18.9.47.9.2 Ensure 'Turn off real-time protection' is set to 'Disabled'

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Information

This policy setting configures real-time protection prompts for known malware detection.

Microsoft Defender Antivirus alerts you when malware or potentially unwanted software attempts to install itself or to run on your computer.

The recommended state for this setting is: Disabled.

Rationale:

When running an antivirus solution such as Microsoft Defender Antivirus, it is important to ensure that it is configured to heuristically monitor in real-time for suspicious and known malicious activity.

Impact:

None - this is the default behavior.

Solution

To establish the recommended configuration via GP, set the following UI path to Disabled:

Computer Configuration\Policies\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Microsoft Defender Antivirus\Real-Time Protection\Turn off real-time protection

Note: This Group Policy path may not exist by default. It is provided by the Group Policy template WindowsDefender.admx/adml that is included with the Microsoft Windows 8.1 & Server 2012 R2 Administrative Templates (or newer).




Default Value:

Disabled. (Microsoft Defender Antivirus will prompt users to take actions on malware detections.)