Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 2: Test your antivirus software
• Method 2 of 2: Get infected using bad internet habits
• Warnings

Are you interested in network security, or do you want to test antivirus software? Deliberately infecting your own computer with a virus is incredibly risky and should only be done under extremely tightly controlled conditions. If you just want to test your antivirus software, test files are available to safely test your antivirus software. If you want to get hold of an actual virus, then you can adopt bad online habits to get infected quickly. See step 1 below to learn how to do this.

To step

Method 1 of 2: Test your antivirus software

1. Make sure your computer is in a secure environment. Viruses are designed to spread, and it is irresponsible to test viruses on a computer that is not completely isolated (ie separate from the Internet). Make sure your test environment is completely shut down so that the viruses you want to test cannot spread to other computers.
   • Make sure the computer or computers you want to test are not connected to the internet.
   • For better security, you can test viruses using a virtual machine on a physical computer without an internet connection.
2. Download the EICAR test file. EICAR is the European Institute of Computer Antivirus Research. This file is designed to trigger anti-virus and anti-malware detection, and can be used to test whether anti-malware or anti-virus software is properly configured.
   • This file is not harmful and will not spread to other machines. It is simply designed to alert the detection system of your security software.
   • You can download the test file free of charge from eicar.org.
3. Run the EICAR program or a virus scan. The EICAR test file should be detected during a virus scan. It can be in a zip file or unzipped somewhere on the computer. Running the file will also trigger your antivirus.
   • After being detected, you will probably no longer be able to access and open the file because it will be kept in quarantine.

Method 2 of 2: Get infected using bad internet habits

1. Understand the risks and legality. When your own computer is infected, it can put your (personal) data at risk, and if your computer is connected to the Internet or to other computers on a network, you run the risk of infecting other computers as well. Deliberately infecting someone's computer with a virus is illegal in most countries.
   • If you are trying to test your antivirus software, it is highly recommended that you use the test file from the previous method.
2. Use an old operating system that has not been updated. Many viruses try to exploit security flaws in the operating system. These flaws were eventually updated and fixed with the update of the operating system and the release of new versions.
   • Windows XP without one of the Service Packs is one of the most insecure operating systems still in use. Security updates for Windows XP are also no longer being released, which means more and more exploits are appearing for them.
3. Use an up-to-date version of Internet Explorer to browse the Internet. The earlier versions of Internet Explorer were much less secure than other browsers, so this is the best browser to use if you are insistent on catching a virus. You can download old versions of Internet Explorer from sites such as Download.com. Search for Internet Explorer 6 and do not install any updates.
4. Connect directly to the Internet. Most routers contain hardware firewalls that can help protect your computer. For maximum vulnerability, connect the modem directly to your computer, bypassing the router.
   • Disable Windows Firewall if it is also enabled.
5. Deactivate or remove your antivirus program. Most antivirus programs catch the majority of viruses, so disable or remove your antivirus software completely before attempting to infect your computer.
   • Some antivirus programs can be disabled by right-clicking the icon in the system tray and then selecting "Disable" or a similar option. Not all antivirus programs can be disabled.
   • There are several wikiHow articles covering the removal of most antivirus programs, including Norton, Avast, AVG, and many more.
6. Take a look at internet security groups online. There are several groups online dedicated to Internet security testing and you may find links to known viruses in the forum discussions. One of the most popular internet security groups (NetSec groups) is subreddit. There you will find a variety of discussions and links to sites with certain viruses.
7. Download files with known viruses. One of the most popular ways of spreading viruses is through illegal media and software. Search under "cracks" or "serials" for popular programs that require a file to be executed.These files often contain viruses that run when you run the cracker.
   • Torrents are a very popular way of sharing these files. While browsing torrent websites, you can look for torrents with low ratings and comments from other users warning of viruses. Those are the websites you are looking for.
   • P2P sharing programs are another popular way of spreading viruses. Programs such as Kazaa and Gnutella are a few of the more popular options.
   • Numerous websites, known as "warez" sites, offer "free" downloads for almost all programs. These are almost always infected with viruses and adware, and the program itself rarely works.
8. Click on shadowy banners and ads. Visit a few dodgy websites and click on all the banners and advertisements you can. Watch videos that require you to download additional software. While this will likely result in a lot of adware before, it is possible that you can also catch a virus with it.
9. Sign up for mailing lists with a temporary email address. Create a free email address that does not contain any personal information and sign up for as many mailing lists and other subscriptions as possible. This will distribute your email address and increase the chances of receiving spam with links to viruses or infected attachments.
   • This may take a little longer than some of the other virus delivery methods, but some of the most devastating viruses are spread through email attachments.
   • Download every possible attachment, and visit all spam links. This will increase your chances of catching a virus.
   • Check the spam folder in your email program to check messages that are automatically filtered out. These are often the best candidates for infecting your PC.
10. Download screensavers. These are traditionally some of the most contaminated files out there. Search for ".scr" files and download as many as possible. Make sure to open them when they download as .scr files behave like executable files.

Warnings

• Intentionally infecting someone else's computer is illegal in most cases. Even downloading a virus on your own computer increases the risk of unknowingly infecting other computers, whether over the network, via email, or even via a USB drive.
• You risk your private data and privacy by downloading viruses. Not all antivirus programs can remove every virus, so be warned.