Some antivirus options I don't understand

BAV · 2025-03-17T17:02:23+00:00

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Hi, in the protection tab, if you click antivirus, and go to advanced, there are a whole bunch of settings disabled there by default, e.g. archives.

What is not explained is for WHAT type of scan these settings are for.

Are those settings for real time protection, are they for quick scans? I understand a full system scan enables everything and I just did one which took about 50 minutes.

I just find it strange that all those options are there in advanced and they don't say what for. I mean I originally presumed it meant for any type of scanning, and only the fact that I read that full system scan scans everything did I realise the settings must be for something else.

I also right clicked an archive in explorer and scanned with BD, and it scanned a whole bunch of files so it definitely scanned inside the archive.

So which scans in particular do the settings on that page affect and am I wrong in thinking that should be clearly labelled as such?

Pic of page in question attached.

TIA very much.

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Flexx

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/103554/some-antivirus-options-i-dont-understand

When an antivirus scans specific areas of a system, it means it is checking for threats in those particular locations or types of files. Here’s a simple explanation of each term:

Application Scan – Scans installed programs and software for viruses or malware.
PUP/PUA (Potentially Unwanted Program/Application) Scan – Looks for programs that are not necessarily viruses but may be unwanted, like toolbars or adware.
Process Memory Scan – Checks active processes (running programs) in your computer’s memory to detect hidden malware.
Command Line Scan – Examines commands executed in the system (e.g., PowerShell, Command Prompt) for suspicious activity.
Scripts Scan – Detects harmful scripts (small programs) that may run in browsers or system files to exploit security weaknesses.
Network Shares Scan – Scans shared folders or drives on a network to prevent the spread of malware across multiple devices.
Archive Scan – Checks compressed files (e.g., ZIP, RAR) for hidden malware before they are extracted.

Each of these scans focuses on different areas where malware can hide, helping to improve security. Let me know if you need further clarification!

Additionally, there is a difference between real-time protection and the right-click contextual scan. Real-time protection continuously monitors your system for threats in the background, while a contextual scan is a manual scan initiated by the user. The features displayed in the image you shared are limited to real-time protection and do not apply to the contextual scan. When you perform a contextual scan, all files, processes, and locations selected will be thoroughly scanned, ensuring no potential threats are missed.

Regards

Scott

Hello @BAV

What is shown on that window is a general description. It you click on the life preserver at the top of the UI, it allows you to view the User Guide. I would suggest you download it as a PDF, and in Adobe Reader you can search for those questions and get multiple (as times) areas of the PDF that will have that information.

My signature also includes a link to download the PDF files.

Cheers:)

BAV

I read the manual on the matter before I made the topic, read the replies just now, still have no clarification on what I am asking.

I am obviously wording it incorrectly or maybe even BD don't know the actual answer.

I understand ALL the options themselves on that page and what they represent, I am asking WHICH scan types those options are for. Obviously not full system scan, as they all get auto enabled for that. Obviously not for explorer right click scan, as scan archives was disabled on the options page in question, and an explorer right click scan done after this topic was posted scanned them completely - out of 3 archives it said it scanned hundreds of files. i.e. I had selected only 3 archives I just made of various download files, selected only those three archives in explorer and did a right click BD scan. Scan archives was 100% NOT enabled, i.e. unchecked in that options page,. and it scanned them entirely or it would not have taken a few minutes and said "scanned 981 files", it would have said scanned 3 files if it was not scanning within the archives, and I could see the scan process accessing internal archive files as it was listing them during scanning.

So I am asking WHAT BD scan process those options actually affect. Is it the on demand real time scanner or quick scan settings? Or Something else? The manual says nothing about this nor do the replies here, so in fact there's literally zero information on what part of BD's scanning process those options are for.

I mean how can a person decide which ones they want to have enabled when there's literally no info on which part of the application they affect?

I just don't know how to make it any clearer than that. 🧛‍♀️

BAV

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/351402#Comment_351402

Thank you but sorry this does not answer the question at all.

What process of bit defender's do these options affect? Again I don't know how to make it any clearer.

I'll try another way. If I say, enabled archive scanning, WHEN would bit defender be scanning archives? During what type of scan initiation? Or if I unchecked everything on the page, what gets affected? Would quick scan be affected and no longer scan anything unchecked, or would it be the real time background scanner that is affected, or even full system scan?

Am I making sense now? If not I will try think of a further way to clarify on the next post.

Flexx

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/351426#Comment_351426

So, as I understand it, if you enable or disable, let's say, archive scanning, is this particular feature related to real-time scanning, full system scan, quick system scan or right-click contextual scan? If enabled, which of the above four will take it into consideration, and if disabled, which of these scanning methods will be affected?

If this looks good, I'll tag @camarie and @dvsls who can provide more information here.

Regards

dvsls

As stated in the Antivirus module card description (Real-time Protection), these settings affect only real-time scanning.

BAV

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/351429#Comment_351429

Exactly what I am asking! Cheers! Look forward to the reply. Knowing will allow me to make a more informed choice for that page. For example if it's only for real time scanning, I am not going to enable archives as it will give a massive performance hit. And so on. Cheers.

Flexx

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/351445#Comment_351445

@dvsls from Bitdefender staff has answered your query above.

Regards

BAV

Oh, I missed it, please accept my sincere apologies! That's wonderful news and the default settings definitely make sense for real time scanning then. Cheers and thanks again, will just spread some likes now then go back to bed hehe.

Flexx

Since the issue has been resolved, this post is now closed to further comments.

Regards