VirusTotal Free File Scanner - Over 30 Different Antivirus Engines In One Although I'm a pretty low-risk internet user - no P2P, no alt.binaries.*, no warez, and I run a myriad of real-time security and antispyware apps - I'm still very cautious when I receive files from users. I've seen a lot of people do a lot of stupid things, so I don't trust any file that was sent to me. In particular, I've gotten Word DOC files from clients that had malicious scripts embedded in them, that I'm sure the sender was unaware of (they're too green to have knowingly attached 'em). So, when I get a file sent to me, it first has to pass my primary real-time antivirus - Avast Profession Edition. When I save it, it's scanned again as it's written to my HD. As a final precaution, I rely on the free VirusTotal.com file scan.
What sets it apart from other scanners is that Hispasec Sistemas' VirusTotal service incorporates over 30 different computer virus scanning engines in one. Featuring some esteemed engines like F-Secure, Avira AntiVir, Kaspersky, TrendMicro, BitDefender, GData, Sophos, Avast, AVG and more, it improves your odds of determining if a file is safe or not. You can upload the files via their web interface, install their Windows context menu uploader, or email suspect files to scan@virustotal.com (under 10MB, subject "SCAN"). While nothing is foolproof, I figure getting the opinion of over 30 up-to-date antivirus engines oughtta yield better odds than just one engine.
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orochiyamazaki) wrote,
Although I'm a pretty low-risk internet user - no P2P, no alt.binaries.*, no warez, and I run a myriad of real-time security and antispyware apps - I'm still very cautious when I receive files from users. I've seen a lot of people do a lot of stupid things, so I don't trust any file that was sent to me. In particular, I've gotten Word DOC files from clients that had malicious scripts embedded in them, that I'm sure the sender was unaware of (they're too green to have knowingly attached 'em). So, when I get a file sent to me, it first has to pass my primary real-time antivirus - Avast Profession Edition. When I save it, it's scanned again as it's written to my HD. As a final precaution, I rely on the free VirusTotal.com file scan.
