Document Your Application List
Applies To: Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2012, Windows 8
This planning topic describes the application information that you should document when you create a list of applications for AppLocker policies.
Record your findings
Applications
Record the name of the application, whether it is signed as indicated by the publisher's name, and whether it is a mission critical, business productivity, optional, or personal application. Later, as you manage your rules, AppLocker displays this information in the format shown in the following example: MICROSOFT OFFICE INFOPATH signed by O=MICROSOFT CORPORATION, L=REDMOND, S=WASHINGTON, C=US.
Installation path
Record the installation path of the applications. For example, Microsoft Office 2007 installs files to %programfiles%\Microsoft Office\Office12\, which is C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office12\ on most computers.
The following table provides an example of how to list applications for each business group at the early stage of designing your application control policies. Eventually, as more planning information is added to the list, the information can be used to build AppLocker rules.
Business group |
Organizational unit |
Implement AppLocker? |
Applications |
Installation path |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Bank Tellers |
Teller-East and Teller-West |
Yes |
Teller Software |
C:\Program Files\Woodgrove\Teller.exe |
Windows files |
C:\Windows |
|||
Human Resources |
HR-All |
Yes |
Check Payout |
C:\Program Files\Woodgrove\HR\Checkcut.exe |
Time Sheet Organizer |
C:\Program Files\Woodgrove\HR\Timesheet.exe |
|||
Internet Explorer 7 |
C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\ |
|||
Windows files |
C:\Windows |
Note
AppLocker only supports publisher rules for Windows Store apps. Therefore, collecting the installation path information for Windows Store apps is not necessary.
Event processing
As you create your list of applications, you need to consider how to manage the events that are generated by user access, or you need to deny running those applications to make your users as productive as possible. The following list is an example of what to consider and what to record:
Will event forwarding be implemented for AppLocker events?
What is the location of the AppLocker event collection?
Should an event archival policy be implemented?
Will the events be analyzed and how often?
Should a security policy be in place for event collection?
Policy maintenance
As you create your list of applications, you need to consider how to manage and maintain the policies that you will eventually create. The following list is an example of what to consider and what to record:
How will rules be updated for emergency application access and permanent access?
How will applications be removed?
How many older versions of the same application will be maintained?
How will new applications be introduced?
Next steps
After you have created the list of applications, the next step is to identify the rule collections, which will become the application control policies. This information can be added to the table under the following columns:
Use default rule or define new rule condition
Allow or deny
GPO name
To identify the rule collections, see the following topics: