If you want to test your Antivirus Scanner, you can use the test string from the European Institute for Computer Antivirus Research  ”eicar“. Put this string into a file. Send it, download it, compress it, do what ever you want. Scan the file, see if your Antivirus scanner finds it.

Here the string.

X5O!P%@AP[4\PZX54(P^)7CC)7}$EICAR-STANDARD-ANTIVIRUS-TEST-FILE!$H+H*

Even if your scanner finds this pattern, keep your scanner updated. It is like in real life. The dangerous ones are the unknown ones.

The links in the table blow contain the test string. The files are compressed with different methods.