Whitelisting the Viewer in Anti-Virus Software (plus Firewalls and Anti-Malware Sofware)
Introduction
Some anti-virus programs (and firewalls and anti-malware programs) will incorrectly flag a viewer - or necessary components of a viewer - as a virus or threat. They may remove the suspected part completely, rendering all or part of the viewer slow or non-functional. There is at least one anti-virus program which will scan every file placed on your computer, even if created by an authorized program. This can affect Firestorm (or any viewer) in that it will scan each and every texture placed in cache, slowing down performance of the viewer significantly, keeping objects and/or textures from rezzing, and keeping CPU usage high.
There is nothing we can do about this. However, it should be possible for you to tell your anti-virus (firewalls/anti-malware) that the viewer is safe; you will need to whitelist the viewer program as well as some components.
The following is a list of some protection software and how to whitelist. Naturally we cannot provide instructions for all existing programs, and the information here may be outdated. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that you consult the software manual for the specific program you use, for accurate and up to date information.
In the instructions below, substitute “firewall” or “anti-malware program” for “anti-virus” as needed.
Known Issues
See the Malwarebytes tab below.
Reinstalling and Whitelisting
Here are the steps to follow to reinstall and whitelist a viewer in such as way that the anti-virus program doesn't “mangle” the viewer yet again:
- Uninstall the viewer normally.
- Disable the anti-virus software completely
- REBOOT your computer to make sure that the AV is not running anymore.
- Reinstall the viewer.
- On Windows, make sure you do not install it back to the default folder suggested; INSTALL TO A NEW FOLDER. This step is vital.
- On Mac, simply reinstall to your Application folder as usual.
- In your anti-virus program, whitelist the following, per the instructions below (or better, consult the manual for your anti-virus software):
- Windows: the viewer install folder
- inside this, the viewer itself (firestorm.exe), slplugin.exe, slvoice.exe and dullahan_host.exe
- Mac: the Firestorm application (normally in your Applications folder)
- the viewer cache folder
- In its default location, the folder is hidden on most OSs. To find it, you will need to show hidden folders. Now you need to locate the cache folder:
- Windows Vista/7/8/10: C:\Users\[USERNAME]\AppData\Local\Firestorm
- Mac: /Users/[USERNAME]/Library/Caches/Firestorm
- REBOOT your computer at this time.
- Run the viewer to ensure that it is working correctly; do a test of search and voice to ensure that both work, checking that the respective plugins get loaded. LOG OUT of the viewer.
- Re-enable your anti-virus software and run the viewer again, repeating the tests above.
Whitelisting Steps for Specific AV Software
of date, check the help files or support site for your antivirus program.
Adaware free
- Open the Adaware user interface
- Click Scan Computer (second icon from top)
- Go to Manage Exclusions and click View
- Click Add
- Navigate to main Firestorm application folder
- Click OK
- Repeat for Firestorm folders in User/Local and User/Roaming
Advanced System Care
If you run the “junk files cleanup” function, then Advanced System Care is liable to trash your settings. Further to this, this program can also severely interfere with viewer connection to SL servers, as documented here.
Avast
Basic Whitelisting
Refer to this page for how to whitelist. Please ensure that you whitelist both the viewer and the viewer cache folder.
If you cannot save snapshots to your hard drive
- Go to Settings → General tab
- Go to 'Blocked and allowed apps'
- Click 'Allow App' and scroll the list of programs to find Firestorm and select it (see picture below)
AVG
- Open the AVG user interface.
- Click Tools→Advance Settings.
- Resident Shield→Exceptions.
- The Add the program (or file, directory) you wish to be excluded from scans.
BitDefender
Please see How to add antivirus exclusions (exceptions) in Bitdefender 2018
Also the User Manual, pages 99-100, for how to add exceptions to the Advanced Threat Defence Whitelist.
Bullguard
- Open Bullguard as normal
- Click on “Settings”
- Click on “Advanced”
- Go to “Antivirus” in the lefthand column
- Open the menu (down arrow)
- Select “Tuning”
- In the selection of tick boxes on the righthand panel, select Skip File/Folders
- Click on Files/Folders
- This will bring up a probably empty set of lines, so click on the “+” sign
- This should allow you to navigate to the particular folder, in this case the Firestorm Cache folder
- Select that and it will appear in the first line of the box
- To add other Firestorm folders listed at the top of this wiki page, repeat as needed
- Here is also a check box to allow you to skip processes. The procedure is the same: Click on “process”
- Click “+” and navigate to the .exe you wish to whitelist
- Close Bullguard.
Credits: Thanks to user Aishagain for this information.
F-Secure
(derrived from https://community.f-secure.com/t5/Security-for-PC/How-do-I-exclude-a-file-or/ta-p/15398)
- Open Computer Security.
- On the main page of Computer Security, click Settings.
- Select Computer Security > Virus and spyware scanning.
- Select Other settings > Manual scanning.
- Click the Exclude files from the scan link. The Exclude from scanning dialog is displayed.
- Select the Objects tab.
- Select the Exclude objects (files, folders…) check box.
- Click Add.
- Navigate to and select the Firestorm install folder
- Click Add again
- Navigate to and select the Firestorm cache folder
- Click OK to close the Exclude from scanning dialog.
Gatekeeper (Mac OS X)
If Gatekeeper prevents you from opening Firestorm, there is a simple workaround: See “How to open an app from a unidentified developer and exempt it from Gatekeeper” on this page. Once you have allowed Firestorm to open via this method, Gatekeeper will not flag it on subsequent launches (until you reinstall Firestorm again).
For a longer-term method, please visit here for a tutorial on whitelisting using the Gatekeeper software.
Kaspersky
In order to create an exclusion rule:
- Open application settings window.
- Select Protection on the left.
- Click the Trusted Zone button in the Exclusions block.
- Go to the tab Exclusion rules and click Add.
- Select an exclusion type in the Properties field: Object and/or Threat type.
- Object
Click select object and choose a file, folder or a mask to exclude. - Select a Component in the corresponding field. The rule will apply to the selected component.
- Threat type. Click enter threat type to select a file, folder or a mask to exclude.
Rules can apply to the following protection components:
- Virus scan,
- File Anti-Virus,
- Mail Anti-Virus (Kaspersky Anti-Virus 6.0 for Windows Workstations 6.0.4.x only),
- Proactive Defense (Kaspersky Anti-Virus 6.0 for Windows Workstations 6.0.4.x only),
- Web Anti-Virus (Kaspersky Anti-Virus 6.0 for Windows Workstations 6.0.4.x only).
A scan if a disk or folder containing excluded objects scans the entire disk/folder except the excluded objects. Yet you can force scan excluded objects from the contextual menu (by right-clicking).
Also you can create an exclusion rule from within a report window:
- Right-click the report object you want excluded.
- Choose the option Add to Trusted Zone.
An Exclusion rule window will open. Make sure that you are satisfied with the new exclusion rule settings. Object name and threat type fields are assigned automatically on the basis of the report data. Click OK to create the rule.
Malwarebytes
Recent updates of Malwarebytes on Windows 7 causes the viewer to lock up or crash at log in or shortly after. Also affects SL Viewer. Toggle off the Real Time Web Protection module for now and reboot PC. Refer to this JIRA for more info and workarounds.
Recent updates of Malwarebytes on Windows 10 causes object and texture corruption. Also affects SL Viewer. Toggle off the Real Time Web Protection module or disable Malwarebytes and reboot PC. Refer to this JIRA for more info and workarounds.
For general whitelisting steps, visit Exclude detections in Malwarebytes on Windows devices
McAfee
We do not have specific details for McAfee. Check the McAfee control panel, or visit McAfee Consumer Support
Microsoft Security Essentials/Windows Defender
Basic Exclusions
For Win 10 (possibly also Windows 8.x):
- Open Settings and in the search field at the top right enter defender
- In Windows Defender click Virus & Threat Protection → Virus & Threat Protection Settings → Exclusions → Add or remove exclusions
- Exclude the cache:
- Click Add an Exclusion
- Click Exclude a folder
- Click in the address bar and type %LOCALAPPDATA% and press Enter
- Click the Firestorm folder
- Click the Exclude this folder button
- Repeat this if you have more than one Firestorm folder (64-bit and 32-bit, for example)
- Exclude the viewer executables
- Click the Exclude a .exe, .com or .scr process button
- Navigate to C:\Program Files\Firestorm-Release64
- Click Firestorm-bin
- Click the Exclude This file button
- Repeat this for SLPlugin and SLVoice - and llceflib_host (for FS 4.7.9 and later).
- Repeat this for 32-bit Firestorm ( C:\Program Files (x86) )
Real Time Web Protection Issues
Recent updates of Windows Defender cause object and texture corruption. Also affects SL Viewer. Toggle off the Real Time Web Protection module or disable Defender and reboot PC. Refer to this JIRA for more info and workarounds.
Can't Save Files to Hard Drive (Snapshots, Chat Files, Backups, etc.)
Additionally, if you're on Windows 10 and you can't save snapshots to your hard drive (https://jira.phoenixviewer.com/browse/FIRE-23347), adding the viewer folders to the exclusion list may not be enough if you have 'Controlled Folder Access' enabled; you will need to add Firestorm to the allowed apps.
Try following these steps:
- Right click your Windows Defender icon on your system tray > View Security Dashboard > Virus and threat Protection > Virus & Threat Protection Settings > Controlled Folder Access
- Click the 'Manage Controlled Folder Access' link
- Under 'Controlled Folder Access' click the 'Allow an App through Controlled Folder Access' link
- Click '+ Add an allowed app'
- Browse to the viewer executable in the installation folder, left click to select , click Open at the bottom of the files explorer.
Alternatively, you can also simply disable the Controlled Folder Access feature by clicking the on/off button after Step #2.
Can't run Firestorm installer
See this page https://wiki.phoenixviewer.com/fs_install_crash#windows.
Norton
Add exclusion to Auto-Protect and Risk scan
- Start Norton 360.
- Click Settings.
- Click Antivirus Protection.
- On the Scans and Risks tab, under Exclusion/Low Risks, click Configure next to Scan Exclusions.
- Under Scan Exclusions, click Add.
- Browse and select the disk drive or folder or file you would like to exclude and click OK. If you want to include subfolders within the folder, check Include Subfolders.
- Under Auto-Protect Exclusions, click Add.
- Browse and select the disk drive or folder or file you would like to exclude and click OK. If you want to include subfolders within the folder, check Include Subfolders.
- Click Apply > OK.
- Click Apply > Close
Download Intelligence
Norton Internet Security includes a feature called Download Intelligence. This works such that the user community reports downloads as good or bad. While this may be very helpful, it can also be unfairly detrimental to programs, especially when they are updated as they are then treated as totally new.
Therefore, if you use Download Intelligence, you are urged to disable it before attempting to download any of our viewers, in order to avoid them being incorrectly reported as infected with a virus. Refer to this page for instructions.
Panda Cloud Antivirus Free (version 2.1.1)
- Click on the “Antivirus” section of the UI.
- Click on “Advanced Settings” (bottom of the panel current version)
- Click on “Exclusions” tab
- Choose “Add”, then navigate to your Firestorm installation folder and put a check in the box to the left of slplugin.exe (and llceflib_host.exe for FS 4.7.7 and later), and everything else you want to exclude. Once you've checked something, the “exclude” button at the bottom of the panel is enabled. Click it when you've finished checking off everything you want to exclude.
- Click “OK” at the bottom of the “Exclusions” tab.
See this page for additional Panda tips for whitelisting files and folders: http://www.pandasecurity.com/homeusers/downloads/docs/product/help/is/2012/en/709.htm The page is out of date but the methods may still work.
PC Tools Spyware Doctor
- Right click PC Tools icon in taskbar → Open
- Go to Settings → Global action list
- Click “Add”, choose “File” & browse to your Firestorm installation folder & choose slplugin.exe - and llceflib_host.exe (for FS 4.7.9 and later).
- This will add the plugin(s) to the global whitelist.
Webroot
To date (August 2015), there is no way to whitelist the entire cache folder in WebRoot. Therefore WebRoot may continue to cause severe problems including slow rezzing and viewer freezing.
If you test with WebRoot off and find your SL experience greatly improved, the only suggestion we have is to choose another antivirus program.
Some more more info on Webroot and the problems it has been known to cause, see this page.
For additional information:
