VirusTotal is an online service designed to analyze suspicious files and suspicious sites to quickly detect viruses and other types of malware, allowing results to be automatically shared with the community for added security.
Analysis can be done by uploading a file, hash, URL, or IP address to VirusTotal. Uploaded file, URL, etc. It is scanned by different anti-virus programs and the result is listed to the user. The malicious file is uploaded to the File tab on the VirusTotal homepage. If the uploaded file is malicious, it is determined whether it is harmful by comparing it with the signatures in the database. Virus Total checks for nearly 100 antivirus scanners and items with URL blacklists, as well as various tools to identify malware on the content under investigation. There are 2 key elements to consider when using VirusTotal:
VirusTotal shares the information it obtains with anti-virus companies. Therefore, malware developers, in particular, need to take this into account. Otherwise, malware considered undetected will be detected by antivirus scanners in a few days.
Files (Word, PDF,… etc.) sent to VirusTotal can be stored, sold, or used for other purposes. For this reason, it should be noted that the files uploaded in the file analysis **do not contain critical information**.
sources:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/connectors/virustotal/