How Can I Find Out If a File Really Has a Virus? [Ask Lifehacker]

Category: Science/Tech | Posted by laraib 1319 days ago

Dear Lifehacker, I recently downloaded a program recommended by Lifehacker, and after I installed it, my antivirus program yelled bloody murder and flagged it as a virus. No one else in the comments has reported similar findings, and my antivirus application has reported false positives before. I love my AV app, but is there a better way I can verify whether or not a file really contains a virus? Yours, Overactive Whistle Blower Dear Whistler, While your antivirus application certainly has the best of intentions, sometimes it can make mistakes. We stick to a very strict download recommendation policy, but that doesn't mean you should trust us over your antivirus application. Due diligence, that's what we say. When I run into a file or program that's been flagged as a virus but I suspect a false positive, I upload the file to at least one of several online virus scanning sites that scan the file with up to 30 different antivirus applications and return the results of each scan. If it's not flagged as a virus by the majority of scanners (especially the five best antivirus apps), I feel safe assuming that it was a false positive. These free online scanners include:

Jotti's Online Malware Scan VirusTotal Virus.org Malware Scanner I'm sure more are available, but I've been happy with this list (as recommended by reader RubberDuck). Ultimately it's up to you to decide what your limits are for taking a chance, but I've seen a lot of useful software that's been falsely identified as malware (including some of my own Lifehacker Code projects, which I assure you are not). Whatever you decide about the suspicious file, the tools above should go a long way toward helping you make up your mind about whether to trust it on your computer. With love and life hacks, Lifehacker