WNDF-AV-000004 - Windows Defender AV must be configured to run and scan for malware and other potentially unwanted software.

Information

This policy setting turns off Windows Defender Antivirus. If you enable this policy setting Windows Defender Antivirus does not run and computers are not scanned for malware or other potentially unwanted software. When the setting is Disabled and a third-party antivirus solution is installed, the two applications can both simultaneously try to protect the system. The two AV solutions both attempt to quarantine the same threat and will fight for access to delete the file. Users will see conflicts and the system may lock up until the two solutions finish processing. When the setting is Not Configured and a third-party antivirus solution is installed, both applications co-exist on the system without conflicts. Defender Antivirus will automatically disable itself and will enable if the third-party solution stops functioning. When the setting is Not Configured and Defender Antivirus is the only AV solution, Defender AV will run (default state) and receive definition updates. An administrator account is needed to turn off the service. A standard user cannot disable the service.

Solution

For Windows 10: Set the policy value for Computer Configuration >> Administrative Templates >> Windows Components >> Windows Defender Antivirus set 'Turn off Windows Defender Antivirus' to 'Not Configured'.

For Windows 2016/Windows 2019: Use the following PowerShell cmdlet to uninstall Windows Defender AV on Windows 2016/Windows 2019:
Uninstall-WindowsFeature -Name Windows-Defender

See Also

https://dl.dod.cyber.mil/wp-content/uploads/stigs/zip/U_MS_Windows_Defender_Antivirus_V1R9_STIG.zip

Item Details

Category: SYSTEM AND INFORMATION INTEGRITY

References: 800-53|SI-3, CAT|I, CCI|CCI-001242, Rule-ID|SV-89833r5_rule, STIG-ID|WNDF-AV-000004, Vuln-ID|V-75153

Plugin: Windows

Control ID: 110d0304bc64e4ace1bf13aa777de3d84dc9fb8ec425ed30a4e75127b7e0ba14