Auto Scan USB

Question

Hi,

Is it still not possible to let windows defender auto-scan USB Flash Disk once it is connected to the system?

Thanks.

Answer 1

USB are removable media and you might connect it for a while and then disconnect it and let say you want quickly copy a document and when you perform scan, you have to wait for the scan to become complete and then remove it. This behavior has been troublesome for some users. However, when the real-time protection is on and you navigate to the USB and it detects any malware, it will automatically detect and remove it and you may right click and run scan with it.
There is PowerShell command called Set-MpPreference -DisableRemovableDriveScanning where you could set to True or False to disable or enable scanning removable drive and you could set it with management tools like Group Policy and Microsoft Intune too. And when the policy is enable it will scan removable media during full scan.

Answer 2

Since the question hasn't been closed, and I was having a similar question, I thought I would post my solution. Windows AutoPlay "runs" anything that connects to a port. This helps with monitor, headphone, mouse, keyboard, etc. All sorts of connections are made easier by AutoPlay. But you are correct there is a danger with some thumb drive based malware. What I did was typed "Edit Group Policy" in the Taskbar Search box and opened it when it was suggested. Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > AutoPlay Policies. There is a Setting called "Turn off Autoplay." Enable this for All Drives. Essentially this stops the Windows AutoPlay from immediately running any thumb drive that connects. This then leaves you with the choice of when to scan or not scan the thumb drive with an Antivirus program before opening. UAC also helps stop autorun.exe malware. Trade off is your media and headphones may not auto detect and connect anymore. Security and convenience are an inverse relationship.