Yes, Virus databases are encoded, because anti-virus companies have spent a lot of time and money building these, and they want you to spend money on their kit. The value of an anti-virus engine does not lie in the engine, but in how well it's updated.
You can probably buy virus signatures from a reputable vendor, if you have very deep pockets.
If you'r poor like the rest of us (except Fat Boy), you can have a look at
this[
^]
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