Document Group Policy Structure and AppLocker Rule Enforcement

  • Article

Updated: June 21, 2012

Applies To: Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012

This planning topic describes what you need to investigate, determine, and record in your application control policies plan by using AppLocker.

Record your findings

To complete this AppLocker planning document, you should first complete the following steps:

  1. Determining Your Application Control Objectives

  2. Creating the List of Applications Deployed to Each Business Group

  3. Selecting the Types of Rules to Create

  4. Determining Group Policy Structure and Rule Enforcement

After determining how to structure your Group Policy Objects (GPOs) so that you can apply AppLocker policies, you should record your findings. You can use the following table to determine how many GPOs to create (or edit) and which objects they are linked to. If you decided to create custom rules to allow system files to run, note the high-level rule configuration in the Use default rule or define new rule condition column.

The following table contains the added sample data that was collected when determining enforcement settings and GPO structure for AppLocker policies.

Business group Organizational unit Implement AppLocker? Applications Installation path Use default rule or define new rule condition Allow or deny GPO name

Bank Tellers

Teller-East and Teller-West

Yes

Teller Software

C:\Program Files\Woodgrove\Teller.exe

File is signed; create a publisher condition

Allow

Tellers-AppLockerTellerRules

Windows files

C:\Windows

Create a path exception to the default rule to exclude \Windows\Temp

Allow

Human Resources

HR-All

Yes

Check Payout

C:\Program Files\Woodgrove\HR\Checkcut.exe

File is signed; create a publisher condition

Allow

HR-AppLockerHRRules

Time Sheet Organizer

C:\Program Files\Woodgrove\HR\Timesheet.exe

File is not signed; create a file hash condition

Allow

Internet Explorer 7

C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\

File is signed; create a publisher condition

Deny

Windows files

C:\Windows

Use a default rule for the Windows path

Allow

Note

In Windows Server 2012 and Windows 8, AppLocker can manage Windows 8 apps. For information about how to add rules for these apps to your existing GPO, see Add rules for Packaged apps to existing AppLocker rule-set.

Next steps

After you have determined the Group Policy structure and rule enforcement strategy for each business group's applications, the following tasks remain: