Cisco-Talos/clamav
FreeClamAV - Documentation is here: https://docs.clamav.net
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About Cisco-Talos/clamav
ClamAV is an open source antivirus engine developed by Cisco Talos for detecting trojans, viruses, malware, and other malicious threats. It supports multiple platforms including Linux, macOS, and Windows, and can be run via Docker, package managers, installers, or built from source. ClamAV provides command-line tools such as clamscan, clamd, freshclam, and clamav-milter for email filtering. It offers a signature writing manual for custom detection rules and maintains an active community with documentation hosted at docs.clamav.net. The project is widely used for file and email scanning in server environments and is available as a free, community-driven solution.
Key Features
Open source antivirus engine for trojans, viruses, malware
Cross-platform support: Linux, macOS, Windows
Docker container support for easy deployment
Command-line tools: clamscan, clamd, freshclam, clamdscan, clamdtop, clamonacc
Email filtering support via clamav-milter
Regular signature updates via freshclam
Custom signature writing with comprehensive manual
Built-in support for archives, documents, and various file formats
Active community and documentation at docs.clamav.net
Integration with CI/CD and security tools
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Completely free and open source
- Wide platform support (Linux, macOS, Windows, Docker)
- Actively maintained by Cisco Talos
- Extensive documentation and community support
- Customizable signatures for specific threats
- Lightweight command-line interface
Cons
- Primarily signature-based, may miss zero-day threats without custom signatures
- Resource usage can be high on large scan jobs
- Command-line interface may be less user-friendly for non-technical users
Best For
Email server malware scanningFile upload scanning for web applicationsServer and endpoint securityMalware research and analysisAutomated security pipelinesOpen source security toolkits
FAQ
What is ClamAV?
ClamAV is an open source antivirus engine for detecting trojans, viruses, malware, and other malicious threats, developed by Cisco Talos.
How can I install ClamAV?
ClamAV can be installed via Docker, package managers (e.g., apt, yum), installers for Linux, macOS, and Windows, or built from source. Details are in the online manual at docs.clamav.net.
Does ClamAV have a graphical interface?
ClamAV is primarily command-line based, with tools like clamscan, clamd, and freshclam. Third-party GUIs exist but are not officially maintained.
How do I update ClamAV virus signatures?
Use the freshclam tool to regularly update signature databases. Freshclam can be run manually or as a daemon.