How to update application databases and modules

Updating the databases and application modules of the Kaspersky application ensures up-to-date protection on your device. New viruses, malware, and other types of threats appear worldwide on a daily basis. The application databases contain information about the threats and the ways to neutralize them. To detect threats quickly, you are urged to regularly update the application databases and modules.

Current application license is required for regular database updates. If there is no current license, you will only be able to perform one update.

During the update process, the databases and application modules are downloaded and installed on your device.

You can get updates for databases and application modules from Kaspersky update servers, from local or network directories, and from other update sources.

During an update, the application modules and databases on your device are compared with the up-to-date version at the update source. If your current databases and application modules differ from their respective up-to-date versions, the missing portions of the updates will be installed on your device.

If the databases are obsolete, the update package may be large, which may cause additional Internet traffic (up to several dozen MB). Up to 3 GB of disk space may be used.

Updates are downloaded from Kaspersky update servers or from other FTP, HTTP, or HTTPS servers over standard network protocols. By default, Internet connection settings are determined automatically. If you use a proxy server, you need to specify the proxy settings in the general application settings.

Regardless of the update source, the update package is downloaded and the database and application module updates are installed on the device using the Update task.

An Update predefined task is created in the application. Using this task, you can perform scheduled and on-demand updates of databases and application modules and configure update settings.

You can also create update user tasks on the command line.

You can configure the following settings for updating databases and application modules:

• Select the source from which the application will receive updates, depending on the update scenario used.
• Configure the response timeout of a selected update source when attempting to connect to it. If an update source does not respond within the specified time, the application contacts the next update source in the list.
• Select the mode of downloading and installing application modules and application version updates: download and install, download only, or do not download.
• Configure the task run schedule for updates. By default, the application updates the databases once every 120 minutes.

In the application interface, you can update databases and application modules using the Update task. You can start and stop the task.

The application interface also lets you:

• Monitor the progress of the Update task.
• View pop-up notifications about the status of the Update task; in these notifications, you can click the Open Reports link to navigate to application component reports and scan task results.
• View a report with the result of the Update task.

  The result of the Update task is displayed in the report in the Update section.

Updating databases and modules

During an update, the following objects are downloaded and installed on your device:

• Application databases.

  Application databases include databases of malware signatures, a description of network attacks, databases of malicious and phishing web addresses, databases of banners, spam databases, and other data.

  If the database update on the device is interrupted or finishes with an error, the application continues to use the previously installed database version. If application databases were not installed before, the application continues functioning in "without databases" mode. Database and application module updates are still available.

  The databases are up to date if they were downloaded less than three days ago. By default, the application generates the Databases are out of date event (BasesAreOutOfDate) if the last installed database updates were published on the Kaspersky servers more than three but less than seven days ago. If the databases have not been updated for seven days, the application generates the Databases are extremely out of date (BasesAreTotallyOutOfDate) event.

• Application modules.

  Module updates are intended to eliminate vulnerabilities in the application and to improve methods of protecting devices. Module updates may change the behavior of application components and add new capabilities.

  Application modules can be updated regardless of the state of the application (running or stopped) and the update schedule. The Kaspersky application continues protecting your device during the application modules update procedure. During the update, application settings and the application log file are migrated to the new version of the application. After the update, you must restart the Kaspersky application.

  If the transfer of application settings fails for any reason, the application is set to the default values.

  Changes to the application settings made after the update is complete and before the application restarts are not saved.

  After updating version of the application using an autopatch, the mechanism for interacting with the operating system firewall changes: the rules are managed using the iptables and iptables-restore system utilities.

  If the application does not work properly after the update, it automatically rolls back to the previous version. It is recommended to contact Kaspersky Technical Support.

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Updating sources and update scenarios

An update source is a resource that contains updates for Kaspersky databases and application modules. Update sources can be FTP, HTTP, or HTTPS servers (such as Kaspersky update servers), as well as local or network directories mounted by the user.

The main application update sources are Kaspersky update servers. You can specify other update sources in the Update task settings. If an update cannot be performed from an update source, the Kaspersky application moves on to the next update source.

The Kaspersky application supports the following scenarios for updating databases and application modules:

• Update from Kaspersky update servers. Kaspersky update servers are located in different countries around the world, which ensures a high reliability of updates. If an update cannot be performed from one server, the application switches over to the next server. Updates are downloaded via HTTPS protocol.
• Updating from a local or network directory (SMB/NFS) mounted by a user, or from an FTP, HTTP, or HTTPS server. You can specify a custom update source in Update task settings.

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How to update databases and application modules using the command line

On the command line, you can update databases and application modules in the following ways:

• Using the Update predefined task.

  You can manually start, stop, pause, or resume this task and configure the task run schedule. You can configure scan settings by editing the settings of this task.

• Using user tasks for updating (tasks of the Update type).

  You can manually start user tasks and configure the task schedule.

The task starts with default settings listed in Appendix 3. You can stop or start the task at any time. You can also modify the settings of the task before starting it.

You must modify the settings of a task before starting the task.

ID of the Update predefined task: 6. Name of the Update predefined task: Update. If you have an update user task, you must specify its ID or name.

To configure the task schedule using a configuration file:

1. Output the task settings to the configuration file: kfl-control --get-schedule
2. Edit the values of the necessary settings in the configuration file and save the changes.
3. Execute the command:

   kfl-control --set-schedule <task ID/name> --file <configuration file path> [--json]

All values of the settings for the task run schedule defined in the file will be imported into the application.

To modify individual task schedule settings on the command line:

kfl-control --set-schedule <task ID/name> <setting name>=<setting value> [<setting name>=<setting value>]

The values of the specified settings for the task run schedule are modified.

To stop the Update task on the command line and enable the output of current events related to this task:

kfl-control --stop-task <task ID/name> -W

To start the Update predefined task, enable the output of current events related to this task, and display the progress of the task:

kfl-control --start-task 7 [-W] [--progress]

To create and start the Update user task, enable the output of current events related to this task, and display the progress of the task, run the following commands in sequence:

1. kfl-control --create-task <task ID/name> --type <Rollback>
2. kfl-control --start-task <task ID/name> [-W] [--progress]

The Update task starts with default settings listed in Appendix 3.

You can display the current values of the task settings in one of the following ways:

• To the console using the task settings output command: kfl-control --get-settings <task ID/name> [--json]
• To a configuration file using the task settings output command: kfl-control --get-settings <task ID/name> --file <configuration file path> [--json]

If you need to configure the Update task, you can:

• Modify all task settings using the configuration file. To do so:
  1. Output the task settings to the configuration file: kfl-control --get-settings <task ID/name> [--json]

     A configuration file with the current task settings is generated.

  2. Edit task settings in the generated configuration file by choosing values from the following table.
  3. Save the configuration file.
  4. Run the following command: kfl-control --set-settings <task ID/name> --file <configuration file path> [--json]
• Modify individual task settings: kfl-control --set-settings <task ID/name> <setting name>=<setting value> [<setting name>=<setting value>]
• Restore default task settings: kfl-control --set-settings <task ID/name> --set-to-default

For detailed instructions on how to modify the settings of application tasks, see the How to manage task settings on the command line section.

The following table describes all the settings of the Update task and their values.

Update task settings

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How to update application databases and modules using the application interface

In the application interface, you can see the date of the last database update in the Support window.

To start or stop an update task in the application interface:

1. Open the main application window.
2. In the main application window, click Update.

   The Update window opens.

3. Do one of the following:
   • To start a task, click the Start button under the task that you want to start.

     The progress of the running update task is displayed.

     If the Update task finishes successfully (after the second application database update), the Roll back update link becomes available, and you can roll back the last successful database update.

   • To stop a task, click the Stop button under the scan task that you want to stop.

     The Update task stops.

To view the report for the task, click Show report.

How to roll back updates of application databases and modules

After the application databases are updated for the second time, the rollback of the application databases to their previous versions becomes available.

Every time a user starts the update process, the Kaspersky application creates a backup copy of the current application databases. This allows you to roll back the application databases to a previous version if needed.

Rolling back the last database update may be useful, for example, if the new application database version contains invalid signatures, which causes the Kaspersky application to block safe applications.

You cannot roll back a rollback.

You can roll back an update from the command line or using the application interface.

On the command line, to roll back updates, you can run the Rollback predefined task or create and run user tasks for rolling back updates (tasks of the Rollback type). You can also configure the task schedule.

The Rollback task does not have any settings.

ID of the Rollback predefined task: 7. Name of the Rollback predefined task: Rollback. If you have a rollback user task, you must specify its ID or name.

In the application interface, you can only run the predefined Rollback task.

To configure the task schedule using a configuration file:

1. Output the task settings to the configuration file: kfl-control --get-schedule
2. Edit the values of the necessary settings in the configuration file and save the changes.
3. Execute the command:

   kfl-control --set-schedule <task ID/name> --file <configuration file path> [--json]

All values of the settings for the task run schedule defined in the file will be imported into the application.

To modify individual task schedule settings on the command line:

kfl-control --set-schedule <task ID/name> <setting name>=<setting value> [<setting name>=<setting value>]

The values of the specified settings for the task run schedule are modified.

To start the Rollback predefined task, enable the output of current events related to this task, and display the progress of the task:

kfl-control --start-task 7 [-W] [--progress]

To create and start the Rollback user task, enable the output of current events related to this task, and display the progress of the task, run the following commands in sequence:

1. kfl-control --create-task <task ID/name> --type <Rollback>
2. kfl-control --start-task <task ID/name> [-W] [--progress]

To roll back an update using the application interface:

1. Open the main application window.
2. In the main application window, select the Update section.

   The Update window opens.

3. Run the Rollback task by clicking the Roll back update link.

You cannot manage the schedule of the Database update rollback task in the application interface.