Overview
Most major services today run system-wide virus scanning in order to protect the spread of viruses within their environment and across the internet as a whole. Because these viruses pose a threat to the MSU network and the MSU community, virus scanning is performed on every e-mail that is sent through the mail.msu.edu system (except Webmail users; see note below).More information on the importance and use of central virus scanning at MSU is provided in a memo by David Gift, Vice Provost of Libraries, Computing & Technology (requires Acrobat Reader)
When a virus is detected during the transfer of e-mail into the mail.msu.edu system, the connection will be rejected and an error returned to the sending system. The product we are using to accomplish this task is an open source product called CLAM Anti Virus. This product will provide a base level of virus scanning and should help to significantly reduce the spread of computer viruses on campus. The Computer Laboratory will be evaluating its effectiveness and continue to investigate commercial products for possible future use. Please remember, however, that this is not a substitute for running anti-virus software on your PC.
What happens when a virus is found?
As a message is being delivered to or from the mail.msu.edu system it is scanned for the presence of a virus. If a virus is found, the connection is rejected and an error message is returned to the sending system. If you have a mail.msu.edu account and attempt to send a message with a virus from an e-mail client like Eudora or Outlook, the message may remain in your outbox and an error message will be returned indicating that a virus was found. If you are sending an e-mail with a virus from another system you may either see an error message immediately when you attempt to send your message or receive a returned e-mail indicating that the message you attempted to send was infected with a virus. Depending upon the client and e-mail system, however, you may or may not receive this notification. In some instances the infected file will simply be discarded by the sending system. This is not always desirable but is better than the alternative of delivering a file with a known virus.Note: Since Qualcomm (original manufacturer) no longer supports the Eudora e-mail client, the ATS Help Desk is unable to provide direct support for that product.
