Intune Training: Protecting Your Workstations with AppLocker

Introduction

AppLocker is a powerful tool that allows you to protect your workstations from malicious or unauthorized applications.

The Importance of AppLocker

AppLocker, also known as Windows Defender Application Control, is an essential component of your security strategy. Its primary goal is to prevent malicious or unauthorized applications from running on your workstations. By implementing AppLocker, you can create policies that profile executables and other launchers, and take action accordingly. The result is enhanced application whitelisting, ensuring that only trusted applications can execute on your devices.

In Australia, the government has issued an essential eight communique, which includes the requirement to enable AppLocker in audit mode on all workstations. This is a crucial step in ensuring the security of your environment and protecting against potential threats.

Getting Started with AppLocker

Now that we understand the importance of AppLocker, let’s go through the process of setting it up in the Intune portal.

1. Go to the Intune portal and select “Device Configuration”.
2. In the profiles section, click on “Create Profile”.
3. Give the profile a name, such as “Intune AppLocker”.
4. Choose the platform as “Windows 10 and later”.
5. Select the profile type as “Device” and “Endpoint Protection”.
6. Within the profile settings, you will find the option for Windows Defender Application Control. Enable this feature to access code application integrity and policies.
7. Switch the mode to “Audit” to see which applications are flagged and could potentially be blocked. This step is crucial to ensure a smooth deployment without blocking essential applications.
8. Take the time to review the applications being blocked and build policies around allowing them to be executed.

It’s important to note that implementing AppLocker will impact the performance of your devices. However, the added security and control it provides far outweighs any potential performance trade-offs.

Microsoft Defender ATP Integration

AppLocker can be further enhanced by integrating it with Microsoft Defender ATP (Advanced Threat Protection). Defender ATP utilizes intelligent components to scan applications and executables in real-time, ensuring they are secure and safe. By enabling Defender ATP, you can automatically trust applications classified as having a good reputation from the Microsoft platform.

Within the Intune portal, you can enable Microsoft Defender Exploit Guard, which provides additional information about attack surface reduction. This feature allows you to identify processes created by specific applications and take action accordingly.

Taking Advantage of the Microsoft Security Center

For an even more comprehensive security experience, you can leverage the Microsoft Security Center. This platform provides advanced hunting capabilities, allowing you to query and analyze data collected from your workstations. You can create custom detection rules, alerts, and even automate actions based on specific events.

By utilizing the Security Center, you can gain valuable insights into potential threats and take proactive measures to protect your environment. It’s important to note that proper communication and transparency with your end users is crucial during this process. Make sure to inform them of any changes and potential impacts on their workflow.

Best Practices and Security Baselines

Microsoft provides security baselines and best practices to help you configure AppLocker effectively. These baselines serve as starting points for your security configurations and can be customized to suit your specific environment. It’s essential to test and validate these configurations in your own environment to ensure they work seamlessly.

Remember, security is a continuous process, and it’s important to regularly review logs and performance to ensure that AppLocker and other security measures are effectively protecting your workstations.

Conclusion

Implementing AppLocker is a critical step in securing your workstations against unauthorized or malicious applications. By leveraging the power of AppLocker, Microsoft Defender ATP, and the Microsoft Security Center, you can create a layered security approach that enhances your organization’s overall security posture.

Remember to test, validate, and communicate these security changes to your end users. By following best practices and utilizing the resources provided by Microsoft, you can confidently implement AppLocker and ensure the integrity of your environment.

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