VTzilla and VTchromizer

For Firefox and Chrome users who also regularly use VirusTotal, this browser add-on may come in handy for you:
http://www.h-online.com/security/features/Useful-tools-for-online-virus-checkers-1185317.html

I'm personally giving it a test run myself. Anyone used this yet?

"It allows you to download files directly with VirusTotal's web application prior to storing them in your PC. Moreover, it will not only scan files, but also URLs." Now that's nice! Thank You.

tnegjm wrote:it will not only scan files,

Do not overestimate this. It's all signature-based, so too easy for malware writers to work around. Besides, you should either disable your plugins or set all file type handling to "Ask" because otherwise your plugins will bypass the tool

tnegjm wrote:but also URLs.

Do not overestimate this. Link scanners are rather deceptive by their nature. When you scan static links, you may not get what the scanner just scanned. There may be a redirect, for example, which link scanners cannot catch. Scanning only makes sense while you are downloading and after the object has been downloaded. And as far as "scanning" is concerned, from what I understand, this is a mix of several in-the-cloud reputation services the tool contacts, and not actual scanning.

Paul

There isn't really anything to overestimate, as there isn't really anything new here. I suppose if you trusted VirusTotal's results 100% before (or any black-listing/behaviour-blocking scanner), then you were indeed overestimating its ability. Remember, all these "scanners" merely give an opinion only. In VirusTotal's case, it gives several opinions.

For VirusTotal users, the file scanning component is just a more convenient method of making use of VirusTotal - for example, you don't need to download the file on to your system and then go to the VirusTotal web-site (or similar) and upload the file to get it "scanned". You can do it much faster with this method.

The URL scanner component is more of a bonus I suppose.

By the way, the 20Mb file limit still applies I think.

A bit of feedback from my end:
Advantages:
1. Faster and more convenient when it works.
2. As far as I understand it, you don't have to download the actual file first before scanning it.

Disadvantages:
1. Doesn't always seem to work reliably. Sometimes I notice it stalling and the file in question being "Queued" for either a long time (>10 mins), or it just doesn't work. Other times, there seems to be some difficulty for VirusTotal to recognise the correct link or file in question.
2. I think the 20Mb file limit still applies, but it would be nice to clarify this. The reason I think this is the case is because whenever I try to link up and scan a larger file, only the URL gets scanned. Normally the URL gets scanned first, and then the file in question gets scanned spontaneously straight after. Note that if you have blocked "pop-ups", you will either need to enable pop-ups for the VirusTotal web-site, or you will need to manually click "View downloaded file analysis" once the URL has been scanned, in order to scan the file in question.