How to know if your newly installed antivirus is working correctly?[EICAR test]

Question

BlackHawck 10 Newbie Poster

13 Years Ago

If you have installed an antivirus and you are not sure if it is protecting your pc
fully or not? just try this popular test....

open notepad

just type in
"X5O!P%@AP[4\PZX54(P^)7CC)7}$EICAR-STANDARD-ANTIVIRUS-TEST-FILE!$H+H*"
(without quotes "")

save this with ".con" extension like: "eicar.con"
scan this file with your antivirus

if your antivirus detects this file- Antivirus is working as it should be...
most antivirus will pop out a message

and if your antivirus doesn't detects it
There's a problem with your installation So, re-install your antivirus

windows-virus

4 Contributors
8 Replies
150 Views
3 Days Discussion Span
Latest Post 13 Years Ago Latest Post by jholland1964

nuwan4u 3 Light Poster

13 Years Ago

Kaspersky IS 2012 don't detect it as a virus..?

jholland1964 650 Posting Expert

13 Years Ago

If you have installed an antivirus and you are not sure if it is protecting your pc
fully or not? just try this popular test....
open notepad
just type in
"X5O!P%@AP[4\PZX54(P^)7CC)7}$EICAR-STANDARD-ANTIVIRUS-TEST-FILE!$H+H*"
(without quotes "")
save this with ".con" extension like: "eicar.con"
scan this file with your antivirus
if your antivirus detects this file- Antivirus is working as it should be...
most antivirus will pop out a message
and if your antivirus doesn't detects it
There's a problem with your installation So, re-install your antivirus

While you are attempting to do a "good thing", your instructions are incorrect.

You need to save the file as EICAR.COM not EICAR.con Your av program should save it the moment you save the file. My Avira did.

Edited 13 Years Ago by jholland1964 because: n/a

Reply to this topic

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.

BlackHawck 10 Newbie Poster · Answer 1 · 2011-08-28T08:39:59+00:00

sorry! you should save file as .com not .con then test it

jholland1964 650 Posting Expert Team Colleague Featured Poster · Answer 2 · 2011-08-28T10:31:36+00:00

sorry! you should save file as .com not .con then test it

That is exactly what I posted.
If the av program is set up correctly, a scan shouldn't be necessary, a correctly configured av program should catch it the moment it is saved on the computer and not allow it to be saved. You really should actually know how the test works before posting instructions. Also make sure instructions posted are absolutely correct before posting something. Incorrect instructions for something, not this, but tools for instance, can damage a computer.

nuwan4u 3 Light Poster · Answer 3 · 2011-08-28T13:08:19+00:00

nuwan4u 3 Light Poster

13 Years Ago

Still Not Working for Me ( Using Kaspersky 2012 )

Edited 13 Years Ago by nuwan4u because: n/a

jholland1964 650 Posting Expert Team Colleague Featured Poster · Answer 4 · 2011-08-28T19:23:02+00:00

Still Not Working for Me ( Using Kaspersky 2012 )

Then I would say there IS a problem with your anti-virus program because if you followed the correct instructions to save the file as EICAR.COM then the simple act of saving the file should have triggered an alert.

Darikal 0 Newbie Poster · Answer 5 · 2011-08-30T23:20:13+00:00

with Avast running it doesn't pop up an error but it doesn't save either... shows up for a fraction of a second then disappears... working as intended?

jholland1964 650 Posting Expert Team Colleague Featured Poster · Answer 6 · 2011-08-31T00:09:54+00:00

with Avast running it doesn't pop up an error but it doesn't save either... shows up for a fraction of a second then disappears... working as intended?

Look in Avast quarantine. IF it worked then it should be in there or there should be a listing stating that this file has been blocked. If the file itself shows ON your computer then no, it didn't work because it should not be allowed to be saved on the computer.