Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC) is a powerful security feature in Windows that helps organizations restrict which applications are allowed to run on their devices. It acts as a gatekeeper, preventing unauthorized software, including malicious programs like ransomware, from executing.
Based on the provided reference, Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC) is the next iteration of AppLocker.
Why is WDAC Important?
In today's threat landscape, allowing unrestricted application execution can expose systems to significant risks. WDAC addresses this by implementing an application allowlisting strategy.
- Enhanced Security: By defining and enforcing a policy that permits only approved applications to run, WDAC drastically reduces the attack surface. This makes it significantly harder for malware and other unauthorized code to execute on your devices.
- Ransomware Prevention: As highlighted in the reference, WDAC is one of the most effective security controls to prevent ransomware attacks. Ransomware typically relies on executing malicious code; by preventing this code from running in the first place, WDAC can block many ransomware variants before they can encrypt data.
- Control Over Software: Organizations gain fine-grained control over the software environment, ensuring compliance and reducing potential conflicts or vulnerabilities introduced by unapproved applications.
How Does WDAC Work?
WDAC operates by enforcing policies that specify which applications are trustworthy and allowed to run based on rules. These rules can be based on various attributes of an application, such as:
- Publisher
- Product name
- File name
- File version
- The hash of the file
When an application attempts to run, WDAC checks it against the configured policy. If the application is not explicitly allowed by the policy, it will be prevented from executing. It ensures only approved apps can be run on your devices.
WDAC vs. AppLocker
While AppLocker served a similar purpose, WDAC represents an evolution. It offers more robust features and is recommended by Microsoft as the modern application control solution for Windows. Organizations currently using AppLocker are encouraged to consider migrating to WDAC for enhanced security capabilities.
Implementing WDAC involves creating and deploying policies across devices, which can be managed through tools like Microsoft Intune, Group Policy, or Configuration Manager.
