VirusTotal Uploader Links You to 40 Antivirus Programs--For Free
The VirusTotal.com Web site offers a free but invaluable security service. It will scan any Web download, e-mail attachment or other file you send it with 40-odd different antivirus scanners to let you know whether it's safe for your computer. The free VirusTotal Uploader utility makes sending a file to the site a breeze by adding a new right-click option for any file.
Even the best antivirus product can still miss some malicious files, but the odds of a baddie sneaking by go way down when you get 40 different scans, as you do at VirusTotal.com. You might also see a few false positives, so getting just one or two generic-looking warnings probably doesn't mean you have anything to worry about. And a clean scan doesn't completely guarantee that a file is safe--but it's still a very good assurance.
