diff --git a/windows/security/threat-protection/windows-defender-application-control/create-wdac-deny-policy.md b/windows/security/threat-protection/windows-defender-application-control/create-wdac-deny-policy.md index cd197228e8..c15d853296 100644 --- a/windows/security/threat-protection/windows-defender-application-control/create-wdac-deny-policy.md +++ b/windows/security/threat-protection/windows-defender-application-control/create-wdac-deny-policy.md @@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ To create effective Windows Defender Application Control deny policies, it's cru 5. If no rule exists for the file and it's not allowed based on ISG or MI, then the file is blocked implicitly. > [!NOTE] -> If your Windows Defender Application Control policy does not have an explicit rule to allow or deny a binary to run, then WDAC will make a call to the cloud to determine whether the binary is familiar and safe. However, if your policy already authorizes or denies the binary, then WDAC will not make a call to the cloud. For more details, see [How does the integration between WDAC and the Intelligent Security Graph work?](use-windows-defender-application-control-with-intelligent-security-graph.md#how-does-the-integration-between-wdac-and-the-intelligent-security-graph-work). +> If your Windows Defender Application Control policy does not have an explicit rule to allow or deny a binary to run, then WDAC will make a call to the cloud to determine whether the binary is familiar and safe. However, if your policy already authorizes or denies the binary, then WDAC will not make a call to the cloud. For more details, see [How does the integration between WDAC and the Intelligent Security Graph work?](/windows/security/threat-protection/windows-defender-application-control/use-windows-defender-application-control-with-intelligent-security-graph#how-does-wdac-work-with-the-isg). ## Interaction with Existing Policies diff --git a/windows/security/threat-protection/windows-defender-application-control/create-wdac-policy-for-lightly-managed-devices.md b/windows/security/threat-protection/windows-defender-application-control/create-wdac-policy-for-lightly-managed-devices.md index 9cb8de44f4..2ef75b15be 100644 --- a/windows/security/threat-protection/windows-defender-application-control/create-wdac-policy-for-lightly-managed-devices.md +++ b/windows/security/threat-protection/windows-defender-application-control/create-wdac-policy-for-lightly-managed-devices.md @@ -30,14 +30,14 @@ ms.technology: windows-sec >[!NOTE] >Some capabilities of Windows Defender Application Control are only available on specific Windows versions. Learn more about the [Windows Defender Application Control feature availability](feature-availability.md). -This section outlines the process to create a Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC) policy for **lightly managed devices** within an organization. Typically, organizations that are new to application control will be most successful if they start with a permissive policy like the one described in this topic. Organizations can choose to harden the policy over time to achieve a stronger overall security posture on their WDAC-managed devices as described in later topics. +This section outlines the process to create a Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC) policy for **lightly managed devices** within an organization. Typically, organizations that are new to application control will be most successful if they start with a permissive policy like the one described in this article. Organizations can choose to harden the policy over time to achieve a stronger overall security posture on their WDAC-managed devices as described in later articles. > [!NOTE] > Some of the Windows Defender Application Control options described in this topic are only available on Windows 10 version 1903 and above, or Windows 11. When using this topic to plan your own organization's WDAC policies, consider whether your managed clients can use all or some of these features and assess the impact for any features that may be unavailable on your clients. You may need to adapt this guidance to meet your specific organization's needs. -As in the [previous topic](types-of-devices.md), we'll use the example of **Lamna Healthcare Company (Lamna)** to illustrate this scenario. Lamna is attempting to adopt stronger application policies, including the use of application control to prevent unwanted or unauthorized applications from running on their managed devices. +As in the [previous article](types-of-devices.md), we'll use the example of **Lamna Healthcare Company (Lamna)** to illustrate this scenario. Lamna is attempting to adopt stronger application policies, including the use of application control to prevent unwanted or unauthorized applications from running on their managed devices. -**Alice Pena** is the IT team lead tasked with the rollout of WDAC. Recognizing where Lamna is starting from, with loose application usage policies and a culture of maximum app flexibility for users, Alice knows that she'll need to take an incremental approach to application control and use different policies for different workloads. +**Alice Pena** is the IT team lead tasked with the rollout of WDAC. Recognizing that Lamna currently has loose application usage policies and a culture of maximum app flexibility for users, Alice knows she'll need to take an incremental approach to application control and use different policies for different workloads. For most users and devices, Alice wants to create an initial policy that is as relaxed as possible in order to minimize user productivity impact, while still providing security value. @@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ Alice follows these steps to complete this task: Set-RuleOption -FilePath $LamnaPolicy -Option 19 # Dynamic Code Security ``` -6. Add rules to allow windir and Program Files directories: +6. Add rules to allow the Windows and Program Files directories: ```powershell $PathRules += New-CIPolicyRule -FilePathRule "%windir%\*" @@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ Alice follows these steps to complete this task: ConvertFrom-CIPolicy $LamnaPolicy $WDACPolicyBin ``` -9. Upload your base policy XML and the associated binary to a source control solution such as [GitHub](https://github.com/) or a document management solution such as [Office 365 SharePoint](https://products.office.com/sharepoint/collaboration). +9. Upload your base policy XML and the associated binary to a source control solution such as [GitHub](https://github.com/), or a document management solution such as [Office 365 SharePoint](https://products.office.com/sharepoint/collaboration). At this point, Alice now has an initial policy that is ready to deploy in audit mode to the managed clients within Lamna. @@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ At this point, Alice now has an initial policy that is ready to deploy in audit In order to minimize user productivity impact, Alice has defined a policy that makes several trade-offs between security and user app flexibility. Some of the trade-offs include: - **Users with administrative access**
- By far the most impactful security trade-off, this trade-off allows the device user (or malware running with the user's privileges) to modify or remove altogether the WDAC policy applied on the device. Additionally, administrators can configure any app they wish to operate as a managed installer that would allow them to gain persistent app authorization for whatever apps or binaries they wish. + This is by far the most impactful security trade-off and allows the device user, or malware running with the user's privileges, to modify or remove the WDAC policy on the device. Additionally, administrators can configure any app to act as a managed installer, which would allow them to gain persistent app authorization for whatever apps or binaries they wish. Possible mitigations: - Use signed WDAC policies and UEFI BIOS access protection to prevent tampering of WDAC policies. @@ -161,10 +161,10 @@ In order to minimize user productivity impact, Alice has defined a policy that m - Create and deploy signed catalog files as part of the app deployment process in order to remove the requirement for managed installer. - Limit who can elevate to administrator on the device. - **Intelligent Security Graph (ISG)**
- See [security considerations with the Intelligent Security Graph](use-windows-defender-application-control-with-intelligent-security-graph.md#security-considerations-with-the-intelligent-security-graph) + See [security considerations with the Intelligent Security Graph](/windows/security/threat-protection/windows-defender-application-control/use-windows-defender-application-control-with-intelligent-security-graph#security-considerations-with-the-isg-option) Possible mitigations: - - Implement policies requiring apps are managed by IT; audit existing app usage and deploy authorized apps using a software distribution solution such as Microsoft Endpoint Manager; move from ISG to managed installer or signature-based rules. + - Implement policies requiring that apps are managed by IT; audit existing app usage and deploy authorized apps using a software distribution solution such as Microsoft Endpoint Manager; move from ISG to managed installer or signature-based rules. - Use a restrictive audit mode policy to audit app usage and augment vulnerability detection. - **Supplemental policies**
Supplemental policies are designed to relax the associated base policy. Additionally allowing unsigned policies allows any administrator process to expand the "circle-of-trust" defined by the base policy without restriction. diff --git a/windows/security/threat-protection/windows-defender-application-control/use-windows-defender-application-control-with-intelligent-security-graph.md b/windows/security/threat-protection/windows-defender-application-control/use-windows-defender-application-control-with-intelligent-security-graph.md index 4903413ee2..e430a2a554 100644 --- a/windows/security/threat-protection/windows-defender-application-control/use-windows-defender-application-control-with-intelligent-security-graph.md +++ b/windows/security/threat-protection/windows-defender-application-control/use-windows-defender-application-control-with-intelligent-security-graph.md @@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ WDAC periodically requeries the reputation data on a file. Additionally, enterpr Setting up the ISG is easy using any management solution you wish. Configuring the ISG option involves these basic steps: -- [Ensure that the **Enabled:Intelligent Security Graph authorization** option is set in the WDAC policy XML](#ensure-that-the-intelligent-security-graph-option-is-enabled-in-the-wdac-policy-xml) +- [Ensure that the **Enabled:Intelligent Security Graph authorization** option is set in the WDAC policy XML](#ensure-that-the-isg-option-is-set-in-the-wdac-policy-xml) - [Enable the necessary services to allow WDAC to use the ISG correctly on the client](#enable-the-necessary-services-to-allow-wdac-to-use-the-isg-correctly-on-the-client) ### Ensure that the ISG option is set in the WDAC policy XML