Why Your App Control Strategy Needs a Reboot Now

Your organization's digital ecosystem is expanding faster than you can track. That’s not a slight; it’s reality — for all of us. New devices, tools and assets pop up daily across your network. It's a sign of growth, but let's be honest — it's also a cybersecurity nightmare. 

Our recent research at Ivanti put some numbers to the chaos: over a third of IT pros feel less prepared to detect and respond to incidents than they did just a year ago. How can we stay ahead? 

Hidden Dangers in Your Network 

Here's a wake-up call for you: 50% of office workers use personal devices at work, and 32% of those say their employers don't know. That's a whole lot of shadow IT creating gaping visibility holes in your security posture.  

Downtime. Breaches. Reputational damage. It’s all at stake. 

But is the alternative some sort of draconian lockdown? No, definitely not. That would stifle productivity, not to mention send talented employees running for the hills. (And by “hills,” I mean “other employers.”) 

There is a much, much better way. 

Enter Application Control 

Application control acts as a digital gatekeeper. It blocks unauthorized apps, prevents malware and zero-day attacks, and creates a controlled, secure environment. Optimally, it does all this while making things seamless and streamlined for employees accessing your network. But not all application control solutions are created equal. 

Let's take a look at what sets the advanced ones apart: 

Trusted Ownership 

By leveraging NTFS security, we can determine which files are truly "trusted" based on ownership. If a file lacks verification from a trusted account — like Local Admin or System — it's immediately shown the door. This approach dramatically reduces the risk of ransomware and other nasty surprises. 

It's like having a door attendant at the front of a building. Only those who belong there get in. 

Intelligent Privilege Management 

Removing admin rights from standard users is Security 101. But it often creates productivity bottlenecks. The solution? Granular privilege management. It allows specific apps to run with elevated rights without compromising overall security. 

Think of it as giving employees the keys to specific rooms in the building, rather than handing over the master key. 

Balancing Flexibility and Control 

The most effective application control tools offer granular exceptions for trusted apps, audit modes to test configurations and real-time data on security posture. These features let users stay productive while you maintain a strong security stance. 

The DEER Principle 

Application control is part of a broader security framework, and it’s worth investing in the whole picture, not just one element. To truly stay ahead of evolving threats, I propose the DEER principle: 

• D: Discover all assets and potential vulnerabilities in your network 

• E: Enumerate exposures by assessing and categorizing risks 

• E: Evaluate the impact and likelihood of each risk 

• R: Remediate vulnerabilities based on priority 

Implementing DEER requires continuous vulnerability assessment, robust patch management, employee security awareness training and incident response planning. But in my experience, it’s worth it. 

The Data Onslaught 

On average, organizations grapple with 60 to 70 different data sources. That's a lot of noise to sift through. To effectively manage this deluge of information, you need to not just ingest data from various sources, but also: 

• Normalize the data for consistent analysis 

• Label the data for easy categorization 

• Prioritize based on attacker intent and organizational priorities 

By leveraging data effectively, you can stop drowning in data and operationalize it, leading to a more robust and responsive security posture. Think of it like turning up the volume on important signals while muting background noise. 

The Cost of Inaction 

Let's put this in perspective. Ivanti’s research shows that organizations experienced an average of 4.3 security incidents in the past 12 months, with the most serious taking nearly 33.8 hours to resolve. You’ll hear a lot from us about these stats — and for good reason. 

Can your organization afford that kind of downtime? The reputational damage? The potential data loss? 

Implementing strong application control and adopting a forward-thinking, data-driven security mindset goes beyond protecting your organization — it’s a genuine competitive advantage. Why not start now? 

That’s why I am excited to share the launch of Ivanti Neurons for App Control which plays a crucial role in preventing malware and zero-day attacks by blocking the launch of suspicious and unauthorized applications. By examining file ownership and applying granular privilege management, it prevents unknown applications from running, helping ensure a secure and controlled environment. Leveraging cloud-based architecture, it enables remote management of endpoints, even those outside the corporate network.  

To learn more, visit  Q4/2024 Product Release | Ivanti.