Vendor / Publisher whitelisting

[girishm21]

Hello,

We are planning to rollout Application control, we have general query/doubt on application whitelisting
if we have XYZ application which is inhouse developed, whitelisted in Application control, if in future, if we change the application EXE version, will application control will block it or if we whitelist XYZ publisher/vendor it will still allow changed EXE?

Thanks 

Girish

[Kenchee_etf · Accepted solution]

Hello @girishm21 

That depends on your configuration of allow/ban for the file in "Executable Files" section of the rule.

There you may create a file name rule by specifying the file name, optionally with one or more directories up the tree or create a rule to authorize the file by its SHA-1 or SHA-256.

If you are using authorization based on "File Name" and if you change your executable, it will still be allowed as long as it has same name and as long as it reside in pathway specified in the rule, which should be with one or more directories up the tree.

Downside for this is, every file that matches criteria will be allowed to execute as well aka one of the reasons why specifying just the name is not secure, with directories potentially unwanted files also has to match not only the name, but pathway given as well.

Now if you are performing authorization based on SHA-1 or SHA-256, then yes, every time you change your executable's code, it will results in SHA-1/SHA-256 change, hence you will have to authorize that new file as well. Please note that this type of authorization is not linked to file pathway, file will be allowed to execute anywhere on the box.

Third option is to make sure all of those applications are signed by your certificate in which case you may "Allow a file by certificate", which is more secure than allow file by file name, but downside is that everything signed by that certificate will also be allowed to run.

Everything mentioned here is listed in:

*** McAfee Application Control 8.2.0 - Windows Product Guide (Methods for allowing execution of files)
https://docs.mcafee.com/bundle/application-control-8.2.0-product-guide-windows/page/GUID-4658BF2D-58...

I hope this helps.