Sentry lives in a toolbar icon, and uses system notifications to alert you of any issues. The second half of ClamXav is the aforementioned ClamXav Sentry. You can also schedule a scan at your convenience. Instead, it's hidden as a right-click option.ĬlamXav also adds a right-click menu option that lets you immediately scan a particular volume or file. For one thing, there are no visible controls for deleting suspicious files or placing them in quarantine. It's a very simple, stripped-down arrangement, but it's not particularly helpful to the user. Right-click on any of these to see the file path or open the enclosing folder in a Finder window. The bottom shows scan progress and results, while the top half presents an itemized list of any suspicious files. The center of the ClamXav window is divided in half. There are also buttons for updating virus definitions and accessing more in-depth features. Buttons across the top let you Start, Stop, and Pause scans. A Source List down the left-hand side shows all the places you can scan, and includes plus and minus buttons to add or remove locations. The first is the main ClamXav application, which scans the volumes you identify. Independent lab AV-Test Institute does a similar impact test, and found that ClamXav only added 8 seconds to the recorded average (66.1 seconds) when copying a 26.6 GB set of files.ĬlamXav has two tools for protecting your Mac. During this second test, I did notice that the first unzipping took an egregiously long time, but I couldn't tell if this was a foible of ClamXav Sentry's scanning or OS X. My iMac still swiftly booted up in under a minute, and unzipping a large folder of video files was handled with ease. In my hands-on testing, I found that ClamXav and ClamXav Sentry had little performance impact a user would notice. This is a welcome addition to ClamXav, but the lack of integration is problematic. When it detects a change, it quietly runs a scan in the background. This application lives in the menu bar and looks for changes on the locations you specify. If you want that kind of protection, you'll need to separately configure ClamXav Sentry. While ClamXav will take care of your on-demand scans, it won't keep a watchful eye over your files and alert you to anything suspicious. Once the engine is installed, you'll have to run a quick update of your virus definitions before ClamXav is ready to use. It's a really neat feature, but also one I couldn't imagine the average person using. If you want, you can install any other virus-detection engine, or even build your own. ClamXav is a graphical user interface to make ClamAV easier to use. This is one of the most unusual aspects of ClamXav: The ClamAV engine (Opens in a new window) is developed and maintained by a completely different group. A snap! When you launch ClamXav, you're walked through installing the app's virus-detection engine. Just download the older, free version from the developer's website (Opens in a new window) and then drag ClamXav to your Applications folder. (Opens in a new window) Read Our ESET Cyber Security for Mac Review I'll be reviewing the new version of ClamXav soon, but I'm splitting off this review of version 2.7.5 for the benefit users unwilling, or unable, to pay for the new version of the software. From version 2.8 on, ClamXav is being offered for $29.95 for a non-commercial license and distributed by Canimaan Software Ltd. A new always-on, always-watching ClamXav Sentry application does a lot to modernize the app, but a counterintuitive interface and low independent lab scores make it hard to recommend.Ī note before continuing: In June 2015, ClamXav, which has been offered for free by developer Frank Allan since 2004, moved to a for-pay model (Opens in a new window). A long-available and free antivirus application, ClamXav says that it will defend your Mac from all harm. That same user has probably gone looking for Mac antivirus, and almost certainly stumbled across the famous Mac security app ClamXav. The savvy Mac user knows that his or her computer isn't impervious to attack. Poor performance in independent third-party testing.How to Set Up Two-Factor Authentication.How to Record the Screen on Your Windows PC or Mac.How to Convert YouTube Videos to MP3 Files.How to Save Money on Your Cell Phone Bill.How to Free Up Space on Your iPhone or iPad.How to Block Robotexts and Spam Messages.
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