Issue 

• Keep your ESET security products updated to protect your servers, endpoints and network from malware
• ESET products use a mdate-and-release-types-business-userodular design that enables new and updated versions, features and detection modules to be added at any time
• The following list shows the different update and release options for ESET business products
  • Major (feature) and minor version releases
  • Build/Patch updates
  • Module updates
  • Security and stability hotfixes
  • Micro Program Component Update (uPCU)
  • Auto-updates

Solution

ESET continuously works to improve core functionality, improve user experience, add new features and resolve customer feedback by releasing new product versions. ESET product versioning numbers follow the format below

For more information about ESET product lifecycle, visit our End of Life Policy.

Major (feature) and minor version releases

• Required or optional: Opt-out possible
• Frequency: Three times a year (on average, per product)
• Changelog posted: Yes
• Known Issues posted: Yes

Major version releases introduce significant improvements, new feature additions and major changes to the product user interface or core technologies. Major new releases are indicated by the first or second number in the product version number (for example, version 6.5 could update to version 7 or 6.6). 

Major version changes may also indicate changes to the operating system or software requirements. Product support or product End of Life is always linked to a major version. The changelog and known issues are posted to the corresponding download page, to the ESET Support News web page, and available by email or RSS Newsletter.

Both version releases and builds/patches are released as a Micro Program Component Update (uPCU) or an Auto-update.

Users can disable automatic uPCU updates in endpoint products or in ESET PROTECT. 

Users can disable auto-updates in ESET PROTECT or ESET PROTECT Cloud.

Build/Patch updates

• Required or optional: Opt-out possible, except for required security patches
• Frequency: As needed
• Changelog posted: Yes
• Known Issues posted: Yes

With builds and patches, ESET brings feature improvements, security and stability improvements and other updates.

Both version releases and builds/patches are released as a Micro Program Component Update (uPCU) or an Auto-update.

Users can disable automatic uPCU updates in endpoint products or in ESET PROTECT. 

Users can disable auto-updates in ESET PROTECT or ESET PROTECT Cloud.

Module updates

• Required or optional: Required
• Frequency: Often, as needed
• Changelog posted: No
• Known Issues posted: No

Your ESET product checks for new components including product modules and Detection Engine updates many times each day. Along with our other multi-layered technologies (such as DNA detection, behavioral detection and blocking and Machine learning), regular module updates help to ensure that you are protected against the latest known threats.

To verify that the latest product modules and Detection Engine have been received you can manually check for latest product updates.

You can view module changelog history from the Virus Radar Update Info page.

Security and stability hotfixes

• Required or optional: Required
• Frequency: Rare
• Changelog posted: No
• Known Issues posted: Optional

ESET uses Security and Stability Hotfixes to address critical issues and ensure the maximum security and stability of your ESET product. The timing of hotfixes is determined entirely by their security impact.

Security and Stability Hotfixes are distributed to all ESET business endpoint products in the same way as regular uPCU updates. Due to their nature and importance, you cannot disable Security and Stability Hotfixes, even if you disable automatic updates.

Micro Program Component Updates (uPCU)

A uPCU update is used to deliver both major releases and feature updates.  There are two different uPCU updates: A differential uPCU contains some patches or files (.dup), whereas a full uPCU contains all product files except modules (.fup). During the full uPCU update, the program downloads a complete copy of the latest version which is then installed over your existing ESET product.

Users can disable automatic uPCU updates in endpoint products or in ESET PROTECT. 

In case of ESET solutions that consist of multiple components, (for example, ESET PROTECT), ESET may not update the product version number each time one of the components is updated.

Auto-updates

ESET PROTECT 9.0 and ESET PROTECT Cloud 3.0 introduce automatic updates for supported ESET security products. Auto-updates are used to deliver both major releases and feature updates. The auto-updates feature downloads .dup files during the first module update check. The latest version is activated after a restart. 

Auto-updates differ from uPCU updates in that Auto-updates will only update supported ESET products managed by ESET PROTECT or ESET PROTECT Cloud. uPCU updates have an automatic feature that will update managed or unmanaged ESET products. 

Users can disable auto-updates in ESET PROTECT or ESET PROTECT Cloud.

For ESET products that do not support automatic updates, you can upgrade the ESET product manually or download the latest version from the ESET downloads page.