[German]Microsoft has recently released a specially customized version of Defender for Windows installation media. The package is available in Windows Imaging Format (WIM) and Virtual Hard Disk (VHD) and includes new definitions that support Windows 11, all editions of Windows 10, Windows Server 2016 and 2019. This update package is required because a Windows installation image may contain outdated anti-malware definitions and software binaries.
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The background for the update, according to Microsoft, is that a newly installed Windows may be vulnerable in the first few hours due to a Microsoft Defender vulnerability. This is because the operating system installation images may contain outdated anti-malware binaries. It is only after the first update of the anti-malware software that Windows installations also receive important performance fixes that improve the user experience.
Microsoft writes that devices using either Windows' built-in antivirus or another security solution can benefit from these updates. Redmond recommends regularly maintaining Windows operating system installation images to update the Microsoft Defender binaries and minimize this protection gap in new deployments. A 3-month update frequency is recommended.
The Microsoft article Microsoft Defender update for Windows operating system installation images describes the anti-malware update package for Microsoft Defender that is available in the operating system installation images (WIM and VHD files). This update supports the following operating system installation images:
- Windows 11
- Windows 10 (Enterprise-, Pro- and Home editions)
- Windows Server 2019
- Windows Server 2016
Defender package version 20230330.2 updates the versions of the anti-malware client, anti-malware engine, and signatures in the operating system installation images to the following versions:
- Plattform-Version: 4.18.2302.7
- Engine-Version: 1.1.20100.6
- Version der Sicherheitsintelligenz: 1.385.1537.0
The package is a little over 100 MBytes in size, depending on the variant (32/64 bit), and contains monthly updates and fixes for the Microsoft Defender antimalware platform and engine used by Microsoft Defender Antivirus in Windows 11. This package should be applied offline to Windows Images/VHD(x) files. Microsoft provides the various images for the update in the article Microsoft Defender update for Windows operating system installation images. For integration into a Windows installation image, a PowerShell file DefenderUpdateWinImage.ps1 is provided. Details can be found in the Microsoft article. (via)
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