Cybersecurity: How Do You Know If Your Antivirus is Working (without actual Malware)?

Antivirus is a lot like having insurance... you have it, but hope you never have to use it. 

What if I tell you that you can test your antivirus on your PC, without downloading any malware, by simply typing something on your keyboard? If it reacts, the antivirus is working. If it didn't... your antivirus' real-time scan is not working. 

This only works on Windows, by the way. 

Open a powershell window. (If you don't know what is Powershell, please read this from Microsoft. It's already in your system.  https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/windows-commands/powershell )

What you will type or copy is just a string, a bunch of characters. It is NOT a script or malware. It is offered by Microsoft as a way to test their own AMSI (Microsoft Antimalware Scan Interface)

Enter this at the prompt:  ‘AMSI Test Sample: 7e72c3ce-861b-4339-8740-0ac1484c1386’ 

Note, please replace the fancy quotes with single quotes to get this to work properly. Yes, the single quotes are important. 

Microsoft Security should trigger as you press enter. Depending on whether you have any clipboard management software, it may react as soon as you try to copy the string onto the clipboard. 

Now you know whether your antivirus is active or not. 

There are, of course, other ways to test this. For this method (all credits goes to Black Hills Info Sec) and other ways, go read BHIS's blogpost: https://www.blackhillsinfosec.com/is-this-thing-on/