(1) Selection of the file(s), folder(s) or volume(s) to scan
This can be done in three ways:
• Either using the popup menu of available volumes, located on the right of the HyperGuard window: this menu displays a list of all available (online) volumes (hard disks, floppy disks, Syquest™, etc.). In addition, the menu contains an “All Volumes” item, which selects all available volumes for a scan. You can also use the “Drive” button to quickly select the next available volume. To scan the selected volume, click on the (guess what?) “Scan” button, or press the Return or Enter key.
If the volume selected is locked, a small lock will appear next to the “Verification” button in HyperGuard's window, and only a verification will be performed. If you had previously selected a scan level higher than “Verification”, the report will mention that the scanned volume was locked and could only be verified.
• Using the “Scan…” item of the File menu, which displays a dialog box in which you can select a file, folder or volume. To scan the selected file, click on the “Choose” button on the right of the dialog box. To scan the selected folder or volume, click on the “Choose "[name of a folder or volume]"” button below the list in the dialog box.
• Either at the Finder level, using the drag and drop capabilities of System 7: drop an item (file, folder or volume) onto HyperGuard to scan it. The HyperGuard application opens up, and the scan is performed. When the scan is completed, HyperGuard does not quit, so that you can read the report of the scan in the text field.
(2) Scan option
Two scan options can be selected using the radio buttons:
• mere search for viruses,
• search for and remove viruses.
In addition, after removal of a virus a file can be disinfected.
After removal of a virus from an infected files, harmless viral data (script fragments) may in some cases remain in the disinfected file. IF YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU ARE DOING, you can prefer correcting directly "by hand" the script of a file HyperGuard has reported as infected, instead of using the "Removal" option of HyperGuard.
Warning: in that case, the vaccination is only a level of intervention in an infected file; it does not perform a systematic vaccination of all files. This is why vaccination is implemented as an option of the disinfection (the vaccination replaces the virus code in the file's data fork by some protector code which will prevent the file from being infected again by the same virus; it can only be applied to a previously infected file).
If an item is dropped onto HyperGuard, the scan will be limited to the “Search” level: disinfecting files is no trivial matter, and should not be performed blindly.
(3) Vaccination
To induce the vaccination of a file, use the “Vaccinate...” item of the File menu, which displays a dialog box in which you can select a HyperCard™ stack to vaccinate. To vaccinate the selected file, click on the "Vaccinate" button on the right of the dialog box. This option requires System 7 or above.
You can also (with System 7 only) vaccinate a file by drag & drop : drop the icon of the file(s) to vaccinate onto the icon of HyperGuard WHILE PRESSING THE COMMAND KEY ()
(4) Apple Events
HyperGuard can be piloted through Apple Events. Four HyperGuard-specific events are implemented:
• scan (verify), dfct (disinfect), muta (mutate), corresponding to the scan options,
• vacc (vaccinate).
A sample AppleScript™ compiled script is provided as an example.
(5) The scan
A progress bar monitors the progress of the scan. Below are displayed the name of the currently scanned file, and counters indicating the numbers of verified, suspect, infected and disinfected files.
The report of the scan is displayed in the text field on the left of the window. It presents the name of the scanned file, folder or volume, the date and time of start and end of the scan, and the numbers of verified, suspect, infected and disinfected files. If an infected file is found, the report immediately presents its name and location, together with the name of the virus and the outcome of the disinfection. All messages reporting infected files begin with “•••”, to make them easy to find in the report.
HyperGuard can detect "variants" of certain viruses. If the probable presence of such a variant is detected, HyperGuard cannot (for lack of information) remove it: in that case, even if the scan option is "Remove", the detection of the variant is merely announced in the report (and the file is counted as "suspect").
If a minor error occurs, i.e. one that does not require the scan to be stopped, it is immediately mentionned in the report (preceded by “***”). If HyperGuard encounters a more serious error, the scan is stopped, and an alert is presented displaying a brief explanation of the error.
HyperGuard can run in the background under System 7 or under System 6 with MultiFinder, while other applications are in the foreground. In this case, you are notified when the scan is completed: HyperGuard beeps, and flashes a small HyperGuard icon on the right (System 7) or the left (System 6) of the menu bar.
You can stop a scan anytime by clicking on the “Stop” button (or by typing Command-Period).
(6) Printing and saving the report
The report can be printed directly from within HyperGuard (“Page Setup…” and “Print…” items of the File menu).
The report can also be saved (“Save Report As…” item of the File menu) as a text file, which can be read by Teach Text™ or any Mac text processor or editor. By default, HyperGuard proposes “HyperGuard • [date of the day]” as the name of the file.
The report can be erased anytime using the “Clear Report” item of the Edit menu.
When clearing the report, or when quitting HyperGuard, you may be asked whether you wish to save the report: this only happens if the report mentions that infected files have been found.
HyperGuard runs on all Macintosh models since the Mac Plus. It requires system software version 6.0.4 or later. If you try to run HyperGuard on a Mac which does not meet these requirements, it will present an error message alert and quit. HyperGuard takes advantage of System 7 features: (i) drag and drop capabilities, (ii) vaccination, (iii) use of AppleEvents (AppleScript™), (iv) balloon help. Disinfectant is 32-bit clean.
By default, HyperGuard is set up to use 1000 K of memory. This should be more than enough to scan even very large files. However if necessary HyperGuard can run within as little as 500 K of memory. You can change this setting using the “Get Info” dialog box in the Finder.
HyperGuard creates a file named “HyperGuard Prefs” within the Preferences folder of your System folder (under System 7), or within the System folder itself (under System 6). This file is used to save window positions between HyperGuard sessions.
This version of HyperGuard detects and eliminates the following viruses: Merryxmas, Merry2xmas, Lopez, other variants of Merryxmas, and Eleven.
Should new viruses appear infecting HyperCard™-created stacks or applications, HyperGuard will easily be updated to fight them. The new versions of HyperGuard will be available through major online services.
HyperGuard is freeware: if you like it, you are free, and even urged to, pass copies of HyperGuard along to your friends, as long as no money whatsoever is charged for them.
HyperGuard may not be included in any collection of software, nor be sold or used commercially, without written authorization and license from the authors. Online services are free to distribute HyperGuard, provided no extra fee is charged for it.
Distributed copies of HyperGuard must not be modified in any way, and must always include this “HyperGuard 1.2.1 - Read me” file and the “Sample script” AppleScript™ script.
Any suggestions, critics and proposals are welcome... You can join the authors at the following e-mail addresses:
Internet (preferred): bf46@calvacom.fr or 100010,367@compuserve.com
… the patient ß-testers of Calvacom online service, France, particularly Philippe Potier, Benoît Widemann, Philippe de Martelaere, for their remarks and suggestions which helped make HyperGuard better,
... Marika Pla without whom HyperGuard's icon would have been... well, considerably uglier!,
... Tom Pittman for answering our questions, and for writing this fantastic tool, Double-XX™,
... and John Norstad, author of the reference antivirus tool Disinfectant, the human interface of which you may glimpse in HyperGuard's…
HyperGuard may help you detect and remove the virus(es) it can recognize. It may fail to locate and repair some infected files. Use it at your own risk.
THE HYPERGUARD PROGRAM IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND IS PROVIDED. IN NO CASE SHALL THE AUTHORS BE LIABLE FOR SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES IN CONNECTION WITH OR ARISING OUT OF THE FURNISHING, PERFORMANCE OR USE OF HYPERGUARD OR ITS DOCUMENTATION, OR INCAPACITY TO USE THEM, EVEN IF THE AUTHORS ARE AWARE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
This product includes certain copyrighted resources froim Heizer Softwares' Double-XX development system. THE DOUBLE-XX RESOURCES ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND IS PROVIDED. IN NO CASE SHALL HEIZER SOFTWARE OR THE DEVELOPER OF DOUBLE-XX BE LIABLE FOR SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES IN CONNECTION WITH OR ARISING OUT OF THE FURNISHING, PERFORMANCE OR USE OF THE DOUBLE-XX RESOURCES.
