Not sure if a file is malicious? Upload it to VirusTotal

Maybe you’re browsing the web and you see a recommendation for an app. Or a friend sends you a link, urging you to look at it. Not sure about the safety of either? You can have an online virus scanner check it out for you first.

Called VirusTotal, this web tool is used by cybersecurity professionals as a regular part of their day. (I actually have a couple of friends who periodically reference this in conversations.)

Not only does this scanner help your PC stay cleaner—you don’t have to even download a file to get intel on it—but it passes files and links through multiple engines as part of its assessment. Basically, you get as many as 10+ opinions at once, rather than just the single one from your antivirus software.

To use VirusTotal, just paste the link into the URL tab. Or, if you have a potentially suspicious file already on your PC, upload it directly.

VirusTotal / PCWorld

I like to use VirusTotal as an additional layer of protection for my PC—a sort of sentry before anything lands on it. But it’s not meant as a replacement for your antivirus software, which is both proactive and reactive to threats to your computer.