There are many antivirus software available today for Windows, but no one can be really considered to be the perfect solution. There will always be that occasional suspect file which may escape being detected by your anti-virus software. At such times we prefer to submit the files online to scan it with a single antivirus or even scan them using multiple anti virus definations using any of these online Malware Scanners. Sometimes, we even need to submit the files manually to security companies, so that they can carry out a manual analysis, in an attempt to develop antivirus definitions or advanced stand-alone removal tools.
The difficulty however, lies in the procedure for submitting a file which may vary from company to company. It can be either through a web form, email or a special tool. This makes the situation a lot more problematic since every web form is not similar and has different prerequisites. For example, some require the sample file to be sent in raw format whereas others want it to be compressed to ZIP or 7z form. Some require you to use a specific password for the ZIP file, while some don’t.
X-Ray is a freeware tool that lets you submit a suspicious file to one or over 30 security companies for manual analysis. To do so simply drag-and-drop the suspect file on to the application, select the companies you want to send the file to and then click on the Send for Analysis button.
You can also if you wish use this tool to get the file checked at VirusTotal with over 40 security software by clicking on the Send to VirusTotal button. Sure, VirusTotal also offers a desktop utility called as VirusTotal Uploader – just like Jotti does with its JottiQ – but X-ray lets you submit files directly to antivirus companies too.
The stand-alone tool does not require installation of any kind of software for it to run. Moreover, it automates the process of submitting suspicious files to 31 antivirus companies. This includes many popular companies like Kaspersky, Eset, McAfee, Avast, Microsoft, Symantec, AVG, Avira, Comodo, Virus Buster and others.
How to use X-Ray and submit a suspicious file
- Download X-Ray zip file by clicking on the link provided at the end of the article and extract its contents to get X-Ray folder. The folder contains .exe file
- Run .exe file to launch the program
- Click on ‘Add Suspicious Files’ tab to add the suspicious file you would like to submit for manual analysis by company professionals
- Click on ‘Settings’, create your email account (entering email ID, password) for sending the suspicious file to antivirus vendors. Use Test button to see if the newly created account is functioning properly
- Now, choose the ‘analyse’ tab and select the antivirus companies whom the suspicious file needs to be sent and click on ‘Send for Analysis’ button to submit it to selected companies
X-Ray features:
- Automatically submits files to 31 different antivirus companies via email or web-based submission method for manual analysis
- Retrieves latest scan report from VirusTotal
- Two methods of sending files to VirusTotal (Email and API)
- Copies MD5 hash and results to clipboard via right-click context menu
- Auto Update
- Freeware (no spyware or adware embedded).
X-Ray is compatible with Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP, supports both 32 and 64-bit editions, and you can download it here.
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