To protect your business from modern cybersecurity threats, you need to implement the correct policies in your environment that place granular controls over which applications and software are allowed to run and which actions they are permitted to take outside of their necessary role, if any. You need an application control suite that provides more security than traditional blocklisting tools.
The limitations of traditional blocklisting
For decades, detection-based technologies have been the backbone of application security on the endpoint. The premise is simple: block everything you know to be bad. However, the problem is that malware continuously evolves, with millions of new variants emerging every year. Blocklists have been unable to keep up with threats like they used to, leaving gaps that attackers eagerly exploit.
Every advanced detection tool comes with the same critical flaw. You must first identify the threat before you block it. This strategy is inherently reactive in a world where threats can take control of your devices in seconds.
ThreatLocker knows you simply can’t find and then react to everything. That’s why they offer multiple solutions that cut off a malicious attacker’s ability to operate in your environment.
Allowlisting: A zero trust approach to application control
In contrast to blocklisting, allowlisting presents a zero trust approach, permitting only the applications approved by your team to execute. Simply put: “Never trust. Always verify.” This shift in security methodology removes a giant opportunity for attackers and the guesswork for you. Simply block unapproved software from running on your endpoints. Whether it’s malicious or simply unneeded is now beside the point.
ThreatLocker Allowlisting is suited for dynamic environments. Through integrations with tools like Microsoft Intune and Active Directory, ThreatLocker policies can adapt in real-time to business needs without compromising security. For example:
- Dynamic Updates: ThreatLocker Allowlisting automatically adjusts your list of approved software as it is patched or updated by replacing the approved software’s hash with that of the update.
- Application Verification: Ensure executables are cryptographically signed through Allowlisting, thereby mitigating the risk of tampered files.
- Granular Control: Grant different departments tailored policies based on their operational needs.
Ringfencing: containment for trusted applications
Unfortunately, even trusted applications can be exploited. A web browser, for instance, can become the launchpad for cyberattacks through browser extensions or zero day vulnerabilities in trusted applications, including your browser. This is where ThreatLocker Ringfencing steps in.
With Ringfencing™, a tool unique to ThreatLocker, applications are limited to pre-approved actions, enforcing strict boundaries on how they interact with other software, files, the registry, or the network. For example:
- Process Isolation: Prevent applications from launching or modifying other executables.
- Network Restrictions: Control which IP addresses and ports an application can communicate with, ensuring data doesn’t leak.
- Inter-Application Boundaries: Block unnecessary interactions between applications. A PDF reader, for instance, has no business accessing PowerShell.
Granular control over application permissions is particularly effective against lateral movement and privilege escalation tactics, which are often seen in ransomware attacks.
Real-world application: Stop ransomware at the source
Consider this scenario: an employee unknowingly downloads malicious software disguised as a legitimate application. Without Allowlisting, the software executes, bypassing detection. Without Ringfencing, the same application can reach out to others, like PowerShell, to encrypt critical data across your network.
With ThreatLocker Allowlisting, the application would not execute at all because it would not be on your business’s personalized allowlist. Ringfencing ensures that it cannot interact with PowerShell to encrypt or exfiltrate your data, even if the application is permitted.
This layered approach to application control is the key to defending against modern threats that exploit both software vulnerabilities and human error.
Your next step: fortify your defenses
Allowlisting and Ringfencing are two solutions that enable you to shift from a passive, reactive security stance to a proactive, preventive one. For experienced professionals, this is not just about compliance; it is about embracing the principles of zero trust and staying ahead of the attackers. The modern threat landscape demands more than reactive measures.
ThreatLocker Allowlisting and Ringfencing give you the control and visibility to secure your endpoints against advanced cyber threats.
To provide your business with the security it needs and to help yourself sleep better at night, book a personalized demo with a ThreatLocker Cyber Hero® today.
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