Plesk ClamAV Installation: 7 Steps to Enhanced Email Security

Plesk ClamAV Installation: Enhancing Email Security

In this comprehensive guide, we will leverage the capabilities of ClamAV as a viable alternative to Plesk Premium Antivirus, entrusting ClamAV with the crucial task of scanning both incoming and outgoing mail for potential threats.

The steps detailed in this tutorial have been meticulously tested on a dedicated server powered by Ubuntu. Rest assured, this guide aims to provide a seamless transition for users seeking an effective solution for email security. However, should you encounter any challenges or have queries during the implementation process, please feel free to reach out for prompt and personalized assistance. Your success in implementing ClamAV is our priority, and we are committed to ensuring a smooth experience for every user.

To kick off the process, let’s install the required packages for our project in the terminal on the Plesk server:

sudo apt-get install clamav clamav-base clamav-daemon clamav-freshclam clamav-milter clamsmtp -y

Commend the MilterSocket line ( #MilterSocket /var/run/clamav/clamav-milter.ctl )in the /etc/clamav/clamav-milter.conf file and add the line provided below:

MilterSocket inet:3381@localhost

To enhance your file access experience and facilitate seamless editing, I recommend leveraging the nano editor. To do so, initiate the process by executing the command ‘sudo nano /your/path‘ in the terminal. Once the nano editor is open, proceed with making your desired edits. Upon completion, finalize the editing process by pressing CTRL+X to exit, followed by confirming your decision with CTRL+C.

Moving on, navigate to the /etc/postfix/main.cf file. Introduce the following lines above the directive beginning with smtpd_milters. Remove the existing smtpd_milters line or you can comment and add this:

milter_default_action = accept
milter_protocol = 6
smtpd_milters = inet:127.0.0.1:12768, inet:127.0.0.1:3381
non_smtpd_milters = inet:127.0.0.1:3381

Then you can check the file /etc/clamsmtpd.conf to verify whether a tag has been appended to the mail header. To accomplish this, we just need to eliminate the hash symbol at the beginning of the following line:

Header: X-AV-Checked: ClamAV using ClamSMTP

Alrighty then, we initiate the restart of the listed services, after which ClamAV is set to perform a scan on freshly arriving emails:

sudo systemctl restart postfix
sudo systemctl restart clamav-milter.service
sudo systemctl restart clamav-daemon.service

Now, whether you have received an email or are sending a new one, the following entries should be present in the mail header:

X-Virus-Scanned: clamav-milter 0.103.8 at your.serverhost.name
X-Virus-Status: Clean

If you encounter an error where you are unable to send or receive an email, simply restart the service again, and it should function properly as if it were new!

To ensure that the services initiate automatic operation upon restarting the server, I suggest inputting the following commands in the command line:

sudo systemctl enable clamav-milter.service
sudo systemctl enable clamav-daemon.service