Offline Not Installed: Trend Micro Deep Security Anti-malware Driver

: Other security software or restrictive Group Policies are blocking driver registration.

The most common cause is a pending restart. The DSA agent requires a reboot to lock the drivers into the kernel. Even if the installer didn't ask for it, 2. Verify Agent Status via CLI

Look for a value named PendingFileRenameOperations . If it exists, a reboot is required. Verify Driver Status via Command Prompt Check if the Trend Micro interception drivers are running: Open an elevated Command Prompt. Run the following commands to check the driver states: sc query tmactmon sc query tmevtmgr sc query tmcomm Use code with caution.

Most cases are resolved by a clean uninstallation followed by a fresh install.

The anti-malware driver relies on the hypervisor’s file system filter. If VMware Tools is not installed or is severely outdated, the driver cannot be injected. In Hyper-V environments, the Linux Integration Services (LIS) or Windows Integration Components may be missing. : Other security software or restrictive Group Policies

Anti-Malware: Driver offline / Not installed - Deep Security 8 May 2025 —

If the driver is stuck in an "Offline" state, a simple system reboot often resolves the issue by clearing locked files and initializing the driver load sequence correctly.

Linux systems lacking kernel headers or Windows systems missing certain security patches.

The "Anti-Malware Driver Offline" or "Not Installed" error in Trend Micro Deep Security is a critical alert. It signifies that the Deep Security Agent (DSA) cannot communicate with or load its core kernel-level protection drivers. When this occurs, the host machine loses its real-time protection capabilities, leaving it vulnerable to threats. Even if the installer didn't ask for it, 2

Summary

Never update operating system kernels or major Windows build versions without checking the Trend Micro compatibility matrices first.

Install the MSI and re-activate the agent via the DSM console or command line: dsa_control -a dsm://[Your-DSM-IP-or-FQDN]:4118/ Use code with caution. Stop the agent service: systemctl stop ds_agent Use code with caution. Remove the package: rpm -e ds_agent Ubuntu/Debian: dpkg -r ds_agent Verify that the /opt/ds_agent directory is deleted.

On an (same OS version):

If missing, the driver is not installed.

: Missing compiler tools (like make , gcc , or kernel headers) on Linux hosts prevent the agent from building the required drivers dynamically. Step-by-Step Troubleshooting Workflow

Run the following service query commands to verify system components: