Want to check if your antivirus is working? Think your antivirus has been compromised?

Follow this simple guide to test your antivirus

Create a new text file, in the text file enter:

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

Now save the file as anything.COM (the com extension is important as this is an executable)

Any decent antivirus will have detected a threat as soon as you saved the file, if yours hasn’t then try executing the file (this file will NOT harm your pc) or manually scanning the file.

If your AV detects something then it’s working fine, if it doesn’t, i would recommend looking for a new AV.

This file will not harm your pc in any way, it is a string created by the antivirus industry to test the integrity of antivirus’s.