAM.
Important
The Not Spam button becomes active when you select a message marked as
SPAM by Acronis Internet Security (normally these messages are located in the
Spam folder).
●
Add Spammer - adds the sender of the selected e-mail to the Spammers list.
You may need to click OK to acknowledge. The e-mail messages received from
addresses in the Spammers list are automatically marked as [spam].
●
Add Friend - adds the sender of the selected e-mail to the Friends list. You
may need to click OK to acknowledge. You will always receive e-mail messages
from this address no matter what they contain.
●
Spammers - opens the Spammers list that contains all the e-mail addresses
from which you don't want to receive messages, regardless of their content. For
more information, please refer to “Configuring the Spammers List” (p. 74).
●
Friends - opens the Friends list that contains all the e-mail addresses from
which you always want to receive e-mail messages, regardless of their content.
For more information, please refer to “Configuring the Friends List” (p. 73).
● Settings - opens the Settings window where you can specify some options
for the Antispam module.
● Wizard - opens the antispam optimization wizard. This wizard help you train
the Bayesian filter in order to further increase the efficiency of your antispam
protection. You can also add addresses from your Address Book to your Friends
list / Spammers list.
●
Acronis Internet Security Antispam - opens a window where you can
configure the antispam protection level and the antispam filters.
13.3.1. Indicating Detection Errors
If you are using a supported mail client, you can easily correct the antispam filter
(by indicating which e-mail messages should not have been marked as [spam]).
Doing so will considerably improve the efficiency of the antispam filter. Follow these
steps:
1. Open your mail client.
2. Go to the junk mail folder where spam messages are moved.
Antispam
70
3. Select the legitimate message incorrectly marked as [spam] by Acronis Internet
Security.
4.
Click the Add Friend button on the Acronis Internet Security antispam toolbar
to add the sender to the Friends list. You may need to click OK to acknowledge.
You will always receive e-mail messages from this address no matter what they
contain.
5. Click the Not Spam button on the Acronis Internet Security antispam toolbar
(normally located in the upper part of the mail client window). This indicates to
the Learning Engine that the selected message is not spam. The e-mail message
will be moved to the Inbox folder. The next e-mail messages that fit the same
patterns will no longer be marked as [spam].
13.3.2. Indicating Undetected Spam Messages
If you are using a supported mail client, you can easily indicate which e-mail
messages should have been detected as spam. Doing so will considerably improve
the efficiency of the antispam filter. Follow these steps:
1. Open your mail client.
2. Go to the Inbox folder.
3. Select the undetected spam messages.
4. Click the Is Spam button on the Acronis Internet Security antispam toolbar
(normally located in the upper part of the mail client window). This indicates to
the Learning Engine that the selected messages are spam. They are immediately
marked as [spam] and moved to the junk mail folder. The next e-mail messages
that fit the same patterns will be marked as [spam].
13.3.3. Retraining the Learning Engine (Bayesian)
If your antispam filter is very inaccurate, you may need to wipe the Bayesian
database and retrain the Bayesian filter.
Before training the Learning Engine (Bayesian), prepare a folder containing only
SPAM messages and another one containing only legitimate messages. The Learning
Engine will analyze them and learn the characteristics that define the spam or
legitimate messages that you usually receive. In order for the training to be efficient,
there must be over 50 messages in each category.
To reset the Bayesian database and retrain the Learning Engine, follow these steps:
1. Open your mail client.
2. On the Acronis Internet Security antispam toolbar, click the Wizard button to
start the antispam configuration wizard.
3. Click Next.
Antispam
71
4. Select Skip this step and click Next.
5. Select Clear antispam filter database and click Next.
6. Select the folder containing legitimate messages and click Next.
7. Select the folder containing SPAM messages and click Next.
8. Click Finish to start the training process.
9. When training is completed, click Close.
13.3.4. Saving and Loading Bayesian Database
You can save the Bayesian database to a file so that you can use it with another
Acronis Internet Security product or after reinstalling Acronis Internet Security.
Click the Settings button on the Acronis Internet Security antispam toolbar.
To save the Bayesian database, click the Save Bayes button and save it to the
desired location. The file will have a .dat extension.
To load a previously saved Bayesian database, click the Load Bayes button and
open the corresponding file.
13.3.5. Configuring General Settings
To configure general antispam settings for your mail client, click the Settings
button on the Acronis Internet Security antispam toolbar.
The following options are available:
● Move message to Deleted Items - moves the spam messages to the Deleted
Items (only for Microsoft Outlook Express / Windows Mail);
● Mark spam e-mail messages as 'read' - marks the spam messages as read
automatically, so as not to be disturbing when they arrive.
Click the Alerts tab if you want to access the section where you can disable the
apparition of the confirmation windows for the Add spammer and Add friend
buttons.
In the Alerts window you can also enable/disable the apparition of the Please
select an email message alert. This alert appears when you select a group instead
of an email message.
13.4. Adjusting the Protection Level
Some of the antispam filters can identify spam e-mails directly, while others add a
spam score to the e-mail, based on the spam characteristics detected.
The antispam protection level is used to determine if an e-mail message can be
considered spam based on its total spam score (received after being checked by
all of the antispam filters).
Antispam
72
You should not change the antispam protection level, unless the antispam protection
does not work as expected. However, rather than independently change the
protection level, it is recommended that you first read “Antispam Filter Does Not
Work Properly” (p. 156) and follow the instructions to correct the problem.
To adjust the antispam protection level:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Antispam > Status.
3. Drag the slider along the scale to set the appropriate protection level. To set the
default protection level (Moderate to Aggressive) click Default Level.
Use the description on the right side of the scale to choose the protection level that
better fits your security needs. The description also informs you about any additional
actions you should take in order to avoid potential problems or to increase antispam
detection efficiency.
13.5. Configuring the Friends List
The Friends list is a list of all the e-mail addresses from which you always want to
receive messages, regardless of their content. Messages from your friends are not
labeled as spam, even if the content resembles spam.
Note
Any mail coming from an address contained in the Friends list, will automatically
be delivered to your Inbox without further processing.
To configure and manage the Friends list:
● If you are using Microsoft Outlook / Outlook Express / Windows Mail / Thunderbird,
click the Friends button on the Acronis Internet Security antispam toolbar
integrated into your mail client.
● Alternatively, follow these steps:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Antispam > Status.
3. Click Manage Friends.
To add an e-mail address, select the E-mail address option, enter the address and
click the button next to the edit field. Syntax: name@domain.com.
To add all the e-mail addresses from a specific domain, select the Domain name
option, enter the domain name and click the button next to the edit field. Syntax:
● @domain.com, *domain.com and domain.com - all the received e-mail messages
from domain.com will reach your Inbox regardless of their content;
Antispam
73
● *domain* - all the received e-mail messages from domain (no matter the domain
suffixes) will reach your Inbox regardless of their content;
● *com - all the received e-mail messages having the domain suffix com will reach
your Inbox regardless of their content;
It is recommended to avoid adding entire domains, but this may be useful in some
situations. For example, you can add the e-mail domain of the company you work
for, or those of your trusted partners.
To delete an item from the list, select it and click the Remove button. To delete all
entries from the list, click the Clear list button and then Yes to confirm.
You can save the Friends list to a file so that you can use it on another computer or
after reinstalling the product. To save the Friends list, click the Save button and
save it to the desired location. The file will have a .bwl extension.
To load a previously saved Friends list, click the Load button and open the
corresponding .bwl file. To reset the content of the existing list when loading a
previously saved list, select Overwrite the current list.
Click Apply and OK to save and close the Friends list.
13.6. Configuring the Spammers List
The Spammers list is a list of all the e-mail addresses from which you don't want
to receive messages, regardless of their content. Any e-mail message received from
an address contained in the Spammers list will be automatically marked as SPAM,
without further processing.
To configure and manage the Spammers list:
● If you are using Microsoft Outlook / Outlook Express / Windows Mail / Thunderbird,
click the Spammers button on the Acronis Internet Security antispam toolbar
integrated into your mail client.
● Alternatively, follow these steps:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Antispam > Status.
3. Click Manage Spammers.
To add an e-mail address, select the E-mail address option, enter the address and
click the button next to the edit field. Syntax: name@domain.com.
To add all the e-mail addresses from a specific domain, select the Domain name
option, enter the domain name and click the button next to the edit field. Syntax:
● @domain.com, *domain.com and domain.com - all the received e-mail messages
from domain.com will be tagged as SPAM;
● *domain* - all the received e-mail messages from domain (no matter the domain
suffixes) will be tagged as SPAM;
Antispam
74
● *com - all the received e-mail messages having the domain suffix com will be
tagged as SPAM.
It is recommended to avoid adding entire domains, but this may be useful in some
situations.
Warning
Do not add domains of legitimate web-based e-mail services (such as Yahoo, Gmail,
Hotmail or other) to the Spammers list. Otherwise, the e-mail messages received
from any registered user of such a service will be detected as spam. If, for example,
you add yahoo.com to the Spammers list, all e-mail messages coming from
yahoo.com addresses will be marked as [spam].
To delete an item from the list, select it and click the Remove button. To delete all
entries from the list, click the Clear list button and then Yes to confirm.
You can save the Spammers list to a file so that you can use it on another computer
or after reinstalling the product. To save the Spammers list, click the Save button
and save it to the desired location. The file will have a .bwl extension.
To load a previously saved Spammers list, click the Load button and open the
corresponding .bwl file. To reset the content of the existing list when loading a
previously saved list, select Overwrite the current list.
Click Apply and OK to save and close the Spammers list.
13.7. Configuring the Antispam Filters and Settings
As described in “Antispam Insights” (p. 64), Acronis Internet Security uses a
combination of different antispam filters to identify spam. The antispam filters are
pre-configured for efficient protection.
You can disable each one of these filters or change their settings, but this is not
recommended. These are some changes you may want to make:
● Depending on whether or not you receive legitimate e-mails written in Asian or
Cyrillic characters, disable or enable the setting that automatically blocks such
e-mails.
Note
The corresponding setting is disabled in the localized versions of the program that
use such charsets (for example, in the Russian or Chinese version).
● If you do not want to automatically add the recipients of your sent mail to the
Friends list, you can disable the corresponding setting. In this case, add your
contacts to the Friends list, as described in “Configuring the Friends List” (p. 73).
● Advanced users can try to adjust the size of the Bayesian dictionary to achieve
better antispam performance. A smaller number of words will result in faster, but
Antispam
75
less precise, antispam processing. A larger number of words will increase antispam
detection accuracy, but it will take more time to access your e-mails.
Note
It may take several adjustments of the Bayesian dictionary size to reach the desired
performance level. If the result is not as expected, set back the default and
recommended size of 200.000 words.
To configure the antispam settings and filters:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Antispam > Settings.
3. Configure the settings as needed. To find out what an option does, keep the
mouse over it and read the description displayed at the bottom of the window.
4. Click Apply to save the changes.
To apply the default settings, click Default.
Antispam
76
14. Parental Control
Acronis Internet Security Parental Control enables you to control the access to the
Internet and to specific applications for each user holding a user account on the
system.
You can configure Parental Control to block:
● inappropriate web pages.
● Internet access, for specific periods of time (such as when it's time for lessons).
● web pages, e-mail messages and instant messages if they contain specific
keywords.
● applications like games, chat, filesharing programs or others.
● instant messages sent by IM contacts other than those allowed.
Important
Only users with administrative rights on the system (system administrators) can
access and configure Parental Control. To make sure that only you can change the
Parental Control settings for any user, you can protect them with a password. You
will be prompted to configure the password when you enable the Parental Control
for a specific user.
Once you have configured Parental Control, you can easily find out what your children
are doing on the computer.
14.1. Configuring Parental Control
Before you configure Parental Control, create separate Windows user accounts for
your children to use. This will allow you to know exactly what each of them is doing
on the computer. You should create limited (standard) user accounts so that they
cannot change the Parental Control settings. For more information, please refer to
“How Do I Create Windows User Accounts?” (p. 147).
If your children can access an administrator account on their computer, you must
configure a password to protect the Parental Control settings. For more information,
please refer to “Protecting Parental Control Settings” (p. 79).
To configure Parental Control:
1. Make sure you are logged on to the computer with an administrator account.
Only users with administrative rights on the system (system administrators) can
access and configure Parental Control.
2. Open Acronis Internet Security.
3. Depending on the user interface view mode, access the Parental Control settings
as follows:
Parental Control
77
Intermediate View
Go to the Security tab and click Parental Control in the Quick Tasks area
on the left side of the window.
Expert View
Click Parental Control on the left-side menu.
Note
In Basic View and Intermediate View, you can configure a shortcut so that you can
access these settings from your dashboard. For more information, please refer to
“My Tools” (p. 16).
You can see information regarding the Parental Control status for each Windows
user account. The age category is listed below each user name if Parental Control
is enabled. If Parental Control is disabled, the status is not configured.
To configure Parental Control for a specific user account:
1. Use the switch to turn on Parental Control for that user account.
2. You will be prompted to set the Parental Control password. Set a password to
protect your Parental Control settings. For more information, please refer to
“Protecting Parental Control Settings” (p. 79).
3. Set the age category to allow your child to access only websites appropriate for
his/her age. Setting the age of the child will automatically load settings considered
appropriate for that age category, based on child development standards.
4. If you want to configure the Parental Control settings in detail, click Settings.
Click a tab to configure the corresponding Parental Control feature:
● Web - to filter web navigation according to the rules set by you in the Web
section.
● Applications - to block access to the applications specified by you in the
Applications section.
● Keywords - to filter web, mail and instant messaging access according to the
rules set by you in the Keywords section.
● Messaging - to allow or block chat with IM contacts according to the rules set
by you in the Messaging section.
Note
To learn how to configure them, please refer to the following topics in this chapter.
Configure the monitoring options as needed:
Parental Control
78
● Send me an activity report via e-mail. An e-mail notification is sent every
time Acronis Internet Security Parental Control blocks an activity. You must first
configure the notification settings.
● Save an internet traffic log. Logs the websites visited by users for whom
Parental Control is enabled.
For more information, please refer to “Monitoring Children Activity” (p. 84).
14.1.1. Protecting Parental Control Settings
If you are not the only person with administrative rights using this computer, it is
recommended that you protect your Parental Control settings with a password. By
setting a password, you will prevent other users with administrative rights from
changing the Parental Control settings that you configured for a specific user.
Acronis Internet Security will ask you by default to set a password when enabling
Parental Control. To set the password protection, do the following:
1. Type the password in the Password field.
2. Type the password again in the Retype Password field to confirm it.
3. Click OK to save the password and close the window.
Once you set the password, if you want to change the Parental Control settings,
you will be asked to provide the password. The other system administrators (if any)
will also have to provide this password in order to change the Parental Control
settings.
Note
This password will not protect other Acronis Internet Security settings.
In case you do not set a password and you do not want this window to appear again,
check Don't ask for a password when enabling Parental Control.
Important
If you forget the password, you will have to reinstall the program or to contact Acronis
Internet Security for support.
To remove the password protection:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security and click the Options button in the upper-right
corner of the window.
2. Go to General Settings.
3. Use the switch to turn off the Settings password option.
4. Enter the password.
5. Click OK.
Parental Control
79
14.1.2. Web Control
The Web Control helps you to block access to web sites with inappropriate content.
A list of candidates for blocking both sites and parts thereof is provided and updated
by Acronis Internet Security, as part of the regular update process.
Note
When you enable Parental Control and set the age of your child, Web Control is
automatically enabled and configured to block access to websites considered to be
inappropriate for your child's age.
To configure Web Control for a specific user account:
1. Access the Acronis Internet Security Parental Control settings window for that
user account.
2. Click the Web tab.
3. Use the switch to turn on Web Control.
4. You can check what web categories are automatically blocked / restricted for the
currently selected age group. If you are not satisfied with the default settings,
you can configure them as needed.
To change the action configured for a specific category of web content, click the
current status and select the desired action from the menu.
5. If you want to, create your own rules to allow or block access to specific websites.
If Parental Control automatically blocks access to a website, you can create a
rule to explicitly allow access to that website.
6. You can set limits on how much time your child spends on the Internet. For more
information, please refer to “Restricting Internet Access By Time” (p. 81).
Creating Web Control Rules
To allow or block access to a website, follow these steps:
1. Click Allow Website or Block Website.
2. Enter the website address in the Website field.
3. Select the desired action for this rule - Allow or Block.
4. Click Finish to add the rule.
Managing Web Control Rules
The Website Control rules that have been configured are listed in the table on the
lower side of the window. The website address and current status are listed for each
Web Control rule.
To delete a rule, select it and click Remove.
Parental Control
80
To edit a rule, select it and click Edit or double-click it. Make the necessary changes
in the configuration window.
Restricting Internet Access By Time
In the Schedule Web Access section, you can set limits on how much time your child
spends on the Internet.
To completely block access to the Internet, select Block Web Access.
To restrict Internet access to certain times of day:
1. Select Time limit web access.
2. Click Change Schedule.
3. Select from the grid the time intervals during which Internet access is blocked.
You can click individual cells, or you can click and drag to cover longer periods.
4. Click Save.
Note
Acronis Internet Security will perform updates every hour no matter if web access is
blocked.
14.1.3. Application Control
The Applications Control helps you to block any application from running. Games,
media and messaging software, as well as other categories of software and malware
can be blocked this way. Applications blocked in this manner are also protected
from modifications, and cannot be copied or moved. You can block applications
permanently or just during certain time intervals, such as those when your children
should be doing their homework.
To configure Application Control for a specific user account:
1. Access the Acronis Internet Security Parental Control settings window for that
user account.
2. Click the Applications tab.
3. Use the switch to turn on Application Control.
4. Create rules for the applications you want to block or restrict access to.
Creating Application Control Rules
To block or restrict access to an application, follow these steps:
1. Click Block Application or Restrict Application.
2. Click Browse to locate the application to which you want to block/restrict access.
Installed applications are usually located in the C:\Program Files folder.
Parental Control
81
3. Select the action of the rule:
● Block permanently to block access to the application completely.
● Block based on this schedule to restrict access to certain time intervals.
If you choose to restrict access rather than block the application completely, you
must also select from the grid the days and the time intervals during which access
is blocked.
4. Click Save to add the rule.
Managing Application Control Rules
The Application Control rules that have been configured are listed in the table on
the lower side of the window. The name of the application, the path and the current
status are listed for each Application Control rule.
To delete a rule, select it and click Remove.
To edit a rule, select it and click Edit or double-click it. Make the necessary changes
in the configuration window.
14.1.4. Keywords Control
Keywords Control helps you block users' access to e-mail messages, web pages and
instant messages that contain specific words. Using Keywords Control, you can
prevent your children from seeing inappropriate words or phrases when they are
online. Furthermore, you can ensure they will not be giving out personal information
(such as the home address or phone number) to people they met on the Internet.
Note
The instant messaging Keywords Control is only available for Yahoo Messenger and
Windows Live (MSN) Messenger.
To configure Keywords Control for a specific user account:
1. Access the Acronis Internet Security Parental Control settings window for that
user account.
2. Click the Keywords tab.
3. Use the switch to turn on Keywords Control.
4. Create Keywords Control rules to prevent inappropriate words from being
displayed or important information from being sent.
Creating Keywords Control Rules
To block a word or phrase, follow these steps:
1. Click Block Keyword.
Parental Control
82
2. Set Keyword Information.
You must set the following parameters:
● Keyword category - type the name of the rule in this field.
● Keyword - type the word or phrase you want to block in the field. If you want
only whole words to be detected, select the Match whole words check box.
3. Select the Filtering Type.
● Block viewing - select this option for rules created to prevent inapropiate
words from being displayed.
● Block sending - select this option for rules created to prevent important
information from being sent.
4. Select the traffic type Acronis Internet Security should scan for the specified
word.
DescriptionOption
Web pages that contain the keyword are blocked.Web
E-mail messages that contain the keyword are blocked.E-mail
Instant messages that contain the keyword are blocked.Instant Messaging
5. Click Finish to add the rule.
From now on, any attempt to send the specified data (through e-mail, instant
messaging or over a web page) will fail. An alert message will be displayed indicating
that Acronis Internet Security has blocked identity specific content from being sent.
Managing Keywords Control Rules
The Keywords Control rules that have been configured are listed in the table. Detailed
information is provided for each rule.
To delete a rule, select it and click Remove.
To edit a rule, select it and click Edit or double-click it. Make the necessary changes
in the configuration window.
14.1.5. Instant Messaging (IM) Control
The Instant Messaging (IM) Control allows you to specify the IM contacts your children
are allowed to chat with.
Note
The IM Control is only available for Yahoo Messenger and Windows Live (MSN)
Messenger.
Parental Control
83
To configure IM Control for a specific user account:
1. Access the Acronis Internet Security Parental Control settings window for that
user account.
2. Click the Messaging tab.
3. Use the switch to turn on Instant Messaging Control.
4. Select the preferred filtering method and, depending on your choice, create
appropriate rules.
● Allow IM with all contacts, except the ones in the list
In this case, you must specify the IM IDs to be blocked (people who your child
should not talk to).
● Block IM with all contacts, except the ones in the list
In this case, you must specify the IM IDs your child is explicitly allowed to
instant message with. For example, you can allow instant messaging with
family members, friends from school or neighbours.
This second option is recommended if your child is under 14 years old.
Creating Instant Messaging (IM) Control Rules
To allow or block instant messaging with a contact, follow these steps:
1. Click Block IM ID or Allow IM ID.
2. Type the e-mail address or the user name used by the IM contact in the E-mail
or IM ID field.
3. Choose the IM program the contact associates with.
4. Select the desired action for this rule - Allow or Block.
5. Click Finish to add the rule.
Managing Instant Messaging (IM) Control Rules
The IM Control rules that have been configured are listed in the table on the lower
side of the window.
To delete a rule, select it and click Remove.
To edit a rule, select it and click Edit or double-click it. Make the necessary changes
in the configuration window.
14.2. Monitoring Children Activity
Acronis Internet Security helps you keep track of what your children are doing on
the computer even when you are away.
Parental Control
84
By default, when Parental Control is enabled, your children's activities are logged.
In this way, you can always find out exactly what websites they have visited, what
applications they have used, what activities have been blocked by Parental Control
etc.
You can also configure Acronis Internet Security to send you e-mail notifications
when Parental Control blocks an activity.
14.2.1. Checking the Parental Control Logs
To check what your children have been doing recently on the computer, access the
Parental Control logs. Follow these steps:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security.
2. Click the View Logs link in the bottom-right corner of the window.
3. Click Parental Control on the left-side menu.
Note
You can also open these logs from the Parental Control window by clicking View
Logs.
If you do not share the computer with your children, you can configure the Acronis
Internet Security home network so that you can access the Parental Control logs
remotely (from your computer). For more information, please refer to “Home
Network” (p. 131).
The Parental Control logs provide detailed information about your children's computer
and Internet activities. Information is organized under several tabs:
General
Provides general information about your children's recent activities, such as
the most visited websites and the most used applications.
You can filter information by user and time period.
Application Log
Helps you find out what applications your children have been using recently.
Double-click the events in the list to see more details. To delete a log entry,
right-click it and select Delete.
Internet Log
Helps you find out what websites your children have been visiting recently.
You can filter information by user and time period.
Other Events
Helps you find out detailed information about the Parental Control activity (for
example, when Parental Control was enabled / disabled, what events have been
blocked).
Parental Control
85
Double-click the events in the list to see more details. To delete a log entry,
right-click it and select Delete.
14.2.2. Configuring E-mail Notifications
To receive e-mail notifications when Parental Control blocks an activity:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security.
2. Depending on the user interface view mode, access the Parental Control settings
as follows:
Intermediate View
Go to the Security tab and click Parental Control in the Quick Tasks area
on the left side of the window.
Expert View
Click Parental Control on the left-side menu.
Note
In Basic View and Intermediate View, you can configure a shortcut so that you can
access these settings from your dashboard. For more information, please refer to
“My Tools” (p. 16).
3. In the Settings section, select Send me an activity report via e-mail.
4. You will be prompted to configure your e-mail account settings. Click Yes to open
the configuration window.
Note
You can open the configuration window later by clicking Notifications Settings.
5. Enter the e-mail address where the e-mail notifications are to be sent.
6. Configure the e-mail settings of the server used to send the e-mail notifications.
There are three options to configure the e-mail settings:
Use the current mail client settings
This option is selected by default when Acronis Internet Security manages to
import the mail server settings from your mail client.
Click Test Settings to validate the settings. If any issues are found during
validation, you will be informed what you have to do to correct them.
Select from one of the known servers
Select this option if you have an e-mail account with one of the web-based
e-mail services in the list.
Parental Control
86
Click Test Settings to validate the settings. If any issues are found during
validation, you will be informed what you have to do to correct them.
I want to configure the server settings myself
If you know the mail server settings, select this option and configure the settings
as follows:
● Outgoing SMTP Server - type the address of the mail server used to send
e-mail messages.
● If the server uses a different port than the default port 25, type it in the
corresponding field.
● If the server requires authentication, select the My SMTP server requires
authentication check box and type your user name and password in the
corresponding fields.
Click Test Settings to validate the settings. If any issues are found during
validation, you will be informed what you have to do to correct them.
Click OK to save the changes and close the window.
Parental Control
87
15. Privacy Control
Acronis Internet Security monitors dozens of potential “hotspots” in your system
where spyware might act, and also checks any changes made to your system and
software. It is effective in blocking Trojan horses and other tools installed by hackers,
who try to compromise your privacy and send your personal information, like credit
card numbers, from your computer to the hacker.
Privacy Control includes these components:
● Identity Control - helps you make sure that your personal information is not sent
from your computer without your consent. It scans the e-mail and instant messages
sent from your computer, as well as any data sent via web pages, and blocks any
piece of information protected by the Identity Control rules you have created.
● Registry Control - asks for your permission whenever a program tries to modify
a registry entry in order to be executed at Windows start-up.
● Cookie Control - asks for your permission whenever a new website tries to set a
cookie.
● Script Control - asks for your permission whenever a website tries to activate a
script or other active content.
By default, only Identity Control is enabled. You must configure appropriate Identity
Control rules to prevent the unauthorized sending of confidential information. For
more information, please refer to “Configuring Identity Control” (p. 90).
The other components of Privacy Control are interactive. If you enable them, you
will be prompted, through alert windows, to allow or block specific actions when
you browse new web sites or install new software. This is why they are usually used
by advanced users.
15.1. Configuring Protection Level
The protection level helps you easily enable or disable the Privacy Control
components.
To configure the protection level:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Privacy Control > Status.
3. Make sure Privacy Control is enabled.
4. There are two options:
● Drag the slider along the scale to set the appropriate protection level. Click
Default Level to position the slider at the default level.
Privacy Control
88
Use the description on the right side of the scale to choose the protection level
that better fits your security needs.
● You can customize the protection level by clicking Custom level. In the window
that will appear, select the protection controls you want to enable and click
OK.
15.2. Identity Control
Identity Control protects you against the theft of sensitive data when you are online.
Consider a simple example: you have created an Identity Control rule that protects
your credit card number. If a spyware software somehow manages to install on your
computer, it cannot send your credit card number via e-mail, instant messages or
web pages. Moreover, your children cannot use it to buy online or reveal it to people
they met on the Internet.
To learn more, please refer to these topics:
● “About Identity Control” (p. 89).
● “Configuring Identity Control” (p. 90).
● “Managing Rules” (p. 92).
15.2.1. About Identity Control
Keeping confidential data safe is an important issue that bothers us all. Data theft
has kept pace with the development of Internet communications and it makes use
of new methods of fooling people into giving away private information.
Whether it is your e-mail or your credit card number, when they fall into the wrong
hands such information may cause you damage: you may find yourself drowning
in spam messages or you might be surprised to access an emptied account.
Identity Control protects you against the theft of sensitive data when you are online.
Based on the rules you create, Identity Control scans the web, e-mail and instant
messaging traffic leaving your computer for specific character strings (for example,
your credit card number). If there is a match, the respective web page, e-mail or
instant message is blocked.
You can create rules to protect any piece of information you might consider personal
or confidential, from your phone number or e-mail address to your bank account
information. Multiuser support is provided so that users logging on to different
Windows user accounts can configure and use their own identity protection rules.
If your Windows account is an administrator account, the rules you create can be
configured to also apply when other users of the computer are logged on to their
Windows user accounts.
Why use Identity Control?
Privacy Control
89
● Identity Control is very effective in blocking keylogger spyware. This type of
malicious applications records your keystrokes and sends them over the Internet
to a malicious person (hacker). The hacker can find out sensitive information from
the stolen data, such as bank account numbers and passwords, and use it to gain
personal benefits.
Supposing such an application manages to avoid antivirus detection, it cannot
send the stolen data by e-mail, web or instant messages if you have created
appropriate identity protection rules.
● Identity Control can protect you from phishing attempts (attempts to steal personal
information). The most common phishing attempts make use of a deceiving e-mail
to trick you into submitting personal information on a fake web page.
For example, you may receive an e-mail claiming to be from your bank and
requesting you to urgently update your bank account information. The e-mail
provides you with a link to the web page where you must provide your personal
information. Although they seem to be legitimate, the e-mail and the web page
the misleading link directs you to are fake. If you click the link in the e-mail and
submit your personal information on the fake web page, you will disclose this
information to the malicious persons who organized the phishing attempt.
If appropriate identity protection rules are in place, you cannot submit personal
information (such as your credit card number) on a web page unless you have
explicitly defined an exception for the respective web page.
● Using Identity Control rules, you can prevent your children from giving out personal
information (such as the home address or phone number) to people they met on
the Internet. Moreover, if you create rules to protect your credit card, they cannot
use it to buy things online without your consent.
15.2.2. Configuring Identity Control
If you want to use Identity Control, follow these steps:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Privacy Control > Identity.
3. Make sure Identity Control is enabled.
Note
If the option cannot be configured, go to the Status tab and enable Privacy Control.
4. Create rules to protect your sensitive data. For more information, please refer to
“Creating Identity Protection Rules” (p. 91).
Privacy Control
90
5. If needed, define specific exclusions from the rules you have created. For example,
if you have created a rule to protect your credit card number, add the web sites
where you usually use your credit card to the exclusions list. For more information,
please refer to “Defining Exclusions” (p. 92).
Creating Identity Protection Rules
To create an identity protection rule, click the Add button and follow the
configuration wizard. You can navigate through the wizard using the Next and Back
buttons. To exit the wizard, click Cancel.
1. Welcome Window
2. Set Rule Type and Data
You must set the following parameters:
● Rule Name - type the name of the rule in this edit field.
● Rule Type - choose the rule type (address, name, credit card, PIN, SSN etc).
● Rule Data - type the data you want to protect in this edit field. For example,
if you want to protect your credit card number, type all or part of it here.
Important
If you enter less than three characters, you will be prompted to validate the
data. We recommend you to enter at least three characters in order to avoid
the mistaken blocking of messages and web pages.
All of the data you enter is encrypted. For extra safety, do not enter all of the
data you wish to protect.
3. Select Traffic Types and Users
a. Select the type of traffic you want Acronis Internet Security to scan.
● Scan Web (HTTP traffic) - scans the HTTP (web) traffic and blocks the
outgoing data that matches the rule data.
● Scan e-mail (SMTP traffic) - scans the SMTP (mail) traffic and blocks the
outgoing e-mail messages that contain the rule data.
● Scan IM (Instant Messaging) traffic - scans the Instant Messaging traffic
and blocks the outgoing chat messages that contain the rule data.
You can choose to apply the rule only if the rule data matches whole words or
if the rule data and the detected string case match.
b. Specify the users for which the rule applies.
● Only for me (current user) - the rule will apply only to your user account.
● Limited user accounts - the rule will apply to you and all limited Windows
accounts.
Privacy Control
91
● All users - the rule will apply to all Windows accounts.
4. Describe Rule
Enter a short description of the rule in the edit field. Since the blocked data
(character string) is not displayed in plain text when accessing the rule, the
description should help you easily identify it.
Click Finish. The rule will appear in the table.
From now on, any attempt to send the specified data (through e-mail, instant
messaging or over a web page) will fail. An alert message will be displayed indicating
that Acronis Internet Security has blocked identity specific content from being sent.
Defining Exclusions
There are cases when you need to define exceptions to specific identity rules. Let's
consider the case when you create a rule that prevents your credit card number
from being sent over HTTP (web). Whenever your credit card number is submitted
on a website from your user account, the respective page is blocked. If you want,
for example, to buy footwear from an online shop (which you know to be secure),
you will have to specify an exception to the respective rule.
To open the window where you can manage exceptions, click Exclusions.
To add an exception, follow these steps:
1. Click the Add button to add a new entry in the table.
2. Double-click Specify excluded item and provide the web site, the e-mail address
or the IM contact that you want to add as exception.
3. Double-click Traffic type and choose from the menu the option corresponding
to the type of address previously provided.
● If you have specified a web address, select HTTP.
● If you have specified an e-mail address, select E-mail (SMTP).
● If you have specified an IM contact, select IM.
To remove an exception from the list, select it and click the Remove button.
Click OK to save the changes.
15.2.3. Managing Rules
To manage the Identity Control rules:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Privacy Control > Identity.
You can see the rules created so far listed in the table.
To delete a rule, select it and click the Delete button.
Privacy Control
92
To edit a rule select it and click the Edit button or double-click it. A new window
will appear. Here you can change the name, description and parameters of the rule
(type, data and traffic). Click OK to save the changes.
15.3. Registry Control
A very important part of the Windows operating system is called the Registry. This
is where Windows keeps its settings, installed programs, user information and so
on.
The Registry is also used to define which programs should be launched
automatically when Windows is started. Viruses often use this in order to be
automatically launched when the user restarts his computer.
Registry Control keeps an eye on the Windows Registry - this is again useful for
detecting Trojan horses. It will alert you whenever a program will try to modify a
registry entry in order to be executed at Windows start-up. For more information,
please refer to “Registry Alerts” (p. 22).
To configure Registry Control:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Privacy Control > Registry.
3. Select the corresponding check box to enable Registry Control.
Note
If the option cannot be configured, go to the Status tab and enable Privacy Control.
Managing Rules
To delete a rule, select it and click the Delete button.
15.4. Cookie Control
Cookies are a very common occurrence on the Internet. They are small files stored
on your computer. Websites create these cookies in order to keep track of specific
information about you.
Cookies are generally made to make your life easier. For example they can help
the website remember your name and preferences, so that you don't have to enter
them on every visit.
But cookies can also be used to compromise your privacy, by tracking your surfing
patterns.
Privacy Control
93
This is where Cookie Control helps. When enabled, Cookie Control will prompt you
for permission whenever a new web site tries to set or request a cookie. For more
information, please refer to “Cookie Alerts” (p. 23).
To configure Cookie Control:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Privacy Control > Cookie.
3. Select the corresponding check box to enable Cookie Control.
Note
If the option cannot be configured, go to the Status tab and enable Privacy Control.
4. You can configure rules for the web sites you visit regularly, but it is not really
necessary. Rules are automatically created through the alert window, based on
your answer.
Note
Because of the great number of cookies used on the Internet today, Cookie Control
can be quite bothersome to begin with. At first, it will ask a lot of questions about
sites trying to place cookies on your computer. As soon as you add your regular sites
to the rule-list, surfing will become as easy as before.
Creating Rules Manually
To manually create a rule, click the Add button and configure the rule parameters
in the configuration window. You can set the parameters:
● Domain address - type in the domain on which the rule should apply.
● Action - select the action of the rule.
DescriptionAction
The cookies on that domain will execute.Allow
The cookies on that domain will not execute.Deny
● Direction - select the traffic direction.
DescriptionType
The rule applies only for the cookies that are sent out back
to the connected site.
Outgoing
The rule applies only for the cookies that are received from
the connected site.
Incoming
Privacy Control
94
DescriptionType
The rule applies in both directions.Both
Note
You can accept cookies but never return them by setting the action to Deny and the
direction to Outgoing.
Click Finish.
Managing Rules
To delete a rule, select it and click the Delete button. To modify the rule
parameters, select the rule and click the Edit button or double-click it. Make the
desired changes in the configuration window.
15.5. Script Control
Scripts and other codes such as ActiveX controls and Java applets, which are used
to create interactive web pages, can be programmed to have harmful effects. ActiveX
elements, for example, can gain total access to your data and they can read data
from your computer, delete information, capture passwords and intercept messages
while you're online. You should only accept active content from sites you fully know
and trust.
If you enable Script Control, you will be prompted for permission whenever a new
web site tries to run a script or other active content. For more information, please
refer to “Script Alerts” (p. 22).
To configure Script Control:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Privacy Control > Script.
3. Select the corresponding check box to enable Script Control.
Note
If the option cannot be configured, go to the Status tab and enable Privacy Control.
4. You can configure rules for the web sites you visit regularly, but it is not really
necessary. Rules are automatically created through the alert window, based on
your answer.
Privacy Control
95
Creating Rules Manually
To manually create a rule, click the Add button and configure the rule parameters
in the configuration window. You can set the parameters:
● Domain address - type in the domain on which the rule should apply.
● Action - select the action of the rule.
DescriptionAction
The scripts on that domain will execute.Allow
The scripts on that domain will not execute.Deny
Click Finish.
Managing Rules
To delete a rule, select it and click the Delete button. To modify the rule
parameters, select the rule and click the Edit button or double-click it. Make the
desired changes in the configuration window.
Privacy Control
96
16. Firewall
The Firewall protects your computer from inbound and outbound unauthorized
connection attempts. It is quite similar to a guard at your gate - it will keep a watchful
eye on your Internet connection and keep track of who to allow access to the Internet
and who to block.
Note
A firewall is essential if you have a broadband or DSL connection.
In Stealth Mode your computer is “hidden” from malicious software and hackers.
The firewall module is capable of automatically detecting and protecting against
port scans (streams of packets sent to a machine in order to find “access points”,
often in preparation for an attack).
16.1. Protection Settings
To enable/disable and configure firewall protection, open Acronis Internet Security
and, depending on the user interface view mode, proceed as follows:
Intermediate View
Go to the Security tab and click Configure Firewall in the Quick Tasks area
on the left side of the window. Select the Settings tab in the new window that
appears.
Expert View
Go to Firewall > Settings.
Important
To be protected against Internet attacks keep the Firewall enabled.
At the top of the section, you can see various statistics regarding detected activity.
At the bottom of the section you can see the Acronis Internet Security statistics
regarding incoming and outgoing traffic. The graph shows the Internet traffic volume
over the last two minutes.
Note
The graph is displayed only in Expert View.
16.1.1. Setting the Default Action
By default, Acronis Internet Security automatically allows all known programs from
its white list to access network services and the Internet. For all the other programs,
Acronis Internet Security prompts you through an alert window to specify the action
Firewall
97
to be taken. The action you specify is applied every time the respective application
requests network/Internet access.
Note
To view the Acronis Internet Security white list, click the corresponding button located
in the Settings tab in Expert View or the Programs tab in Intermediate View.
You can drag the slider along the scale to set the default action to be taken on the
applications requiring network/Internet access.
● Allow All
● Allow Known Programs
● Report
● Deny All
When you select an action a brief explanation is displayed for it.
16.1.2. Configuring Advanced Firewall Settings
In Expert View, you can configure the advanced firewall settings by clicking
Advanced Settings.
The following options are available:
● Enable Internet Connection Sharing(ICS) support - enables support for
Internet Connection Sharing(ICS).
Note
This option does not automatically enable ICS on your system, but only allows this
type of connection in case you enable it from your operating system.
● Detect applications that changed since the firewall rule has been created
- checks each application attempting to connect to the Internet to see if it has
been changed since the rule controlling its access was added. If the application
has been changed, an alert will prompt you to allow or to block the access of the
application to the Internet.
Note
Applications might be changed by malware. We recommend you to keep this option
selected and to allow access only to those applications that you expect to have
changed after the rule controlling their access was created.
Signed applications are supposed to be trusted and have a higher degree of
security. You can check Don't detect changes in digitally signed applications
in order to allow changed signed applications to connect to the Internet without
your receiving an alert about this event.
Firewall
98
● Show Wi-Fi Notifications - if you are connected to a wireless network, displays
informative windows regarding specific network events (for example, when a new
computer has joined the network).
● Block port scans - detects and blocks attempts to find out which ports are open.
Port scans are frequently used by hackers to find out which ports are open on
your computer. They might then break into your computer if they find a less
secure or vulnerable port.
● Enable strict automatic rules - creates strict rules using the firewall alert
window. With this option selected, Acronis Internet Security will prompt you for
action and create rules for each different process that opens the application
requesting network or Internet access.
16.2. Application Access Rules
To manage the firewall rules controlling applications' access to network resources
and Internet, open Acronis Internet Security and, depending on the user interface
view mode, proceed as follows:
Intermediate View
Go to the Security tab and click Configure Firewall in the Quick Tasks area
on the left side of the window. Select the Programs tab in the new window
that appears.
Expert View
Go to Firewall > Programs.
Intermediate View gives you access to basic configuration settings. To have more
customization options, use Expert View.
16.2.1. Viewing Current Rules
You can see the programs (processes) for which firewall rules have been created
in the table.
In Expert View, you can learn detailed information about each rule, as indicated by
the table columns. To see the rules created for a specific application, click the +
box next to the respective application. Clear the Hide system rules check box if
you want to also see the rules regarding the system or the Acronis Internet Security
processes.
● Process/Network Types - the process and the network adapter types the rule
applies to. Rules are automatically created to filter network or Internet access
through any adapter. You can manually create rules or edit existing rules to filter
an application's network or Internet access through a specific adapter (for example,
a wireless network adapter).
Firewall
99
● Command Line - the command used to start the process in the Windows
command line interface (cmd).
● Protocol - the IP protocol the rule applies to. You may see one of the following:
DescriptionProtocol
Includes all IP protocols.Any
Transmission Control Protocol - TCP enables two hosts to establish
a connection and exchange streams of data. TCP guarantees
TCP
delivery of data and also guarantees that packets will be delivered
in the same order in which they were sent.
User Datagram Protocol - UDP is an IP-based transport designed
for high performance. Games and other video-based applications
often use UDP.
UDP
Represents a specific IP protocol (other than TCP and UDP). You
can find the complete list of assigned IP protocol numbers at
www.iana.org/assignments/protocol-numbers.
A number
● Network Events - the network events the rule applies to. The following events
may be taken into account:
DescriptionEvent
Preliminary exchange of standard messages used by
connection-oriented protocols (such as TCP) to establish a
Connect
connection. With connection-oriented protocols, data traffic
between two computers occurs only after a connection is
established.
Flow of data between two computers.Traffic
State in which an application monitors the network awaiting to
establish a connection or to receive information from a peer
application.
Listen
● Local Ports - the ports on your computer the rule applies to.
● Remote Ports - the ports on the remote computers the rule applies to.
● Local - whether the rule applies only to computers in the local network.
● Action - whether the application is allowed or denied access to network or Internet
under the specified circumstances.
Firewall
100
16.2.2. Adding Rules Automatically
With Firewall enabled, Acronis Internet Security monitors all applications and
automatically creates a rule whenever an application tries to connect to the Internet.
Depending on the application and the Acronis Internet Security firewall settings,
this is done with or without your intervention.
If you are using Basic View or Intermediate View, connection attempts coming from
unknown applications will be automatically blocked.
If you are using Expert View, you will be prompted for action, through an alert
window, whenever an unknown application tries to connect to the Internet.
You can see the following: the application that is trying to access the Internet, the
path to the application file, the destination, the protocol used and the port on which
the application is trying to connect.
Click Allow to allow all traffic (inbound and outbound) generated by this application
from the local host to any destination, over the respective IP protocol and on all
ports. If you click Block, the application will be denied access to the Internet over
the respective IP protocol completely.
Important
Allow inbound connection attempts only from IPs or domains you are sure to trust.
Based on your answer, a rule will be created, applied and listed in the table. The
next time the application tries to connect, this rule will be applied by default.
16.2.3. Adding Rules Manually
Creating rules manually differs depending on the user interface view mode you use.
Intermediate View
1. Click Browse under Add New Program.
2. Locate the program for which you want to create a rule and click Open.
3. Click Add rule.
Notice that the rule is now displayed in the table.
4. Select an action from the Action column: allow or deny access.
The action will be applied to all rule parameters.
Expert View
1. Click the Add rule button. The configuration window will appear.
2. Configure the main and the advanced parameters as needed.
3. Click OK to add the new rule.
Firewall
101
Rules can be modified only when configuring the firewall in Expert View. To modify
an existing rule, follow these steps:
1. Click the Edit rule button or double-click the rule. The configuration window will
appear.
2. Configure the main and the advanced parameters as needed.
3. Click OK to save the changes.
Configuring Main Parameters
The Main tab of the configuration window allows configuring the main rule
parameters.
You can configure the following parameters:
● Program Path. Click Browse and select the application the rule applies to. If
you want the rule to apply to all applications, select Any.
● Command line. If you want the rule to apply only when the selected application
is opened with a specific command in the Windows command line interface, clear
the Any check box and type the respective command in the edit field.
● Protocol. Select from the menu the IP protocol the rule applies to.
▶ If you want the rule to apply to all protocols, select Any.
▶ If you want the rule to apply to TCP, select TCP.
▶ If you want the rule to apply to UDP, select UDP.
▶ If you want the rule to apply to a specific protocol, select Other. An edit field
will appear. Type the number assigned to the protocol you want to filter in the
edit field.
Note
IP protocol numbers are assigned by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority
(IANA). You can find the complete list of assigned IP protocol numbers at
www.iana.org/assignments/protocol-numbers.
● Events. Depending on the selected protocol, choose the network events the rule
applies to. The following events may be taken into account:
DescriptionEvent
Preliminary exchange of standard messages used by
connection-oriented protocols (such as TCP) to establish a
Connect
connection. With connection-oriented protocols, data traffic
between two computers occurs only after a connection is
established.
Firewall
102
DescriptionEvent
Flow of data between two computers.Traffic
State in which an application monitors the network awaiting to
establish a connection or to receive information from a peer
application.
Listen
● Adapter Types. Select the adapter types the rule applies to.
● Action. Select one of the available actions:
DescriptionAction
The specified application will be allowed network / Internet access
under the specified circumstances.
Allow
The specified application will be denied network / Internet access
under the specified circumstances.
Deny
Configuring Advanced Parameters
The Advanced tab of the configuration window allows configuring advanced rule
parameters.
You can configure the following advanced parameters:
● Direction. Select from the menu the traffic direction the rule applies to.
DescriptionDirection
The rule applies only for the outgoing traffic.Outbound
The rule applies only for the incoming traffic.Inbound
The rule applies in both directions.Both
● IP version. Select from the menu the IP version (IPv4, IPv6 or any) the rule
applies to.
● Local Address. Specify the local IP address and port the rule applies to as
follows:
▶ If you have more than one network adapters, you can clear the Any check box
and type a specific IP address.
▶ If you have selected TCP or UDP as protocol you can set a specific port or a
range between 0 and 65535. If you want the rule to apply to all ports, select
Any.
Firewall
103
● Remote Address. Specify the remote IP address and port the rule applies to as
follows:
▶ To filter traffic between your computer and a specific computer, clear the Any
check box and type its IP address.
▶ If you have selected TCP or UDP as protocol you can set a specific port or a
range between 0 and 65535. If you want the rule to apply to all ports, select
Any.
● Apply this rule only to directly connected computers. Select this option
when you want the rule to apply only to the local traffic attempts.
● Check process parent chain for the original event. You can only modify
this parameter if you have selected Strict automatic rules (go to the Settings
tab and click Advanced Settings). Strict rules mean that Acronis Internet Security
prompts you for action when an application request network/Internet access every
time the parent process is different.
16.2.4. Advanced Rule Management
If you need to see and edit the rules controlling applications in detail, click the
Advanced button available when configuring the firewall in Expert View.
You can see the firewall rules listed by the order they are checked in. The table
columns provide comprehensive information about each rule.
Note
When a connection attempt is made (whether incoming or outgoing), Acronis Internet
Security applies the action of the first rule matching the respective connection.
Therefore, the order by which rules are checked is very important.
To delete a rule, select it and click the Delete Rule button.
To edit an existing rule, select it and click the Edit Rule button or double-click it.
You can increase or decrease the priority of a rule. Click the Move Up In List
button to increase the priority of the selected rule by one level, or click the Move
Down In List button to decrease the priority of the selected rule by one level. To
assign a rule the highest priority, click the Move First button. To assign a rule
the lowest priority, click the Move Last button.
Click Close to close the window.
16.2.5. Deleting and Reseting Rules
Deleting and reseting rules is possible only when configuring the firewall in Expert
View.
Firewall
104
To delete a rule, select it and click the Remove rule button. You can select and
delete several rules at once.
If you want to delete all the rules created for a specific application, select the
application from the list and click the Remove rule button.
If you want to load the default rule set for the selected trust level, click Reset Rules.
16.3. Network Settings
To configure the network connection settings, open Acronis Internet Security and,
depending on the user interface view mode, proceed as follows:
Intermediate View
Go to the Security tab and click Configure Firewall in the Quick Tasks area
on the left side of the window. Select the Network tab in the new window that
appears.
Expert View
Go to Firewall > Network.
The columns in the Network Configuration table provide detailed information on
the network you are connected to and allow you to configure the connection settings:
● Adapter - the network adapter your computer uses to connect to the network or
the Internet.
● Network Type - the type of network the adapter connects to. Depending on the
network adapter configuration, Acronis Internet Security may automatically select
a network type or prompt you for more information.
Change the type by clicking the arrow from the Network Type column and
selecting one of the available types from the list.
DescriptionNetwork Type
Disable the firewall for the respective adapter.Trusted (Allow
All)
Allow all traffic between your computer and computers in
the local network.
Home/Office
All traffic is filtered.Public
Completely block network and Internet traffic through the
respective adapter.
Untrusted (Block
All)
● VPN - whether the connection is a VPN.
Firewall
105
Traffic going through VPN connections is filtered differently than traffic going
through other network connections. If the connection is a VPN, click the arrow
from the VPN column and select Yes.
In Expert View, two additional columns are displayed:
● Stealth Mode - whether you can be detected by other computers.
To configure the Stealth Mode, click the arrow from the Stealth Mode column
and select the desired option.
DescriptionStealth option
Stealth Mode is on. Your computer is not visible from
both the local network and the Internet.
On
Stealth Mode is off. Anyone from the local network
or the Internet can ping and detect your computer.
Off
Your computer cannot be detected from the Internet.
Local network users can ping and detect your
computer.
Remote
● Generic - whether generic rules are applied to this connection.
If the IP address of a network adapter is changed, Acronis Internet Security
modifies the network type accordingly. If you want to keep the same type, click
the arrow from the Generic column and select Yes.
16.3.1. Network Zones
You can add allowed or blocked computers for a specific adapter.
A trusted zone is a computer that you fully trust. All traffic between your computer
and a trusted computer is allowed. To share resources with specific computers in
an unsecured wireless network, add them as allowed computers.
A blocked zone is a computer that you do not want to communicate at all with your
computer.
The Network Zones table displays the current network zones per adapter.
To add a zone, select the adapter and click Add Zone. A new window will appear.
Proceed as follows:
1. Select the IP address of the computer you want to add.
2. Select the action:
● Allow - to allow all traffic between your computer and the selected computer.
● Deny - to block all traffic between your computer and the selected computer.
Firewall
106
3. Click OK.
16.4. Devices
To manage devices connected to the network, open Acronis Internet Security and,
depending on the user interface view mode, proceed as follows:
Intermediate View
Go to the Security tab and click Configure Firewall in the Quick Tasks area
on the left side of the window. Select the Devices tab in the new window that
appears.
Expert View
Go to Firewall > Devices.
The printers, faxes and scanners detected in the network and the default actions
set for them are listed in the table. To change the status of a device, double-click
it in the table and select an action in the window that appears: allow or block
communication with the device.
Use the provided buttons to manage the device list:
● Add - add a device which does not appear in the list.
● Remove - remove a selected device from the list.
● Refresh Devices - initiate a new scan of the network to update the device list.
16.5. Connection Control
To monitor the current network / Internet activity (over TCP and UDP) sorted by
application and to open the Acronis Internet Security Firewall log, follow these steps:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Firewall > Activity.
You can see the total traffic sorted by application. For each application, you can see
the connections and the open ports, as well as statistics regarding the outgoing &
incoming traffic speed and the total amount of data sent / received.
If you want to see the inactive processes too, clear the Hide inactive processes
check box.
The meaning of the icons is as follows:
● Indicates an outgoing connection.
● Indicates an incoming connection.
● Indicates an open port on your computer.
Firewall
107
The window presents the current network / Internet activity in real-time. As
connections or ports are closed, you can see that the corresponding statistics are
dimmed and that, eventually, they disappear. The same thing happens to all statistics
corresponding to an application which generates traffic or has open ports and which
you close.
For a comprehensive list of events regarding the Firewall module usage
(enabling/disabling firewall, traffic blocking, modifying settings) or generated by
the activities detected by this module (scanning ports, blocking connection attempts
or traffic according to the rules) view the Acronis Internet Security Firewall log file
by clicking Show Log. The file is located in the Common Files folder of the current
Windows user, under the path: ...Acronis Internet Security\Acronis
Internet Security Firewall\bdfirewall.txt.
If you want the log to contain more information, select Increase log verbosity.
16.6. Troubleshooting Firewall
In case you experience an issue you suspect is caused by the Acronis Internet
Security Firewall, a Troubleshoot Wizard is available to help you solve it.
To start the wizard, open Acronis Internet Security and, depending on the user
interface view mode, proceed as follows:
Intermediate View
Go to the Security tab and click Configure Firewall in the Quick Tasks area
on the left side of the window. Select the Settings tab in the new window that
appears and click Troubleshoot.
Expert View
Go to Firewall > Settings and click Troubleshoot.
The wizard can help you quickly solve the following connectivity problems commonly
associated with the firewall configuration:
● I am trying to print and the action fails.
● I am trying to access a computer in my network and the action fails.
● I am trying to access the Internet and the action fails.
If none of the situations describes the problem you are experiencing, select Other
Firewall Problem to open the Support Tool window.
For more information on this wizard, please refer to the Troubleshooting section of
this guide
Firewall
108
17. Vulnerability
An important step in protecting your computer against malicious persons and
applications is to keep up to date the operating system and the applications you
regularly use. Moreover, to prevent unauthorized physical access to your computer,
strong passwords (passwords that cannot be easily guessed) must be configured
for each Windows user account.
Acronis Internet Security regularly checks your system for vulnerabilities and notifies
you about the existing issues.
17.1. Checking for Vulnerabilities
You can check for vulnerabilities and fix them step by step by using the
Vulnerability Scan wizard. To start the wizard, open Acronis Internet Security and,
depending on the user interface view mode, proceed as follows:
Intermediate View
Go to the Security tab and click Vulnerability Scan in the Quick Tasks area
on the left side of the window.
Expert View
Go to Vulnerability > Status and click Check Now.
Follow the six-step guided procedure to remove vulnerabilities from your system.
You can navigate through the wizard using the Next button. To exit the wizard,
click Cancel.
1. Protect your PC
Select vulnerabilities to check.
2. Check for Issues
Wait for Acronis Internet Security to finish checking your system for vulnerabilities.
3. Windows Updates
You can see the list of critical and non-critical Windows updates that are not
currently installed on your computer. Select the updates you want to install.
4. Application Updates
If an application is not up to date, click the provided link to download the latest
version.
5. Weak Passwords
You can see the list of the Windows user accounts configured on your computer
and the level of protection their password provides. Click Fix to modify the weak
passwords.
6. Summary
Vulnerability
109
This is where you can view the operation result.
17.2. Status
To see the current vulnerability status and enable/disable automatic vulnerability
scanning, follow these steps:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Vulnerability > Status.
The table displays the issues covered in the last vulnerability check and their status.
You can see the action you have to take to fix each vulnerability, if any. If the action
is None, then the respective issue does not represent a vulnerability.
Important
To be automatically notified about system or application vulnerabilities, keep the
Automatic Vulnerability Scanning enabled.
Depending on the issue, to fix a specific vulnerability proceed as follows:
● If Windows updates are available, click Install in the Action column to install
them.
● If an application is outdated, click More info to view version information and find
a link to the vendor web page from where you can install the latest version of
that application.
● If a Windows user account has a weak password, click View & Fix to force the
user to change the password at the next logon or change the password yourself.
For a strong password, use a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters,
numbers and special characters (such as #, $ or @).
● If the Media Autorun feature is enabled in Windows, click Fix to disable it.
17.3. Settings
To configure the settings of the automatic vulnerability checking, follow these steps:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Vulnerability > Settings.
3. Select the check boxes corresponding to the system vulnerabilities you want to
be regularly checked.
● Critical Windows Updates
● Regular Windows Updates
● Application Updates
● Weak Passwords
Vulnerability
110
● Media Autorun
Note
If you clear the check box corresponding to a specific vulnerability, Acronis Internet
Security will no longer notify you about the related issues.
Vulnerability
111
18. Chat Encryption
The contents of your instant messages should remain between you and your chat
partner. By encrypting your conversations, you can make sure anyone trying to
intercept them on their way to and from your contacts will not be able to read their
contents.
By default, Acronis Internet Security encrypts all your instant messaging chat
sessions provided that:
● Your chat partner has a Acronis Internet Security product installed that supports
Chat Encryption and Chat Encryption is enabled for the instant messaging
application used for chatting.
● You and your chat partner use either Yahoo Messenger or Windows Live (MSN)
Messenger.
Important
Acronis Internet Security will not encrypt a conversation if a chat partner uses a
web-based chat application such as Meebo, or if one of the chat partners uses
Yahoo! and the other Windows Live (MSN).
To configure instant messaging encryption:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Encryption > Chat Encryption.
Note
You can easily configure instant messaging encryption for each chat partner using
the Acronis Internet Security toolbar in the chat window.
By default, Chat Encryption is enabled for both Yahoo Messenger and Windows Live
(MSN) Messenger. You can choose to disable Chat Encryption for a specific chat
application only or completely.
Two tables are displayed:
● Do not encrypt conversations with - lists the user IDs and the associated
instant messaging program for which encryption is disabled. To remove a contact
from the list, select it and click the Remove button.
● All Current Connections - lists the current instant messaging connections (user
ID and associated IM program) and whether or not they are encrypted. A
connection may not be encrypted for these reasons:
▶ You explicitly disabled encryption for the respective contact.
Chat Encryption
112
▶ Your contact does not have installed a Acronis Internet Security product that
supports Chat Encryption.
18.1. Disabling Encryption for Specific Users
To disable encryption for a specific user, follow these steps:
1. Click the Add button to open the configuration window.
2. Type in the edit field the user ID of your contact.
3. Select the instant messaging application associated with the contact.
4. Click OK.
18.2. Acronis Internet Security Toolbar in the Chat Window
You can easily configure instant messaging encryption using the Acronis Internet
Security toolbar from the chat window.
The toolbar should be located in the bottom-right corner of the chat window. Look
for the Acronis Internet Security logo to find it.
Note
The toolbar indicates that a conversation is encrypted by displaying a small key
next to the Acronis Internet Security logo.
By clicking the Acronis Internet Security toolbar you are provided with the following
options:
● Permanently disable encryption for contact.
● Invite contact to use encryption. To encrypt your conversations, your contact
must install Acronis Internet Security and use a compatible IM program.
● Add contact to Parental Control blacklist. If you add the contact to the
Parental Control blacklist and Parental Control is enabled, you will no longer see
the instant messages sent by that contact. To remove the contact from the
blacklist, click the toolbar and select Remove contact from Parental Control
blacklist.
Chat Encryption
113
19. File Encryption
Acronis Internet Security File Encryption enables you to create encrypted,
password-protected logical drives (or vaults) on your computer where you can
securely store your confidential and sensitive documents. The data stored on the
vaults can only be accessed by users who know the password.
The password allows you to open, store data on and close a vault while maintaining
its security. While a vault is open, you can add new files, access current files or
change them.
Physically, the vault is a file stored on the local hard drive having the .bvd extension.
Although the physical files representing the vaulted drives can be accessed from a
different operating system (such as Linux), the information stored on them cannot
be read because it is encrypted.
File Encryption is enabled by default. To disable it, follow these steps:
1.
Right-click the Acronis Internet Security icon in the system tray and select
Preferences.
2. In the Preferences window that appears, click the switch corresponding to File
Encryption.
If you disable File Encryption, all file vaults will be locked and you will no longer be
able to access the files they contain.
File vaults can be managed from the Acronis Internet Security window or by using
the Windows contextual menu and logical drive associated with the vault.
19.1. Managing File Vaults From the Acronis Internet Security
Interface
The way in which you can access and manage your file vaults differs depending on
the interface view mode you use. The following section detail how you can manage
file vaults.
19.1.1. Create Vault
To create a new vault, open Acronis Internet Security and, depending on the user
interface view mode, proceed as follows:
Intermediate View
Go to File Storage and click Create File Vault in the File Encryption area.
Expert View
Go to Encryption > File Encryption in Expert View and do one of the following:
● Click Choose Action above the file vaults table and select Create File Vault
from the menu.
File Encryption
114
● Right-click in the vaults table and select Create File Vault.
A new window will appear.
1. Specify the location and the name of the vault file.
● Click Browse, select the location of the vault and save the vault file under the
desired name.
● Type the name and the path of the vault file on the disk in the corresponding
fields .
2. Choose a drive letter from the menu. When you open the vault, a virtual disk
drive labeled with the selected letter appears in My Computer.
3. If you want to change the default size (50 MB) of the vault, type the desired value
in the Vault size field.
4. Type the desired password to the vault in the Password and Confirm fields.
Anyone trying to open the vault and access its files must provide the password.
5. Click Create if you only want to create the vault at the selected location. To
create and display the vault as a virtual disk drive in My Computer, click
Create&Open.
Acronis Internet Security will immediately inform you about the result of the
operation. If an error has occurred, use the error message to troubleshoot the error.
Click OK to close the window.
Note
It may be convenient to save all file vaults to the same location. In this way, you can
find them quicker.
19.1.2. Open Vault
In order to access and work with the files stored in a vault, you must open the vault.
When you open the vault, a virtual disk drive appears in My Computer. The drive is
labeled with the drive letter assigned to the vault.
To open a vault, follow these steps:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Encryption > File Encryption and do one of the following:
● Select the vault from the table, click Choose Action above the file vaults table
and select Open File Vault from the menu.
● Right-click the vault in the table and select Open.
File Encryption
115
Note
If a previously created vault does not appear in the table, click Choose Action,
select Add an existing vault and browse to its location.
A new window will appear.
3. The vault name and path on the disk are displayed. Choose a drive letter from
the menu.
4. Type the vault password in the Password field.
5. Click Open.
Acronis Internet Security will immediately inform you about the result of the
operation. If an error has occurred, use the error message to troubleshoot the error.
19.1.3. Lock Vault
When you are done with your work in a file vault, you must lock it in order to protect
your data. By locking the vault, the corresponding virtual disk drive disappears from
My Computer. Consequently, access to the data stored in the vault is completely
blocked.
To lock a vault, open Acronis Internet Security and, depending on the user interface
view mode, proceed as follows:
Intermediate View
Go to File Storage and do one of the following:
● Click the file vault in the File Encryption area and select Lock from the
menu.
● Click Lock File Vault in the Quick Tasks area.
A wizard will appear to help you lock a vault. You can navigate through the
wizard using the Next and Back buttons. To exit the wizard, click Cancel.
1. Select File Vault
Here you can specify the vault to lock.
2. Confirm
This is where you can review chosen operations.
3. Finish
This is where you can view operation result.
Expert View
Go to Encryption > File Encryption and do one of the following:
● Select the vault from the table, click Choose Action above the file vaults
table and select Lock File Vault from the menu.
File Encryption
116
● Right-click the vault in the table and select Lock.
Acronis Internet Security will immediately inform you about the result of the
operation. If an error has occurred, use the error message to troubleshoot the error.
Click OK to close the window.
19.1.4. Change Vault Password
The vault must be locked before you can change its password. To change the
password of a vault, follow these steps:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Encryption > File Encryption and do one of the following.
● Select the vault from the table, click Choose Action above the file vaults table
and select Change Password from the menu.
● Right-click the vault in the table and select Change password.
A new window will appear.
3. Type the current password of the vault in the Old password field.
4. Type the new password of the vault in the New password and Confirm new
password fields.
Note
The password must have at least 8 characters. For a strong password, use a
combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and special characters
(such as #, $ or @).
5. Click OK to change the password.
Acronis Internet Security will immediately inform you about the result of the
operation. If an error has occurred, use the error message to troubleshoot the error.
Click OK to close the window.
19.1.5. Add Files to Vault
To add files to a vault, open Acronis Internet Security and, depending on the user
interface view mode, proceed as follows:
Intermediate View
Go to File Storage and click Add File to Vault in the Quick Tasks area.
A wizard will appear to help you add files to a vault. You can navigate through
the wizard using the Next and Back buttons. To exit the wizard, click Cancel.
1. Select files & folders
File Encryption
117
Click Add target to select the files/folders that will be added to the vault.
2. Select File Vault
You can select an existing vault, browse for a previously created vault or
create a new one in which to add the files.
3. Create File Vault
If you have chosen to create a new vault, this is where you specify the
necessary information about it. For more information, please refer to “Create
Vault” (p. 114)
4. Enter password
If you have selected a locked vault, you must enter the password to open it.
5. Confirm
This is where you can review chosen operations.
6. File Vault Content
This is where you can view the vault content.
Expert View
1. Go to Encryption > File Encryption.
2. Select from the vaults table the vault you want to add files in. If the vault is
locked, you must first open it (right-click it and select Open vault).
3. The File Vault Content table appears. Right-click inside it and select Add
files / folders.
4. Select the files / folders you want to add to the vault.
5. Click OK to copy the selected objects into the vault.
19.1.6. Remove Files from Vault
To remove a file from a vault, open Acronis Internet Security and, depending on the
user interface view mode, proceed as follows:
Intermediate View
Go to File Storage and click Remove Vault Files in the Quick Tasks area.
A wizard will appear to help you remove files from a vault. You can navigate
through the wizard using the Next and Back buttons. To exit the wizard, click
Cancel.
1. Select File Vault
Here you can specify the vault to remove files from.
2. Enter password
File Encryption
118
If you have selected a locked vault, you must enter the password to open it.
3. File Vault Content
Select the files/folders that will be removed from the vault.
4. Confirm
This is where you can review chosen operations.
5. Finish
This is where you can view the operation result.
Expert View
1. Go to Encryption > File Encryption.
2. Select from the vaults table the vault containing the file to be removed. If
the vault is locked, you must first open it (right-click it and select Open
vault).
3. Right-click the file to be removed from the table that displays the vault
content and select Delete.
19.1.7. View Vault Contents
To view the contents of a file vault, open Acronis Internet Security and, depending
on the user interface view mode, proceed as follows:
Intermediate View
Go to File Storage and do one of the following:
● Click View File Vault in the Quick Tasks area.
● Click the file vault in the File Encryption area and select View in the menu
that appears.
A wizard will appear to help you view the files in the vault. You can navigate
through the wizard using the Next and Back buttons. To exit the wizard, click
Cancel.
1. Select File Vault
Here you can specify the vault to view files from.
2. Enter password
If you have selected a locked vault, you must enter the password to open it.
3. Confirm
This is where you can review chosen operations.
4. File Vault Content
This is where you can view the operation result.
File Encryption
119
Expert View
1. Go to Encryption > File Encryption.
2. Select from the vaults table the vault whose contents you want to see. If the
vault is locked, you must first open it (right-click it and select Open vault).
The table at the bottom displays the content of the selected vault.
19.1.8. Delete File Vault
To delete a file vault, open Acronis Internet Security and, depending on the user
interface view mode, proceed as follows:
Intermediate View
1. Go to File Storage.
2. Click the file vault in the File Encryption area.
3. If the vault is open, select Lock in the menu that appears and then click the
vault again. If the vault is locked, move to the next step.
4. Select Delete in the menu that appears.
Expert View
1. Go to Encryption > File Encryption.
2. Select the vault from the table, click Choose Action above the file vaults
table and select Delete Vault from the menu.
3. Confirm the action by clicking Yes in the window that appears.
Important
When you delete a file vault all its contents are also deleted.
19.2. Managing File Vaults From Windows
Acronis Internet Security integrates into Windows to help you manage your file
vaults more easily.
The Windows contextual menu appears whenever you right-click a file or folder on
your computer or objects on your desktop. Simply point to Acronis Internet Security
File Vault in this menu and you gain access to all available vault operations.
Additionally, whenever you open (mount) a vault a new logical partition (a new
drive) will appear. Just open My Computer and you will see a new drive based on
your file vault. You will be able to do file operations on it (copy, delete, change, etc).
The files are protected as long as they reside on this drive (because a password is
required for the mounting operation). When finished, lock (unmount) your vault in
order to start protecting its content.
File Encryption
120
You can easily identify the Acronis Internet Security file vaults on your computer
by the Acronis Internet Security icon and the .bvd extension.
19.2.1. Create Vault
Keep in mind that a vault is actually just a file with the .bvd extension. Only when
you open the vault, a virtual disk drive appears in My Computer and you can safely
store files inside it. When creating a vault, you must specify where and under which
name to save it on your computer. You must also specify a password to protect its
content. Only users who know the password can open the vault and access the
documents and data stored inside it.
To create a vault, follow these steps:
1. Right-click on your Desktop or in a folder on your computer, point to Acronis
Internet Security File Vault and select Create File Vault. A new window will
appear.
2. Specify the location and the name of the vault file.
● Click Browse, select the location of the vault and save the vault file under the
desired name.
● Type the name and the path of the vault file on the disk in the corresponding
fields.
3. Choose a drive letter from the menu. When you open the vault, a virtual disk
drive labeled with the selected letter appears in My Computer.
4. Type the desired password to the vault in the Password and Confirm fields.
Anyone trying to open the vault and access its files must provide the password.
5. Select Format drive to format the virtual drive assigned to the vault. You must
format the drive before you can add files to the vault.
6. If you want to change the default size (50 MB) of the vault, type the desired value
in the Vault size field.
7. Click Create if you only want to create the vault at the selected location. To
create and display the vault as a virtual disk drive in My Computer, click
Create&Open.
Acronis Internet Security will immediately inform you about the result of the
operation. If an error has occurred, use the error message to troubleshoot the error.
Click OK to close the window.
Note
It may be convenient to save all file vaults to the same location. In this way, you can
find them quicker.
File Encryption
121
19.2.2. Open Vault
In order to access and work with the files stored in a vault, you must open the vault.
When you open the vault, a virtual disk drive appears in My Computer. The drive is
labeled with the drive letter assigned to the vault.
To open a vault, follow these steps:
1. Locate on your computer the .bvd file representing the vault you want to open.
2. Right-click the file, point to Acronis Internet Security File Vault and select
Open. Quicker alternatives would be to double-click the file, or to right-click it
and select Open. A new window will appear.
3. Choose a drive letter from the menu.
4. Type the vault password in the Password field.
5. Click Open.
Acronis Internet Security will immediately inform you about the result of the
operation. If an error has occurred, use the error message to troubleshoot the error.
Click OK to close the window.
19.2.3. Lock Vault
When you are done with your work in a file vault, you must lock it in order to protect
your data. By locking the vault, the corresponding virtual disk drive disappears from
My Computer. Consequently, access to the data stored in the vault is completely
blocked.
To lock a vault, follow these steps:
1.
Open My Computer (click the Windows Start menu and then My Computer).
2. Identify the virtual disk drive corresponding to the vault you want to close. Look
for the drive letter you assigned to the vault when you opened it.
3. Right-click the respective virtual disk drive, point to Acronis Internet Security
File Vault and click Close.
You can also right-click the .bvd file representing the vault, point to Acronis
Internet Security File Vault and click Close.
Acronis Internet Security will immediately inform you about the result of the
operation. If an error has occurred, use the error message to troubleshoot the error.
Click OK to close the window.
Note
If several vaults are open, you may want to use the Acronis Internet Security Expert
View interface. If you go to Encryption, File Encryption tab, you can see a table
File Encryption
122
which provides information on the existing vaults. This information includes whether
the vault is open and, if so, the drive letter it was assigned.
19.2.4. Add to File Vault
Before you can add files or folders to a vault, you must open the vault. Once a vault
is open, you can easily store files or folders inside it using the contextual menu.
Right-click the file or folder you want to copy to a vault, point to Acronis Internet
Security File Vault and click Add to File Vault.
● If only one vault is open, the file or folder is copied directly to that vault.
● If several vaults are open, you will be prompted to choose the vault to copy the
item to. Select from the menu the drive letter corresponding to the desired vault
and click OK to copy the item.
You can also use the virtual disk drive corresponding to the vault. Follow these
steps:
1.
Open My Computer (click the Windows Start menu and then My Computer).
2. Enter the virtual disk drive corresponding to the vault. Look for the drive letter
you assigned to the vault when you opened it.
3. Copy-paste or drag&drop files and folders directly to this virtual disk drive.
19.2.5. Remove from File Vault
In order to remove files or folders from a vault, the vault must be open. To remove
files or folders from a vault, follow these steps:
1.
Open My Computer (click the Windows Start menu and then My Computer).
2. Enter the virtual disk drive corresponding to the vault. Look for the drive letter
you assigned to the vault when you opened it.
3. Remove files or folders as you normally do in Windows (for example, right-click
a file you want to delete and select Delete).
19.2.6. Change Vault Password
The password protects the content of a vault from unauthorized access. Only users
who know the password can open the vault and access the documents and data
stored inside it.
The vault must be locked before you can change its password. To change the
password of a vault, follow these steps:
1. Locate on your computer the .bvd file representing the vault.
2. Right-click the file, point to Acronis Internet Security File Vault and select
Change Vault Password. A new window will appear.
File Encryption
123
3. Type the current password of the vault in the Old Password field.
4. Type the new password of the vault in the New Password and Confirm New
Password fields.
Note
The password must have at least 8 characters. For a strong password, use a
combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and special characters
(such as #, $ or @).
5. Click OK to change the password.
Acronis Internet Security will immediately inform you about the result of the
operation. If an error has occurred, use the error message to troubleshoot the error.
Click OK to close the window.
File Encryption
124
20. Game / Laptop Mode
The Game / Laptop Mode module allows you to configure the special operation
modes of Acronis Internet Security:
● Game Mode temporarily modifies the product settings so as to minimize the
resource consumption when you play.
● Laptop Mode prevents scheduled tasks from running when the laptop is running
on battery in order to save battery power.
● Silent Mode temporarily modifies the product settings so as to minimize the
interruptions when you watch movies or presentations.
20.1. Game Mode
Game Mode temporarily modifies protection settings so as to minimize their impact
on system performance. While in Game Mode, the following settings are applied:
● All Acronis Internet Security alerts and pop-ups are disabled.
● The Acronis Internet Security real-time protection level is set to Permissive.
● The Acronis Internet Security firewall is set to Allow all. This means that all new
connections (both incoming and outgoing) are automatically allowed, regardless
of the port and protocol being used.
● Updates are not performed by default.
Note
To change this setting, go to Update>Settings and clear the Don't update if
Game Mode is on check box.
By default, Acronis Internet Security automatically enters Game Mode when you
start a game from the Acronis Internet Security's list of known games or when an
application goes to full screen. You can manually enter Game Mode using the default
Ctrl+Alt+Shift+G hotkey. It is strongly recommended that you exit Game Mode
when you finished playing (you can use the same default Ctrl+Alt+Shift+G
hotkey).
Note
While in Game Mode, you can see the letter G over the Acronis Internet Security
icon.
To configure Game Mode:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
Game / Laptop Mode
125
2. Go to Game/Laptop Mode > Game Mode.
At the top of the section, you can see the status of the Game Mode. You can click
Game Mode is enabled or Game Mode is turned off to change the current
status.
20.1.1. Configuring Automatic Game Mode
Automatic Game Mode allows Acronis Internet Security to automatically enter Game
Mode when a game is detected. You can configure the following options:
● Use the default list of games provided by Acronis Internet Security - to
automatically enter Game Mode when you start a game from the Acronis Internet
Security's list of known games. To view this list, click Manage Games and then
Games List.
● Full screen action - you can choose to automatically enter Game Mode or Silent
Mode when an application goes to full screen.
● Ask me if I want to add applications in full screen to the whitelist - to be
prompted to add a new game to the whitelist when you leave full screen. By
adding a new game to the whitelist, the next time you start it Acronis Internet
Security will automatically enter Game Mode.
Note
If you do not want Acronis Internet Security to automatically enter Game Mode, clear
the Automatic Game Mode is enabled check box.
20.1.2. Managing the Game List
Acronis Internet Security automatically enters Game Mode when you start an
application from the game list. To view and manage the game list, click Manage
Games. A new window will appear.
New applications are automatically added to the list when:
● You start a game from the Acronis Internet Security's list of known games. To
view this list, click Games List.
● After leaving full screen, you add the application to the game list from the prompt
window.
If you want to disable Automatic Game Mode for a specific application from the list,
clear its corresponding check box. You should disable Automatic Game Mode for
regular applications that go to full screen, such as web browsers and movie players.
To manage the game list, you can use the buttons placed at the top of the table:
● Add - add a new application to the game list.
● Remove - remove an application from the game list.
Game / Laptop Mode
126
● Edit - edit an existing entry in the game list.
20.1.3. Adding or Editing Games
When you add or edit an entry from the game list, a new window will appear.
Click Browse to select the application or type the full path to the application in the
edit field.
If you do not want to automatically enter Game Mode when the selected application
is started, select Disable.
Click OK to add the entry to the game list.
20.1.4. Configuring Game Mode Settings
To configure the behaviour on scheduled tasks, use these options:
● Enable this module to modify Antivirus scan tasks schedules - to prevent
scheduled scan tasks from running while in Game Mode. You can choose one of
the following options:
DescriptionOption
Do not run the scheduled task at all.Skip Task
Run the scheduled task immediately after you exit Game
Mode.
Postpone Task
To automatically disable the Acronis Internet Security firewall while in Game Mode,
follow these steps:
1. Click Advanced Settings. A new window will appear.
2. Select the Set Firewall on Allow All check box.
3. Click OK to save the changes.
20.1.5. Changing Game Mode Hotkey
You can manually enter Game Mode using the default Ctrl+Alt+Shift+G hotkey.
If you want to change the hotkey, follow these steps:
1. Click Advanced Settings. A new window will appear.
2. Under the Enable Game Mode Hotkeys option, set the desired hotkey:
● Choose the modifier keys you want to use by checking one the following: Control
key (Ctrl), Shift key (Shift) or Alternate key (Alt).
● In the edit field, type the letter corresponding to the regular key you want to
use.
Game / Laptop Mode
127
For example, if you want to use the Ctrl+Alt+D hotkey, you must check only
Ctrl and Alt and type D.
Note
To disable the hotkey, clear the Enable Game Mode Hotkeys check box.
3. Click OK to save the changes.
20.2. Laptop Mode
Laptop Mode is especially designed for laptop and notebook users. Its purpose is to
minimize Acronis Internet Security's impact on power consumption while these
devices are running on battery.
While in Laptop Mode, scheduled tasks are by default not performed.
Acronis Internet Security detects when your laptop has switched to battery power
and it automatically enters Laptop Mode. Likewise, Acronis Internet Security
automatically exits Laptop Mode, when it detects the laptop is no longer running
on battery.
To configure Laptop Mode:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Game/Laptop Mode > Laptop Mode.
You can see whether Laptop Mode is enabled or not. If Laptop Mode is enabled,
Acronis Internet Security will apply the configured settings while the laptop is running
on battery.
20.2.1. Configuring Laptop Mode Settings
To configure the behaviour on scheduled tasks, use these options:
● Enable this module to modify Antivirus scan tasks schedules - to prevent
scheduled scan tasks from running while in Laptop Mode. You can choose one of
the following options:
DescriptionOption
Do not run the scheduled task at all.Skip Task
Run the scheduled task immediately after you exit Laptop
Mode.
Postpone Task
Game / Laptop Mode
128
20.3. Silent Mode
Silent Mode temporarily modifies protection settings so as to minimize their impact
on system performance. While in Silent Mode the following settings are applied:
● All Acronis Internet Security alerts and pop-ups are disabled.
● The Acronis Internet Security firewall is set to Allow all. This means that all new
connections (both incoming and outgoing) are automatically allowed, regardless
of the port and protocol being used.
● Scheduled scan tasks are by default disabled.
By default, Acronis Internet Security automatically enters Silent Mode when you
watch a movie or a presentation or when an application goes to full screen. It is
strongly recommended that you exit Silent Mode when you finished watching the
movie or the presentation.
Note
While in Silent Mode, you can see a slight modification of the little Acronis Internet
Security icon located next to your computer clock.
To configure Silent Mode:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Game/Laptop Mode > Silent Mode.
At the top of the section, you can see the status of the Silent Mode. You can click
Silent Mode is enabled or Silent Mode is disabled to change the current status.
20.3.1. Configuring Full Screen Action
You can configure the following options:
● Full screen action - you can choose to automatically enter Game Mode or Silent
Mode when an application goes to full screen.
● Ask me if I want to add applications in full screen to the whitelist - to be
prompted to add a new application to the whitelist when you leave full screen.
By adding a new application to the whitelist, the next time you start it Acronis
Internet Security will automatically enter Silent Mode.
Note
If you do not want Acronis Internet Security to automatically enter Silent Mode, clear
the Full Screen Action check box.
20.3.2. Configuring Silent Mode Settings
To configure the behaviour on scheduled tasks, use these options:
Game / Laptop Mode
129
● Enable this module to modify Antivirus scan tasks schedules - to prevent
scheduled scan tasks from running while in Silent Mode. You can choose one of
the following options:
DescriptionOption
Do not run the scheduled task at all.Skip Task
Run the scheduled task immediately after you exit Silent
Mode.
Postpone Task
Game / Laptop Mode
130
21. Home Network
The Network module allows you to manage the Acronis Internet Security products
installed on your home computers from a single computer. To access the Home
Network module, open Acronis Internet Security and, depending on the user interface
view mode, proceed as follows:
Intermediate View
Go to the Network tab.
Expert View
Go to Home Network.
Note
You can also add a shortcut to My Tools.
To be able to manage the Acronis Internet Security products installed on your home
computers, you must follow these steps:
1. Enable the Acronis Internet Security home network on your computer. Set your
computer as Server.
2. Go to each computer you want to manage and join the network (set the password).
Set each computer as Regular.
3. Go back to your computer and add the computers you want to manage.
21.1. Enabling the Acronis Internet Security Network
To enable the Acronis Internet Security home network, follow these steps:
1. Click Enable Network. You will be prompted to configure the home management
password.
2. Type the same password in each of the edit fields.
3. Set the role of the computer in the Acronis Internet Security home network:
● Server Computer - select this option on the computer that will be used to
manage all the other ones.
● Regular Computer - select this option on the computers that will be managed
by the Server Computer.
4. Click OK.
You can see the computer name appearing in the network map.
The Disable Network button appears.
Home Network
131
21.2. Adding Computers to the Acronis Internet Security
Network
Any computer will be automatically added to the network if it meets the following
criteria:
● the Acronis Internet Security home network was enabled on it.
● the role was set to Regular Computer.
● the password set when enabling the network is the same as the password set on
the Server Computer.
Note
In Expert View, you can scan the home network for computers meeting the criteria
at any time by clicking the Auto discover button.
To manually add a computer to the Acronis Internet Security home network from
the Server Computer, follow these steps:
1. Click Add Computer.
2. Type the home management password and click OK. A new window will appear.
You can see the list of computers in the network. The icon meaning is as follows:
Indicates an online computer with no Acronis Internet Security products
installed.
Indicates an online computer with Acronis Internet Security installed.
Indicates an offline computer with Acronis Internet Security installed.
3. Do one of the following:
● Select from the list the name of the computer to add.
● Type the IP address or the name of the computer to add in the corresponding
field.
4. Click Add. You will be prompted to enter the home management password of
the respective computer.
5. Type the home management password configured on the respective computer.
6. Click OK. If you have provided the correct password, the selected computer name
will appear in the network map.
21.3. Managing the Acronis Internet Security Network
Once you have successfully created a Acronis Internet Security home network, you
can manage all Acronis Internet Security products from a single computer.
Home Network
132
If you move the mouse cursor over a computer from the network map, you can see
brief information about it (name, IP address, number of issues affecting the system
security, Acronis Internet Security registration status).
If you click a computer name in the network map, you can see all the administrative
tasks you can run on the remote computer.
● Set a settings password on a remote PC
Allows you to create a password to restrict access to Acronis Internet Security
settings on this PC.
● Run an on-demand scan task
Allows you to run an on-demand scan on the remote computer. You can perform
any of the following scan tasks: My Documents Scan, System Scan or Deep System
Scan.
● Fix all issues on this PC
Allows you to fix the issues that are affecting the security of this computer by
following the Fix All Issues wizard.
● View History/Events
Allows you access to the History&Events module of the Acronis Internet Security
product installed on this computer.
● Update Now
Intitiates the Update process for the Acronis Internet Security product installed
on this computer.
● Set Parental Control Profile
Allows you to set the age category to be used by the Parental Control web filter
on this computer.
● Set as Update Server for this network
Allows you to set this computer as update server for all Acronis Internet Security
products installed on the computers in this network. Using this option will reduce
internet traffic, because only one computer in the network will connect to the
internet to download updates.
● Remove PC from home network
Allows you to remove a PC from the network.
When the Acronis Internet Security interface is in Intermediate View, you can run
several tasks on all managed computers at the same time by clicking the
corresponding buttons.
● Scan All - allows you to scan all managed computers at the same time.
● Update All allows you to update all managed computers at the same time.
Home Network
133
Before running a task on a specific computer, you will be prompted to provide the
local home management password. Type the home management password and
click OK.
Note
If you plan to run several tasks, you might want to select Don't show this message
again this session. By selecting this option, you will not be prompted again for this
password during the current session.
Home Network
134
22. Update
New malware is found and identified every day. This is why it is very important to
keep Acronis Internet Security up to date with the latest malware signatures.
If you are connected to the Internet through broadband or DSL, Acronis Internet
Security takes care of this itself. By default, it checks for updates when you turn on
your computer and every hour after that.
If an update is detected, you may be asked to confirm the update or the update is
performed automatically, depending on the automatic update settings.
The update process is performed on the fly, meaning that the files to be updated
are replaced progressively. In this way, the update process will not affect product
operation and, at the same time, any vulnerability will be excluded.
Important
To be protected against the latest threats keep the Automatic Update enabled.
Updates come in the following ways:
● Updates for the antivirus engines - as new threats appear, the files containing
virus signatures must be updated to ensure permanent up-to-date protection
against them. This update type is also known as Virus Definitions Update.
● Updates for the antispam engines - new rules will be added to the heuristic
and URL filters and new images will be added to the Image filter. This will help
increase the effectiveness of your Antispam engine. This update type is also
known as Antispam Update.
● Updates for the antispyware engines - new spyware signatures will be added
to the database. This update type is also known as Antispyware Update.
● Product upgrades - when a new product version is released, new features and
scan techniques are introduced to the effect of improving the product's
performance. This update type is also known as Product Update.
22.1. Performing an Update
The automatic update can be done anytime you want by clicking Update Now.
This update is also known as Update by user request.
To update Acronis Internet Security, depending on the user interface mode, proceed
as follows:
Basic View
Click the Update Now icon in the Protect your PC area.
Update
135
Intermediate View
Go to the Security tab and click Update Now in the Quick Tasks area on the
left side of the window.
Expert View
Go to Update > Update.
The Update module will connect to the Acronis Internet Security update server and
will verify if any update is available. If an update was detected, depending on the
options set in the Manual Update Settings section, you will be asked to confirm the
update or the update will be made automatically.
Important
It may be necessary to restart the computer when you have completed the update.
We recommend doing it as soon as possible.
Note
If you are connected to the Internet through a dial-up connection, then it is
recommended to regularly update Acronis Internet Security by user request. For more
information, please refer to “How to Update Acronis Internet Security on a Slow
Internet Connection” (p. 155).
22.2. Configuring Update Settings
The updates can be performed from the local network, over the Internet, directly
or through a proxy server. By default, Acronis Internet Security will check for updates
every hour, over the Internet, and install the available updates without alerting you.
To configure the update settings:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Update > Settings.
3. Configure the settings as needed. To find out what an option does, keep the
mouse over it and read the description displayed at the bottom of the window.
4. Click Apply to save the changes.
To apply the default settings, click Default.
22.2.1. Setting Update Locations
To set the update locations, use the options from the Update Location Settings
category.
Update
136
Note
Configure these settings only if you are connected to a local network that stores
Acronis Internet Security malware signatures locally or if you connect to the Internet
through a proxy server.
To modify one of the update locations, enter the address of the local update server
in the corresponding field.
Note
We recommend you to set as primary update location the local mirror and to leave
the alternate update location unchanged, as a fail-safe plan in case the local mirror
becomes unavailable.
If your computer connects to the Internet through a proxy server, select Use proxy
and then configure the proxy settings. For more information, please refer to
“Connection Settings” (p. 35)
22.2.2. Configuring Automatic Update
To configure the update process performed automatically by Acronis Internet
Security, use the options in the Automatic Update Settings category.
You can specify the number of hours between two consecutive checks for updates
in the Update every field. By default, the update time interval is set to 1 hour.
To specify how the automatic update process should be performed, select one of
the following options:
● Silent update - Acronis Internet Security automatically downloads and
implements the update.
● Prompt before downloading updates - every time an update is available, you
will be prompted before downloading it.
● Prompt before installing updates - every time an update was downloaded,
you will be prompted before installing it.
22.2.3. Configuring Manual Update
To specify how the manual update (update by user request) should be performed,
select one of the following options in the Manual Update Settings category:
● Silent update - the manual update will be performed automatically in the
background, without user intervention.
● Prompt before downloading updates - every time an update is available, you
will be prompted before downloading it.
22.2.4. Configuring Advanced Settings
To prevent the Acronis Internet Security update process from interfering with your
work, configure the options in the Advanced Settings category:
Update
137
● Wait for reboot, instead of prompting - If an update requires a reboot, the
product will keep working with the old files until the system is rebooting. The user
will not be prompted for rebooting, therefore the Acronis Internet Security update
process will not interfere with the user’s work.
● Enable update sharing (P2P) - If you want to minimize the impact of the network
traffic on system performance during updates, use the update sharing option.
Acronis Internet Security uses ports 8880 - 8889 for peer-to-peer update.
● Upload Acronis Internet Security files from this PC - Acronis Internet Security
lets you share the latest antivirus signatures available on your PC with other
Acronis Internet Security users.
● Do not update if a scan is in progress - Acronis Internet Security will not
update if a scan process is running. This way, the Acronis Internet Security update
process will not interfere with the scan tasks.
Note
If Acronis Internet Security is updated while a scan is in progress, the scan process
will be aborted.
● Do not update if Game Mode is on - Acronis Internet Security will not update
if the Game Mode is turned on. In this way, you can minimize the product’s
influence on system performance during games.
Update
138
How To
139
23. How Do I Scan Files and Folders?
Scanning is easy and flexible with Acronis Internet Security. There are several ways
to set Acronis Internet Security to scan files and folders for viruses and other
malware:
● Using Windows Contextual Menu
● Using Scan Tasks
● Using Scan Activity Bar
Once you initiate a scan, the Antivirus Scan wizard will appear and guide you through
the process. For detailed information about this wizard, please refer to “Antivirus
Scan Wizard” (p. 46).
23.1. Using Windows Contextual Menu
This is the easiest and recommended way to scan a file or folder on your computer.
Right-click the object you want to scan and select Scan with Acronis Internet
Security from the menu. Follow the Antivirus Scan wizard to complete the scan.
Typical situations when you would use this scanning method include the following:
● You suspect a specific file or folder to be infected.
● Whenever you download from the Internet files that you think they might be
dangerous.
● Scan a network share before copying files to your computer.
23.2. Using Scan Tasks
If you want to scan your computer or specific folders regularly, you should consider
using scan tasks. Scan tasks instruct Acronis Internet Security what locations to
scan, and which scanning options and actions to apply. Moreover, you can schedule
them to run on a regular basis or at a specific time.
To scan your computer using scan tasks, you must open the Acronis Internet Security
interface and run the desired scan task. Depending on the user interface view mode,
different steps are to be followed to run the scan task.
Running Scan Tasks in Basic View
In Basic View, you can run a number of pre-configured scan tasks. Click the Security
button and choose the desired scan task. Follow the Antivirus Scan wizard to
complete the scan.
How Do I Scan Files and Folders?
140
Running Scan Tasks in Intermediate View
In Intermediate View, you can run a number of pre-configured scan tasks. You can
also configure and run custom scan tasks to scan specific locations on your computer
using custom scanning options. Follow these steps to run a scan task in Intermediate
View:
1. Click the Security tab.
2. On the left-side Quick Tasks area, click Full System Scan and choose the desired
scan task. To configure and run a custom scan, click Custom Scan.
3. Follow the Antivirus Scan wizard to complete the scan. If you chose to run a
custom scan, you must first complete the Custom Scan wizard.
Running Scan Tasks in Expert View
In Expert View, you can run all of the pre-configured scan tasks, and also change
their scanning options. Moreover, you can create customized scan tasks if you want
to scan specific locations on your computer. Follow these steps to run a scan task
in Expert View:
1. Click Antivirus on the left-side menu.
2. Click the Virus Scan tab. Here you can find a number of default scan tasks and
you can create your own scan tasks.
3. Double-click the scan task you want to run.
4. Follow the Antivirus Scan wizard to complete the scan.
23.3. Using Scan Activity Bar
Scan Activity Bar
The Scan activity bar is a graphic visualization of the
scanning activity on your system. This small window is by
default available only in Expert View.
You can use the Scan activity bar to quickly scan files and
folders. Drag & drop the file or folder you want to be
scanned onto the Scan activity bar. Follow the Antivirus
Scan wizard to complete the scan.
Note
For more information, please refer to “Scan Activity Bar” (p. 3).
How Do I Scan Files and Folders?
141
24. How Do I Create a Custom Scan Task?
To create a scan task, open Acronis Internet Security and depending on the user
interface view mode, proceed as follows:
Intermediate View
Go to the Security tab and click Custom Scan in the Quick Tasks area on the
left side of the window.
A wizard will appear to help you create a scan task. You can navigate through
the wizard using the Next and Back buttons. To exit the wizard, click Cancel.
1. Welcome
2. Choose Target
Click Add Target to select the files or folders to be scanned.
Click Advanced Settings. In the Overview tab, adjust the scanning options
by moving the cursor on the slider. If you want to configure the scanning
options in detail, click Custom. Go to the Scheduler tab to select when the
task will run.
3. Finish
This is where you can enter the task name and optionally add the scan to
the Quick Tasks area.
Click Start Scan to create the task and launch the scan wizard.
Expert View
1. Go to Antivirus > Virus Scan.
2. Click New Task. A new window will appear.
Note
You can also right-click a pre-defined scan task, such as Deep System Scan
and choose Clone Task. This is useful when creating new tasks, as you can
modify the settings of the task you have duplicated.
3. In the Overview tab, enter the task name and adjust the scanning options
by moving the cursor on the slider.
If you want to configure the scanning options in detail, click Custom.
4. Go to the Paths tab to select the scan target. Click Add Item(s) to select
the files or folders to be scanned.
5. Go to the Scheduler tab to select when the task will run.
6. Click Ok to save the task. The new task will appear under the User defined
tasks and can be edited, removed or run at any moment from this window.
How Do I Create a Custom Scan Task?
142
25. How Do I Schedule a Computer Scan?
Scanning your computer periodically is a best practice to keep your computer free
from malware. Acronis Internet Security allows you to schedule scan tasks so that
you can automatically scan your computer.
To schedule Acronis Internet Security to scan your computer, follow these steps:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security.
2. Depending on the user interface view mode, proceed as follows:
Intermediate View
Go to the Security tab, click Full System Scan in the Quick Tasks area and
select Schedule My Scans.
Expert View
Click Antivirus on the left-side menu.
3. Click the Virus Scan tab. Here you can find a number of default scan tasks and
you can create your own scan tasks.
● System tasks are available and can run on every Windows user account.
● User tasks are only available to and can only be run by the user who created
them.
These are the default scan tasks that you can schedule:
Full System Scan
Scans the entire system, except for archives. In the default configuration, it
scans for all types of malware other than rootkits.
Quick Scan
Quick Scan uses in-the-cloud scanning to detect malware running in your
system. Running a Quick Scan usually takes less than a minute and uses a
fraction of the system resources needed by a regular virus scan.
Auto-logon Scan
Scans the items that are run when a user logs on to Windows. To use this
task, you must schedule it to run at system startup. By default, the autologon
scan is disabled.
Deep System Scan
Scans the entire system. In the default configuration, it scans for all types
of malware threatening your system's security, such as viruses, spyware,
adware, rootkits and others.
My Documents
Use this task to scan important current user folders: My Documents,
Desktop and StartUp. This will ensure the safety of your documents, a
safe workspace and clean applications running at startup.
How Do I Schedule a Computer Scan?
143
If none of these scan tasks suit your needs, you can create a new scan task, which
you can then schedule to run as needed.
4. Choose a scan task and select Schedule. A new window will appear.
5. Schedule the task to run as needed:
● To run the scan task one-time only, select Once and specify the start date and
time.
● To run the scan task after the system startup, select On system startup. You
can specify how long after the startup the task should start running (in minutes).
● To run the scan task on a regular basis, select Periodically and specify the
frequency and the start date and time.
Note
For example, to scan your computer every Saturday at 2 AM, you must configure
the schedule as follows:
a. Select Periodically.
b. In the At every field, type 1 and then select weeks from the menu. In this way,
the task is run once every week.
c. Set as start date the first Saturday to come.
d.
Set as start time 2:00:00 AM.
6. Click OK to save the schedule. The scan task will run automatically according to
the schedule you have defined. If the computer is shut down when the schedule
is due, the task will run the next time you start your computer.
How Do I Schedule a Computer Scan?
144
26. How Do I Use File Vaults?
The Acronis Internet Security File Vault enables you to create encrypted,
password-protected logical drives (or vaults) on your computer where you can
securely store your confidential and sensitive documents. Physically, the vault is a
file stored on the local hard drive having the .bvd extension.
When you create a file vault, two aspects are important: the size and the password.
The default 50 MB size should be enough for your private documents, Excel files
and others the like. However, for videos or other large files you may need more
space.
To securely store your confidential or sensitive files or folders in Acronis Internet
Security file vaults, follow these steps:
● Create a file vault and set a strong password for it.
To create a vault, right-click an empty area of the Desktop or in a folder on your
computer, point to Acronis Internet Security File Vault and select Create vault.
A new window will appear. Proceed as follows:
1. Click Browse, select the location of the vault and save the vault file under the
desired name.
2. Choose a drive letter from the menu. When you open the vault, a virtual disk
drive labeled with the selected letter appears in My Computer.
3. Type the vault password in the Password and Confirm fields.
4. If you want to change the default size (50 MB) of the vault, type the desired
value in the Vault size field.
5. Click Create if you only want to create the vault at the selected location. To
create and display the vault as a virtual disk drive in My Computer click
Create and Open.
Note
When you open the vault, a virtual disk drive appears in My Computer. The drive
is labeled with the drive letter assigned to the vault.
● Add the files or folders you want to keep safe to the vault.
In order to add a file to a vault, you must first open the vault.
1. Browse to the .bvd vault file.
2. Right-click the vault file, point to Acronis Internet Security File Vault and select
Open.
3. In the window that appears, select a drive letter to assign to the vault, enter
the password and click Open.
How Do I Use File Vaults?
145
You can now perform operations on the drive that corresponds to the desired file
vault using Windows Explorer, just as you would with a regular drive. To add a
file to an open vault, you can also right-click the file, point to Acronis Internet
Security File Vault and select Add to file vault.
● Keep the vault locked at all times.
Only open vaults when you need to access them or manage their content. To lock
a vault, right-click the corresponding virtual disk drive from My Computer, point
to Acronis Internet Security File Vault and select Lock.
● Make sure not to delete the .bvd vault file.
Deleting the file also deletes the vault contents.
For more information about operating with file vaults, please refer to “File Encryption”
(p. 114).
How Do I Use File Vaults?
146
27. How Do I Create Windows User Accounts?
A Windows user account is a unique profile that includes all the settings, privileges
and personal files for each user.
Windows accounts let the home PC administrator control access for each user.
Setting up user accounts comes in handy when the PC is used by both parents and
children – a parent can set up accounts for each child.
Choose which operating system you have to find out how to create Windows
accounts.
● Windows XP:
1. Log on to your computer as an administrator.
2. Click Start, click Control Panel, and then click User Accounts.
3. Click Create a new account.
4. Type the name for the user. You can use the person's full name, first name, or
a nickname. Then click Next.
5. For the account type, choose Limited, and then Create Account. Limited
accounts are appropriate for children because they cannot make system-wide
changes or install certain applications.
6. Your new account will have been created and you will see it listed in the Manage
Accounts screen.
● Windows Vista or Windows 7:
1. Log on to your computer as an administrator.
2. Click Start, click Control Panel, and then click User Accounts.
3. Click Create a new account.
4. Type the name for the user. You can use the person's full name, first name, or
a nickname. Then click Next.
5. For the account type, click Standard, and then Create Account. Limited accounts
are appropriate for children because they cannot make system-wide changes
or install certain applications.
6. Your new account will have been created and you will see it listed in the Manage
Accounts screen.
Note
Now that you have added new user accounts, you can create passwords for the
accounts.
How Do I Create Windows User Accounts?
147
28. How Do I Update Acronis Internet Security Using a
Proxy Server?
Normally, Acronis Internet Security automatically detects and imports the proxy
settings from your system. If you connect to the Internet through a proxy server,
you may need to find the proxy settings and configure Acronis Internet Security
accordingly. To find out how to do this, please refer to “How Do I Find Out My Proxy
Settings?” (p. 173).
After finding the proxy settings, follow these steps:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to General > Settings.
3. Click Proxy Settings from Connection Settings.
4. Enter the proxy settings in the corresponding fields.
5. Click OK.
Note
If this information was not helpful, you can contact Acronis Internet Security for
support as described in section “Support” (p. 171).
How Do I Update Acronis Internet Security Using a Proxy Server?
148
Troubleshooting and Getting Help
149
29. Troubleshooting
This chapter presents some problems you may encounter when using Acronis Internet
Security and provides you with possible solutions to these problems. Most of these
problems can be solved through the appropriate configuration of the product settings.
If you cannot find your problem here, or if the presented solutions do not solve it,
you can contact the Acronis technical support representatives as presented in
chapter “Support” (p. 171).
29.1. Scan Doesn't Start
This type of issue can have two main causes:
● A previous Acronis Internet Security installation which was not completely
removed or a faulty Acronis Internet Security installation.
If this is the case, the easiest solution to follow is to remove Acronis Internet
Security completely from the system and then reinstall it.
● Acronis Internet Security is not the only security solution installed on
your system.
In this case, follow these steps:
1. Remove the other security solution.
2. Remove Acronis Internet Security completely from the system.
3. Reinstall Acronis Internet Security on the system.
If this information was not helpful, you can contact Acronis Internet Security for
support as described in section “Support” (p. 171).
29.2. I Can no Longer Use an Application
This issue occurs when you are trying to use a program which was working normally
before installing Acronis Internet Security.
You may encounter one of these situations:
● You could receive a message from Acronis Internet Security that the program is
trying to make a modification to the system.
● You could receive an error message from the program you're trying to use.
This type of situation occurs when the Active Virus Control module mistakenly
detects some applications as malicious.
Active Virus Control is a Acronis Internet Security module which constantly monitors
the applications running on your system and reports those with potentially malicious
Troubleshooting
150
behavior. Since this feature is based on a heuristic system, there may be cases
when legitimate applications are reported by Active Virus Control.
When this situation occurs, you can exclude the respective application from being
monitored by Active Virus Control.
To add the program to the exclusions list, follow these steps:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Antivirus > Shield.
3. Click Advanced Settings.
4. In the new window go to the Exclusions tab, click the Add button and browse
to the location of the program's .exe file (usually located in the C:\Program
Files).
5. Click OK to save the changes and close the window.
6. Close the Acronis Internet Security window and check if the issue still occurs.
If this information was not helpful, you can contact Acronis Internet Security for
support as described in section “Support” (p. 171).
29.3. I Cannot Connect to the Internet
You may notice that a program can no longer connect to the Internet or access
network services after installing Acronis Internet Security.
The Troubleshoot wizard will help you identify and solve the connection issue. To
start the wizard, open Acronis Internet Security and, depending on the user interface
mode, proceed as follows:
Intermediate View
Go to the Security tab and click Configure Firewall in the Quick Tasks area
on the left side of the window. Select the Settings tab in the new window that
appears and click Troubleshoot.
Expert View
Go to Firewall > Settings and click Troubleshoot.
Follow the three-step guided procedure to start the troubleshooting. You can navigate
through the wizard using the Next button. To exit the wizard, click Cancel.
1. Welcome
Select I am trying to access the Internet and the action fails.
2. Identify Problem
Click Choose Application and Browse to locate the program's .exe file (usually
located in the C:\Program Files, i.e. Firefox.exe). Click Add.
Troubleshooting
151
3. Recommended Solution
Choose Yes, allow access. Click Finish and check if the issue still occurs.
If this information was not helpful, you can contact Acronis Internet Security for
support as described in section “Support” (p. 171).
29.4. I Cannot Use a Printer
Depending on the network you are connected to, the Acronis Internet Security
firewall may block the connection between your computer and a network printer.
In this case, the best solution is to configure Acronis Internet Security to automatically
allow connections to and from the respective printer.
The Troubleshoot wizard will help you identify and solve the connection issue. To
start the wizard, open Acronis Internet Security and, depending on the user interface
mode, proceed as follows:
Intermediate View
Go to the Security tab and click Configure Firewall in the Quick Tasks area
on the left side of the window. Select the Settings tab in the new window that
appears and click Troubleshoot.
Expert View
Go to Firewall > Settings and click Troubleshoot.
Follow the three-step guided procedure to start the troubleshooting. You can navigate
through the wizard using the Next button. To exit the wizard, click Cancel.
1. Welcome
Select I am trying to print and the action fails.
2. Identify Problem
Click Choose Printer. Select the printer from the list, either by name or by IP
address. If you cannot find the device in the list, enter the IP address manually
in the edit field. Click Add.
3. Recommended Solution
Choose Yes, allow access. Click Finish and check if the issue still occurs.
If the Troubleshoot wizard indicates that the problem is not caused by the Acronis
Internet Security firewall on your computer, check for other potential causes, such
as the following:
● The firewall on the other computer may block file and printer sharing with your
computer.
▶ If the Windows Firewall is used, it can be configured to allow file and printer
sharing as follows: open the Windows Firewall settings window, Exceptions
tab and select the File and Printer Sharing check box.
Troubleshooting
152
▶ If another firewall program is used, please refer to its documentation or help
file.
● General conditions that may prevent using or connecting to the shared printer:
▶ You may need to log on to a Windows administrator account to access the
shared printer.
▶ Permissions are set for the shared printer to allow access to specific computer
and users only. If you are sharing your printer, check the permissions set for
the printer to see if the user on the other computer is allowed access to the
printer. If you are trying to connect to a shared printer, check with the user on
the other computer if you have permission to connect to the printer.
▶ The printer connected to your computer or to the other computer is not shared.
▶ The shared printer is not added on the computer.
Note
To learn how to manage printer sharing (share a printer, set or remove permissions
for a printer, connect to a network printer or to a shared printer), go to the Windows
Help and Support Center (in the Start menu, click Help and Support).
● Access to a network printer may be restricted to specific computers or users only.
You should check with the network administrator if you have permission to connect
to that printer.
If this information was not helpful, you can contact Acronis Internet Security for
support as described in section “Support” (p. 171).
29.5. I Cannot Share Files with Another Computer
Depending on the network you are connected to, the Acronis Internet Security
firewall may block the connection between your system and another computer. As
a result, you may no longer share files with the other computer. In this case, the
best solution is to configure Acronis Internet Security to automatically allow
connections to and from the respective system.
The Troubleshoot wizard will help you identify and solve the connection issue. To
start the wizard, open Acronis Internet Security and, depending on the user interface
mode, proceed as follows:
Intermediate View
Go to the Security tab and click Configure Firewall in the Quick Tasks area
on the left side of the window. Select the Settings tab in the new window that
appears and click Troubleshoot.
Expert View
Go to Firewall > Settings and click Troubleshoot.
Troubleshooting
153
Follow the three-step guided procedure to start the troubleshooting. You can navigate
through the wizard using the Next button. To exit the wizard, click Cancel.
1. Welcome
Select I am trying to access a computer in my network and the action
fails.
2. Identify Problem
Click Choose Computer. Select the computer from the list, either by name or
by IP address. If you cannot find the computer in the list, enter the IP address
manually in the edit field. Click Add.
3. Recommended Solution
Choose Yes, allow access. Click Finish and check if the issue still occurs.
If this information was not helpful, you can contact Acronis Internet Security for
support as described in section “Support” (p. 171).
29.6. My Internet Is Slow
This situation may appear after you install Acronis Internet Security. The issue could
be caused by errors in the Acronis Internet Security firewall configuration.
To troubleshoot this situation, follow these steps:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Firewall > Settings.
3. Clear the Firewall is enabled check box to temporarily disable the firewall.
4. Check if you can connect to the Internet with the Acronis Internet Security firewall
disabled.
● If you still cannot connect to the Internet, the issue may not be caused by
Acronis Internet Security. You should contact your Internet Service Provider to
verify if the connection is operational on their side.
If you receive confirmation from your Internet Service Provider that the
connection is operational on their side and the issue still persists, contact
Acronis Internet Security as described in section “Support” (p. 171).
● If you manage to connect to the Internet after disabling the Acronis Internet
Security firewall, follow these steps:
a. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of
the window and choose Expert View.
b. Go to Firewall > Settings and select the box in order to enable the Firewall.
Troubleshooting
154
c. Click Advanced Settings, select Enable Internet Connection Sharing
and clear Block Port Scans.
d. Go to the Network tab in the main window.
e. Pull down the drop-down menu from the Network Type column and select
Home/ Office.
f. Go to the Generic column and set it to Yes. Set the Stealth Mode to
Remote.
g. Check if you can connect to the Internet.
If this information was not helpful, you can contact Acronis Internet Security for
support as described in section “Support” (p. 171).
29.7. How to Update Acronis Internet Security on a Slow
Internet Connection
If you have a slow Internet connection (such as dial-up), errors may occur during
the update process.
To keep your system up to date with the latest Acronis Internet Security malware
signatures, follow these steps:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Update > Settings.
3. Under Manual Update Settings, select Prompt before downloading updates.
4. Click Apply and go to the Update tab.
5. Click Update Now and you will see that a new window will appear.
6. Select only Signatures updates and then click Ok.
7. Acronis Internet Security will download and install only the malware signature
updates.
29.8. Acronis Internet Security Services Are Not Responding
This article helps you troubleshoot the Acronis Internet Security Services are not
responding error. You may encounter this error as follows:
● The Acronis Internet Security icon in the system tray is grayed out and a pop-up
informs you that the Acronis Internet Security services are not responding.
● The Acronis Internet Security window indicates that the Acronis Internet Security
services are not responding.
The error may be caused by one of the following conditions:
Troubleshooting
155
● an important update is being installed.
● temporary communication errors between the Acronis Internet Security services.
● some of the Acronis Internet Security services are stopped.
● other security solutions running on your computer at the same time with Acronis
Internet Security.
● viruses on your system affect the normal operation of Acronis Internet Security.
To troubleshoot this error, try these solutions:
1. Wait a few moments and see if anything changes. The error may be temporary.
2. Restart the computer and wait a few moments until Acronis Internet Security is
loaded. Open Acronis Internet Security to see if the error persists. Restarting the
computer usually solves the problem.
3. Check if you have any other security solution installed as they may disrupt the
normal operation of Acronis Internet Security. If this is the case, we recommend
you to remove all of the other security solutions and then reinstall Acronis Internet
Security.
4. If the error persists, there may be a more serious problem (for example, you may
be infected with a virus that interferes with Acronis Internet Security). Please
contact Acronis Internet Security for support as described in section “Support”
(p. 171).
29.9. Antispam Filter Does Not Work Properly
This article helps you troubleshoot the following problems concerning the Acronis
Internet Security Antispam filtering operation:
● A number of legitimate e-mail messages are marked as [spam].
● Many spam messages are not marked accordingly by the antispam filter.
● The antispam filter does not detect any spam message.
29.9.1. Legitimate Messages Are Marked as [spam]
Legitimate messages are marked as [spam] simply because they look like spam
to the Acronis Internet Security antispam filter. You can normally solve this problem
by adequately configuring the Antispam filter.
Acronis Internet Security automatically adds the receivers of your e-mail messages
to a Friends List. The e-mail messages received from the contacts in the Friends list
are considered to be legitimate. They are not verified by the antispam filter and,
thus, they are never marked as [spam].
The automatic configuration of the Friends list does not prevent the detection errors
that may occur in these situations:
Troubleshooting
156
● You receive a lot of solicited commercial mail as a result of subscribing on various
websites. In this case, the solution is to add the e-mail addresses from which you
receive such e-mail messages to the Friends list.
● A significant part of your legitimate mail is from people to whom you never
e-mailed before, such as customers, potential business partners and others. Other
solutions are required in this case.
If you are using one of the mail clients Acronis Internet Security integrates into, try
the following solutions:
1. Indicate detection errors. This is used to train the Learning Engine (Bayesian) of
the antispam filter and it helps prevent future detection errors. The Learning
Engine analyzes the indicated messages and learns their patterns. The next
e-mail messages that fit the same patterns will not be marked as [spam].
2. Decrease antispam protection level. By decreasing the protection level, the
antispam filter will need more spam indications to classify an e-mail message as
spam. Try this solution only if many legitimate messages (including solicited
commercial messages) are incorrectly detected as spam.
3. Retrain the Learning Engine (Bayesian filter). Try this solution only if the previous
solutions did not offer satisfactory results.
Note
Acronis Internet Security integrates into the most commonly used mail clients through
an easy-to-use antispam toolbar. For a complete list of supported mail clients, please
refer to “Supported E-mail Clients and Protocols” (p. 67).
If you are using a different mail client, you cannot indicate detection errors and
train the Learning Engine. To solve the problem, try decreasing the antispam
protection level.
Add Contacts to Friends List
If you are using a supported mail client, you can easily add the senders of legitimate
messages to the Friends list. Follow these steps:
1. In your mail client, select an e-mail message from the sender that you want to
add to the Friends list.
2.
Click the Add Friend button on the Acronis Internet Security antispam toolbar.
3. You may be asked to acknowledge the addresses added to the Friends list. Select
Don't show this message again and click OK.
You will always receive e-mail messages from this address no matter what they
contain.
If you are using a different mail client, you can add contacts to the Friends list from
the Acronis Internet Security interface. Follow these steps:
Troubleshooting
157
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Click Antispam on the left-side menu.
3. Click the Status tab.
4. Click Manage Friends. A configuration window will appear.
5. Type the e-mail address you always want to receive e-mail messages from and
click the button to add the address to the Friends List.
6. Click OK to save the changes and close the window.
Indicate Detection Errors
If you are using a supported mail client, you can easily correct the antispam filter
(by indicating which e-mail messages should not have been marked as [spam]).
Doing so will considerably improve the efficiency of the antispam filter. Follow these
steps:
1. Open your mail client.
2. Go to the junk mail folder where spam messages are moved.
3. Select the legitimate message incorrectly marked as [spam] by Acronis Internet
Security.
4.
Click the Add Friend button on the Acronis Internet Security antispam toolbar
to add the sender to the Friends list. You may need to click OK to acknowledge.
You will always receive e-mail messages from this address no matter what they
contain.
5. Click the Not Spam button on the Acronis Internet Security antispam toolbar
(normally located in the upper part of the mail client window). This indicates to
the Learning Engine that the selected message is not spam. The e-mail message
will be moved to the Inbox folder. The next e-mail messages that fit the same
patterns will no longer be marked as [spam].
Decrease Antispam Protection Level
To decrease the antispam protection level, follow these steps:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Click Antispam on the left-side menu.
3. Click the Status tab.
4. Move the slider lower on the scale.
It is recommended to decrease protection by just one level and then wait enough
time to evaluate the results. If many legitimate e-mail messages are still being
Troubleshooting
158
marked as [spam], you can further decrease the protection level. If you notice that
many spam messages are not detected, you should not decrease the protection
level.
Retrain Learning Engine (Bayesian)
Before training the Learning Engine (Bayesian), prepare a folder containing only
SPAM messages and another one containing only legitimate messages. The Learning
Engine will analyze them and learn the characteristics that define the spam or
legitimate messages that you usually receive. In order for the training to be efficient,
there must be over 50 messages in each category.
To reset the Bayesian database and retrain the Learning Engine, follow these steps:
1. Open your mail client.
2. On the Acronis Internet Security antispam toolbar, click the Wizard button to
start the antispam configuration wizard.
3. Click Next.
4. Select Skip this step and click Next.
5. Select Clear antispam filter database and click Next.
6. Select the folder containing legitimate messages and click Next.
7. Select the folder containing SPAM messages and click Next.
8. Click Finish to start the training process.
9. When training is completed, click Close.
Ask for Help
If this information was not helpful, you can contact Acronis Internet Security for
support as described in section “Support” (p. 171).
29.9.2. Many Spam Messages Are Not Detected
If you are receiving many spam messages that are not marked as [spam], you
must configure the Acronis Internet Security antispam filter so as to improve its
efficiency.
If you are using one of the mail clients Acronis Internet Security integrates into, try
the following solutions one at a time:
1. Indicate undetected spam messages. This is used to train the Learning Engine
(Bayesian) of the antispam filter and it usually improves antispam detection. The
Learning Engine analyzes the indicated messages and learns their patterns. The
next e-mail messages that fit the same patterns will be marked as [spam].
Troubleshooting
159
2. Add spammers to the Spammers list. The e-mail messages received from
addresses in the Spammers list are automatically marked as [spam].
3. Increase antispam protection level. By increasing the protection level, the
antispam filter will need less spam indications to classify an e-mail message as
spam.
4. Retrain the Learning Engine (Bayesian filter). Use this solution when antispam
detection is very unsatisfactory and indicating undetected spam messages no
longer works.
Note
Acronis Internet Security integrates into the most commonly used mail clients through
an easy-to-use antispam toolbar. For a complete list of supported mail clients, please
refer to “Supported E-mail Clients and Protocols” (p. 67).
If you are using a different mail client, you cannot indicate spam messages and
train the Learning Engine. To solve the problem, try increasing the antispam
protection level and adding spammers to the Spammers list.
Indicate Undetected Spam Messages
If you are using a supported mail client, you can easily indicate which e-mail
messages should have been detected as spam. Doing so will considerably improve
the efficiency of the antispam filter. Follow these steps:
1. Open your mail client.
2. Go to the Inbox folder.
3. Select the undetected spam messages.
4. Click the Is Spam button on the Acronis Internet Security antispam toolbar
(normally located in the upper part of the mail client window). This indicates to
the Learning Engine that the selected messages are spam. They are immediately
marked as [spam] and moved to the junk mail folder. The next e-mail messages
that fit the same patterns will be marked as [spam].
Add Spammers to Spammers List
If you are using a supported mail client, you can easily add the senders of the spam
messages to the Spammers list. Follow these steps:
1. Open your mail client.
2. Go to the junk mail folder where spam messages are moved.
3. Select the messages marked as [spam] by Acronis Internet Security.
4.
Click the Add Spammer button on the Acronis Internet Security antispam
toolbar.
Troubleshooting
160
5. You may be asked to acknowledge the addresses added to the Spammers list.
Select Don't show this message again and click OK.
If you are using a different mail client, you can manually add spammers to the
Spammers list from the Acronis Internet Security interface. It is convenient to do
this only when you have received several spam messages from the same e-mail
address. Follow these steps:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Click Antispam on the left-side menu.
3. Click the Status tab.
4. Click Manage Spammers. A configuration window will appear.
5. Type the spammer's e-mail address and click the button to add the address
to the Spammers List.
6. Click OK to save the changes and close the window.
Increase Antispam Protection Level
To increase the antispam protection level, follow these steps:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Click Antispam on the left-side menu.
3. Click the Status tab.
4. Move the slider higher on the scale.
Retrain Learning Engine (Bayesian)
Before training the Learning Engine (Bayesian), prepare a folder containing only
SPAM messages and another one containing only legitimate messages. The Learning
Engine will analyze them and learn the characteristics that define the spam or
legitimate messages that you usually receive. In order for the training to be efficient,
there must be over 50 messages in each folder.
To reset the Bayesian database and retrain the Learning Engine, follow these steps:
1. Open your mail client.
2. On the Acronis Internet Security antispam toolbar, click the Wizard button to
start the antispam configuration wizard.
3. Click Next.
4. Select Skip this step and click Next.
5. Select Clear antispam filter database and click Next.
Troubleshooting
161
6. Select the folder containing legitimate messages and click Next.
7. Select the folder containing SPAM messages and click Next.
8. Click Finish to start the training process.
9. When training is completed, click Close.
Ask for Help
If this information was not helpful, you can contact Acronis Internet Security for
support as described in section “Support” (p. 171).
29.9.3. Antispam Filter Does Not Detect Any Spam Message
If no spam message is marked as [spam], there may be a problem with the Acronis
Internet Security Antispam filter. Before troubleshooting this problem, make sure
it is not caused by one of the following conditions:
● The Acronis Internet Security Antispam protection is available only for e-mail
clients configured to receive e-mail messages via the POP3 protocol. This means
the following:
▶ E-mail messages received via web-based e-mail services (such as Yahoo, Gmail,
Hotmail or other) are not filtered for spam by Acronis Internet Security.
▶ If your e-mail client is configured to receive e-mail messages using other protocol
than POP3 (for example, IMAP4), the Acronis Internet Security Antispam filter
does not check them for spam.
Note
POP3 is one of the most widely used protocols for downloading e-mail messages
from a mail server. If you do not know the protocol that your e-mail client uses to
download e-mail messages, ask the person who configured your e-mail client.
● Acronis Internet Security 2011 doesn't scan Lotus Notes POP3 traffic.
You should also verify the following possible causes:
1. Make sure Antispam is enabled.
a. Open Acronis Internet Security.
b. Click the Options button in the upper-right corner of the window and choose
Preferences.
c. In the Security Settings category, check the antispam status.
If Antispam is disabled, this is what is causing your problem. Enable Antispam
and monitor the antispam operation to see if the problem is fixed.
2. Although very unlikely, you may want to check if you (or someone else) configured
Acronis Internet Security not to mark spam messages as [spam].
Troubleshooting
162
a. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
b. Click Antispam on the left-side menu and then the Settings tab.
c. Make sure option Mark spam messages in subject is selected.
A possible solution is to repair or reinstall the product. However, you may want to
contact Acronis for support instead, as described in section “Support” (p. 171).
Troubleshooting
163
30. Removing Malware from Your System
Malware can affect your system in many different ways and the Acronis Internet
Security approach depends on the type of malware attack. Because viruses change
their behavior frequently, it is difficult to establish a pattern for their behavior and
their actions.
There are situations when Acronis Internet Security cannot automatically remove
the malware infection from your system. In such cases, your intervention is required.
If you cannot find your problem here, or if the presented solutions do not solve it,
you can contact the Acronis technical support representatives as presented in
chapter “Support” (p. 171).
30.1. What to Do When Acronis Internet Security Finds Viruses
on Your Computer?
You may find out there is a virus on your computer in one of these ways:
● You scanned your computer and Acronis Internet Security found infected items
on it.
● A virus alert informs you that Acronis Internet Security blocked one or multiple
viruses on your computer.
In such situations, update Acronis Internet Security to make sure you have the latest
malware signatures and run a Deep System Scan to analyze the system.
As soon as the deep scan is over, select the desired action for the infected items
(Disinfect, Delete, Move to quarantine).
If the selected action could not be taken and the scan log reveals an infection which
could not be deleted, you have to remove the file(s) manually:
The first method can be used in Normal mode:
1. Turn off the Acronis Internet Security real-time antivirus protection. To find out
how to do this, please refer to “How Do I Enable / Disable the Real Time
Protection?” (p. 174).
2. Display hidden objects in Windows. To find out how to do this, please refer to
“How Do I Display Hidden Objects in Windows?” (p. 175).
3. Browse to the location of the infected file (check the scan log) and delete it.
4. Turn on the Acronis Internet Security real-time antivirus protection.
In case the first method failed to remove the infection, follow these steps:
1. Reboot your system and enter in Safe Mode. To find out how to do this, please
refer to “How Do I Restart in Safe Mode?” (p. 172).
Removing Malware from Your System
164
2. Display hidden objects in Windows.
3. Browse to the location of the infected file (check the scan log) and delete it.
4. Reboot your system and enter in normal mode.
If this information was not helpful, you can contact Acronis Internet Security for
support as described in section “Support” (p. 171).
30.2. If Your System Does Not Start
If your system does not start, use Acronis Rescue CD.
Acronis Rescue CD is a bootable CD capable to scan and disinfect all existing hard
drives before your operating system starts. It can also help you save data from your
compromised Windows PC to a removable device.
Important
To obtain an ISO image of Acronis Rescue CD, contact us as presented in “Support”
(p. 171). You can then burn the .iso file to a CD or DVD using a tool of your choice.
Scanning the System with the Acronis Rescue CD
To scan your system with the Acronis Rescue CD, follow these steps:
1. Set up the BIOS of your computer to boot off the CD.
2. Put the CD in the drive and reboot the computer.
3. Wait until the Acronis Rescue CD screen appears. Select the option to start Acronis
Rescue CD and then press Enter.
4. Wait for the boot process to complete. This may take a while.
5. As soon as the boot process has completed, the Acronis Internet Security
signatures are updated automatically and a scan of all detected hard disk
partitions is started.
Saving Data with the Acronis Rescue CD
Let's assume that you cannot start your Windows PC due to some unknown issues.
At the same time, you desperately need to access some important data from your
computer. This is where Acronis Rescue CD comes in handy.
To save your data from the computer to a removable device, such as an USB flash
drive, follow these steps:
1. Set up the BIOS of your computer to boot off the CD.
2. Put the CD in the drive and reboot the computer.
3. Wait until the Acronis Rescue CD screen appears. Select the option to start Acronis
Rescue CD and then press Enter.
Removing Malware from Your System
165
4. Wait for the boot process to complete. This may take a while.
5. As soon as the boot process has completed, the Acronis Internet Security
signatures are updated automatically and a scan of all detected hard disk
partitions is started. You should wait for the scan to finish.
6. Your hard disk partitions will appear on the desktop. To view the contents of a
disk in a window similar to Windows Explorer, double-click it.
Note
When working with the Acronis Rescue CD, you will deal with Linux-type partition
names. Disks that were not labeled under Windows will appear as
[LocalDisk-0] probably corresponding to the (C:) Windows-type partition,
[LocalDisk-1] corresponding to (D:) and so on.
7. Plug the removable device into an USB port on your computer. In a few moments
a window will appear showing the contents of the device.
8. You can copy files and folders as you would normally do in the Windows
environment.
If this information was not helpful, you can contact Acronis Internet Security for
support as described in section “Support” (p. 171).
30.3. How Do I Clean a Virus in an Archive?
An archive is a file or a collection of files compressed under a special format to
reduce the space on disk necessary for storing the files.
Some of these formats are open formats, thus providing Acronis Internet Security
the option to scan inside them and then take appropriate actions to remove them.
Other archive formats are partially or fully closed, and Acronis Internet Security can
only detect the presence of viruses inside them, but is not able to take any other
actions.
If Acronis Internet Security notifies you that a virus has been detected inside an
archive and no action is available, it means that removing the virus is not possible
due to restrictions on the archive’s permission settings.
Here is how you can clean a virus stored in an archive:
1. Identify the archive that includes the virus by performing a Deep System Scan
of the system.
2. Turn off the Acronis Internet Security real-time antivirus protection.
3. Go to the location of the archive and decompress it using an archiving application,
like WinZip.
4. Identify the infected file and delete it.
Removing Malware from Your System
166
5. Delete the original archive in order to make sure the infection is totally removed.
6. Recompress the files in a new archive using an archiving application, like WinZip.
7. Turn on the Acronis Internet Security real-time antivirus protection and run a
Deep system scan in order to make sure there is no other infection on the system.
Note
It’s important to note that a virus stored in an archive is not an immediate threat to
your system, since the virus has to be decompressed and executed in order to infect
your system.
If this information was not helpful, you can contact Acronis Internet Security for
support as described in section “Support” (p. 171).
30.4. How Do I Clean a Virus in an E-Mail Archive?
Acronis Internet Security can also identify viruses in e-mail databases and e-mail
archives stored on disk.
Sometimes it is necessary to identify the infected message using the information
provided in the scan report, and delete it manually.
Here is how you can clean a virus stored in an e-mail archive:
1. Scan the e-mail database with Acronis Internet Security.
2. Turn off the Acronis Internet Security real-time antivirus protection.
3. Open the scan report and use the identification information (Subject, From, To)
of the infected messages to locate them in the e-mail client.
4. Delete the infected messages. Most e-mail clients also move the deleted message
to a recovery folder, from which it can be recovered. You should make sure the
message is deleted also from this recovery folder.
5. Compact the folder storing the infected message.
● In Outlook Express: On the File menu, click Folder, then Compact All Folders.
● In Microsoft Outlook: On the File menu, click Data File Management. Select the
personal folders (.pst) files you intend to compact, and click Settings. Click
Compact.
6. Turn on the Acronis Internet Security real-time antivirus protection.
If this information was not helpful, you can contact Acronis Internet Security for
support as described in section “Support” (p. 171).
Removing Malware from Your System
167
30.5. What to Do When Acronis Internet Security Detected a
Clean File as Infected?
There are cases when Acronis Internet Security mistakenly flags a legitimate file as
being a threat (a false positive). To correct this error, add the file to the Acronis
Internet Security Exclusions area:
1. Turn off the Acronis Internet Security real-time antivirus protection. To find out
how to do this, please refer to “How Do I Enable / Disable the Real Time
Protection?” (p. 174).
2. Display hidden objects in Windows. To find out how to do this, please refer to
“How Do I Display Hidden Objects in Windows?” (p. 175).
3. Restore the file from the Quarantine area.
4. Insert the file in the Exclusions area.
5. Turn on the Acronis Internet Security real-time antivirus protection.
If this information was not helpful, you can contact Acronis Internet Security for
support as described in section “Support” (p. 171).
30.6. How to Clean the Infected Files from System Volume
Information
The System Volume Information folder is a zone on your hard drive created by the
Operating System and used by Windows for storing critical information related to
the system configuration.
The Acronis Internet Security engines can detect any infected files stored by the
System Volume Information, but being a protected area it may not be able to remove
them.
The infected files detected in the System Restore folders will appear in the scan log
as follows:
?:\System Volume Information\_restore{B36120B2-BA0A-4E5D-…
To completely and immediately remove the infected file or files in the data store,
disable and re-enable the System Restore feature.
When System Restore is turned off, all the restore points are removed.
When System Restore is turned on again, new restore points are created as the
schedule and events require.
In order to disable the System Restore follow these steps:
● For Windows XP:
Removing Malware from Your System
168
1. Follow this path: Start → All Programs → Accessories → System Tool →
System Restore
2. Click System Restore Settings located on the left hand side of the window.
3. Select the Turn off System Restore check box on all drives, and click Apply.
4. When you are warned that all existing Restore Points will be deleted, click Yes
to continue.
5. To turn on the System Restore, clear the Turn off System Restore check
box on all drives, and click Apply.
● For Windows Vista:
1. Follow this path: Start → Control Panel → System and Maintenance →
System
2. In the left pane, click System Protection.
If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the
password or provide confirmation.
3. To turn off the System Restore clear the check boxes corresponding to each
drive and click Ok.
4. To turn on the System Restore select the check boxes corresponding to each
drive and click Ok.
● For Windows 7:
1. Click Start, right-click Computer and click Properties.
2. Click System protection link in the left pane.
3. In the System protection options, select each drive letter and click Configure.
4. Select Turn off system protection and click Apply.
5. Click Delete, click Continue when prompted and then click Ok.
If this information was not helpful, you can contact Acronis Internet Security for
support as described in section “Support” (p. 171).
30.7. What Are the Password-Protected Files in the Scan Log?
This is only a notification which indicates that Acronis Internet Security has detected
these files are either protected with a password or by some form of encryption.
Most commonly, the password-protected items are:
● Files that belong to another security solution.
● Files that belong to the operating system.
In order to actually scan the contents, these files would need to either be extracted
or otherwise decrypted.
Removing Malware from Your System
169
Should those contents be extracted, Acronis Internet Security's real-time scanner
would automatically scan them to keep your computer protected. If you want to
scan those files with Acronis Internet Security, you have to contact the product
manufacturer in order to provide you with more details on those files.
Our recommendation to you is to ignore those files because they are not a threat
for your system.
30.8. What Are the Skipped Items in the Scan Log?
All files that appear as Skipped in the scan report are clean.
For increased performance, Acronis Internet Security does not scan files that have
not changed since the last scan.
30.9. What Are the Over-Compressed Files in the Scan Log?
The over-compressed items are elements which could not be extracted by the
scanning engine or elements for which the decryption time would have taken too
long making the system unstable.
Overcompressed means that Acronis Internet Security skipped scanning within that
archive because unpacking it proved to take up too many system resources. The
content will be scanned on real time access if needed.
30.10. Why Did Acronis Internet Security Automatically Delete
an Infected File?
If an infected file is detected, Acronis Internet Security will automatically attempt
to disinfect it. If disinfection fails, the file is moved to quarantine in order to contain
the infection.
For particular types of malware, disinfection is not possible because the detected
file is entirely malicious. In such cases, the infected file is deleted from the disk.
This is usually the case with installation files that are downloaded from untrustworthy
websites. If you find yourself in such a situation, download the installation file from
the manufacturer's website or other trusted website.
Removing Malware from Your System
170
31. Support
If you need help or additional information on Acronis Internet Security 2011, use
the contact information provided below.
Acronis Inc.
23 3rd Avenue
Burlington, MA 01803
USA
Buy: http://www.acronis.com/buy/abs2011
Web: http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/products/backup-security/
In order to contact support (Webmail, Phone, Chat), please use the wizard set at:
http://www.acronis.com/support/ > Contact Support > Start here.
Availability: 24x7
Media: E-mail (Webmail), Phone, Chat.
Support
171
32. Useful Information
This chapter presents some important procedures that you must be aware before
starting to troubleshoot a technical issue.
Troubleshooting a technical situation in Acronis Internet Security requires a few
Windows insights, therefore the next steps are mostly related to the Windows
operating system.
32.1. How Do I Remove Other Security Solutions?
The main reason for using a security solution is to provide protection and safety for
your data. But what happens when you have more than one security product on
the same system?
When you use more than one security solution on the same computer, the system
becomes unstable. The Acronis Internet Security 2011 installer automatically detects
other security programs and offers you the option to uninstall them.
If you did not remove the other security solutions during the initial installation, follow
these steps:
● For Windows XP:
1. Click Start, go to Control Panel and double-click Add / Remove programs.
2. Wait a few moments until the list of installed software is displayed.
3. Find the name of the program you want to remove and select Remove.
4. Wait for the uninstall process to complete, then reboot your system.
● For Windows Vista and Windows 7:
1. Click Start, go to Control Panel and double-click Programs and Features.
2. Wait a few moments until the installed software list is displayed.
3. Find the name of the program you want to remove and select Uninstall.
4. Wait for the uninstall process to complete, then reboot your system.
If you fail to remove the other security solution from your system, get the uninstall
tool from the vendor website or contact them directly in order to provide you with
the uninstall guidelines.
32.2. How Do I Restart in Safe Mode?
Safe mode is a diagnostic operating mode, used mainly to troubleshoot problems
affecting normal operation of Windows. Such problems range from conflicting drivers
to viruses preventing Windows from starting normally. In Safe Mode only a few
applications work and Windows loads just the basic drivers and a minimum of
Useful Information
172
operating system components. This is why most viruses are inactive when using
Windows in Safe Mode and they can be easily removed.
To start Windows in Safe Mode:
1. Restart the computer.
2. Press the F8 key several times before Windows starts in order to access the boot
menu.
3. Select Safe Mode in the boot menu and press Enter.
4. Wait while Windows loads in Safe Mode.
5. This process ends with a confirmation message. Click Ok to acknowledge.
6. To start Windows normally, simply reboot the system.
32.3. Am I Using a 32 bit or a 64 bit Version of Windows?
To find out if you have a 32 bit or a 64 bit operating system, follow these steps:
● For Windows XP:
1. Click Start.
2. Locate My Computer on the Start menu.
3. Right-click My Computer and select Properties.
4. If you see x64 Edition listed under System, you are running the 64 bit version
of Windows XP.
If you don't see x64 Edition listed, you are running a 32 bit version of Windows
XP.
● For Windows Vista and Windows 7:
1. Click Start.
2. Locate Computer on the Start menu.
3. Right-click Computer and select Properties.
4. Look under System in order to check the information about your system.
32.4. How Do I Find Out My Proxy Settings?
In order to find these settings, follow these steps :
● For Internet Explorer 8:
1. Open Internet Explorer.
2. Select Tools > Internet Options.
3. In the Connections tab click LAN settings.
Useful Information
173
4. Look under Use a proxy server for your LAN and you should see the
Address and Port of the proxy.
● For Mozilla Firefox 3.6:
1. Open Firefox.
2. Select Tools > Options.
3. In the Advanced tab go to Network tab.
4. Click Settings.
● For Opera 10.51:
1. Open Opera.
2. Select Tools > Preferences.
3. In the Advanced tab go to Network tab.
4. Click Proxy servers button to open the proxy settings dialog.
32.5. How Do I Enable / Disable the Real Time Protection?
Acronis Internet Security provides continuous, real-time protection against a wide
range of malware threats by scanning all accessed files, e-mail messages and the
communications through Instant Messaging Software applications (ICQ, NetMeeting,
Yahoo Messenger, MSN Messenger).
Normally the real-time protection in Acronis Internet Security is enabled and you
should not turn it off.
When you are trying to troubleshoot a problem or to remove a virus, you may need
to disable the real-time protection. They address one of these situations:
● A slowdown issue with the system after installing Acronis Internet Security
● An issue with one of the programs or applications after installing Acronis Internet
Security
● Error messages which could appear shortly after installing Acronis Internet Security
Follow these steps so that you may enable/ disable real-time protection temporarily:
1. Open Acronis Internet Security, click Options in the upper-right corner of the
window and choose Expert View.
2. Go to Antivirus > Shield.
3. Clear the Real-time protection is enabled check box to temporarily disable
antivirus protection (or select it if you want to enable the protection).
4. You must confirm your choice by selecting from the menu how long you want
the real-time protection to be disabled.
Useful Information
174
Note
The steps for disabling the real-time protection in Acronis Internet Security should
be used as a temporary solution and only for a short period of time.
32.6. How Do I Display Hidden Objects in Windows?
These steps are useful in those cases where you are dealing with a malware situation
and you need to find and remove the infected files, which could be hidden.
Follow these steps to display hidden objects in Windows:
1. Click Start, go to Control Panel and select Folder Options.
2. Go to View tab.
3. Select Display contents of system folders (for Windows XP only).
4. Select Show hidden files and folders.
5. Clear Hide file extensions for known file types.
6. Clear Hide protected operating system files.
7. Click Apply and then Ok.
Useful Information
175
Glossary
ActiveX
ActiveX is a model for writing programs so that other programs and the operating
system can call them. ActiveX technology is used with Microsoft Internet Explorer
to make interactive Web pages that look and behave like computer programs,
rather than static pages. With ActiveX, users can ask or answer questions, use
push buttons, and interact in other ways with the Web page. ActiveX controls
are often written using Visual Basic.
Active X is notable for a complete lack of security controls; computer security
experts discourage its use over the Internet.
Adware
Adware is often combined with a host application that is provided at no charge
as long as the user agrees to accept the adware. Because adware applications
are usually installed after the user has agreed to a licensing agreement that
states the purpose of the application, no offense is committed.
However, pop-up advertisements can become an annoyance, and in some cases
degrade system performance. Also, the information that some of these
applications collect may cause privacy concerns for users who were not fully
aware of the terms in the license agreement.
Archive
A disk, tape, or directory that contains files that have been backed up.
A file that contains one or more files in a compressed format.
Backdoor
A hole in the security of a system deliberately left in place by designers or
maintainers. The motivation for such holes is not always sinister; some operating
systems, for example, come out of the box with privileged accounts intended
for use by field service technicians or the vendor's maintenance programmers.
Boot sector
A sector at the beginning of each disk that identifies the disk's architecture
(sector size, cluster size, and so on). For startup disks, the boot sector also
contains a program that loads the operating system.
Boot virus
A virus that infects the boot sector of a fixed or floppy disk. An attempt to boot
from a diskette infected with a boot sector virus will cause the virus to become
active in memory. Every time you boot your system from that point on, you will
have the virus active in memory.
Glossary
176
Browser
Short for Web browser, a software application used to locate and display Web
pages. The two most popular browsers are Netscape Navigator and Microsoft
Internet Explorer. Both of these are graphical browsers, which means that they
can display graphics as well as text. In addition, most modern browsers can
present multimedia information, including sound and video, though they require
plug-ins for some formats.
Command line
In a command line interface, the user types commands in the space provided
directly on the screen using command language.
Cookie
Within the Internet industry, cookies are described as small files containing
information about individual computers that can be analyzed and used by
advertisers to track your online interests and tastes. In this realm, cookie
technology is still being developed and the intention is to target ads directly
to what you've said your interests are. It's a double-edge sword for many people
because on one hand, it's efficient and pertinent as you only see ads about
what you're interested in. On the other hand, it involves actually "tracking" and
"following" where you go and what you click. Understandably so, there is a
debate over privacy and many people feel offended by the notion that they are
viewed as a "SKU number" (you know, the bar code on the back of packages
that gets scanned at the grocery check-out line). While this viewpoint may be
extreme, in some cases it is accurate.
Disk drive
It's a machine that reads data from and writes data onto a disk.
A hard disk drive reads and writes hard disks.
A floppy drive accesses floppy disks.
Disk drives can be either internal (housed within a computer) or external (housed
in a separate box that connects to the computer).
Download
To copy data (usually an entire file) from a main source to a peripheral device.
The term is often used to describe the process of copying a file from an online
service to one's own computer. Downloading can also refer to copying a file
from a network file server to a computer on the network.
E-mail
Electronic mail. A service that sends messages on computers via local or global
networks.
Glossary
177
Events
An action or occurrence detected by a program. Events can be user actions,
such as clicking a mouse button or pressing a key, or system occurrences, such
as running out of memory.
False positive
Occurs when a scanner identifies a file as infected when in fact it is not.
Filename extension
The portion of a filename, following the final point, which indicates the kind of
data stored in the file.
Many operating systems use filename extensions, e.g. Unix, VMS, and MS-DOS.
They are usually from one to three letters (some sad old OSes support no more
than three). Examples include "c" for C source code, "ps" for PostScript, "txt"
for arbitrary text.
Heuristic
A rule-based method of identifying new viruses. This method of scanning does
not rely on specific virus signatures. The advantage of the heuristic scan is that
it is not fooled by a new variant of an existing virus. However, it might
occasionally report suspicious code in normal programs, generating the so-called
"false positive".
IP
Internet Protocol - A routable protocol in the TCP/IP protocol suite that is
responsible for IP addressing, routing, and the fragmentation and reassembly
of IP packets.
Java applet
A Java program which is designed to run only on a web page. To use an applet
on a web page, you would specify the name of the applet and the size (length
and width, in pixels) that the applet can utilize. When the web page is accessed,
the browser downloads the applet from a server and runs it on the user's
machine (the client). Applets differ from applications in that they are governed
by a strict security protocol.
For example, even though applets run on the client, they cannot read or write
data onto the client's machine. Additionally, applets are further restricted so
that they can only read and write data from the same domain that they are
served from.
Macro virus
A type of computer virus that is encoded as a macro embedded in a document.
Many applications, such as Microsoft Word and Excel, support powerful macro
languages.
Glossary
178
These applications allow you to embed a macro in a document, and have the
macro execute each time the document is opened.
Mail client
An e-mail client is an application that enables you to send and receive e-mail.
Memory
Internal storage areas in the computer. The term memory identifies data storage
that comes in the form of chips, and the word storage is used for memory that
exists on tapes or disks. Every computer comes with a certain amount of physical
memory, usually referred to as main memory or RAM.
Non-heuristic
This method of scanning relies on specific virus signatures. The advantage of
the non-heuristic scan is that it is not fooled by what might seem to be a virus,
and does not generate false alarms.
Packed programs
A file in a compression format. Many operating systems and applications contain
commands that enable you to pack a file so that it takes up less memory. For
example, suppose you have a text file containing ten consecutive space
characters. Normally, this would require ten bytes of storage.
However, a program that packs files would replace the space characters by a
special space-series character followed by the number of spaces being replaced.
In this case, the ten spaces would require only two bytes. This is just one packing
technique - there are many more.
Path
The exact directions to a file on a computer. These directions are usually
described by means of the hierarchical filing system from the top down.
The route between any two points, such as the communications channel between
two computers.
Phishing
The act of sending an e-mail to a user falsely claiming to be an established
legitimate enterprise in an attempt to scam the user into surrendering private
information that will be used for identity theft. The e-mail directs the user to
visit a Web site where they are asked to update personal information, such as
passwords and credit card, social security, and bank account numbers, that
the legitimate organization already has. The Web site, however, is bogus and
set up only to steal the user’s information.
Glossary
179
Polymorphic virus
A virus that changes its form with each file it infects. Since they have no
consistent binary pattern, such viruses are hard to identify.
Port
An interface on a computer to which you can connect a device. Personal
computers have various types of ports. Internally, there are several ports for
connecting disk drives, display screens, and keyboards. Externally, personal
computers have ports for connecting modems, printers, mice, and other
peripheral devices.
In TCP/IP and UDP networks, an endpoint to a logical connection. The port
number identifies what type of port it is. For example, port 80 is used for HTTP
traffic.
Report file
A file that lists actions that have occurred. Acronis Internet Security maintains
a report file listing the path scanned, the folders, the number of archives and
files scanned, how many infected and suspicious files were found.
Rootkit
A rootkit is a set of software tools which offer administrator-level access to a
system. The term was first used for the UNIX operating systems and it referred
to recompiled tools which provided intruders administrative rights, allowing
them to conceal their presence so as not to be seen by the system
administrators.
The main role of rootkits is to hide processes, files, logins and logs. They may
also intercept data from terminals, network connections or peripherals, if they
incorporate the appropriate software.
Rootkits are not malicious in nature. For example, systems and even some
applications hide critical files using rootkits. However, they are mostly used to
hide malware or to conceal the presence of an intruder into the system. When
combined with malware, rootkits pose a great threat to the integrity and the
security of a system. They can monitor traffic, create backdoors into the system,
alter files and logs and avoid detection.
Script
Another term for macro or batch file, a script is a list of commands that can be
executed without user interaction.
Spam
Electronic junk mail or junk newsgroup postings. Generally known as any
unsolicited e-mail.
Glossary
180
Spyware
Any software that covertly gathers user information through the user's Internet
connection without his or her knowledge, usually for advertising purposes.
Spyware applications are typically bundled as a hidden component of freeware
or shareware programs that can be downloaded from the Internet; however, it
should be noted that the majority of shareware and freeware applications do
not come with spyware. Once installed, the spyware monitors user activity on
the Internet and transmits that information in the background to someone else.
Spyware can also gather information about e-mail addresses and even
passwords and credit card numbers.
Spyware's similarity to a Trojan horse is the fact that users unwittingly install
the product when they install something else. A common way to become a
victim of spyware is to download certain peer-to-peer file swapping products
that are available today.
Aside from the questions of ethics and privacy, spyware steals from the user
by using the computer's memory resources and also by eating bandwidth as it
sends information back to the spyware's home base via the user's Internet
connection. Because spyware is using memory and system resources, the
applications running in the background can lead to system crashes or general
system instability.
Startup items
Any files placed in this folder will open when the computer starts. For example,
a startup screen, a sound file to be played when the computer first starts, a
reminder calendar, or application programs can be startup items. Normally, an
alias of a file is placed in this folder rather than the file itself.
System tray
Introduced with Windows 95, the system tray is located in the Windows taskbar
(usually at the bottom next to the clock) and contains miniature icons for easy
access to system functions such as fax, printer, modem, volume, and more.
Double click or right-click an icon to view and access the details and controls.
TCP/IP
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol - A set of networking protocols
widely used on the Internet that provides communications across interconnected
networks of computers with diverse hardware architectures and various
operating systems. TCP/IP includes standards for how computers communicate
and conventions for connecting networks and routing traffic.
Trojan
A destructive program that masquerades as a benign application. Unlike viruses,
Trojan horses do not replicate themselves but they can be just as destructive.
Glossary
181
One of the most insidious types of Trojan horse is a program that claims to rid
your computer of viruses but instead introduces viruses onto your computer.
The term comes from a story in Homer's Iliad, in which the Greeks give a giant
wooden horse to their foes, the Trojans, ostensibly as a peace offering. But
after the Trojans drag the horse inside their city walls, Greek soldiers sneak
out of the horse's hollow belly and open the city gates, allowing their compatriots
to pour in and capture Troy.
Update
A new version of a software or hardware product designed to replace an older
version of the same product. In addition, the installation routines for updates
often check to make sure that an older version is already installed on your
computer; if not, you cannot install the update.
Acronis Internet Security has it's own update module that allows you to manually
check for updates, or let it automatically update the product.
Virus
A program or piece of code that is loaded onto your computer without your
knowledge and runs against your will. Most viruses can also replicate
themselves. All computer viruses are manmade. A simple virus that can copy
itself over and over again is relatively easy to produce. Even such a simple
virus is dangerous because it will quickly use all available memory and bring
the system to a halt. An even more dangerous type of virus is one capable of
transmitting itself across networks and bypassing security systems.
Virus definition
The binary pattern of a virus, used by the antivirus program to detect and
eliminate the virus.
Worm
A program that propagates itself over a network, reproducing itself as it goes.
It cannot attach itself to other programs.
Glossary
182
… 13 …

Hulp nodig? Stel uw vraag in het forum

Spelregels

Misbruik melden

Gebruikershandleiding.com neemt misbruik van zijn services uitermate serieus. U kunt hieronder aangeven waarom deze vraag ongepast is. Wij controleren de vraag en zonodig wordt deze verwijderd.

Product:

Bijvoorbeeld antisemitische inhoud, racistische inhoud, of materiaal dat gewelddadige fysieke handelingen tot gevolg kan hebben.

Bijvoorbeeld een creditcardnummer, een persoonlijk identificatienummer, of een geheim adres. E-mailadressen en volledige namen worden niet als privégegevens beschouwd.

Spelregels forum

Om tot zinvolle vragen te komen hanteren wij de volgende spelregels:

Belangrijk! Als er een antwoord wordt gegeven op uw vraag, dan is het voor de gever van het antwoord nuttig om te weten als u er wel (of niet) mee geholpen bent! Wij vragen u dus ook te reageren op een antwoord.

Belangrijk! Antwoorden worden ook per e-mail naar abonnees gestuurd. Laat uw emailadres achter op deze site, zodat u op de hoogte blijft. U krijgt dan ook andere vragen en antwoorden te zien.

Abonneren

Abonneer u voor het ontvangen van emails voor uw Acronis Internet Security 2011 bij:


U ontvangt een email met instructies om u voor één of beide opties in te schrijven.


Ontvang uw handleiding per email

Vul uw emailadres in en ontvang de handleiding van Acronis Internet Security 2011 in de taal/talen: Engels als bijlage per email.

De handleiding is 1,51 mb groot.

 

U ontvangt de handleiding per email binnen enkele minuten. Als u geen email heeft ontvangen, dan heeft u waarschijnlijk een verkeerd emailadres ingevuld of is uw mailbox te vol. Daarnaast kan het zijn dat uw internetprovider een maximum heeft aan de grootte per email. Omdat hier een handleiding wordt meegestuurd, kan het voorkomen dat de email groter is dan toegestaan bij uw provider.

Stel vragen via chat aan uw handleiding

Stel uw vraag over deze PDF

Andere handleiding(en) van Acronis Internet Security 2011

Acronis Internet Security 2011 Gebruiksaanwijzing - Deutsch - 207 pagina's


Uw handleiding is per email verstuurd. Controleer uw email

Als u niet binnen een kwartier uw email met handleiding ontvangen heeft, kan het zijn dat u een verkeerd emailadres heeft ingevuld of dat uw emailprovider een maximum grootte per email heeft ingesteld die kleiner is dan de grootte van de handleiding.

Er is een email naar u verstuurd om uw inschrijving definitief te maken.

Controleer uw email en volg de aanwijzingen op om uw inschrijving definitief te maken

U heeft geen emailadres opgegeven

Als u de handleiding per email wilt ontvangen, vul dan een geldig emailadres in.

Uw vraag is op deze pagina toegevoegd

Wilt u een email ontvangen bij een antwoord en/of nieuwe vragen? Vul dan hier uw emailadres in.



Info