How to check if your antivirus is working Alright?

First, open Notepad. Then copy and then paste into it the bold text in the line below. [make sure you type it all in one line.]

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

Save this file, as you do so make sure to select All Files for the file type, then save the file as eicar.com.

Now your anti-virus software could stop you from saving the file as eicar.com, which is an indication that it is working effectively. If you do not get an alert, try to scan the folder where you have saved eicar.com. Run this file to check the behavior of your Anti-virus program

Explanation:

The file eicar.com that has been created by you is completely safe file. It is a standard test file compiled by the European Institute for Computer Anti-virus Research (EICAR). All of the anti-virus programs are geared to detect this file as if it is a real threat. Therefore you can use it to test whether your anti-virus software works while being on the safe side.

If your anti-virus program fails to alert you from running the file, this will simply display the text "EICAR-STANDARD-ANTIVIRUS-TEST-FILE" in a DOS box. You should better have your computer checked by some security expert, and secondly try to get a new Anti-virus Program.

More ways to perform the Eicar.com tes