Auto-Protect doesn’t detect EICAR test file inside compressed files

Products

• Endpoint Protection
• Endpoint Security

Issue/Introduction

Auto-Protect doesn’t detect EICAR test file inside compressed files (.zip files for example)

Environment

Windows machines

Cause

Auto-Protect does not scan the files that are within compressed files on Windows computers. This is by design due to the amount of time required to decompress the container file and scan each file.

 

The files will be scanned when they are extracted from compressed files.

Resolution

Other types of scans (Full Scan, on-demand Scan) will detect EICAR test string inside compressed file.

Additional Information

• The default number of levels to scan inside compressed files, for scheduled and on-demand scans, is 3. Further information are available under Adjusting scans to improve computer performance 
• Differences between Auto-Protect (Real time protection) and other scans