35 lines
1.5 KiB
Plaintext
35 lines
1.5 KiB
Plaintext
EICAR Test File
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This file is helpful in testing the performance of the antivirus
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programs detecting viruses with their signatures.
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For this purpose, most of the antivirus designers at present generally
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make use of the standard EICAR.COM program.
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The EICAR.COM program is specially designed such that the user, without
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endangering his machine, may verify how a newly-installed antivirus tool
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will alert the user on detecting a virus. The EICAR.COM program, in
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reality, is not a virus, but it is recognized by the majority of antivirus
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utilities (even Doctor Web) as if it is a virus. Furthermore, on detecting
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this "virus", Doctor Web reports
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EICAR Test File (Not a Virus!)
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Other antivirus utilities also alert along somewhat similar lines.
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(The acronym EICAR stands for European Institute for Computer Antivirus
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Research).
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The EICAR.COM program is a 68-byte COM-file, which on executed prints on
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the screen:
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EICAR-STANDARD-ANTIVIRUS-TEST-FILE!
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and then returns control to DOS. The EICAR.COM file contains only
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printable characters and the corresponding text string reads as
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follows:
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X5O!P%@AP[4\PZX54(P^)7CC)7}$EICAR-STANDARD-ANTIVIRUS-TEST-FILE!$H+H*
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In the file you are presently reading now, if you retain only the above
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line and delete all other text matter and rename the file thus edited to
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EICAR.COM, you obtain a program, which is the "virus" described above.
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