diff --git a/src/libs/002_core_globals.sh b/src/libs/002_core_globals.sh
index 37662df..f87a610 100644
--- a/src/libs/002_core_globals.sh
+++ b/src/libs/002_core_globals.sh
@@ -4,26 +4,29 @@ show_usage() {
     # shellcheck disable=SC2086
     cat <<EOF
 	Usage:
-		Live mode (auto):   $(basename $0) [options]
-		Live mode (manual): $(basename $0) [options] <[--kernel <kimage>] [--config <kconfig>] [--map <mapfile>]> --live
-		Offline mode:       $(basename $0) [options] <[--kernel <kimage>] [--config <kconfig>] [--map <mapfile>]>
+		Live mode:    $(basename $0) [options] [--kernel <kimage>] [--config <kconfig>] [--map <mapfile>]
+		No-runtime:   $(basename $0) [options] --no-runtime <--kernel <kimage>> [--config <kconfig>] [--map <mapfile>]
+		No-hw:        $(basename $0) [options] --no-hw <--kernel <kimage>> [--config <kconfig>] [--map <mapfile>]
 
 	Modes:
-		Two modes are available.
+		Three modes are available.
 
-		First mode is the "live" mode (default), it does its best to find information about the currently running kernel.
-		To run under this mode, just start the script without any option (you can also use --live explicitly)
-
-		Second mode is the "offline" mode, where you can inspect a non-running kernel.
-		This mode is automatically enabled when you specify the location of the kernel file, config and System.map files:
+		First mode is the "live" mode (default), it does its best to find information about the currently
+		running kernel. To run under this mode, just start the script without any option.
+		You can optionally specify --kernel, --config, or --map to help the script locate files it
+		couldn't auto-detect, without changing the mode.
 
 		--kernel kernel_file	specify a (possibly compressed) Linux or BSD kernel file
 		--config kernel_config	specify a kernel config file (Linux only)
 		--map kernel_map_file	specify a kernel System.map file (Linux only)
 
-		If you want to use live mode while specifying the location of the kernel, config or map file yourself,
-		you can add --live to the above options, to tell the script to run in live mode instead of the offline mode,
-		which is enabled by default when at least one file is specified on the command line.
+		Second mode is "no-runtime" (--no-runtime), where the script inspects the local CPU hardware
+		but skips all running-kernel artifacts (/sys, /proc, dmesg). Use this when you have a kernel
+		image from another system but want to check it against this CPU.
+
+		Third mode is "no-hw" (--no-hw), where the script skips both CPU hardware inspection and
+		running-kernel artifacts. Use this for pure static analysis of a kernel image, for example
+		when inspecting an embedded kernel from a different architecture.
 
 	Options:
 		--no-color		don't use color codes
@@ -55,7 +58,8 @@ show_usage() {
 		--cve CVE		specify which CVE you'd like to check, by default all supported CVEs are checked
 					can be used multiple times (e.g. --cve CVE-2017-5753 --cve CVE-2020-0543)
 		--hw-only		only check for CPU information, don't check for any variant
-		--no-hw			skip CPU information and checks, if you're inspecting a kernel not to be run on this host
+		--no-runtime		skip running-kernel checks (/sys, /proc, dmesg), still inspect local CPU hardware
+		--no-hw			skip CPU information and running-kernel checks (implies --no-runtime)
 		--vmm [auto,yes,no]	override the detection of the presence of a hypervisor, default: auto
 		--no-intel-db		don't use the builtin Intel DB of affected processors
 		--allow-msr-write	allow probing for write-only MSRs, this might produce kernel logs or be blocked by your system
@@ -114,7 +118,7 @@ g_os=$(uname -s)
 opt_kernel=''
 opt_config=''
 opt_map=''
-opt_live=-1
+opt_runtime=1
 opt_no_color=0
 opt_batch=0
 opt_batch_format='text'
diff --git a/src/libs/230_util_optparse.sh b/src/libs/230_util_optparse.sh
index b58fef6..4342655 100644
--- a/src/libs/230_util_optparse.sh
+++ b/src/libs/230_util_optparse.sh
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ while [ -n "${1:-}" ]; do
         opt_arch_prefix="$2"
         shift 2
     elif [ "$1" = "--live" ]; then
-        opt_live=1
+        # deprecated, kept for backward compatibility (live is now the default)
         shift
     elif [ "$1" = "--no-color" ]; then
         opt_no_color=1
@@ -74,8 +74,12 @@ while [ -n "${1:-}" ]; do
     elif [ "$1" = "--hw-only" ]; then
         opt_hw_only=1
         shift
+    elif [ "$1" = "--no-runtime" ]; then
+        opt_runtime=0
+        shift
     elif [ "$1" = "--no-hw" ]; then
         opt_no_hw=1
+        opt_runtime=0
         shift
     elif [ "$1" = "--allow-msr-write" ]; then
         opt_allow_msr_write=1
@@ -334,11 +338,13 @@ if [ "$opt_no_hw" = 1 ] && [ "$opt_hw_only" = 1 ]; then
     exit 255
 fi
 
-if [ "$opt_live" = -1 ]; then
-    if [ -n "$opt_kernel" ] || [ -n "$opt_config" ] || [ -n "$opt_map" ]; then
-        # no --live specified and we have a least one of the kernel/config/map files on the cmdline: offline mode
-        opt_live=0
-    else
-        opt_live=1
-    fi
+if [ "$opt_runtime" = 0 ] && [ "$opt_sysfs_only" = 1 ]; then
+    pr_warn "Incompatible options specified (--no-runtime and --sysfs-only), aborting"
+    exit 255
 fi
+
+if [ "$opt_runtime" = 0 ] && [ -z "$opt_kernel" ] && [ -z "$opt_config" ] && [ -z "$opt_map" ]; then
+    pr_warn "Option --no-runtime requires at least one of --kernel, --config, or --map"
+    exit 255
+fi
+
diff --git a/src/libs/250_output_emitters.sh b/src/libs/250_output_emitters.sh
index 23e11a6..31116e7 100644
--- a/src/libs/250_output_emitters.sh
+++ b/src/libs/250_output_emitters.sh
@@ -68,10 +68,12 @@ _json_bool() {
 _build_json_meta() {
     local timestamp mode
     timestamp=$(date -u '+%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ' 2>/dev/null || echo "unknown")
-    if [ "$opt_live" = 1 ]; then
-        mode="live"
+    if [ "$opt_no_hw" = 1 ]; then
+        mode="no-hw"
+    elif [ "$opt_runtime" = 0 ]; then
+        mode="no-runtime"
     else
-        mode="offline"
+        mode="live"
     fi
     local run_as_root
     if [ "$(id -u)" -eq 0 ]; then
@@ -97,7 +99,7 @@ _build_json_meta() {
 # shellcheck disable=SC2034
 _build_json_system() {
     local kernel_release kernel_version kernel_arch smt_val
-    if [ "$opt_live" = 1 ]; then
+    if [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ]; then
         kernel_release=$(uname -r)
         kernel_version=$(uname -v)
         kernel_arch=$(uname -m)
@@ -383,7 +385,7 @@ _emit_prometheus() {
 # shellcheck disable=SC2034
 _build_prometheus_system_info() {
     local kernel_release kernel_arch hypervisor_host sys_labels
-    if [ "$opt_live" = 1 ]; then
+    if [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ]; then
         kernel_release=$(uname -r 2>/dev/null || true)
         kernel_arch=$(uname -m 2>/dev/null || true)
     else
diff --git a/src/libs/400_hw_check.sh b/src/libs/400_hw_check.sh
index a6d8b66..f923b36 100644
--- a/src/libs/400_hw_check.sh
+++ b/src/libs/400_hw_check.sh
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ if [ "$opt_cpu" != all ] && [ "$opt_cpu" -gt "$g_max_core_id" ]; then
     exit 255
 fi
 
-if [ "$opt_live" = 1 ]; then
+if [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ]; then
     pr_info "Checking for vulnerabilities on current system"
 
     # try to find the image of the current running kernel
@@ -251,7 +251,7 @@ else
     fi
     if [ -n "$g_kernel_version" ]; then
         # in live mode, check if the img we found is the correct one
-        if [ "$opt_live" = 1 ]; then
+        if [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ]; then
             pr_verbose "Kernel image is \033[35m$g_kernel_version"
             if ! echo "$g_kernel_version" | grep -qF "$(uname -r)"; then
                 pr_warn "Possible discrepancy between your running kernel '$(uname -r)' and the image '$g_kernel_version' we found ($opt_kernel), results might be incorrect"
@@ -283,7 +283,7 @@ sys_interface_check() {
     msg=''
     ret_sys_interface_check_fullmsg=''
 
-    if [ "$opt_live" = 1 ] && [ "$opt_no_sysfs" = 0 ] && [ -r "$file" ]; then
+    if [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ] && [ "$opt_no_sysfs" = 0 ] && [ -r "$file" ]; then
         :
     else
         g_mockme=$(printf "%b\n%b" "$g_mockme" "SMC_MOCK_SYSFS_$(basename "$file")_RET=1")
@@ -352,7 +352,7 @@ sys_interface_check() {
 check_kernel_info() {
     local config_display
     pr_info "\033[1;34mKernel information\033[0m"
-    if [ "$opt_live" = 1 ]; then
+    if [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ]; then
         pr_info "* Kernel is \033[35m$g_os $(uname -r) $(uname -v) $(uname -m)\033[0m"
     elif [ -n "$g_kernel_version" ]; then
         pr_info "* Kernel is \033[35m$g_kernel_version\033[0m"
@@ -456,7 +456,7 @@ check_cpu() {
         ret=invalid
         pstatus yellow NO "unknown CPU"
     fi
-    if [ -z "$cap_ibrs" ] && [ $ret = $READ_CPUID_RET_ERR ] && [ "$opt_live" = 1 ]; then
+    if [ -z "$cap_ibrs" ] && [ $ret = $READ_CPUID_RET_ERR ] && [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ]; then
         # CPUID device unavailable (e.g. in a VM): fall back to /proc/cpuinfo
         if grep ^flags "$g_procfs/cpuinfo" | grep -qw ibrs; then
             cap_ibrs='IBRS (cpuinfo)'
@@ -533,7 +533,7 @@ check_cpu() {
         if [ $ret = $READ_CPUID_RET_OK ]; then
             cap_ibpb='IBPB_SUPPORT'
             pstatus green YES "IBPB_SUPPORT feature bit"
-        elif [ $ret = $READ_CPUID_RET_ERR ] && [ "$opt_live" = 1 ] && grep ^flags "$g_procfs/cpuinfo" | grep -qw ibpb; then
+        elif [ $ret = $READ_CPUID_RET_ERR ] && [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ] && grep ^flags "$g_procfs/cpuinfo" | grep -qw ibpb; then
             # CPUID device unavailable (e.g. in a VM): fall back to /proc/cpuinfo
             cap_ibpb='IBPB (cpuinfo)'
             pstatus green YES "ibpb flag in $g_procfs/cpuinfo"
@@ -604,7 +604,7 @@ check_cpu() {
         ret=invalid
         pstatus yellow UNKNOWN "unknown CPU"
     fi
-    if [ -z "$cap_stibp" ] && [ $ret = $READ_CPUID_RET_ERR ] && [ "$opt_live" = 1 ]; then
+    if [ -z "$cap_stibp" ] && [ $ret = $READ_CPUID_RET_ERR ] && [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ]; then
         # CPUID device unavailable (e.g. in a VM): fall back to /proc/cpuinfo
         if grep ^flags "$g_procfs/cpuinfo" | grep -qw stibp; then
             cap_stibp='STIBP (cpuinfo)'
@@ -676,7 +676,7 @@ check_cpu() {
         fi
     fi
 
-    if [ -z "$cap_ssbd" ] && [ "$ret24" = $READ_CPUID_RET_ERR ] && [ "$ret25" = $READ_CPUID_RET_ERR ] && [ "$opt_live" = 1 ]; then
+    if [ -z "$cap_ssbd" ] && [ "$ret24" = $READ_CPUID_RET_ERR ] && [ "$ret25" = $READ_CPUID_RET_ERR ] && [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ]; then
         # CPUID device unavailable (e.g. in a VM): fall back to /proc/cpuinfo
         if grep ^flags "$g_procfs/cpuinfo" | grep -qw ssbd; then
             cap_ssbd='SSBD (cpuinfo)'
@@ -740,7 +740,7 @@ check_cpu() {
     if [ $ret = $READ_CPUID_RET_OK ]; then
         pstatus green YES "L1D flush feature bit"
         cap_l1df=1
-    elif [ $ret = $READ_CPUID_RET_ERR ] && [ "$opt_live" = 1 ] && grep ^flags "$g_procfs/cpuinfo" | grep -qw flush_l1d; then
+    elif [ $ret = $READ_CPUID_RET_ERR ] && [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ] && grep ^flags "$g_procfs/cpuinfo" | grep -qw flush_l1d; then
         # CPUID device unavailable (e.g. in a VM): fall back to /proc/cpuinfo
         pstatus green YES "flush_l1d flag in $g_procfs/cpuinfo"
         cap_l1df=1
@@ -760,7 +760,7 @@ check_cpu() {
         if [ $ret = $READ_CPUID_RET_OK ]; then
             cap_md_clear=1
             pstatus green YES "MD_CLEAR feature bit"
-        elif [ $ret = $READ_CPUID_RET_ERR ] && [ "$opt_live" = 1 ] && grep ^flags "$g_procfs/cpuinfo" | grep -qw md_clear; then
+        elif [ $ret = $READ_CPUID_RET_ERR ] && [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ] && grep ^flags "$g_procfs/cpuinfo" | grep -qw md_clear; then
             # CPUID device unavailable (e.g. in a VM): fall back to /proc/cpuinfo
             cap_md_clear=1
             pstatus green YES "md_clear flag in $g_procfs/cpuinfo"
@@ -830,7 +830,7 @@ check_cpu() {
         if [ $ret = $READ_CPUID_RET_OK ]; then
             pstatus green YES
             cap_arch_capabilities=1
-        elif [ $ret = $READ_CPUID_RET_ERR ] && [ "$opt_live" = 1 ] && grep ^flags "$g_procfs/cpuinfo" | grep -qw arch_capabilities; then
+        elif [ $ret = $READ_CPUID_RET_ERR ] && [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ] && grep ^flags "$g_procfs/cpuinfo" | grep -qw arch_capabilities; then
             # CPUID device unavailable (e.g. in a VM): fall back to /proc/cpuinfo
             pstatus green YES "arch_capabilities flag in $g_procfs/cpuinfo"
             cap_arch_capabilities=1
diff --git a/src/main.sh b/src/main.sh
index 211ffbf..b9e15ef 100644
--- a/src/main.sh
+++ b/src/main.sh
@@ -172,8 +172,13 @@ fi
 if [ "$opt_batch" = 1 ] && [ "$opt_batch_format" = "prometheus" ]; then
     prom_run_as_root='false'
     [ "$(id -u)" -eq 0 ] && prom_run_as_root='true'
-    prom_mode='offline'
-    [ "$opt_live" = 1 ] && prom_mode='live'
+    if [ "$opt_no_hw" = 1 ]; then
+        prom_mode='no-hw'
+    elif [ "$opt_runtime" = 0 ]; then
+        prom_mode='no-runtime'
+    else
+        prom_mode='live'
+    fi
     prom_paranoid='false'
     [ "$opt_paranoid" = 1 ] && prom_paranoid='true'
     prom_sysfs_only='false'
diff --git a/src/vulns-helpers/check_mds.sh b/src/vulns-helpers/check_mds.sh
index 031c924..6fcb72f 100644
--- a/src/vulns-helpers/check_mds.sh
+++ b/src/vulns-helpers/check_mds.sh
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 check_mds_bsd() {
     local kernel_md_clear kernel_smt_allowed kernel_mds_enabled kernel_mds_state
     pr_info_nol "* Kernel supports using MD_CLEAR mitigation: "
-    if [ "$opt_live" = 1 ]; then
+    if [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ]; then
         if sysctl hw.mds_disable >/dev/null 2>&1; then
             pstatus green YES
             kernel_md_clear=1
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ check_mds_bsd() {
     else
         if [ "$cap_md_clear" = 1 ]; then
             if [ "$kernel_md_clear" = 1 ]; then
-                if [ "$opt_live" = 1 ]; then
+                if [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ]; then
                     # mitigation must also be enabled
                     if [ "$kernel_mds_enabled" -ge 1 ]; then
                         if [ "$opt_paranoid" != 1 ] || [ "$kernel_smt_allowed" = 0 ]; then
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ check_mds_bsd() {
                 pvulnstatus "$cve" VULN "Your microcode supports mitigation, but your kernel doesn't, upgrade it to mitigate the vulnerability"
             fi
         else
-            if [ "$kernel_md_clear" = 1 ] && [ "$opt_live" = 1 ]; then
+            if [ "$kernel_md_clear" = 1 ] && [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ]; then
                 # no MD_CLEAR in microcode, but FreeBSD may still have software-only mitigation active
                 case "$kernel_mds_state" in
                     software*)
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ check_mds_linux() {
         pr_info_nol "* Kernel supports using MD_CLEAR mitigation: "
         kernel_md_clear=''
         kernel_md_clear_can_tell=1
-        if [ "$opt_live" = 1 ] && grep ^flags "$g_procfs/cpuinfo" | grep -qw md_clear; then
+        if [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ] && grep ^flags "$g_procfs/cpuinfo" | grep -qw md_clear; then
             kernel_md_clear="md_clear found in $g_procfs/cpuinfo"
             pstatus green YES "$kernel_md_clear"
         fi
@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@ check_mds_linux() {
             fi
         fi
 
-        if [ "$opt_live" = 1 ] && [ "$sys_interface_available" = 1 ]; then
+        if [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ] && [ "$sys_interface_available" = 1 ]; then
             pr_info_nol "* Kernel mitigation is enabled and active: "
             if echo "$ret_sys_interface_check_fullmsg" | grep -qi ^mitigation; then
                 mds_mitigated=1
@@ -190,7 +190,7 @@ check_mds_linux() {
             # compute mystatus and mymsg from our own logic
             if [ "$cap_md_clear" = 1 ]; then
                 if [ -n "$kernel_md_clear" ]; then
-                    if [ "$opt_live" = 1 ]; then
+                    if [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ]; then
                         # mitigation must also be enabled
                         if [ "$mds_mitigated" = 1 ]; then
                             if [ "$opt_paranoid" != 1 ] || [ "$mds_smt_mitigated" = 1 ]; then
diff --git a/src/vulns-helpers/check_mmio.sh b/src/vulns-helpers/check_mmio.sh
index 7e1428b..683c2d5 100644
--- a/src/vulns-helpers/check_mmio.sh
+++ b/src/vulns-helpers/check_mmio.sh
@@ -162,7 +162,7 @@ check_mmio_linux() {
             pstatus yellow NO
         fi
 
-        if [ "$opt_live" = 1 ] && [ "$sys_interface_available" = 1 ]; then
+        if [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ] && [ "$sys_interface_available" = 1 ]; then
             pr_info_nol "* Kernel mitigation is enabled and active: "
             if echo "$ret_sys_interface_check_fullmsg" | grep -qi ^mitigation; then
                 mmio_mitigated=1
@@ -194,7 +194,7 @@ check_mmio_linux() {
             # compute mystatus and mymsg from our own logic
             if [ "$cap_fb_clear" = 1 ]; then
                 if [ -n "$kernel_mmio" ]; then
-                    if [ "$opt_live" = 1 ]; then
+                    if [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ]; then
                         # mitigation must also be enabled
                         if [ "$mmio_mitigated" = 1 ]; then
                             if [ "$opt_paranoid" != 1 ] || [ "$mmio_smt_mitigated" = 1 ]; then
diff --git a/src/vulns/CVE-2017-5715.sh b/src/vulns/CVE-2017-5715.sh
index 830857b..8fecf0a 100644
--- a/src/vulns/CVE-2017-5715.sh
+++ b/src/vulns/CVE-2017-5715.sh
@@ -265,7 +265,7 @@ check_CVE_2017_5715_linux() {
         g_ibpb_supported=''
         g_ibpb_enabled=''
 
-        if [ "$opt_live" = 1 ]; then
+        if [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ]; then
             # in live mode, we can check for the ibrs_enabled file in debugfs
             # all versions of the patches have it (NOT the case of IBPB or KPTI)
             g_ibrs_can_tell=1
@@ -416,7 +416,7 @@ check_CVE_2017_5715_linux() {
         fi
 
         pr_info_nol "    * IBRS enabled and active: "
-        if [ "$opt_live" = 1 ]; then
+        if [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ]; then
             if [ "$g_ibpb_enabled" = 2 ]; then
                 # if ibpb=2, ibrs is forcefully=0
                 pstatus blue NO "IBPB used instead of IBRS in all kernel entrypoints"
@@ -447,7 +447,7 @@ check_CVE_2017_5715_linux() {
                 esac
             fi
         else
-            pstatus blue N/A "not testable in offline mode"
+            pstatus blue N/A "not testable in no-runtime mode"
         fi
 
         pr_info_nol "  * Kernel is compiled with IBPB support: "
@@ -455,8 +455,8 @@ check_CVE_2017_5715_linux() {
             if [ "$g_ibpb_can_tell" = 1 ]; then
                 pstatus yellow NO
             else
-                # if we're in offline mode without System.map, we can't really know
-                pstatus yellow UNKNOWN "in offline mode, we need the kernel image to be able to tell"
+                # if we're in no-runtime mode without System.map, we can't really know
+                pstatus yellow UNKNOWN "in no-runtime mode, we need the kernel image to be able to tell"
             fi
         else
             if [ "$opt_verbose" -ge 2 ]; then
@@ -467,7 +467,7 @@ check_CVE_2017_5715_linux() {
         fi
 
         pr_info_nol "    * IBPB enabled and active: "
-        if [ "$opt_live" = 1 ]; then
+        if [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ]; then
             case "$g_ibpb_enabled" in
                 "")
                     if [ "$g_ibrs_supported" = 1 ]; then
@@ -484,7 +484,7 @@ check_CVE_2017_5715_linux() {
                 *) pstatus yellow UNKNOWN ;;
             esac
         else
-            pstatus blue N/A "not testable in offline mode"
+            pstatus blue N/A "not testable in no-runtime mode"
         fi
 
         pr_info "* Mitigation 2"
@@ -544,7 +544,7 @@ check_CVE_2017_5715_linux() {
             #
             # since 5.15.28, this is now "Retpolines" as the implementation was switched to a generic one,
             # so we look for both "retpoline" and "retpolines"
-            if [ "$opt_live" = 1 ] && [ -n "$ret_sys_interface_check_fullmsg" ]; then
+            if [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ] && [ -n "$ret_sys_interface_check_fullmsg" ]; then
                 if echo "$ret_sys_interface_check_fullmsg" | grep -qwi -e retpoline -e retpolines; then
                     if echo "$ret_sys_interface_check_fullmsg" | grep -qwi minimal; then
                         retpoline_compiler=0
@@ -595,7 +595,7 @@ check_CVE_2017_5715_linux() {
 
         # only Red Hat has a tunable to disable it on runtime
         retp_enabled=-1
-        if [ "$opt_live" = 1 ]; then
+        if [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ]; then
             if [ -e "$g_specex_knob_dir/retp_enabled" ]; then
                 retp_enabled=$(cat "$g_specex_knob_dir/retp_enabled" 2>/dev/null)
                 pr_debug "retpoline: found $g_specex_knob_dir/retp_enabled=$retp_enabled"
@@ -625,7 +625,7 @@ check_CVE_2017_5715_linux() {
         if is_vulnerable_to_empty_rsb || [ "$opt_verbose" -ge 2 ]; then
             pr_info_nol "  * Kernel supports RSB filling: "
             rsb_filling=0
-            if [ "$opt_live" = 1 ] && [ "$opt_no_sysfs" != 1 ]; then
+            if [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ] && [ "$opt_no_sysfs" != 1 ]; then
                 # if we're live and we aren't denied looking into /sys, let's do it
                 if echo "$ret_sys_interface_check_fullmsg" | grep -qw RSB; then
                     rsb_filling=1
@@ -718,7 +718,7 @@ check_CVE_2017_5715_linux() {
                 *", IBPB"* | *"; IBPB"*) v2_ibpb_mode=conditional ;;
                 *) v2_ibpb_mode=disabled ;;
             esac
-        elif [ "$opt_live" = 1 ]; then
+        elif [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ]; then
             case "$g_ibpb_enabled" in
                 2) v2_ibpb_mode=always-on ;;
                 1) v2_ibpb_mode=conditional ;;
@@ -816,7 +816,7 @@ check_CVE_2017_5715_linux() {
                         *"PBRSB-eIBRS: Vulnerable"*) v2_pbrsb_status=vulnerable ;;
                         *) v2_pbrsb_status=unknown ;;
                     esac
-                elif [ "$opt_live" != 1 ] && [ -n "$g_kernel" ]; then
+                elif [ "$opt_runtime" != 1 ] && [ -n "$g_kernel" ]; then
                     if grep -q 'PBRSB-eIBRS' "$g_kernel" 2>/dev/null; then
                         v2_pbrsb_status=sw-sequence
                     else
@@ -847,7 +847,7 @@ check_CVE_2017_5715_linux() {
                 *"BHI: Vulnerable"*) v2_bhi_status=vulnerable ;;
                 *) v2_bhi_status=unknown ;;
             esac
-        elif [ "$opt_live" != 1 ] && [ -n "$opt_config" ] && [ -r "$opt_config" ]; then
+        elif [ "$opt_runtime" != 1 ] && [ -n "$opt_config" ] && [ -r "$opt_config" ]; then
             if grep -q '^CONFIG_\(MITIGATION_\)\?SPECTRE_BHI' "$opt_config"; then
                 if [ "$cap_bhi" = 1 ]; then
                     v2_bhi_status=bhi_dis_s
@@ -871,7 +871,7 @@ check_CVE_2017_5715_linux() {
         esac
 
         # --- v2_vuln_module ---
-        if [ "$opt_live" = 1 ] && [ -n "$ret_sys_interface_check_fullmsg" ]; then
+        if [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ] && [ -n "$ret_sys_interface_check_fullmsg" ]; then
             pr_info_nol "  * Non-retpoline module loaded: "
             if echo "$ret_sys_interface_check_fullmsg" | grep -q 'vulnerable module loaded'; then
                 v2_vuln_module=1
@@ -970,7 +970,7 @@ check_CVE_2017_5715_linux() {
                     if [ -n "${SMC_MOCK_UNPRIVILEGED_BPF_DISABLED:-}" ]; then
                         _ebpf_disabled="$SMC_MOCK_UNPRIVILEGED_BPF_DISABLED"
                         g_mocked=1
-                    elif [ "$opt_live" = 1 ] && [ -r "$g_procfs/sys/kernel/unprivileged_bpf_disabled" ]; then
+                    elif [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ] && [ -r "$g_procfs/sys/kernel/unprivileged_bpf_disabled" ]; then
                         _ebpf_disabled=$(cat "$g_procfs/sys/kernel/unprivileged_bpf_disabled" 2>/dev/null)
                         g_mockme=$(printf "%b\n%b" "$g_mockme" "SMC_MOCK_UNPRIVILEGED_BPF_DISABLED='$_ebpf_disabled'")
                     fi
@@ -1158,18 +1158,18 @@ check_CVE_2017_5715_linux() {
                 pvulnstatus "$cve" OK "Full IBPB is mitigating the vulnerability"
 
             # Offline mode fallback
-            elif [ "$opt_live" != 1 ]; then
+            elif [ "$opt_runtime" != 1 ]; then
                 if [ "$retpoline" = 1 ] && [ -n "$g_ibpb_supported" ]; then
-                    pvulnstatus "$cve" OK "offline mode: kernel supports retpoline + IBPB to mitigate the vulnerability"
+                    pvulnstatus "$cve" OK "no-runtime mode: kernel supports retpoline + IBPB to mitigate the vulnerability"
                 elif [ -n "$g_ibrs_supported" ] && [ -n "$g_ibpb_supported" ]; then
-                    pvulnstatus "$cve" OK "offline mode: kernel supports IBRS + IBPB to mitigate the vulnerability"
+                    pvulnstatus "$cve" OK "no-runtime mode: kernel supports IBRS + IBPB to mitigate the vulnerability"
                 elif [ "$cap_ibrs_all" = 1 ] || [ "$cap_autoibrs" = 1 ]; then
-                    pvulnstatus "$cve" OK "offline mode: CPU supports Enhanced / Automatic IBRS"
+                    pvulnstatus "$cve" OK "no-runtime mode: CPU supports Enhanced / Automatic IBRS"
                 # CONFIG_MITIGATION_SPECTRE_V2 (v6.12+): top-level on/off for all Spectre V2 mitigations
                 elif [ -n "$opt_config" ] && [ -r "$opt_config" ] && grep -q '^CONFIG_MITIGATION_SPECTRE_V2=y' "$opt_config"; then
-                    pvulnstatus "$cve" OK "offline mode: kernel has Spectre V2 mitigation framework enabled (CONFIG_MITIGATION_SPECTRE_V2)"
+                    pvulnstatus "$cve" OK "no-runtime mode: kernel has Spectre V2 mitigation framework enabled (CONFIG_MITIGATION_SPECTRE_V2)"
                 elif [ "$g_ibrs_can_tell" != 1 ]; then
-                    pvulnstatus "$cve" UNK "offline mode: not enough information"
+                    pvulnstatus "$cve" UNK "no-runtime mode: not enough information"
                     explain "Re-run this script with root privileges, and give it the kernel image (--kernel), the kernel configuration (--config) and the System.map file (--map) corresponding to the kernel you would like to inspect."
                 fi
             fi
diff --git a/src/vulns/CVE-2017-5753.sh b/src/vulns/CVE-2017-5753.sh
index 693fac1..f4ed40a 100644
--- a/src/vulns/CVE-2017-5753.sh
+++ b/src/vulns/CVE-2017-5753.sh
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ check_CVE_2017_5753_linux() {
         status=$ret_sys_interface_check_status
     fi
     if [ "$opt_sysfs_only" != 1 ]; then
-        # no /sys interface (or offline mode), fallback to our own ways
+        # no /sys interface (or no-runtime mode), fallback to our own ways
 
         # Primary detection: grep for sysfs mitigation strings in the kernel binary.
         # The string "__user pointer sanitization" is present in all kernel versions
diff --git a/src/vulns/CVE-2017-5754.sh b/src/vulns/CVE-2017-5754.sh
index 2265b55..2eb4f88 100644
--- a/src/vulns/CVE-2017-5754.sh
+++ b/src/vulns/CVE-2017-5754.sh
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ check_CVE_2017_5754_linux() {
 
         mount_debugfs
         pr_info_nol "  * PTI enabled and active: "
-        if [ "$opt_live" = 1 ]; then
+        if [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ]; then
             dmesg_grep="Kernel/User page tables isolation: enabled"
             dmesg_grep="$dmesg_grep|Kernel page table isolation enabled"
             dmesg_grep="$dmesg_grep|x86/pti: Unmapping kernel while in userspace"
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@ check_CVE_2017_5754_linux() {
                 pstatus yellow NO
             fi
         else
-            pstatus blue N/A "not testable in offline mode"
+            pstatus blue N/A "not testable in no-runtime mode"
         fi
 
         pti_performance_check
@@ -167,7 +167,7 @@ check_CVE_2017_5754_linux() {
     is_xen_dom0 && xen_pv_domo=1
     is_xen_domU && xen_pv_domu=1
 
-    if [ "$opt_live" = 1 ]; then
+    if [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ]; then
         # checking whether we're running under Xen PV 64 bits. If yes, we are affected by affected_variant3
         # (unless we are a Dom0)
         pr_info_nol "* Running as a Xen PV DomU: "
@@ -183,7 +183,7 @@ check_CVE_2017_5754_linux() {
         pvulnstatus "$cve" OK "your CPU vendor reported your CPU model as not affected"
     elif [ -z "$msg" ]; then
         # if msg is empty, sysfs check didn't fill it, rely on our own test
-        if [ "$opt_live" = 1 ]; then
+        if [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ]; then
             if [ "$kpti_enabled" = 1 ]; then
                 pvulnstatus "$cve" OK "PTI mitigates the vulnerability"
             elif [ "$xen_pv_domo" = 1 ]; then
@@ -209,12 +209,12 @@ check_CVE_2017_5754_linux() {
             fi
         else
             if [ -n "$kpti_support" ]; then
-                pvulnstatus "$cve" OK "offline mode: PTI will mitigate the vulnerability if enabled at runtime"
+                pvulnstatus "$cve" OK "no-runtime mode: PTI will mitigate the vulnerability if enabled at runtime"
             elif [ "$kpti_can_tell" = 1 ]; then
                 pvulnstatus "$cve" VULN "PTI is needed to mitigate the vulnerability"
                 explain "If you're using a distro kernel, upgrade your distro to get the latest kernel available. Otherwise, recompile the kernel with the CONFIG_(MITIGATION_)PAGE_TABLE_ISOLATION option (named CONFIG_KAISER for some kernels), or the CONFIG_UNMAP_KERNEL_AT_EL0 option (for ARM64)"
             else
-                pvulnstatus "$cve" UNK "offline mode: not enough information"
+                pvulnstatus "$cve" UNK "no-runtime mode: not enough information"
                 explain "Re-run this script with root privileges, and give it the kernel image (--kernel), the kernel configuration (--config) and the System.map file (--map) corresponding to the kernel you would like to inspect."
             fi
         fi
diff --git a/src/vulns/CVE-2018-12207.sh b/src/vulns/CVE-2018-12207.sh
index 0065b3a..4300965 100644
--- a/src/vulns/CVE-2018-12207.sh
+++ b/src/vulns/CVE-2018-12207.sh
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ check_CVE_2018_12207_linux() {
         fi
 
         pr_info_nol "* iTLB Multihit mitigation enabled and active: "
-        if [ "$opt_live" = 1 ]; then
+        if [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ]; then
             if [ -n "$ret_sys_interface_check_fullmsg" ]; then
                 if echo "$ret_sys_interface_check_fullmsg" | grep -qF 'Mitigation'; then
                     pstatus green YES "$ret_sys_interface_check_fullmsg"
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ check_CVE_2018_12207_linux() {
                 pstatus yellow NO "itlb_multihit not found in sysfs hierarchy"
             fi
         else
-            pstatus blue N/A "not testable in offline mode"
+            pstatus blue N/A "not testable in no-runtime mode"
         fi
     elif [ "$sys_interface_available" = 0 ]; then
         # we have no sysfs but were asked to use it only!
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ check_CVE_2018_12207_linux() {
     elif [ -z "$msg" ]; then
         # if msg is empty, sysfs check didn't fill it, rely on our own test
         if [ "$opt_sysfs_only" != 1 ]; then
-            if [ "$opt_live" = 1 ]; then
+            if [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ]; then
                 # if we're in live mode and $msg is empty, sysfs file is not there so kernel is too old
                 pvulnstatus "$cve" VULN "Your kernel doesn't support iTLB Multihit mitigation, update it"
             else
diff --git a/src/vulns/CVE-2018-3620.sh b/src/vulns/CVE-2018-3620.sh
index 835f212..26737e1 100644
--- a/src/vulns/CVE-2018-3620.sh
+++ b/src/vulns/CVE-2018-3620.sh
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ check_CVE_2018_3620_linux() {
         fi
 
         pr_info_nol "* PTE inversion enabled and active: "
-        if [ "$opt_live" = 1 ]; then
+        if [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ]; then
             if [ -n "$ret_sys_interface_check_fullmsg" ]; then
                 if echo "$ret_sys_interface_check_fullmsg" | grep -q 'Mitigation: PTE Inversion'; then
                     pstatus green YES
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ check_CVE_2018_3620_linux() {
                 pteinv_active=-1
             fi
         else
-            pstatus blue N/A "not testable in offline mode"
+            pstatus blue N/A "not testable in no-runtime mode"
         fi
     elif [ "$sys_interface_available" = 0 ]; then
         # we have no sysfs but were asked to use it only!
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ check_CVE_2018_3620_linux() {
         # if msg is empty, sysfs check didn't fill it, rely on our own test
         if [ "$opt_sysfs_only" != 1 ]; then
             if [ "$pteinv_supported" = 1 ]; then
-                if [ "$pteinv_active" = 1 ] || [ "$opt_live" != 1 ]; then
+                if [ "$pteinv_active" = 1 ] || [ "$opt_runtime" != 1 ]; then
                     pvulnstatus "$cve" OK "PTE inversion mitigates the vulnerability"
                 else
                     pvulnstatus "$cve" VULN "Your kernel supports PTE inversion but it doesn't seem to be enabled"
diff --git a/src/vulns/CVE-2018-3639.sh b/src/vulns/CVE-2018-3639.sh
index 7d46421..6211653 100644
--- a/src/vulns/CVE-2018-3639.sh
+++ b/src/vulns/CVE-2018-3639.sh
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ check_CVE_2018_3639_linux() {
     fi
     if [ "$opt_sysfs_only" != 1 ]; then
         pr_info_nol "* Kernel supports disabling speculative store bypass (SSB): "
-        if [ "$opt_live" = 1 ]; then
+        if [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ]; then
             if grep -Eq 'Speculation.?Store.?Bypass:' "$g_procfs/self/status" 2>/dev/null; then
                 kernel_ssb="found in $g_procfs/self/status"
                 pr_debug "found Speculation.Store.Bypass: in $g_procfs/self/status"
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ check_CVE_2018_3639_linux() {
         fi
 
         kernel_ssbd_enabled=-1
-        if [ "$opt_live" = 1 ]; then
+        if [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ]; then
             # https://elixir.bootlin.com/linux/v5.0/source/fs/proc/array.c#L340
             pr_info_nol "* SSB mitigation is enabled and active: "
             if grep -Eq 'Speculation.?Store.?Bypass:[[:space:]]+thread' "$g_procfs/self/status" 2>/dev/null; then
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ check_CVE_2018_3639_linux() {
         # if msg is empty, sysfs check didn't fill it, rely on our own test
         if [ -n "$cap_ssbd" ]; then
             if [ -n "$kernel_ssb" ]; then
-                if [ "$opt_live" = 1 ]; then
+                if [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ]; then
                     if [ "$kernel_ssbd_enabled" -gt 0 ]; then
                         pvulnstatus "$cve" OK "your CPU and kernel both support SSBD and mitigation is enabled"
                     else
diff --git a/src/vulns/CVE-2018-3640.sh b/src/vulns/CVE-2018-3640.sh
index 72064e7..3d3ec7d 100644
--- a/src/vulns/CVE-2018-3640.sh
+++ b/src/vulns/CVE-2018-3640.sh
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ check_CVE_2018_3640() {
     sys_interface_available=0
     msg=''
 
-    # Detect whether the target kernel is ARM64, for both live and offline modes.
+    # Detect whether the target kernel is ARM64, for both live and no-runtime modes.
     # In offline cross-inspection (x86 host, ARM kernel), cpu_vendor reflects the host,
     # so also check for arm64_sys_ symbols (same pattern used in CVE-2018-3639).
     is_arm64_kernel=0
diff --git a/src/vulns/CVE-2018-3646.sh b/src/vulns/CVE-2018-3646.sh
index 0fb3ab3..dd70ca9 100644
--- a/src/vulns/CVE-2018-3646.sh
+++ b/src/vulns/CVE-2018-3646.sh
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ check_CVE_2018_3646_linux() {
         pr_info "* Mitigation 1 (KVM)"
         pr_info_nol "  * EPT is disabled: "
         ept_disabled=-1
-        if [ "$opt_live" = 1 ]; then
+        if [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ]; then
             if ! [ -r "$SYS_MODULE_BASE/kvm_intel/parameters/ept" ]; then
                 pstatus blue N/A "the kvm_intel module is not loaded"
             elif [ "$(cat "$SYS_MODULE_BASE/kvm_intel/parameters/ept")" = N ]; then
@@ -79,12 +79,12 @@ check_CVE_2018_3646_linux() {
                 pstatus yellow NO
             fi
         else
-            pstatus blue N/A "not testable in offline mode"
+            pstatus blue N/A "not testable in no-runtime mode"
         fi
 
         pr_info "* Mitigation 2"
         pr_info_nol "  * L1D flush is supported by kernel: "
-        if [ "$opt_live" = 1 ] && grep -qw flush_l1d "$g_procfs/cpuinfo"; then
+        if [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ] && grep -qw flush_l1d "$g_procfs/cpuinfo"; then
             l1d_kernel="found flush_l1d in $g_procfs/cpuinfo"
         fi
         if [ -z "$l1d_kernel" ]; then
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ check_CVE_2018_3646_linux() {
         fi
 
         pr_info_nol "  * L1D flush enabled: "
-        if [ "$opt_live" = 1 ]; then
+        if [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ]; then
             if [ -n "$ret_sys_interface_check_fullmsg" ]; then
                 # vanilla: VMX: $l1dstatus, SMT $smtstatus
                 # Red Hat: VMX: SMT $smtstatus, L1D $l1dstatus
@@ -152,18 +152,18 @@ check_CVE_2018_3646_linux() {
             fi
         else
             l1d_mode=-1
-            pstatus blue N/A "not testable in offline mode"
+            pstatus blue N/A "not testable in no-runtime mode"
         fi
 
         pr_info_nol "  * Hardware-backed L1D flush supported: "
-        if [ "$opt_live" = 1 ]; then
+        if [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ]; then
             if grep -qw flush_l1d "$g_procfs/cpuinfo" || [ -n "$l1d_xen_hardware" ]; then
                 pstatus green YES "performance impact of the mitigation will be greatly reduced"
             else
                 pstatus blue NO "flush will be done in software, this is slower"
             fi
         else
-            pstatus blue N/A "not testable in offline mode"
+            pstatus blue N/A "not testable in no-runtime mode"
         fi
 
         pr_info_nol "  * Hyper-Threading (SMT) is enabled: "
diff --git a/src/vulns/CVE-2019-11135.sh b/src/vulns/CVE-2019-11135.sh
index 555d00e..2d72ce1 100644
--- a/src/vulns/CVE-2019-11135.sh
+++ b/src/vulns/CVE-2019-11135.sh
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ check_CVE_2019_11135_linux() {
         fi
 
         pr_info_nol "* TAA mitigation enabled and active: "
-        if [ "$opt_live" = 1 ]; then
+        if [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ]; then
             if [ -n "$ret_sys_interface_check_fullmsg" ]; then
                 if echo "$ret_sys_interface_check_fullmsg" | grep -qE '^Mitigation'; then
                     pstatus green YES "$ret_sys_interface_check_fullmsg"
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ check_CVE_2019_11135_linux() {
                 pstatus yellow NO "tsx_async_abort not found in sysfs hierarchy"
             fi
         else
-            pstatus blue N/A "not testable in offline mode"
+            pstatus blue N/A "not testable in no-runtime mode"
         fi
     elif [ "$sys_interface_available" = 0 ]; then
         # we have no sysfs but were asked to use it only!
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ check_CVE_2019_11135_linux() {
         pvulnstatus "$cve" OK "your CPU vendor reported your CPU model as not affected"
     elif [ -z "$msg" ]; then
         # if msg is empty, sysfs check didn't fill it, rely on our own test
-        if [ "$opt_live" = 1 ]; then
+        if [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ]; then
             # if we're in live mode and $msg is empty, sysfs file is not there so kernel is too old
             pvulnstatus "$cve" VULN "Your kernel doesn't support TAA mitigation, update it"
         else
diff --git a/src/vulns/CVE-2020-0543.sh b/src/vulns/CVE-2020-0543.sh
index c2ef667..894361b 100644
--- a/src/vulns/CVE-2020-0543.sh
+++ b/src/vulns/CVE-2020-0543.sh
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ check_CVE_2020_0543_linux() {
             pstatus yellow NO
         fi
         pr_info_nol "* SRBDS mitigation control is enabled and active: "
-        if [ "$opt_live" = 1 ]; then
+        if [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ]; then
             if [ -n "$ret_sys_interface_check_fullmsg" ]; then
                 if echo "$ret_sys_interface_check_fullmsg" | grep -qE '^Mitigation'; then
                     pstatus green YES "$ret_sys_interface_check_fullmsg"
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ check_CVE_2020_0543_linux() {
                 pstatus yellow NO "SRBDS not found in sysfs hierarchy"
             fi
         else
-            pstatus blue N/A "not testable in offline mode"
+            pstatus blue N/A "not testable in no-runtime mode"
         fi
     elif [ "$sys_interface_available" = 0 ]; then
         # we have no sysfs but were asked to use it only!
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ check_CVE_2020_0543_linux() {
                     # SRBDS mitigation control is enabled
                     if [ -z "$msg" ]; then
                         # if msg is empty, sysfs check didn't fill it, rely on our own test
-                        if [ "$opt_live" = 1 ]; then
+                        if [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ]; then
                             # if we're in live mode and $msg is empty, sysfs file is not there so kernel is too old
                             pvulnstatus "$cve" OK "Your microcode is up to date for SRBDS mitigation control. The kernel needs to be updated"
                         fi
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ check_CVE_2020_0543_linux() {
                 elif [ "$cap_srbds_on" = 0 ]; then
                     # SRBDS mitigation control is disabled
                     if [ -z "$msg" ]; then
-                        if [ "$opt_live" = 1 ]; then
+                        if [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ]; then
                             # if we're in live mode and $msg is empty, sysfs file is not there so kernel is too old
                             pvulnstatus "$cve" VULN "Your microcode is up to date for SRBDS mitigation control. The kernel needs to be updated. Mitigation is disabled"
                         fi
diff --git a/src/vulns/CVE-2022-29900.sh b/src/vulns/CVE-2022-29900.sh
index 9a9f40a..5728142 100644
--- a/src/vulns/CVE-2022-29900.sh
+++ b/src/vulns/CVE-2022-29900.sh
@@ -174,14 +174,14 @@ check_CVE_2022_29900_linux() {
         # Zen/Zen+/Zen2: check IBPB microcode support and SMT
         if [ "$cpu_family" = $((0x17)) ]; then
             pr_info_nol "* CPU supports IBPB: "
-            if [ "$opt_live" = 1 ]; then
+            if [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ]; then
                 if [ -n "$cap_ibpb" ]; then
                     pstatus green YES "$cap_ibpb"
                 else
                     pstatus yellow NO
                 fi
             else
-                pstatus blue N/A "not testable in offline mode"
+                pstatus blue N/A "not testable in no-runtime mode"
             fi
 
             pr_info_nol "* Hyper-Threading (SMT) is enabled: "
@@ -217,7 +217,7 @@ check_CVE_2022_29900_linux() {
                         "doesn't fully protect cross-thread speculation."
                 elif [ -z "$kernel_unret" ] && [ -z "$kernel_ibpb_entry" ]; then
                     pvulnstatus "$cve" VULN "Your kernel doesn't have either UNRET_ENTRY or IBPB_ENTRY compiled-in"
-                elif [ "$smt_enabled" = 0 ] && [ -z "$cap_ibpb" ] && [ "$opt_live" = 1 ]; then
+                elif [ "$smt_enabled" = 0 ] && [ -z "$cap_ibpb" ] && [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ]; then
                     pvulnstatus "$cve" VULN "SMT is enabled and your microcode doesn't support IBPB"
                     explain "Update your CPU microcode to get IBPB support, or disable SMT by adding\n" \
                         "\`nosmt\` to your kernel command line."
diff --git a/src/vulns/CVE-2022-29901.sh b/src/vulns/CVE-2022-29901.sh
index 1a76f05..b712556 100644
--- a/src/vulns/CVE-2022-29901.sh
+++ b/src/vulns/CVE-2022-29901.sh
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ check_CVE_2022_29901_linux() {
         fi
 
         pr_info_nol "* CPU supports Enhanced IBRS (IBRS_ALL): "
-        if [ "$opt_live" = 1 ] || [ "$cap_ibrs_all" != -1 ]; then
+        if [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ] || [ "$cap_ibrs_all" != -1 ]; then
             if [ "$cap_ibrs_all" = 1 ]; then
                 pstatus green YES
             elif [ "$cap_ibrs_all" = 0 ]; then
@@ -93,11 +93,11 @@ check_CVE_2022_29901_linux() {
                 pstatus yellow UNKNOWN
             fi
         else
-            pstatus blue N/A "not testable in offline mode"
+            pstatus blue N/A "not testable in no-runtime mode"
         fi
 
         pr_info_nol "* CPU has RSB Alternate Behavior (RSBA): "
-        if [ "$opt_live" = 1 ] || [ "$cap_rsba" != -1 ]; then
+        if [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ] || [ "$cap_rsba" != -1 ]; then
             if [ "$cap_rsba" = 1 ]; then
                 pstatus yellow YES "this CPU is affected by RSB underflow"
             elif [ "$cap_rsba" = 0 ]; then
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ check_CVE_2022_29901_linux() {
                 pstatus yellow UNKNOWN
             fi
         else
-            pstatus blue N/A "not testable in offline mode"
+            pstatus blue N/A "not testable in no-runtime mode"
         fi
 
     elif [ "$sys_interface_available" = 0 ]; then
diff --git a/src/vulns/CVE-2022-40982.sh b/src/vulns/CVE-2022-40982.sh
index 8de3d1a..954ca44 100644
--- a/src/vulns/CVE-2022-40982.sh
+++ b/src/vulns/CVE-2022-40982.sh
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ check_CVE_2022_40982_linux() {
         if [ -n "$kernel_gds" ]; then
             pr_info_nol "* Kernel has disabled AVX as a mitigation: "
 
-            if [ "$opt_live" = 1 ]; then
+            if [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ]; then
                 # Check dmesg message to see whether AVX has been disabled
                 dmesg_grep 'Microcode update needed! Disabling AVX as mitigation'
                 dmesgret=$?
@@ -172,7 +172,7 @@ check_CVE_2022_40982_linux() {
                     pstatus yellow NO "AVX support is enabled"
                 fi
             else
-                pstatus blue N/A "not testable in offline mode"
+                pstatus blue N/A "not testable in no-runtime mode"
             fi
         fi
 
diff --git a/src/vulns/CVE-2023-20588.sh b/src/vulns/CVE-2023-20588.sh
index 955a7f5..5c0b5f4 100644
--- a/src/vulns/CVE-2023-20588.sh
+++ b/src/vulns/CVE-2023-20588.sh
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ check_CVE_2023_20588_linux() {
         pr_info_nol "* DIV0 mitigation enabled and active: "
         cpuinfo_div0=''
         dmesg_div0=''
-        if [ "$opt_live" = 1 ]; then
+        if [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ]; then
             if [ -e "$g_procfs/cpuinfo" ] && grep -qw 'div0' "$g_procfs/cpuinfo" 2>/dev/null; then
                 cpuinfo_div0=1
                 pstatus green YES "div0 found in $g_procfs/cpuinfo bug flags"
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ check_CVE_2023_20588_linux() {
                 fi
             fi
         else
-            pstatus blue N/A "not testable in offline mode"
+            pstatus blue N/A "not testable in no-runtime mode"
         fi
 
         pr_info_nol "* SMT (Simultaneous Multi-Threading) status: "
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ check_CVE_2023_20588_linux() {
         pvulnstatus "$cve" OK "your CPU vendor reported your CPU model as not affected"
     elif [ -z "$msg" ]; then
         if [ "$opt_sysfs_only" != 1 ]; then
-            if [ "$opt_live" = 1 ]; then
+            if [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ]; then
                 # live mode: cpuinfo div0 flag is the strongest proof the mitigation is active
                 if [ "$cpuinfo_div0" = 1 ] || [ "$dmesg_div0" = 1 ]; then
                     _cve_2023_20588_pvulnstatus_smt
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ check_CVE_2023_20588_linux() {
                     _cve_2023_20588_pvulnstatus_no_kernel
                 fi
             else
-                # offline mode: only kernel image / System.map evidence is available
+                # no-runtime mode: only kernel image / System.map evidence is available
                 if [ -n "$kernel_mitigated" ]; then
                     pvulnstatus "$cve" OK "Mitigation: amd_clear_divider found in kernel image"
                 else
diff --git a/src/vulns/CVE-2023-20593.sh b/src/vulns/CVE-2023-20593.sh
index 2669ecd..26b46cf 100644
--- a/src/vulns/CVE-2023-20593.sh
+++ b/src/vulns/CVE-2023-20593.sh
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ check_CVE_2023_20593_linux() {
             pstatus yellow NO
         fi
         pr_info_nol "* Zenbleed kernel mitigation enabled and active: "
-        if [ "$opt_live" = 1 ]; then
+        if [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ]; then
             # read the DE_CFG MSR, we want to check the 9th bit
             # don't do it on non-Zen2 AMD CPUs or later, aka Family 17h,
             # as the behavior could be unknown on others
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ check_CVE_2023_20593_linux() {
                 pstatus blue N/A "CPU is incompatible"
             fi
         else
-            pstatus blue N/A "not testable in offline mode"
+            pstatus blue N/A "not testable in no-runtime mode"
         fi
 
         pr_info_nol "* Zenbleed mitigation is supported by CPU microcode: "
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ check_CVE_2023_20593_linux() {
     elif [ -z "$msg" ]; then
         # if msg is empty, sysfs check didn't fill it, rely on our own test
         zenbleed_print_vuln=0
-        if [ "$opt_live" = 1 ]; then
+        if [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ]; then
             if [ "$fp_backup_fix" = 1 ] && [ "$ucode_zenbleed" = 1 ]; then
                 # this should never happen, but if it does, it's interesting to know
                 pvulnstatus "$cve" OK "Both your CPU microcode and kernel are mitigating Zenbleed"
diff --git a/src/vulns/CVE-2023-28746.sh b/src/vulns/CVE-2023-28746.sh
index a40d518..70a54e8 100644
--- a/src/vulns/CVE-2023-28746.sh
+++ b/src/vulns/CVE-2023-28746.sh
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ check_CVE_2023_28746_linux() {
             pstatus yellow NO
         fi
 
-        if [ "$opt_live" = 1 ] && [ "$sys_interface_available" = 1 ]; then
+        if [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ] && [ "$sys_interface_available" = 1 ]; then
             pr_info_nol "* RFDS mitigation is enabled and active: "
             if echo "$ret_sys_interface_check_fullmsg" | grep -qi '^Mitigation'; then
                 rfds_mitigated=1
@@ -129,7 +129,7 @@ check_CVE_2023_28746_linux() {
         if [ "$opt_sysfs_only" != 1 ]; then
             if [ "$cap_rfds_clear" = 1 ]; then
                 if [ -n "$kernel_rfds" ]; then
-                    if [ "$opt_live" = 1 ]; then
+                    if [ "$opt_runtime" = 1 ]; then
                         if [ "$rfds_mitigated" = 1 ]; then
                             pvulnstatus "$cve" OK "Your microcode and kernel are both up to date for this mitigation, and mitigation is enabled"
                         else