Word of the Day: application whitelisting

Word of the Day Daily updates on the latest technology terms | July 31, 2018 application whitelisting Application whitelisting is the practice of specifying an index of approved software applications that are permitted to be present and active on a computer system. The goal of whitelisting is to protect computers and networks from potentially harmful applications. In general, a whitelist is an index of approved entities. In infosec, whitelisting works best in centrally managed environments, where systems are subject to a consistent workload. The National Institute of Standards and Technology suggests using application whitelisting in high-risk environments, where it is vitally important that individual systems be secure and less important that software be useable without restrictions. To provide more flexibility, a whitelist may also index approved application components, such as software libraries, plug-ins, extensions and configuration files. Application whitelisting vs. blacklisting Unlike technologies that use application blacklisting, which prevents undesirable programs from executing, whitelisting is more restrictive and allows only programming that has been explicitly permitted to run. There is no consensus among security experts over which technique -- blacklisting or whitelisting -- is better. Proponents of blacklisting argue application whitelisting is too complex and difficult to manage. Compiling the initial whitelist, for example, requires detailed information about all users' tasks and all the applications they need to perform those tasks. Maintaining the list is also demanding because of the increasing complexity and interconnections of business processes and applications. Proponents of whitelisting argue it is worth the time and effort needed to proactively protect systems and prevent malicious or inappropriate programs from entering the network. Using a whitelist that allows only applications that have been explicitly approved offers more protection against malicious software, rather than the looser standard used by application blacklists, which permit any software to run unless it has been discovered to be malicious and has been added to the blacklist. Read more... Quote of the Day "With application whitelisting, admins can create a list of approved apps users can work with. This way, users cannot accidentally open an app containing ransomware." - Brien Posey Trending Terms application blacklisting malware digital signature application security Trojan horse scareware Learning Center Mobile application management tools balance service and cost Stand-alone mobile application management tools often provide more flexibility and specialized functionality at lower costs. Find out when stand-alone MAM tools could be a better fit for your organization than EMM suites. How can you whitelist apps and fight ransomware with Windows 10 AppLocker? Admins should whitelist apps with Windows 10 AppLocker to combat ransomware. Whitelisting creates a curated list of apps users can work with. How a hybrid whitelisting-blacklisting approach can help enterprises Application whitelisting isn't enough. Here's why a hybrid whitelisting-blacklisting approach is best for enterprise security. Security for applications: What tools and principles work? Ensuring security for applications means both designing security in and adding protections from without. Learn what app security tools and strategy work best. The endpoint security controls you should consider now Threats to endpoints are changing, and endpoint security controls must adjust to new realities. Learn what steps to take to up endpoint security now. Quiz Yourself A botnet is a group of computers organized to distribute spam or malware -- _________ the owners are typically unaware of the fact. a. though b. although c. even though Answer Stay in Touch For feedback about any of our definitions or to suggest a new definition, please contact me at: mrouse@techtarget.com Visit the Word of the Day Archives and catch up on what you've missed! FOLLOW US About This E-Newsletter This e-newsletter is published by the TechTarget network. To unsubscribe from Whatis.com, click here. Please note, this will not affect any other subscriptions you have signed up for. TechTarget, Whatis, 275 Grove Street, Newton, MA 02466. Contact: webmaster@techtarget.com Copyright 2018 TechTarget. All rights reserved.