Overview

The Eicar test file, or European Institute for Computer Antivirus Research test file, is a safe and standardized string of code developed by the EICAR organization. This file is specifically designed to test the response of antivirus programs without using real malware. Its primary purpose is to test the response of malware services. Instead of using real malware which could cause real damage, this test file allows you to test anti-virus services without having to use real malware.

How Does It Work?

The Eicar test file is a harmless piece of code that is recognized by antivirus software as a virus but has no malicious capabilities. Essentially, it's a way to trigger an antivirus alert on purpose. The file consists of a specific string of text that can be created by simply typing it out in a text editor and saving the file with a .com extension. When scanned or executed, any properly functioning antivirus software will immediately identify the file as a threat and take appropriate action, just as it would with actual malware.

Does FileScanAPI recognize Eicar Test File?

Yes, our API recognizes the test file. Here is our sample response to the Eicar file.

{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": "f497d027-75b4-4cdf-9968-f11b5054d8db",
        "created_at": "2024-03-25T19:10:44.037Z",
        "status": {
            "code": 200,
            "message": "success"
        },
        "result": [
            "m.Win.Test.EICAR_HDB-1"
        ],
        "metadata": {
            "filename": "eicar.txt"
        },
        "stat": {
            "content_length": 68,
            "checksum_md5": "44d88612fea8a8f36de82e1278abb02f",
            "checksum_sha1": "3395856ce81f2b7382dee72602f798b642f14140",
            "checksum_sha256": "275a021bbfb6489e54d471899f7db9d1663fc695ec2fe2a2c4538aabf651fd0f",
            "created_at": "2024-03-25T19:10:48.074Z",
            "last_modified": "2024-03-25T19:10:48.294Z"
        }
    }
}