Antivirus for the unconnected
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Sky-Knight
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If it never connects to the Internet, it doesn't require protection. This request doesn't make sense. Especially "for free".
If you REALLY want to do this anyway... Defender
You've got manual ability to deploy Defender updates because they are Windows Updates, and each of them is technically downloadable. It's just bonkers to even do this because you don't just need AV updates, you need OS updates if you're going down this rabbit hole.
If you REALLY want to do this anyway... Defender
You've got manual ability to deploy Defender updates because they are Windows Updates, and each of them is technically downloadable. It's just bonkers to even do this because you don't just need AV updates, you need OS updates if you're going down this rabbit hole.
britechguy
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Heaven forbid, we're almost in agreement. The exception could be if there exists a "sneaker net" where new material is constantly being introduced via thumb drive or SD card that could be infected.
I'd say you don't even need OS updates, really, if what you've got does what you need if there is no contact with cyberspace.
The internet isn't the only way to get viruses. Just using a USB stick that was in an infected computer can be enough.
Deploying Windows updates like this is often creates issues when an update needs previous updates to have been installed.
AVG free and many others had options to manually update offline systems but they and others have stopped.
So I'm looking for another.
Deploying Windows updates like this is often creates issues when an update needs previous updates to have been installed.
AVG free and many others had options to manually update offline systems but they and others have stopped.
So I'm looking for another.
britechguy
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So why not Windows Defender? It's consistently somewhere in the top 10 for every antivirus testing lab I know of and has been for years now. All of the "top 10-ers" move around as to where they are over time and testing cycles, but at least 8 of them that I know of have never left that tier, and Windows Defender is one of them.
@Sky-Knight gave the link to the page that gives instructions, in a section entitled, Manually download the update, regarding how that's done for Defender. Defender updates occur as part of the automatic Windows Update process, but they occur "side-by-side" to the OS updates and are not part of them. They can be downloaded entirely separately.
Why reinvent the wheel?
YeOldeStonecat
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Windows Defender....
Bookmark this page...to download manual definition updates (as well as updates to the Defender engine itself)....
Bookmark this page...to download manual definition updates (as well as updates to the Defender engine itself)....
Antivirus without OS updates are almost useless. How can you defend your computer if Windows itself has security holes...
In the past Windows has had a nasty habit of requiring other updates to be installed for these standalones to work properly.
But maybe the leopard has changed its spots.
I'll tell them to try this route and hope that it works.
Thanks for the advice.
But maybe the leopard has changed its spots.
I'll tell them to try this route and hope that it works.
Thanks for the advice.
frase
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Stuxnet hehe
DRPCNZ
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Whats the computer used for, Can you Disable the USB ports?
britechguy
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Easily, as most of those security holes are the only a threat in relation to a computer being in contact with cyberspace. One could run a truly air gapped version of Windows XP, freshly installed, without a single concern about compromise if there is neither internet connectivity nor are there external media being attached that could have infected material on them.
Even for the latter, given how this infection vector has largely fallen out of favor, most relatively old antivirus/security suites have definitions and/or heuristics that recognize these vectors.
If one is attaching only external media one absolutely knows to be uninfected, and that's not hard to insure with appropriate scanning before it leaves "the source side," the risk is, for all practical intents and purposes, zero.
It's mainly a fancy word processor and without a connection there's no way to get info in or out.
So the ports need to be open.
Blues
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Most modern and current infections want either to harvest and remotely send sensitive data or turn the system into a node on a network so in effect few if any virus pose a real danger to the system in the grand scheme too. A true offline system even if infected will pose little to no risk from most virus as the days of virus to take down a system are gone it is the virus to use your system and/or data..
There are still viruses that mess up the system. Just got finished with the Winddowsupdate one. It leaves the computer alone but infects all USB sticks that are connected.
Blues
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Never said they were gone and that still does much that same as what I described just using an old fashioned method of transmission & delivery and likely for any system not offline I wouldn't be surprised to see network activity from it. I would also look at this system in a whole picture view. Where will outside resources come from? If the sources are known and within the control of the same operators then focusing on managing the protection there provides effectively the same protection to this machine. If this is not the case perhaps a managed system that serves as a sanitation point prior to being put on the destination system it would be simpler to implement and maintain but require proper procedure from the users which I know is a big ask but would put the responsibility back on them over you.
You're complicating it. It's a home computer for the kids, and the parents want it completely offline.
The school's computers are infected (not my business) and the kids infect the home computer with the USB drives that they save the school work to.
So the viruses will keep coming and maybe this will help minimize the headaches.
The school's computers are infected (not my business) and the kids infect the home computer with the USB drives that they save the school work to.
So the viruses will keep coming and maybe this will help minimize the headaches.
Blues
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Sorry was thinking a business environment where they have some old device with specific hardware they want to keep offline but needed to provide files to it. This is why the full picture matters for best advice this is a tricky case I think the earlier mentioned offline update options with Windows Defender is probably the current best route but will either require you or the parents to manually update regularly which is another major hurdle.
Fred Claus
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I agree with the USB comment. Even if it never connects to the internet, does it still connect to other network devices? If so, it can be infected that way as well. The Windows Defender that comes on every windows computer might be enough, but I would still look at something that would protect and monitor the external devices that are plugged in.
