Build a Malware Scanner in Python with the VirusTotal API (Beginner Project)
Learn how to build a file malware scanner in Python using the VirusTotal API. In this beginner-friendly project, we compute a file's SHA-256 hash and check it against 70+ antivirus engines to see if it's flagged as malicious — no file upload required. Perfect for anyone getting started with Python, APIs, or cybersecurity tooling.
We cover hashing files in chunks, making authenticated API requests, parsing JSON responses, and handling errors cleanly. Tested safely using the harmless EICAR test file.
⏱️ Timestamps
0:00 — Grab Virus total Api Key
0:10 — Setup environment variable
0:23 — Set up the function for computing SHA256 hash
2:50 — Set up the function to scan the file hash
2:30 — Setting the API key as an environment variable
8:20 — The main function
10:00 — Scanning the malware file
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