EICAR test file

The EICAR test file (self- designation: THE ANTI -VIRUS OR ANTI -MALWARE TEST FILE) is a system developed by the European Institute for Computer Antivirus Research ( EICAR ) test patterns with the help of the function of anti -virus programs can be tested.

The file is a text file with 68 ASCII characters and a resulting file size of 68 bytes or 70 bytes if the linefeed was activated at the end of the file in the text editor. The text can thus be entered in any text editor. The file is benign and is aimed not cause any damage, but should be recognized and displayed by all virus scanners as a virus. This can be tested, for example, whether a virus scanner can read an archive correctly.

The EICAR test file was developed so that it forms an executable COM file under MS -DOS and Microsoft Windows compatible. When executed, it returns the message EICAR - STANDARD - ANTIVIRUS -TEST -FILE! on the screen, and exits after itself, but it is incompatible with 64 -bit Microsoft Windows operating systems because there was deleted compatibility to 16 -bit software. Despite this incompatibility, but it is also recognized by all major antivirus programs on 64- bit systems and identified as the EICAR test file.

Contents of the file

The machine language instructions used in the executable file are selected so that only using characters from the 7- bit ASCII character set. This character set errors are excluded, and the file can be created with any text editor.

X5O! P% @ AP [4 \ PZX54 (P ^ ) 7CC ) 7 } $ EICAR - STANDARD - ANTIVIRUS -TEST -FILE! $ H H * In order to avoid premature detection and blocking of the test file by anti -virus programs, it is offered not only as a COM file, but also as merely renamed text file and compressed ZIP archive for download.

Antivirus software names used

Virus scanners recognize the file usually under the following names:

  • Avast! EICAR Test -NOT virus!
  • AVG Antivirus: EICAR_Test
  • Avira Antivirus: EICAR - Test - Signature
  • BitDefender: EICAR - Test-File (not a virus)
  • ClamAV: EICAR - Test - Signature
  • Computer Associates International: the EICAR test string
  • F -Secure: EICAR - Test-File
  • G Data: EICAR - Test-File (not a virus)
  • IKARUS: EICAR - ANTIVIRUS -TEST FILE
  • Kaspersky: EICAR - Test-File
  • McAfee: EICAR test file
  • Microsoft: Virus: DOS / EICAR_Test_File
  • Eset NOD32: EICAR test file
  • Panda: EICAR - AV-TEST -FILE
  • Sophos: EICAR - AV-Test
  • Symantec: EICAR Test String
  • Trend Micro: Eicar_test_file
  • Outpost Security Suite: EICAR_test_file ( Not_a_virus )

Others

Analogous to the EICAR test file is used in anti -spam solutions of GTUBE string.

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