Application Whitelist Vs. Blacklist

Introduction

There are all kinds of applications that you can, and might already have, installed on whatever device you’re reading this on!

If it’s a laptop or desktop computer, you might have programs like Microsoft Office, Spotify, Slack, and even games like Minecraft or The Sims. Meanwhile, your phone may have apps installed, such as Apple Music or iMessage.

Unfortunately, not all applications are functional—or even safe. Legacy applications that are discontinued likely have outdated security controls that modern cybercriminals can bypass with modern tools. Some threat actors may try to covertly install malicious applications on your device to launch malware or ransomware.

Application Whitelists

Thankfully, your IT team knows how to ensure only secure apps are installed on your system. They can use an application whitelist to determine which apps and programs are safe to use. Your boss may also use this to ensure you can only use approved applications that won’t distract you or put the work network at risk.

Application whitelisting takes a proactive approach to security. Security software only allows known good applications to run. It can be implemented at the operating system, application, or network level. It makes it harder for malware to infect a system because it must first evade the whitelist.

Application Blacklists

Maybe you can guess what blacklists are already…

Instead of allowing only specific programs through, application blacklists block them outright. This list of red flags is then used by security software to prevent any applications from being installed or executed. This is kind of like the Spam Folder in your email, but instead of moving junk and scam messages into a separate folder, it detects suspicious programs and blocks them from downloading.

Application blacklists are a valuable tool for preventing malware infections. However, they are not perfect. There is always the possibility that the blacklist will not detect a new malicious application. Additionally, some legitimate applications may be mistakenly added to the blacklist. You should review flagged applications to determine if they are genuine and something you really want on your machines.

Application blacklists are created by security researchers and organizations that collect and analyze malware samples. The samples are analyzed to identify malicious application characteristics. These characteristics are then used to generate a signature that can identify other malicious applications.

Conclusion

Application whitelisting and blacklisting can be complex and time-consuming processes. However, it is a very effective way to prevent malware infections and other malicious files stored in faulty apps and programs. Of course, these kinds of software are not perfect, and you should check to make sure it’s blocking or allowing applications as you want.

Just because you have these kinds of security measures in place doesn’t mean you should drop your guard online. The only thing better than software that blocks malicious files is never downloading them in the first place!

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