Why is MetaDefender Drive showing "Malware engines are not active" error?

Issue:

When attempting to scan files, MetaDefender Drive displays the error:

"Malware engines are not active and scanning cannot start. Install or update the engines to enable scanning."

Observed logs:

{"date":"2025-08-03T16:00:38Z","level":"error","msg":"getServerConnectionStatus error","json":{"infect_error": {"curl_error_code": 7, "error_msg": "Critical service not available to process scan.", "http_code": 0}}}

{"date":"2025-08-03T16:00:38Z","level":"info","msg":"url: http://localhost:8008/stat/packages, curl_error_code : 7, http_code 0, native curl error text: Failed to connect to localhost port 8008 after 0 ms: Connection refused"}

{"date":"2025-08-03T16:00:38Z","level":"error","msg":"Native Curl Error: GET http://localhost:8008/stat/packages, Error Code: 7, Error: Failed to connect to localhost port 8008 after 0 ms: Connection refused"}

Even after updating engines via the Drive Toolkit (DTK), scans may fail with the above error. Logs indicate a failure to connect to the local backend service responsible for engine management. This usually occurs because the backend service managing Anti-Malware engines is not running or is unreachable, and the engines have not yet finished installing or activating, preventing scans from starting.

Resolution:

1. Open the MD Drive Toolkit (DTK) and check for engine updates. Refer to the guideline: https://www.opswat.com/docs/mddrive/maintenance/update-engines

2. On MD Drive console, engines need to be active before scanning. Example Flow:

   1. Initially, there are no Anti-Malware engines available

      

   2. Boot MD Drive: The engine update screen should appear. Wait 5–10 minutes for engines to finish installing.

      

   3. To trigger scan, at least one Anti-Malware is active

      

   4. Ready to Scan: At least one Anti-Malware engine must be active.

3. Retry scanning once at least one engine shows status Active.