Here we will introduce some of SpamWeed's security features and how anti-virus program can be used in conjunction with SpamWeed to increase your system's overall security.

SpamWeed is not an anti-virus product, but it provides a high level of email security by simply block any executable code in your incoming email. There are 2 levels of security:

1. HIGH level. All email containing executables are treated as spam. Unless these email contains special keywords in the keyword list. This is the default setting and is recommended.

2. LOW level. Only those executables that are very possibly viruses are blocked. Examples are: double extensions like "yoursecrete.doc.pif"; encrypted ZIP file with an executable in it; executables with content type "wave" etc.

So, what SpamWeed will NOT do for you regarding to email security?

1. SpamWeed cannot discover virus contained in Word or Excel documents.

2. The current version of SpamWeed does not block JavaScript etc. (Please read below).

Put it simple, SpamWeed blocks all "under-the-carpet" actions of malicious code, but if you still want to run an exe file attached in your email, you are on your own. SpamWeed is not a virus scanner, and it does NOT recognize virus at all. It only provides you with an added layer of security -- you do need an anti-virus program.

Since version 1.3.3, we implemented build-in preview, which uses IE core to display messages directly within SpamWeed. For security reason, we block ALL executable code in HTML messages. This includes embedded ActiveX and Java applets, script blocks and html events (such as those automatically open a window). However this security feature is currently only available within SpamWeed, the messages delivered into your inbox may still contain javascript etc. The reason for that is, while we do use such information to judge whether a message is spam or not, we do not want to block all interactive part of a message. For example, your friend may send you an email with an embedded Flash animation. Our suggestion regarding this layer of security is that you should set IE's security level to at least medium. This will greatly reduce the possibility of worm attack.