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- Category: Solutions
Application Whitelisting Prevents Unauthorized Applications and Malware from Executing
Traditional approaches to endpoint protection have become ineffective in today’s dynamic computing environments. To escape this mode of always falling one step behind emerging threats, organizations need a new endpoint security model.
An application whitelisting solution provides the means to take charge of your information environment by making the shift from focusing only on what you know is bad to allowing only what you know to be good. Simply put, any executable – whether a business application, a video driver, or a web browser plug-in – not specified on the whitelist cannot load and run.
By implementing a whitelist, you can effectively prevent:
- Any of almost 33 million unique samples of malicious software in existence from harming your network or business information¹
- Unauthorized applications from continuing to run rampant throughout your network
- External proxies not supported by IT were present in 80% of the surveyed sites ²
- Web-based file transfer and storage applications were detected in 30% of the sites ²
- Google applications are used at 60% of the sites ²
- Webmail was found in 95% of the sites, IM use was found in 100% of the sites ²
The lack of visibility and control over applications makes it very difficult to effectively manage risk on corporate networks. Getting an accurate view of your environment is the first step to developing an application whitelist which puts you in control of your information and your business.
Lumension Endpoint Protection Solution Ensures Trusted Change via Application Whitelisting
Lumension Endpoint Protection controls exactly which applications can run on each computer and keeps information secure while offering many other benefits, such as:
- Increased performance and stability - When only authorized applications can run on a computer, there is far less chance that inappropriately installed programs or hardware drivers will corrupt an operating system.
- Control of computer and network utilization - Whitelisting offers a way to keep bandwidth consuming software such as junkware, games and peer-to-peer programs from interfering with business operations.
- Decreased IT support costs - With no viral attacks to thwart, malware to hunt down, or incompatible applications to invoke the blue screen of death, IT can spend more time and resources on improving operations instead of constantly fixing computers.
- Increased data security and compliance with privacy laws - Preventing programs not on the whitelist from running on any computer obviates the chance for spyware, keyloggers, and sniffers to steal passwords, address books, customer files, or other sensitive data from otherwise physically secure computers.
To learn how you can take back control of your environment and successfully implement application whitelisting in your organization.
Sources:
www.av-test.org
The Application usage and Risk Report, Palo Alto Networks, April 2008