> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://kb.hosting.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Using Virus Scanner in cPanel

> Discover how to use cPanel's virus scanner to detect and handle malware in your account files.

This article describes how to use the virus scanner in cPanel to scan your account files for [viruses](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_virus), [trojan horses](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trojan_Horse_\(computing\)), and other types of [malware](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malware). You can scan e-mail files, files in public web and FTP directories, or your entire account.

<Note>
  By default, the cPanel virus scanner is not installed on managed VPS and managed Dedicated servers. If you have one of these account types and would like this feature installed, please open a support ticket at [https://my.hosting.com](https://my.hosting.com) and we will install it for you.
</Note>

## What the virus scanner looks for

The virus scanner in cPanel searches for viruses, trojan horses, malware, and other threats. It does this by using databases from several sources:

* ClamAV: Clam AntiVirus is an open-source program that can detect a wide variety of threats. For more information about ClamAV, please visit [http://www.clamav.net](http://www.clamav.net).

* R-fx Networks: This virus definitions database is designed for shared hosting environments. For more information about the R-fx Networks Linux Malware Detect project, please visit [http://www.rfxn.com/projects/linux-malware-detect](http://www.rfxn.com/projects/linux-malware-detect).

* Hosting.com's custom virus definitions database: This database includes viruses that we have detected previously on actual systems.

## Running a virus scan

To run a virus scan, follow these steps:

1. Log in to cPanel.
   > 📘 Note
   >
   > If you do not know how to log in to your cPanel account, please see [this article](/docs/accessing-cpanel).

2. On the **Tools** page, in the **Advanced** section, click **Virus Scanner**:\
   ![](https://static.hosting.com/kb/kb-cpanel-jupiter-virus-scanner-icon.png)

3. Under **Start a New Scan**, select the directory you want to scan:

   * **Scan Mail**: This option scans the *mail* directory in your account, looking for viruses in incoming and outgoing e-mail messages.
     > 👍 Tip
     >
     > You should run this scan if one of your recipients reports receiving a virus from you.

   * **Scan Entire Home Directory**: This option scans all of the files in your account.

   * **Scan Public Web Space**: This option scans the *public\_html* directory in your account, looking for infected web site files.
     > 👍 Tip
     >
     > You should run this scan frequently to check if any of your web site files are infected with known viruses.

   * **Scan Public FTP Space**: This option scans the *public\_ftp* directory in your account, looking for infected files.
     > 👍 Tip
     >
     > You only need to run this scan if you share files using FTP.

4. Click **Scan Now**.

   > 📘 Note
   >
   > If there are a lot of files in the directory, the scan may take some time to complete.

5. If the virus scan finds any infected files, you can specify what to do with the files:

   * **Quarantine**: When this option is selected, the virus scanner moves the file to the quarantine directory. The quarantine directory is located at **/home/username/quarantine\_clamavconnector**, where ***username*** represents your account username.

   * **Destroy**: When this option is selected, the virus scanner deletes the infected file.

   * **Ignore**: When this option is selected, the virus scanner leaves the infected file unchanged.

   To complete the virus scan process, click **Process Cleanup**.

## Related articles

* [Unwanted email (spam)](/docs/unwanted-e-mail-spam)

* [E-mail Filtering](/docs/e-mail-filtering)

* [Managing e-mail deliverability settings](/docs/managing-e-mail-deliverability-settings)