With the threat of Ransomware increasing year after year, the battle against new and emerging threats can seem overwhelming. Cyber Security tools must keep improving their ability to detect threats and remediate them after they have launched. Zero Trust is a promising concept, but many implementations are costly and difficult to implement. ThreatLocker has a novel approach called application whitelisting. The idea is that only applications that are explicitly allowed to run can execute. All other applications are blocked. The result is devastating for malware. Untrusted software, ransomware and other malware is denied by default.
Blocking everything that is not explicitly trusted sounds complicated and time consuming. So, let’s take a look at how ThreatLocker builds an Application Allowlisting.
Firms start their journey with ThreatLocker by implementing the software in learning mode. At this stage, users access their systems as normal. ThreatLocker catalogs all applications that are executed and creates policies to allow them to run in the future. Administrators review the policies and can remove any unnecessary applications. When learning mode is turned off, any application, script, or library that does not already have a policy in place will be prevented from running. If the user needs a particular application, the system provides an easy way to send an administrator a request to approve the application.
ThreatLocker includes a testing environment for administrators to evaluate applications requested by users. The cloud-based environment is an isolated virtual desktop that is initialized for each use. The system evaluates the application for viruses and suspicious behavior. The system also includes canary files and a real time audit that help administrators evaluate the application.
Administrators can implement policies similar to those on a firewall that deny or restrict applications at a very granular level. Administrators can allow an application for a specified time and then block it. They can also be assured that ThreatLocker works with system updates, so it doesn’t stop routine updates and patches that need to be applied to keep your systems secure. The system also has controls to limit how applications interact with other applications and data. In total, ThreatLocker provides a strong layer of security that will be a welcome addition to any cybersecurity program.
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