Dear R-users! I am using R 1.7.0, under Windows XP; I also have Internet Explorer 6.0.2600.0000, Norton AntiVirus 7.60.926. Our firewall seems to want to "protect" me from downloading precompiled packages for Windows. When I try to download packages, like http://cran.at.r-project.org/bin/windows/contrib/1.7/RODBC_1.0-3.zip for example, I am not allowed to and get a message like this: "The content you just requested had a problem and was blocked by the Symantec AntiVirus Scan Engine based on local administrator settings." I called our network hotline, but they insisted that these files contain viruses and wouldn't let me download them. As I'm sure that not all packages on CRAN will contain viruses (!), I am asking here for support, maybe in the form of arguments like "These files definitely contain no viruses, but they may give false virus warnings because ...". Has anyone else experienced this problem? Regards, Heinrich.
RINNER Heinrich wrote:> Dear R-users! > > I am using R 1.7.0, under Windows XP; > I also have Internet Explorer 6.0.2600.0000, Norton AntiVirus 7.60.926. > > Our firewall seems to want to "protect" me from downloading precompiled > packages for Windows. > When I try to download packages, like > http://cran.at.r-project.org/bin/windows/contrib/1.7/RODBC_1.0-3.zip > for example, I am not allowed to and get a message like this: > > "The content you just requested had a problem and was blocked by the > Symantec AntiVirus Scan Engine based on local administrator settings." > > I called our network hotline, but they insisted that these files contain > viruses and wouldn't let me download them. As I'm sure that not all packages > on CRAN will contain viruses (!), I am asking here for support, maybe in the > form of arguments like "These files definitely contain no viruses, but they > may give false virus warnings because ...". > Has anyone else experienced this problem? > > Regards, > Heinrich.As an alternative you can compile from sources (and hope no viruses' source code is in there). Hopefully there are no viruses in those binary packages on CRAN. The virus scanner on the machine that compiles the packages is up to date, but having the most recent virus scanner doesn't imply to be free of viruses. Virus free packages cannot be guaranteed. Uwe Ligges
On 18-Jun-03 RINNER Heinrich wrote:> Dear R-users! > > I am using R 1.7.0, under Windows XP; > I also have Internet Explorer 6.0.2600.0000, Norton AntiVirus 7.60.926. > > Our firewall seems to want to "protect" me from downloading precompiled > packages for Windows. > When I try to download packages, like > http://cran.at.r-project.org/bin/windows/contrib/1.7/RODBC_1.0-3.zip > for example, I am not allowed to and get a message like this: > > "The content you just requested had a problem and was blocked by the > Symantec AntiVirus Scan Engine based on local administrator settings." > > I called our network hotline, but they insisted that these files > contain viruses and wouldn't let me download them.I think you may be a victim of the blind paranoia that is increasingly afflicting system administrators in these virus-prone days. The file you are trying to download is a *.zip file, and you may find that your network admins have simply blocked all ingress of files with a ".zip" extension. I know of sites where ".exe", ".doc", ".xls" etc. are all automatically blocked, regardless of content, simply because _some_ such files contain viruses. As to your network hotline, it seems to me that it is staffed by dumb clucks sitting at terminals consulting their ARS (Action Request System -- I invent not -- which supplies on-line canned answers for user problems). I don't know what to suggest, if that's what you're up against. The best of luck. Ted. -------------------------------------------------------------------- E-Mail: (Ted Harding) <Ted.Harding at nessie.mcc.ac.uk> Fax-to-email: +44 (0)870 167 1972 Date: 18-Jun-03 Time: 11:28:06 ------------------------------ XFMail ------------------------------