ClamAV main.cvd not updating on Debian 13 (Trixie) – stuck on 2021 signatures

[digiweb]

I am running Proxmox Mail Gateway on Debian 13 (Trixie) and I noticed a serious issue with ClamAV signature updates. The daily and bytecode databases update correctly, but the main.cvd database never updates and remains stuck at:

main.cvd: version 62
date: 16 Sep 2021
signatures: 6,647,427

Freshclam shows the following message:
main.cvd database is up-to-date (version: 62)

However, this database is clearly outdated by several years. It looks like the old main.cvd format is no longer being updated upstream, and Debian 13 (Trixie) might not be downloading the newer main.cld database format that other distributions use.

So far I have tried:

• Updating freshclam
• Stopping all services and deleting /var/lib/clamav/*.cvd and *.cld
• Forcing a full signature redownload via freshclam
• Restarting ClamAV and PMG services
• Checking network and mirror configuration

But the main database still does not update — only daily and bytecode update properly.

My questions:​

• Is this a known issue with ClamAV on Debian 13 (Trixie)?
• Is the main.cvd format deprecated on Trixie and not replaced by main.cld?
• Does PMG require the official ClamAV upstream repository instead of Debian’s repository on Trixie?
• Has anyone found a working solution or workaround for this issue?

Any help or guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

 

[Stoiko Ivanov]

am running Proxmox Mail Gateway on Debian 13 (Trixie) and I noticed a serious issue with ClamAV signature updates. The daily and bytecode databases update correctly, but the main.cvd database never updates and remains stuck at:

main.cvd: version 62
date: 16 Sep 2021
signatures: 6,647,427

This seems to be the most recent version according to the ClamAV CDN's TXT records:

 dig +noall +answer current.cvd.clamav.net TXT @8.8.8.8
current.cvd.clamav.net.    527    IN    TXT    "1.0.9:62:27821:1763031600:1:90:49192:339"

(the second field in the : separated list is the version of main.cvd)
See:
https://blog.clamav.net/2021/03/clamav-cvds-cdiffs-and-magic-behind.html
for more details, and why this might be as designed.

Is the main.cvd format deprecated on Trixie and not replaced by main.cld?

How did you get that idea (just to not miss anything on the packaging ClamAV side)? - from: https://docs.clamav.net/appendix/Terminology.html
I think the CLD files are files created by freshclam through the incremental updates - and there were no updates for main.cvd (see the blog-post linked above)

I hope this helps!

 

[digiweb]

Thank you very much for the clarification and for pointing me to the ClamAV CDN records and documentation.

It makes perfect sense now — the behavior I was seeing is indeed by design.
The main.cvd database remains at version 62 because ClamAV no longer expands it, and all new signatures are distributed through daily.cvd and bytecode updates.

My system is working correctly, and there is no issue with PMG or Debian 13.
I appreciate the detailed explanation and the links. This was very helpful.

Thanks again!