Email account protection

losteno

I am a happy BD user, but I would like to understand how the software protects emails sent and received via client (Thunderbird).
I currently have three accounts, one IMAP and two POP3. An old post specified that “there was no protection on IMAP”, in the sense that it was difficult to integrate it into BD.
Regardless of the protocol, if I receive an email with malware or a dangerous link, I should still be protected, right?
Thank you for clarifying.

Stefano - Italy

Alexandru_BD

Ciao Stefano,

That is a good question and I will explain in detail how the protection works in this scenario.
If you download an email attachment, Bitdefender’s real-time protection automatically scans the file when it’s saved by Thunderbird, or opened or executed, or even when Thunderbird caches it locally (IMAP often does this).
If the attachment contains malware, even hidden in an archive, Bitdefender’s signature-based and heuristic scanning layers will block or quarantine it immediately, and here we basically refer to something called 'on-access' file scanning. Furthermore, Bitdefender’s Web Protection and Online Threat Prevention modules inspect links inside emails, regardless of the mail protocol or client. If you click on a link leading to a known malicious or phishing site, the connection will be blocked before your browser loads it. So, whether it’s POP3 or IMAP, this layer ensures that you can’t accidentally visit a dangerous site from your mail.

Now, let's say that there's a zero-day threat, and a malicious attachment somehow makes it past traditional scanning. Bitdefender’s behavioral monitoring watches how it behaves once opened. Suspicious actions like modifying system files, injecting code, or encrypting data are detected and stopped in real time.

Perhaps the post you were referring to has to do with a feature called Email Protection, which is compatible with Outlook and Gmail email providers only. This feature detects spam, malicious and phishing emails when you check your emails in a browser. But regardless of the email client you are using, you still benefit from advanced protection, as the traditional antivirus will scan both links and attachments so that you can navigate your emails with peace of mind.

Regards,

Alex