Test Your Anti-Virus Scanner

PROBLEM:

Do you ever wonder if the Antivirus, after installing it is working or not? The answer is a test virus. For this technique to be done, anti-virus makers throughout the world developed one standard by which the users can verify their anti-virus installations.And the output is an EICAR Standard Anti-Virus Test File which can be used to test the antivirus


SOLUTION:

Here is the solution. To test your anti-virus installation, copy the following line without brackets and quotes " into its own file (notepad,text document), then save the file with the name EICAR.COM. More detailed instructions are found below.

("X5O!P%@AP[4\PZX54(P^)7CC)7}$EICAR-STANDARD-ANTIVIRUS-TEST-FILE!$H+H*")

The file size will be 68 or 70 bytes.

If the Virus Scan is running and configured correctly, when you try to save the file, Virus Scan will detect the virus. If the Virus Scan is not running, start it and scan the directory that contains EICAR.COM, or right click on the file and select scan with your anti-virus program, When your software scans this file, it will report finding the EICAR test file.

[NOTE] This File Is NOT A VIRUS:

Delete the file when you have finished testing your installation to avoid alarming other users.

The eicar test virus is available for download from the following web site:
http://www.eicar.org/download/eicar.com

Steps to create an Eicar.com file:

1. Click on Start.
2. Select Run.
3. In the Open box type: notepad
4. Maximize the notepad window
5. Copy the following line of text written in green color

X5O!P%@AP[4\PZX54(P^)7CC)7}$EICAR-STANDARD-ANTIVIRUS-TEST-FILE!$H+H*

6. Go back to Notepad.
7. Click the Edit menu on the top and then select 'paste'.
8. Click the File menu on the top and select 'save as'.
9. Alter the 'Save as Type' to 'all files'.
10. Name the file as eicar.com.