Using anti-virus software with PlayoutONE
To keep PlayoutONE running smoothly, Aiir recommends running Microsoft Defender - which comes included as part of Windows 10 and 11.
Defender includes protection against viruses, trojans, ransomware and other forms of malware, but it also doesn't conflict with PlayoutONE or other essential Windows processes it requires to function.
Should you wish to install additional security software on a PlayoutONE machine, you should make sure PlayoutONE files, folders and internet ports are 'whitelisted' or marked as safe so your security software does not interfere with your station's output.
🔐 What exceptions should I set up?
To ensure a third-party security application doesn't interfere with PlayoutONE and potentially take your studio machines or servers off-air, you should add the following directories to its 'whitelist':
- C:\PlayoutONE
- C:\MsSQL
- D:\PlayoutONE (if applicable, or other secondary drive containing PlayoutONE files)
If your security software or hardware includes a firewall, you should allow the port numbers used by PlayoutONE as exceptions.
A full list of these ports can be found here.
🛡️ False positives
Occasionally virus scanners may produce what is called a 'false positive' and incorrectly identify PlayoutONE components as malware if exceptions have not been set up.
Fortinet
In March 2024, we became aware that Fortinet's anti-virus software was identifying the main PlayoutONE.exe application as malware and attempting to quarantine the file, which if successful would have taken stations which installed Fortinet's software on their PlayoutONE machines off-air.
To rectify this and prevent future reoccurrences, we submitted the application to Fortinet to be checked and after rigorous testing, the company confirmed the file is clean.
Fortinet has apologised for the inconvenience and updated its virus definitions (as of v92.02025) to ensure PlayoutONE.exe is not mistakenly flagged again.
If your Fortinet anti-virus software is identifying PlayoutONE.exe as malware, please update your virus definitions to the latest version and run another scan.