Comodo AV 4 Linux - Not updating any more? Here's the fix....

[mikewalsh]

Evening, gang. Thought I'd better post about this before I hit the sack, else I shall forget.

If, like me, you run Comodo's AV 4 Linux - I only use this in 'standalone' mode, and run the very occasional scan with it - and have recently noticed it's no longer updating, here's the very simple 'fix' for it.

Comodo have changed the download URLs for the updater, that's why. I gleaned this info from the Comodo Forums, here:-

https://forums.comodo.com/comodo-antivi ... ;msg911837

Open the application up. Click on the 'More' tab at the far right. Then, open 'Preferences', and under the 'Update' tab, add these two URLs:-

• - http://cdn.download.comodo.com

• - http://download-cn.comodo.com

Then use the Up/down buttons to move the original URL to the bottom of the list, followed by 'OK'.

Now try updating the database again. All things being equal, everything should be working now.

Hope this may help some of you.

Mike.

[bigpup]

Got a link to the actual Comodo AV 4 Linux program you are using?

[mikewalsh]

@bigpup :-

I can give you a link to the package as I re-built it to work for us. The app itself appears inaccessible on the web-site ATM...

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... sp=sharing

(We had to modify it anyway, since the download from the site doesn't work OOTB; it expects a multi-user set-up, and also expects on-the-fly compiling of the filesystem redirect modules on its first run. You yourself tried to compile these, and they never would work properly.)

Mike.

[puppy_apprentice]

https://www.comodo.com/home/download/do ... -for-linux
https://www.comodo.com/home/internet-se ... -linux.php

[mikewalsh]

https://www.comodo.com/home/download/do ... -for-linux
https://www.comodo.com/home/internet-se ... -linux.php

Yah; I found out I needed to disable AdGuard for Comodo's site. Once I'd done that, it came up quite happily.....

Mike.

[xenial]

i may try this even though i do not believe i would need it but you never know,I used the full comodo internet security on windows for years and it was bulletproof protection.

[keniv]

I used to use Clam AV as I some times had to use USB sticks that had been plugged into my wife's windows machine and I liked to check them before hand. However, even using the GUI I quite often had trouble using Clam AV especially getting updates. Could I use Comodo AV 4 Linux for this? Does it have a GUI?
@mikewalsh

I can give you a link to the package as I re-built it to work for us.

Hi Mike,
Can I ask if your package is in the form of a .pet, .sfs or a portable?

Regards,

Ken.

Edit: Tried to download the 64 bit .sfs with Palemoon without success. Thought google drive might want Chrome so tried with Iron without success though got a message about disabling 3rd party cookies.

[puppy_apprentice]

Does it have a GUI?

[keniv]

Seem to be passed the time allowed to re-edit my previous post. I enabled 3rd party cookies and the download commenced. Have now blocked them again.

Regards,

Ken

[keniv]

Well after loading the .sfs in Fossapup I followed @mikewalsh's instructions and updated the Comodo update links. I then attempted to update Comodo and the update started to download a 562MB update. This gradually counted down until it reached 561.8MB at which point a box appeared telling me the update had failed, to check my internet connection and try again later. As there was nothing wrong with my internet connection I tried again but got another failure box. I tried to unload Comodo but could not do this either as I was told that some files were still in use. I had to elect to shutdown so that Comodo would be unloaded when I next booted up. I also seem to have an extra 562MB in my savefile which I cannot delete as I cannot find them. Has anybody got any ideas as to were I should go from here. Even getting rid of the files which the Comodo.sfs has install to my hdd including the update would be a start.

Regards,

Ken.

[puppy_apprentice]

Try in rox to show hidden files and in the /root look for comodo directory.
In rox new files or directories are bolded.
Or in console:

Code: Select all

find -name "*Comodo*"
find -name "*comodo*"
find -name "*COMODO*"
find . -mmin 30 #find all files 30 minutes old

Maybe those paths:

Code: Select all

/opt/COMODO/
/usr/local/Trolltech/Qt-4.7.4-Comodo/

[keniv]

@puppy_apprentice
I have used pfind to find Comodo files both with Comodo loaded and unloaded. When unloaded I manually deleted many of the largest. I the reloaded Comodo but still got the same problems. I decided to make a new clean save file to test Comodo however, I have noted that after it runs "diagnostics" I see an error telling me that "file system filter driver is not loaded". I don't know how to fix this. I did not attempt to update but instead tried to unload but I got the cannot unload error I've already mentioned because "some files are still in use" and I again had to elect to shutdown so that Comodo would be unloaded when I rebooted. I have come to the conclusion that either this package does not work with Fossapup or that there may be a problem with the package. Using it with my original save file certainly messed it up and before everybody tells me I should have backed it up before starting this I agree.

Regards,

Ken.

[puppy_apprentice]

cannot unload error I've already mentioned because "some files are still in use"

You have to try to kill some Comodo processes in top (use filter in top) and later to try to unload sfs.
Try to download .deb from official page. I myself don't use this antivirus but i think that there must be an option to change path were Comodo save updates or virus signatures.

[mikewalsh]

@keniv :-

Hoo, boy. Let's see if I can shed some light on what's happening here.....

The only snag with using Comodo is that it saves its signature database file inside the /opt/COMODO/scanners directory. Because of this, when you try to unload the SFS, it says it can't ("Files in use"), etc, because that 564 MB database file (bases.cav) is not part of the original SFS file. Consequently, this jams the unload process up and you end up having to manually delete /opt/COMODO.

You also find that, although the entries in /usr/share/applications have in fact been deleted/removed, they still show in the Menu. In this case, because the normal SFS unload process has been interrupted, those entries don't get removed from /root/.jwmrc either.

During the course of the original thread on the Murga Forum, we were more concerned with getting the thing to actually run than we were in worrying about whether it would unload properly afterwards.

---------------------------------

The way I get round it is this:- After loading the SFS, before doing anything else I copy the /opt/COMODO directory out to somewhere where I have plenty of space. I then delete the original, and sym-link it back into position. Having done this, and updated those URLs/updated the database, there's then usually enough room for that monster database file. I'm guessing you've simply run out of space, because I doubt you expected the database to be quite so humungously large!

The above trick works well for either a single install, OR to "share" the COMODO directory & database between multiple Puppies, because after loading the SFS in each one, I merely delete the 'loaded' COMODO directory from /opt & sym-link the external one back in its place. Upon unloading the SFS, all proceeds as normal; all you get left with is a "dead" sym-link in /opt, which can be removed as & when you get around to it (because it doesn't interfere with anything).

--------------------------------

I've been experimenting this afternoon with building a 'portable' standalone version which you could then run from a USB stick. However, this turned out to be a flat 'bust'; it appears each individual install is intimately tied to the host ID of the OS into which you've installed it. I built a portable version, and initially it all appeared to work well.....but upon booting into another Puppy, despite firing-up and starting OK, it had lost its settings, 'lost' the update URLs, and had even forgotten it had ever been updated! That 500+ MB 'bases.cav' file was sitting in its normal location inside the 'scanners' directory, but the application insisted - even looking straight at it! - that there was nothing there.....

COMODO AV 4 Linux doesn't produce any config files, apart from a nightmarishly complex .xml file inside the /COMODO/etc directory.....a good part of which is in hex code memory address register locations.

I said "Sod it", and gave up at that point..!

------------------------------------

Anyway, to recap; the simplest way to avoid that 'jammed-up' SFS unload process is, quite simply, to move the /opt/COMODO directory somewhere outside the 'save' and sym-link it back into position, before you do ANYTHING else. I appreciate it's a load of tiffling about, but it does mean the thing CAN be unloaded again without any hassle. This is how I've been doing it for a long time, and it's been perfectly happy to run like that.

If you want shot of it completely, just remember to delete the external COMODO directory as well. Sorted.

Top & bottom, to my way of thinking it boils down to one thing.....and that is, the developers didn't think the thing out very well when they coded it originally. Anyone with a shred of sense would have written it to locate that huge signature database file somewhere else completely, given how big it gets.

(*shrug*)

Mike.

[keniv]

@mikewalsh

Anyway, to recap; the simplest way to avoid that 'jammed-up' SFS unload process is, quite simply, to move the /opt/COMODO directory somewhere outside the 'save' and sym-link it back into position, before you do ANYTHING else.

Hi Mike,
I've followed the instructions above in the new clean save file I made to test this but I still have the same problems. I moved /opt/COMODO to /sda2/Comodopt then sym linked it back to /opt. When I load the .sfs I get whats shown in the driver_not_loaded.png (please see the text above the Run Diagnostics button). If I attempt to update I get whats shown in the update.png. If I attempt to unload I get whats shown in the unload.png. I have no idea why this will not work for me.

Regards,

Ken.

[mikewalsh]

@keniv :-

O-kay. Well, picture 1 is perfectly normal for Puppy. Those file-system 'filter drivers' don't install; they're supposed to compile from the terminal, but the source-code Comodo supply to build kernel driver modules simply doesn't work. (It's not just us, either; Ubuntu users report issues with the source code, as do Mint users, Arch users, Fedora users, etc, etc...) The good news is that they're not needed to use it as a standalone scanner, which is how most folks will use it. (I don't know of any Linux users who are going to set their distro up to behave exactly like Windoze, complete with anti-virus & anti-malware running regular scans all day long, and gobbling resources up as hard as they can! )

Picture 2 - You DID remember to re-do those update URLs, yes? Sometimes a re-start of COMODO is required.....and that means killing it from the systray icon, then confirming "Yes". COMODO will not run more than one instance at a time.....and some items won't run correctly without a re-start.

Picture 3, though; I don't understand why you're still getting that problem, Ken. I really don't (and I haven't got any more bright ideas, either). You did check you'd manually cleared any left-overs from the previous attempt, I take it?

Mike.

[keniv]

@mikewalsh

You DID remember to re-do those update URLs, yes?

The short answer is no. I did it the first time but did not remember to do it again after I had manually deleted the stuff that the .sfs installed on the hdd. When I did this the update went well if a little slowly. /opt/COMODO is moved to /sda2/Comodopt then sym linked it back to /opt. I did a test scan on /usr/share and this appeared to work.

Picture 3, though; I don't understand why you're still getting that problem, Ken.

I'm still getting this problem.

You did check you'd manually cleared any left-overs from the previous attempt, I take it?

Yes I did do this. However, as I have made a new minimal save file on which to test Comodo I intend to keep this and use it to run Comodo on what I hope will be the rare occasions I need it and so I don't need to unload it. If I do need to unload it I can go through the process I described earlier.

(and I haven't got any more bright ideas, either)

If you do have a bright idea please let me know and I'll try it but if not then I seem to have a work around. Thanks again for your help.

Regards,

Ken.

[GMBudwrench]

Worked good for me on Bionic64. Followed your directions and so far, no issues encountered yet. But, would deleting the original update links cause problems? If so, could you post them so that I could reinsert them?

[xenial]

If i may add and i must apologise if it is totally irrelevant but when i used the full comodo intenet security suite on windows i used to experience this issue in regard to signature updates quite infrequently and it was always down to checking for signatures manually.If i recall correctly comodo automatically updates it's database every 30mins or any time the user specified and those updates always worked..It was never a constant issue but it did occur occasionally.
Sorry if this does not help in any way.
I am assuming this standalone av does not contain the Defence+ HIPS module.?.

Just thought i would add a comment and sorry if it is a useless one but just my addition to the discussion.

[mikewalsh]

@xenial :-

Hallo, mate.

I am assuming this standalone av does not contain the Defence+ HIPS module..?

No, thank God.....it does NOT. That was the one thing I always used to disable during the years when I, too, used C.I.S full-time in XP. If you didn't, you couldn't get owt done for the constant interruptions with on-screen popups!

Later on, during my final years with XP, I switched to using just the Comodo Firewall.....and backed that up with a once-weekly scan with Malwarebytes. Never had any issues like that, and it seriously cut down the amount of wasted resources with AV constantly running in the background.

What few there are for Linux tend to mostly incorporate email 'gateways'. Many Linux users run mail servers, and where Windows users access them, these will scan mail as it passes thru the server & remove any Windows malware en-route. You need to know all your ports and other stuff to set that part of it up though, 'cos it's a bit complicated....

Mike.

[mikewalsh]

Worked good for me on Bionic64. Followed your directions and so far, no issues encountered yet. But, would deleting the original update links cause problems? If so, could you post them so that I could reinsert them?

@GMBudwrench :-

If you want the original download link, it's this (there IS only one):-

http://download.comodo.com

I move this to the bottom, below the other two, though I don't think it would make any difference if it wasn't there since that one no longer works.....

Mike.

[keniv]

@mikewalsh
I'm trying to reinstall Comodo AV 4 onto a new ssd. I've installed your Comodo_AV_for_Linux-amd64.sfs a copy of which I still had. However I can't update the virus data. I've followed your instructions in the first post and added
http://cdn.download.comodo.com and http://download-cn.comodo.com and moved the original url to the bottom but I get a failed error when I tried to update. Can you tell me if these urls are the current and whether they should work or not? I also tried to download a new copy of Comodo AV 4 from your link here https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... sp=sharing but I get a 404 error with both firfox and palemoon. Can you tell me if this link should still work?

Regards,

Ken.

[bigpup]

This link seems to work
https://www.comodo.com/home/internet-se ... 1692383032

[mikewalsh]

This link seems to work
https://www.comodo.com/home/internet-se ... 1692383032

Huh. Yeah, riiiight....

(Oh, don't get me wrong. The link itself works fine. What they don't tell you is that this is still the same old build I used several years ago. They might have labelled it as 2022, but trust me, this one won't update either.)

@keniv :-

Basically, I've given up on this as a bad job, Ken. I used it for several years, but it's just been allowed to fall into "disrepair". It hasn't been maintained for years. The Comodo Forums still keep telling you to add those two extra URLs, but more and more people are reporting back that nothing changes. And the dev team are SILENT.

My belief is it's been written off by the company itself. Which pretty much leaves you with ClamAV, or....nothing. The only real Linux options are now paid subscriptions only. And I, for one, am not interested in going down that route.

I've removed COMODO from the kennels. I'm not interested in it any longer, 'cos it's non-funczione, mate.

-----------------

Duprate's been posting about a portable build of ClamAV on the FatDog forum. I uploaded it some weeks ago, and updated it to the then-current build. Since then, Duprate's updated to the same build as I used. You can find it here:-

viewtopic.php?t=9372

I believe bigpup posted somewhere recently about having lingering problems after using a recent package of ClamAV he obtained here on the forum. I don't know of any others that are available ATM, so I can only presuppose it's Duprate's package. All I will say is that my own updated version of this package hasn't given me any problems so far.....

(*shrug...*)

Mike.

[keniv]

@mikewalsh

Basically, I've given up on this as a bad job, Ken. I used it for several years, but it's just been allowed to fall into "disrepair". It hasn't been maintained for years. The Comodo Forums still keep telling you to add those two extra URLs, but more and more people are reporting back that nothing changes. And the dev team are SILENT.

OK Mike, I'll give up on this one. All I'm really hoping to be able to do is scan a few things that I download with a browser running as spot. These are mainly docs or pdfs of circuit diagrams or repair manuals. I would also like to be able to scan some files on a usb stick which has been in my wife's windows machine. These would mostly be image files. I do not intend to try and scan my system.

Duprate's been posting about a portable build of ClamAV on the FatDog forum.

I've had a look at your link but this looks quite a complicated process just to be able to scan a few files now and again. Oddly enough I have a copy of Fatdog64 900 on this sdd. It's the first time I've tried Fatdog and have not found it easy.
I've gone back to your version. I can update the virus data base but I get an error when I try to scan a simple file. It's shown below.

Code: Select all

Enter the full path to scan, and wait for the final summary.
Example: /mnt/sda1
Enter location to scan: /mnt/home/Pics/HattieHols/japan1.jpeg       
/initrd/mnt/dev_save/Portables64/clamav/Clamav64/bin/clamscan: error while loading shared libraries: libclamav.so.11: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory
Press [Enter] to finish...

I do think that being able to scan some files is something many users might want to do from time to time if for no other reason to get a little peace of mind.

Regards,

Ken.

[mikewalsh]

Just as a follow-up to all this, see this thread on the COMODO forums:-

https://forums.comodo.com/t/instalation ... ies/357979

If it's been discontinued, then hell yes! it SHOULD be removed from the website.... No point leading folks on, is there?

Mike.