How To Test Your Anti-Virus Software

[zooneytunes]

How To Test Your Anti-Virus Software

Have you ever wondered if your anti-virus software is really working?Would you like to see what happens when it detects a virus? Here's a safe way to test your computers anti- virus protection, that dosen`t require you to have a real virus.
1 first open notepad Then copy and paste into it the text on the line below. (It should all be on one line.)

X5O!P%@AP[4\PZX54(P^)7CC)7}$EICAR-STANDARD-ANTIVIRUS-TEST-FILE!$H+H*[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
2 Then select File, Save, select All Files for the filetype,then save the file as eicar.com.

Your anti-virus software may prevent you from saving the file as eicar.com,which is a sign that it is working effectively. If it doesn't raise an alert, try scanning the folder where you saved eicar.com. To see what happens if you try to run a file containing a virus, double-click eicar.com to open it.

Explanation

The file eicar.com you have created is completely safe. It is not a virus. It is a standard test file developed by the European Institute for Computer Anti-virus Research (EICAR). All anti-virus products are programmed to detect this file as if it was a real virus. Therefore you can safely use it to test whether your anti-virus software works, without fear of infecting your computer.

If your anti-virus product should fail to prevent you from running the file, it will simply display the text"EICAR-STANDARD-ANTI-VIRUS-TEST-FILE" in a DOS box. No harm will have been done, but you should probably consider using a better anti-virus product, because if it had been a real virus, your computer would by now be infected!

[A Guy]

Or:

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Lol. A Guy

[zeejay]

very interesting... my norton 360 blocked it right away.

Thanks dude.

[ftw]

Freewarescanner (Avast, Antivir) blocks it too.
Good test if one does not sit on own pc.
thanks.

[kknmbr9]

Great! thanks for posting this, apparently my anti-virus must be doing fine since an alert message popped up immediately and prevented me from saving the file.

[jamboogy]

very nice find. thanks a lot!

[brevillemonkey]

well its seems the sophos AV at work doesn't recognise the "threat" Will try it at home though cheers

[solotetteh]

thanks for the software

[bingo]

My Nod32 found it as a threat. But I knew it would cos Nod32 rocks!

Great share though, thanks.