{"id":8,"date":"2012-06-17T04:57:00","date_gmt":"2012-06-17T04:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pheonixsolutions.com\/?p=8"},"modified":"2026-09-07T16:25:45","modified_gmt":"2026-09-07T10:55:45","slug":"mailscanner-allow-zip-tar-gz-extension-in-email","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pheonixsolutions.com\/blog\/mailscanner-allow-zip-tar-gz-extension-in-email\/","title":{"rendered":"Mailscanner: allow .zip, .tar, and .gz extensions in email"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Introduction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">MailScanner scans email attachments to protect mail servers from malicious files. By default, it may block archive files such as&nbsp;<strong>.zip<\/strong>,&nbsp;<strong>.tar<\/strong>, and&nbsp;<strong>.gz<\/strong>&nbsp;if they contain executable or potentially dangerous file types. If required, you can configure MailScanner to allow these archive formats while continuing to scan the attachments for viruses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Prerequisites<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Root or sudo access to the server<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Access to WHM<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>MailScanner installed and configured<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Implementation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 1<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Log in to WHM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 2<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Navigate to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>WHM \u2192 MailScanner \u2192 MailScanner Configuration<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 3<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Search for the setting:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Maximum Archive Depth<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 4<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Set the value to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This disables archive content checking and allows archive files such as&nbsp;<strong>.zip<\/strong>,&nbsp;<strong>.tar<\/strong>, and&nbsp;<strong>.gz<\/strong>&nbsp;to pass through MailScanner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 5<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Save the configuration changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 6<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Send a test email with a supported archive attachment to verify that it is delivered successfully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Setting&nbsp;<strong>Maximum Archive Depth<\/strong>&nbsp;to&nbsp;<strong>0<\/strong>&nbsp;allows archive files such as&nbsp;<strong>.zip<\/strong>,&nbsp;<strong>.tar<\/strong>, and&nbsp;<strong>.gz<\/strong>&nbsp;to be sent through MailScanner without being blocked due to their contents. The attachments will continue to be scanned for viruses, helping maintain email security while allowing archive file transfers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">FAQs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Why does MailScanner block ZIP, TAR, and GZ files?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">MailScanner may block archive files when they contain executable or potentially dangerous file types. This is part of its attachment security checks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. How can I allow archive files through MailScanner?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In <strong>WHM \u2192 MailScanner \u2192 MailScanner Configuration<\/strong>, locate <strong>Maximum Archive Depth<\/strong> and set its value to <strong>0<\/strong>. Save the configuration and test by sending an email with an archive attachment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Will archive files still be scanned for viruses?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yes. Setting <strong>Maximum Archive Depth<\/strong> to <strong>0<\/strong> allows the archive files to pass through without being blocked due to their contents, while the attachments can still be scanned for viruses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Related Articles<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">MailScanner \u2013 Allow Specific File Extensions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Learn how to configure MailScanner to allow specific attachment extensions when certain file types are being blocked by the mail server.<br><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/pheonixsolutions.com\/blog\/mailscanner-allow-extensions\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\">MailScanner \u2013 Allow Extensions<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Configure Email Account on a Mac Machine<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Learn how to configure an email account on a Mac machine and set up the required email account settings for sending and receiving messages.<br><a href=\"https:\/\/pheonixsolutions.com\/blog\/configure-email-account-in-mac-machine\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Configure Email Account on a Mac Machine<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Talk to our experts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Looking for the right technology solution for your business? Our team of experts can help you with development, cloud, DevOps, design, and a wide range of other technology needs. Get in touch with our team&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/pheonixsolutions.com\/contact\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Introduction MailScanner scans email attachments to protect mail servers from malicious files. By default, it may block archive files such [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1024,1019],"tags":[263,228],"class_list":["post-8","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-security","category-cloud-aws","tag-cpanel","tag-mailscanner-2","psol-cat-security"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/phn2x7-8","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pheonixsolutions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pheonixsolutions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pheonixsolutions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pheonixsolutions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pheonixsolutions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/pheonixsolutions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11453,"href":"https:\/\/pheonixsolutions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8\/revisions\/11453"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pheonixsolutions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pheonixsolutions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pheonixsolutions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}