Create a virus

[prathapml]

Sometimes you want to just check if your AntiVirus is working.

Save the following into a text-file:

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

And rename to eicar.com

Norton AntiVirus should immediately detect it - in my case it automatically deleted the file even as it was being saved.

More information: http://www.eicar.org/anti_virus_test_file.htm

[sven]

what type of virus have we created in doing that?

ooo, yay. my antirus virus deffs are still good

[gamehead200]

That's been around for years... I test it on my school's computers every once and a while!

[Doggie]

yay avg 7 free edition detected

[MCT]

i dont even get 2 copy it 2 a txt file soon as i copy the selected code, nod32 detects it as a virus

[DigeratiPrime]

zonealarm picked it up after I renamed the txt file.

[SiMoNsAyS]

zonealarm picked it up after I renamed the txt file.

the same for bitdefender8

[phoenix_nf]

my mcafee caught the file.

[pob]

N I S picked it up straight away

[magicfly]

my great kaspersky found that and cleaned...very nice

[Stuntgp2000]

At first I was shocked because Pc-cillin didn't detect it. But as always I am always making mistakes, I have't copied the whole text, this is why it wasn't detected

[mendipjohn]

Out of interest, whilst I know it is harmless and my AV picked it up, what happens on a PC where it isnt detected for whatever reason?

Does any message appear?

Interested incase I can use it as a generic anti-virus test, wondered if there was any message along the lines of "hehe you have no AV" to verify it had run in the first place, you never know with some PCs

[prathapml]

If you have no anti-virus, then nothing will happen. The file will just run/open like an un-infected file. You will have to say "hehe... no AV" yourself!