EICAR Test File

This file is helpful in testing the performance of the antivirus
programs detecting viruses with their signatures.                

For this purpose, most of the antivirus designers at present generally 
make use of the  standard EICAR.COM program.                  
The EICAR.COM program is specially designed such that the user, without 
endangering his machine, may verify how a newly-installed antivirus tool 
will alert the user on detecting a virus. The EICAR.COM program, in 
reality, is not a virus, but it is recognized by the majority of antivirus 
utilities (even Doctor Web) as if it is a virus. Furthermore, on detecting 
this "virus", Doctor Web reports   

                      EICAR Test File (Not a Virus!)

Other antivirus utilities also alert along somewhat similar lines.
(The acronym EICAR stands for European Institute for Computer Antivirus 
Research).
                                
The EICAR.COM program is a 68-byte COM-file, which on executed prints on 
the screen:

                    EICAR-STANDARD-ANTIVIRUS-TEST-FILE!

and  then  returns control to  DOS. The  EICAR.COM  file  contains  only
printable   characters    and   the corresponding text string reads  as
follows:

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

In the file you are presently reading now, if you  retain only the above 
line and delete all other text matter and rename the file thus edited to
EICAR.COM, you obtain a program, which is the "virus" described above.