EICAR-Test-File is not a threat, it was created to imitate the detection of a threat by antivirus software. It is a 68-byte file with the .com extension which displays a text message.
Earlier, different files were created by cybersecurity software vendors to demonstrate how their solutions behave upon detection of a threat. Later, the vendors have agreed upon developing a standard simulator which consists of a simple line of text. This allows any user to initiate a detection manually, e.g. by copying the text to a file from the documentation.
The resulting EICAR file looks like this:
You can copy this line of code and save it to a text file or download the ready-to-use eicar.com test file from the Kaspersky server by following one of the links:
When you run the file, it will show the message EICAR-STANDARD-ANTIVIRUS-TEST-FILE! and return the control to the operating system. Cybersecurity software normally detects it as EICAR-Test-File.
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