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DSXA Desktop🔗

DSXA Desktop is the local desktop client for manual file, folder, hash, and EICAR scanning against a DSXA scanner.

Quick Start🔗

1. Create a connection🔗

When you first open DSXA Desktop, create or select a connection profile and fill in:

  • Base URL
  • Example: http://127.0.0.1:15000
  • Do not include the API path such as /scan/binary/v2
  • Auth token
  • Leave empty if your scanner does not require one
  • Protected entity
  • Defaults to 1
  • Custom metadata
  • Optional
  • Verify TLS
  • Enable for proper HTTPS validation
  • Disable only for local development or self-signed test environments

Use New Connection to create a profile, then save it before scanning.

2. Test scanner connectivity🔗

Before scanning a real file:

  • confirm the scanner URL is reachable
  • verify auth settings
  • verify the scanner is not still initializing

The Desktop UI shows readiness state for the configured scanner.

3. Run an EICAR test🔗

Use the built-in EICAR test to confirm:

  • DSXA Desktop can reach the scanner
  • the scanner returns a verdict
  • the current connection profile is valid

4. Scan a single file🔗

Use Scan File when you want to validate one file quickly:

  • choose the target file
  • optionally set password or metadata overrides
  • start the scan

5. Scan a folder🔗

Use Scan Folder for multi-file benchmarking or validation:

  • choose the folder
  • set a file pattern if needed
  • choose Max Concurrent Scans
  • optionally enable detailed JSONL or malicious-only CSV logging

Folder scan output includes:

  • max concurrent scans used
  • total scanned files
  • elapsed time
  • DSXA scan time sum
  • verdict counts
  • failures

6. Scan a hash🔗

Use Scan Hash when you want to query by file hash instead of uploading bytes.

Note: DSXA must be configured to support hash scanning.

Common Desktop Workflow🔗

  1. Create a new connection profile.
  2. Enter scanner URL and optional auth token.
  3. Verify the scanner is reachable.
  4. Run the EICAR test.
  5. Scan a single known-good file.
  6. Run a folder scan with bounded concurrency.
  7. Export JSONL or CSV logs if you need detailed review.

Notes🔗

  • Desktop streams binary file uploads instead of buffering entire files before sending them.
  • Folder scan concurrency is caller-controlled and should be increased gradually.
  • Very large files may be better suited to scan-by-path workflows when supported by the deployment.
  • Base64 mode is available, but binary mode is generally preferable for throughput.

macOS Install Note🔗

Unsigned or unnotarized macOS builds may be blocked by Gatekeeper with a message like:

"DSXA Desktop" is damaged and can't be opened. You should move it to the Trash.

For local or internal use, first try opening the app from Finder:

  1. Right-click DSXA Desktop.app
  2. Choose Open
  3. In the macOS warning dialog, click Open again

If macOS still refuses to open the app, the usual workaround is to remove the browser quarantine attribute after unzipping:

xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine "/path/to/DSXA Desktop.app"

For normal end-user distribution, the proper fix is to sign and notarize the app with an Apple Developer account.

Windows Install Note🔗

Unsigned Windows installers may show Unknown Publisher during installation. For local or internal use, users can usually continue anyway if they trust the source of the MSI or EXE.

For normal end-user distribution, the proper fix is to sign the Windows installer with a code-signing certificate so Windows can show a verified publisher instead of Unknown Publisher.