Topic: How to test your AntiVirus software

[Kaz]

I came across this today.
I cant take the credit for it but I think it's a great share a guy called Picasso shared this so you can thank him I did and said I would share it with my friends, seeing as all the help I get on here so here it is I have tried it on my computers and I was very impressed.
Let me know how you get on

 

Have you ever wondered if your anti-virus software is really working? Would you like to see what happens when it detects a virus? Here's a safe way to test your computer's virus protection that doesn't require you to have a real virus.

First, open Notepad. Then copy and paste into it the text on the line below. (It should all be on one line.)

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

Then select File, Save, select All Files for the file type, then save the file as eicar.com.

Your anti-virus software may prevent you from saving the file as eicar.com, which is a sign that it is working effectively. If it doesn't raise an alert, try scanning the folder where you saved eicar.com. To see what happens if you try to run a file containing a virus, double-click eicar.com to open it.

Explanation

The file eicar.com you have created is completely safe. It is not a virus. It is a standard test file developed by the European Institute for Computer Anti-virus Research (EICAR). All anti-virus products are programmed to detect this file as if it was a real virus. Therefore you can safely use it to test whether your anti-virus software works, without fear of infecting your computer.

If your anti-virus product should fail to prevent you from running the file, it will simply display the text "EICAR-STANDARD-ANTIVIRUS-TEST-FILE" in a DOS box. No harm will have been done, but you should probably consider using a better anti-virus product, because if it had been a real virus, your computer would by now be infected!

[Simon]

That's actually quite well know about in the virus and malware field, but useful all the same.    How did yours perform, Kaz?

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

[Kaz]

My Kis picked it up straight away, I nearly feel off my seat when it screeched at me  lol

[Simon]

Oh, that pig thing is horrible!    You can change that to something else, if you like.

[Kaz]

What do you mean the sound a piggy sq eel  can you change it?  It does it's job though, how can I change it then.

[Simon]

I haven't used KIS for a while, but from what I recall, you can turn off the sound in the user options, I think it's something like Settings > Appearance > Advanced, and there are a series of tick boxes which can be changed.

If you want to actually change it for something else, you first have to turn off Proactive Defence, then go to C:\Program Files\Kaspersky Labs\Skin\Sounds, where you can replace the piggy sound with another sound file, but make sure you rename the new sound 'Infected'.  The best thing to do is first rename the old file, then you can just leave it there.  Don't forget to switch Proactive Defence back on when you've finished.