Application Blacklist

1. Overview
   1. Right-Click Options
2. Adding Programs to the Application Blacklist
3. Removing Programs from the Application Blacklist
4. Editing Programs on the Blacklist
5. Exporting the Application Blacklist
6. Document Revision History

Overview

The App Blacklist screen displays all of the applications which have been blacklisted because they have been designated as malware or unwanted software by LabTech or a system technician. By default, over 125 applications have been added to the blacklist for your convenience.

This will not prevent an application from being installed; however, if an application is installed that does not appear on the application whitelist or blacklist, it will cause the 'SW-Unclassified Apps' monitor to alert you of an unclassified application to allow you to determine if the application should be approved and is safe. Please note, this monitor is only installed on managed groups, by default.

Blacklisted applications, when installed, will generate alerts via the 'SW-Blacklisted Install' internal monitor. By default, the 'SW-Blacklisted Install' monitor is only installed on managed groups.

Blacklisted applications will display in red on the Software tab of the Computer Management screen. Any applications that have not been classified will display in bold and whitelisted applications will appear normally.

TIP: The Software List report displays a list of software installed on each agent machine and is color-coded to quickly identify blacklisted and whitelisted applications. For more information, refer to the Software List report documentation.

To access the App Blacklist screen:

1. From the Control Center, select Dashboard > Config > Configurations > App Blacklist.

Figure 1: App Blacklist Screen

TIP: To alphabetically organize the list, click on the Name column above the list.

NOTE: You can use the Clear button to clear the contents of the Name field. Additionally, to refresh the application blacklist, click the Refresh List button. The Name field is automatically cleared each time the Refresh List button is pressed. Be sure to add or save any changes to the blacklist before refreshing it.

Right-Click Options

Right-clicking on the App Blacklist screen will present a menu with the following options:

Table 1: Right-Click Menu Options

Adding Programs to the Application Blacklist

Undesirable applications can be added to the application blacklist. By adding applications to the blacklist, it will not prevent the installation but it can generate alerts to notify you when a blacklisted application has been installed.

NOTE: Applications can also be added to the blacklist from the Software tab of the Computer Management screen by right-clicking on the application and selecting Software > Add to Blacklist.

To add a program to the application blacklist:

1. Enter the name of the program into the Name field. The name should be entered the same way as it would be written in the Add\Remove Programs list within the Control Panel of Microsoft Windows.

TIP: Wildcards can be added to the name of an application to ensure that each version of the program will be blacklisted, as opposed to individually blacklisting each version of the application. '%' is used for a single character wildcard and '*' is used for multiple wildcards. For example, 'Adobe Acrobat*' would blacklist Adobe Acrobat Reader 11 and Adobe Acrobat Pro 8, as well as any other versions.

2. Click the Add button. The new entry will be placed at the bottom of the list.

Removing Programs from the Application Blacklist

Applications can be removed from the application blacklist. If an application is removed, LabTech will no longer generate alerts if it is installed on an agent.

NOTE: If an agent has a blacklisted application installed, it can be removed via the Software tab of the Computer Management screen by right-clicking on the application and selecting Software > Uninstall Application.

To remove programs from the application blacklist:

1. Select the desired program(s), right-click and select Delete from the menu. You can select multiple programs by holding down the [Shift] key or using the [Ctrl] key.
2. A prompt will appear asking for confirmation; click Yes to delete the program(s). The selected programs will be immediately removed from the blacklist.

Editing Programs on the Blacklist

To edit programs on the application blacklist:

1. Select a program on the application blacklist. The application's name will be listed in the Name field.
2. Change the name of the program. Note that the Add button has changed into a Save button.
3. Click the Save button to save all changes to the application entry. The list will immediately update with the saved changes.

Exporting the Application Blacklist

The program names in the application blacklist can be exported to SQL in order to be imported at a later time.

To export items in the application blacklist:

1. Select the desired program(s) on the App Blacklist screen. You can select multiple programs by holding down the [Shift] key or using the [Ctrl] key.
2. Click the Export Selected button.
3. Enter the filename and navigate to the desired location to save and click the Save button to generate a SQL file.

Document Revision History