How to Verify if your Virus Scanner is Properly Working
There is a neat little trick that will test whether your anti virus program is properly working. It's basically a harmless virus, if you can even call it that, which simply displays a few text lines if executed. The housing of this virus is a simple text (.txt) file.
So, let's test it out!
You can either do this yourself, or you can click this link, which is basically the test virus uploaded to my server. Please not that this is not a real virus, it is simply a test, or fake virus, that is used to verify you're anti virus's ability to scan, remove, and or quarantine a real virus. (I've created a shorcut to this fake virus which can be located at knight47.com/test for quick access)
If you want to create it yourself, all you need to do to test your anti virus, is create a fresh text document. To do this right click on your desktop, go to > New > Text Document.
Once you've created your document, copy and paste this simple line of code, and only this code into the newly created file (If you add any more text to the file, the virus won't compile correctly, so make sure only that line is pasted into the file):
X5O!P%@AP[4\PZX54(P^)7CC)7}$EICAR-STANDARD-ANTIVIRUS-TEST-FILE!$H+H*
Now just save your file. Did anything happen? The instant you save it, your anti virus should pick it up, and either delete or quarantine the file. If it didn't then you're in trouble!
I thought it would be neat if you guys could help me test this out with multiple anti virus programs. I'm using ZoneAlarm Security Suite version 6.5.737.000, and it picked it up immediately. So I'm in pretty good shape!
What about you guys?
I created a thread in the forum, it would be pretty cool if you guys could help me out and test your anti virus, and let me know if it's working or not, and then we can create a list of what scanners work and what don't. The thread can be viewed here. It would also be really cool if you guys could provide a screen shot. Instructions on taking and posting a screen shot can be viewed here.
If you have a screen shot, please post it on the forum here.
| Which scanners passed the test, and which didn't: |
Anti Virus Software |
Passed |
Failed |
Immediete Detection? |
 |
YES |
||
|
NO |
||
|
NO |
||
| Symantec Anti Virus 2005 | |
YES |
|
| NOD32 2.5 & 2.7 | |
YES
|
|
| Norton Antivirus 2005 | |
YES |
|
| Kaspersky Version 6 | |
YES |
|
| Symantec Antivirus Corporate 9 | |
YES |
|
| Bullguard Version 6 | |
YES |
|
| Norton Anti Virus 2002 | |
YES |
|
| Micro Pc-Cillin Internet Security 2007 | |
YES |
|
| Symantec Antivirus 2006 | |
YES |
|
| Norton Antivirus 2006 | |
YES |
|
| Webroot Spy Sweeper 5.2 | |
YES |
|
| Symantec Corporate Edition 10.1.5 | |
YES |
|
| McAfee VirusScan Enterprise 8.0 | |
YES |
|
| Symantec Nortan Anti Virus 2007 | |
YES |
|
| Kaspersky Internet Security 6.0 | |
NO |
|
| Windows Live OnceCare 1.5.1 | |
YES |
|
| Norton Anti Virus 2003 | |
YES |
|
| NOD32 2.7 | |
YES |
|
| Zone Alarm 7.0.3 | |
YES |
|
| Aol Saftey 3.0.0.1 | |
YES |
|
| Norton Antivirus 2001 | |
NO |
|
| Computer Associates 2007 | |
NO |
|
| Avast Antivirus 6.0 | |
NO |
|
| Trend Micro Anti Virus 2007 | |
YES |
|
| Panda Internet Security 2007 11.0 | |
NO |
|
| AVG Anti Virus Version 7.5 | |
YES |
|
| Kaspersky Internet Security 2006 | |
YES |
|
| Zone Alarm Internet Security Suite 6 | |
YES |
|
| Zone Alarm Internet Security Suite 7 | |
YES |
|
| Telus Security Suite Version 5.1 | |
YES |
|
| MacAfee Security Center (Free Version) | |
YES |
|
| Norton Internet security 2006 | |
YES |
|
| Symantec Anti Virus 10.1.500 |
|
YES |
|
| Telus Security Service |
|
NO |
|
| Windows Defender | |
NO |
|
| Trend Micro 8.5 | |
NO |
|
| Avast Home Edition | |
YES |
|
| F-Secure Anti-Virus | |
YES |
|
| McAfee 8.5 | |
YES |
|
| Avast 4.7 | |
NO |
|
| Clamwin Free Antivirus (Version N/A) | |
NO |
|
| CA Anti-Virus 2007 8.4 | |
YES |
|
Please share this link with friends so we can get a wide variety of results!