Well, these are very basic steps which were lying around for a while on our system and we wanted to share this with our readers who would be interested in getting to know how they can check their anti virus installation whether it is working perfectly or not!
This method had been in existence from the past many years, but most of the times people generally do not tend to know it as no one gets the idea to check their anti-virus installation. We just presume that our installation would work perfectly and stand in the test of time.
Description
After installing VirusScan, you may logically wonder, how do I know if it’s working? The answer is a test virus.
The EICAR(European Institute for Computer Antivirus Research) Standard AntiVirus Test File is a combined effort by anti-virus vendors throughout the world to implement one standard by which customers can verify their anti-virus installations.
Solution
To test your installation, copy the following line into its own file, 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 VirusScan is running and configured correctly, when you try to save the file, VirusScan will detect the virus. If VirusScan is not running, start it and scan the directory that contains EICAR.COM. When your software scans this file, it will report finding the EICAR test file.
Note that this file is NOT A VIRUS. Delete the file when you have finished testing your installation to avoid alarming unsuspecting
users.
The eicar test virus is available for download from the following website:
http://www.eicar.org/download/eicar.com
Creating Eicar.com
1. Click on Start.
2. Select Run.
3. In the Open box type: notepad
4. Maximize the window.
5. Highlight the following on the following line of text:
X5O!P%@AP[4\PZX54(P^)7CC)7}$EICAR-STANDARD-ANTIVIRUS-TEST-FILE!$H+H*
6. Right click on the highlighted text and choose ‘copy’.
7. Switch back to Notepad.
8. Right click anywhere inside of Notepad and select ‘paste’.
9. Click the File menu and select ‘save as’.
10. Change the ‘Save as Type’ to ‘all files’.
11. Name the file eicar.com.
And see how your anti-virus software should come alive and say that the EICAR test file had been detected and that it had been quarantined. If it does not say so, then its time for a new Anti Virus installation.
If your installation doesn’t say so, please mention it’s name in the below comment form.
