1. A computer implemented method for gleaning file attributes independently of file format, the method comprising the steps of: a non-application-specific file attribute manager receiving a plurality of files in a plurality of formats, the plurality of files including a plurality of copies of a selected file from the plurality of files; the file attribute manager scanning the plurality of received files in the plurality of formats; the file attribute manager gleaning file attributes from each of the plurality of scanned files based on a communications protocol used to receive each of the plurality of files, the file attribute manager gleaning different file attributes for different communications protocols; the file attribute manager storing the file attributes gleaned from each of the plurality of scanned files as a plurality of records in a database; the file attribute manager indexing specific file attributes gleaned from specific files according to contents of the specific files, the specific file attributes being stored as ones of the plurality of records in the database; the file attribute manager storing a record for each of the plurality of copies of the selected file, each separate record indexed according to the contents of the selected file from the plurality of files, such that each separate record can be accessed by a single index; examining one of the plurality of files; retrieving from the plurality of records in the database a first record associated with the examined one of the plurality of files; retrieving from the plurality of records in the database a second record associated with a malicious file; analyzing the gleaned file attributes gleaned from the examined one of the plurality of files, the gleaned file attributes having been retrieved from the first record; analyzing one or more attributes of the malicious file, the one or more attributes of the malicious file having been gleaned from the second record; and determining whether a status of the examined one of the plurality of files is malicious, responsive to analyzing the gleaned file attributes and the one or more attributes of the malicious file.