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Creating Application Control Exclusions in Symantec Endpoint Protection 12.1

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Here come the ADC's...

Symantec Endpoint Protection 11 and 12.1 have a fantastic feature called Application and Device Control (ADC).  Administrators can use this optional SEP component to block an unwanted process, whether it is a suspicious/malicious application or just a tool that admins would rather not have their managed endpoints running.  It can also be used to block unauthorized devices (USB thumb drives, smartphones, and so on).  Here is an overview article about ADC:

About application and device control
Article URL http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO27048 
 

SEP 12.1 brought a couple of important ADC enhancements: it can now be used with 64-bit OS's, and there is now the ability to create an exception that will apply only to ADC and leave AntiVirus Auto-Protect functioning.  This article illustrates one instance in which this new Application Control exclusion enabled SEP 12.1 to interact with a legacy software component crucial to an important customer's business.

 

An Important Warning

Please Note! ADC is a powerful security tool.  If misconfigured, it can prevent important Windows processes from executing- potentially turning computers into big, heavy paperweights.  USE APPLICATION AND DEVICE CONTROL WITH CAUTION!

 

Ask Mr. Computer Science Guy

Application Control works by injecting a Symantec library (sysfer.dll) into every process launched on controlled SEP clients. This library monitors key process function calls.  It can allow, deny and/or log process activity, depending on how the administrator has configured it.

Using the excellent Process Monitor tool from Sysinternals, it is possible to see the SYSFER.DLL module in a sample process...

SYSFER_HERE.png

Sysfer usually gets along well with other programs on a computer.  Historically, there have been some instances where there was a conflict.  As there are countless software programs developed every day by coders of mixed ability, there will doubtless be conflicts in the future.  Let me provide an example...
 

CRASH!

A legacy web application had been working for many years.  After SEP 12.1 RU2 was installed onto computers, however, it stopped functioning.  Application and Device Control was one of the SEP components deployed.  Tests confirmed that after this component was removed, the old application could function.

The Windows event logs contained Application Errors like the following:   

[date][time] Application Error Application Error win7.domain.local     1000 
Faulting application name: iexplore.exe, version: 8.0.7601.17514, time stamp: 0x4ce79912
Faulting module name: jvm.dll, version: 0.0.0.0, time stamp: 0x42527311
Exception code: 0xc0000005
Fault offset: 0x00050b58
Faulting process id: 0x6a0
Faulting application start time: 0x01ce4d5a8b411f08
Faulting application path: C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe
Faulting module path: C:\PROGRA~1\Oracle\JINITI~1.22\bin\hotspot\jvm.dll

Report Id: d403dc08-b94d-11e2-b198-0019b90b7215
 

This custom web application was built to rely upon Oracle's Jinitiator, a JVM discontinued in January 2008.  In the long term, a new web application would be written to replace it.  In the short term, though, if business was to continue it would be necessary to find a workaround- hopefully one that did not mean removing ADC from the endpoints completely.

 

Solution!

There was no way that Jinitiator could be updated as it was no longer under development.  If there was to be a way around the incompatibility, it would have to come from the SEP side.

The administrator logged into the Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager (SEPM) console and clicked on Policies, Exceptions.  A new Exception was added to the policy that was deployed to all the affected clients.  This new File Exception was created not for the module which was crashing (C:\PROGRA~1\Oracle\JINITI~1.22\bin\hotspot\jvm.dll) but created for the application which launched that module - C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe. 
 

 exception_policy_1.jpg

Note that the exception / exclusion was created for Application Control alone.  "Security Risk" and "SONAR" were not checked- meaning that there were still robust protection technologies monitoring IE and protecting it against evilness. 

Once this policy was in place on the SEP clients, the legacy application functioned and ADC was protecting every process on the computer except for Internet Explorer. 

One note: as a general security best practice, it is best not to tick “Also exclude child processes.” Check if the application works with this unticked.  

 

 

Tell Me More!  

Details on ADC and creation of exclusions can be found in the following articles:

Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager 12.1 - Application and Device Control (ADC) - Policies explained
Article URL http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH188597 
 

Creating Centralized Exceptions Policies in the Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager 12.1
Article URL http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH183201 
 

Excluding a file or a folder from scans
Article URL http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO80920 
 

Excluding applications from application control
Article URL http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO55212 
 

Best Practices for Deploying Symantec Endpoint Protection's Application and Device Control Policies
Article URL http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH181679

How to block or allow device's in Symantec Endpoint Protection
https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/articles/how-block-or-allow-devices-symantec-endpoint-protection
 

 

Many thanks for reading!  Please do leave comments and feedback below.

 


SEP 12.1.2 Best Practices on Citrix Virtual Desktops ( Provisioning Services) -Part 1-

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A few days ago I did a little research about possible configurations when we are using SEP 12.1.2 under Citrix Provisioning Services.

I share with you the first part of this research that used as a sources: Citrix and Symantec web sites.

Scenario 1

Symptoms>

  • The Target Device seems sluggish or generally slower than normal after installing or upgrading your antivirus client.
  • You notice prolonged high CPU use.
  • You notice a significant change in the write cache Disk I/O Performance. For example, if the percentage of disk write time or disk write queue length increase significantly.

Best Practices:

  • Set up the Manager content revisions to at least 45
  • Create a new SEPM Domain for just the Citrix Virtual Desktops ( Provisioning Services)
  • Create a new Group in this new SEPM Domain (For example could be: My Company>Default>Citrix Environment
  • Move from the old Domain all the Citrix Virtual Desktops to the new
  • --> At this point you could have two situations:
  • ----> Fresh Installation:
  • ---------> Then Create the Domain and add the SEP clients directly
  • ----> Existing Installation:
  • ---------> Then Use SylinkDrop
  • ---------------> it is recommended that you use the SylinkDrop included on the second installation download (Tools and Documents, \Tools\SylinkDrop)
  • ---------------> Or Export Communication Settings from the group recently created ( Citrix Environment)
  • In the Group for Citrix Environment set the communicatiosn to
    •  
      • Use Pull Mode
      • Use a Heartbeat of 120 minutes
      • Enable Download Randomization
  • Exclude the following files/process/drivers from all types of Scanning
  •  
    •  Write Cache
    • Process: BNDevice.exe
    • Following Drivers: BNNS.sys, BNNF.sys, BNPort.sys, bnistack.sys, and BNITDI.sys  ó bnistack6.sys,CvhdBusP6.sys, CFsDep2 .sys
      • Can be found at:   <systemroot>\windows\system32\drivers
    • At Provisioning Service:
      • StreamService.exe, StreamProcess.exe and the soapserver.exe
  • Apply  Virtual Exception Tool
  • Use Active Scan instead of  Full
  • Enable Random  Scan  in the Antivirus Policy of this Group
  • Enable Shared Insight Cache

I hope this helps

Information Source :

 Virtualization Best Practices

http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=HOWTO81060

http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH173650

https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/sites/default/files/Virtualization_Best_Practices.pdf

 

SEP 12.1.2 Best Practices on Citrix Virtual Desktops ( Provisioning Services) -Part 2-

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Continue with the Best Practices Series for Citrix ...

Symptoms

XEN Virtual Desktop Infrastructure desktop clients register multiple times in the Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager

Best Practices

  • Choose one of the following :
    • Instead of  Standard Image Mode (read only)
      • Use the third vDisk mode ("Difference Disk Image") on the provisioned clients. SEPM registration, definition updates and such are saved in between reboots. The base vDisk is still not changed—changes that are made by a client computer are saved in a linked cache. Any undesired changes will be purged the next time you update the underlying vDisk
    • Use a startup script to set a fixed HardwareID at boot 

It is possible in these cases to use a script to set the HardwareID to a fixed unique value during system startup. This must be done during the startup process before the Symantec service starts, otherwise the old ID is used if present or a random one is generated. Note that this startup script helps only with problems caused by random or duplicate HardwareIDs; virus definition updates must be addressed separately.

 The following instructions are provided as an example of using a startup script to set a HardwareID based on the machine's MAC address.  Please note that the script provided here is intended as an example only for the customer's convenience.  The customer is responsible for its implementation and Symantec can offer only limited support in the event that the script does not work as expected.

 Disable Tamper Protection on the SEP client; this must be done to allow the file and registry changes in steps below.

 Close any open SEP Client GUIs, go to the command line, navigate to the Symantec Endpoint Protection program files directory and stop the SEP Smc service

 smc -stop

 Set SEP service to start manually.

 In SEP 12.1, set HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\SepMasterService\Start=3

 In SEP 11.x, set HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\SmcService\Start=3

 On the base disk image for the provisioned clients, create startup batch file "c:\sephwid.bat". This startup script will clear any existing SEP hardware identifiers, set a fixed Hardware ID based on the first available MAC address on the machine, and start the SEP service. Note that this must be a machine startup script, not a login script, so that it runs before any logon. Use the following example, edit/comment/uncomment as appropriate, and be aware of line wrapping:

 rem ### Check If Computer Is Running A 32 Bit or 64 Bit Operating System:

rem ### http://support.microsoft.com/kb/556009

rem ###

rem ### registry commands must use "/reg:64" switch on 64-bit OS

rem ### this switch is supported in Server 2008 & Win7,

rem ### but a hotfix is necessary for older 64-bit systems:

rem ### http://support.microsoft.com/kb/948698

 set reg64switch=

reg query "HKLM\Hardware\Description\System\CentralProcessor\0" | find "x86"

if errorlevel 1 set reg64switch=/reg:64

 rem ### registry location for SEP HardwareID--this is the same on 32- or 64-bit systems

set hwidkey="HKLM\SOFTWARE\Symantec\Symantec Endpoint Protection\SMC\SYLINK\SyLink"

rem ### delete any current SEP hardware identifiers, various possible locations

rem ### ref: How to prepare SEP 12.1 client for cloning: www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO54706

for /d %%d in (

"C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\HWID"

"C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Symantec\Symantec Endpoint Protection\PersistedData"

"C:\ProgramData\Symantec\Symantec Endpoint Protection\PersistedData"

"C:\Windows\Temp"

) do del /f "%%~d\sephwid.xml"

for /d %%d in (

"C:\Documents and Settings\*"

"C:\Users\*"

) do (

del /f "%%~d\Local Settings\Temp\sephwid.xml"

del /f "%%~d\Local Settings\Temp\communicator.dat"

)

reg delete %hwidkey% /v ForceHardwareKey /f %reg64switch%

reg delete %hwidkey% /v HardwareID /f %reg64switch%

reg delete %hwidkey% /v HostGUID /f %reg64switch%

rem ### set HardwareID prefix

rem ### this can be any 20-digit hexadecimal string (using digits 0-9,A-F) in all CAPS

set myprefix=00000000000000000000

rem ### get first MAC address from "getmac" command

for /f "tokens=1" %%a in ('"getmac /nh"') do (

set addr=%%a

goto :endfor

)

:endfor

rem ### if "getmac" fails, try exchanging the line below into the for loop above

rem ### for /f "tokens=12" %%a in ('"ipconfig /all | find "Physical""') do (

rem ### remove hyphens from MAC addr

set addr=%addr:-=%  

rem ### for HardwareID, concatenate MAC addr to end of custom prefix

rem ### hwid must be a 32-digit hexadecimal string (using digits 0-9,A-F)

set hwid=%myprefix%%addr%

rem ### Set SEP HardwareID in registry

reg add %hwidkey% /v HardwareID /d %hwid% /f %reg64switch%

rem ### start SEP services

sc start SepMasterService

sc start SmcService

 

sephwid.bat can be debugged by calling it from a second script which simply calls the first and redirects stderr/stdout to a log file. For example--

debug.bat:

c:\sephwid.bat >c:\sephwid.log 2>&1

It is not necessary to prepare the base image for cloning, since sephwid.bat will automatically remove any previous SEP hardware identifiers every time the machine starts. The SEP client on the base image should be assigned to a SEP Manager group that has a short heartbeat and/or "push" communication so that provisioned clients can quickly re-establish a connection with the SEP Manager. When the provisioned client shuts down, the SyLink LastServer and RegCSN values will revert to those of the base image. This may cause a delay of up to two heartbeats when the provisioned client starts up again and the SEP Manager reconciles its saved CSN value with those of the client. After the provisioned client checks in it can receive new policy (including a longer heartbeat) according to its hardware ID and group membership or location awareness.

 

    • Configure the purge time of Citrix
    • With the SEPM Domain that you created in Part 1 go to Admin> Domains><Your Citrix Domain>
      • Edit Domain Properties
      • Delete non-persistent VDI clients that have not connected for specified time> 1 day
      • Delete clients that have not connected for specified time  Configurarlo a  1 day

 

Information Sources :

 Virtualization Best Practices

http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=HOWTO81060

http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH173650

https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/sites/default/files/Virtualization_Best_Practices.pdf

 

CSP Command Line Arguments - Matching and Troubleshooting

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In Symantec Critical System Protection, you can use command line arguments to assign executables to their own Custom Process Sets and to activate certain rules or exceptions. 

This purpose of this document is to lay out the command line matching process, the syntax of the wildcards, and how to troubleshoot an apparent mismatch in the argument.

The command line matching process is fairly straightforward; the IPS driver reads arguments as they are passed and attempts to match them with argument statements that are entered into a process binding rule or policy rule.  The driver breaks apart the argument into pattern tokens by parsing for spaces.  For instance, the argument:

                //d srrstr.dll,ExecuteScheduledSPPCreation

Will be parsed and broken into the following two pattern tokens,

                //d
                srrstr.dll,ExecuteScheduledSPPCreation

 

Wildcards

Wildcards can be used.  There are two wildcards, the asterisk and the question mark.

The asterisk (*) has two uses.  When it is used without any spaces around it, it will match one or more characters in the argument. For instance,

                //d srrstr.dll,*

Will match

                //d srrstr.dll,ExecuteScheduledSPPCreation

And in another example,

                //d srrstr.dll,*xecuteScheduledSPPCreation

Matches

                //d srrstr.dll,ExecuteScheduledSPPCreation

 

The asterisk, when used with spaces, means that one or more pattern tokens of the argument are wildcarded.  For instance:

                * srrstr.dll,ExecuteScheduledSPPCreation

Will match

                //d srrstr.dll,ExecuteScheduledSPPCreation       

 

The question mark (?) is another wildcard.  Its purpose is to wildcard a single character.  This is useful for arguments that have certain patterns to match.  For instance,

                {F5078F35-C551-????-????-????????????}

Will match

    {F5078F35-C551-11D3-89B9-0000F81FE221}

 

Case Sensitivity

Arguments, in both Windows and -ix clients, are case sensitive by default.  File paths are not case sensitive in Windows, and are case sensitive in –ix clients.

Use can use the case insensitivity switch &ci; to turn off case sensitivity.  Use &cs; to turn on case sensitivity. A space must be placed between the case sensitivity switch and the argument for it to be registered by the driver.   For example,

&ci; //d srrstr.dll,executescheduledsppcreation                &cs; /V

Matches

//d srrstr.dll,ExecuteScheduledSPPCreation /V

 

Escape Characters

There are two escape characters, \ for Windows and / for –ix based agents.

The reason to use an escape character is because the driver will remove the leading \ or / from the argument when parsing it.  If you need the \ or / then add another slash. This is especially handy when calling cmd.exe /c.   For instance the argument:

        cmd /c “C:\Program Files\Symantec\Critical System Protection\Agent\IPS\tools\getagentinfo.bat”

Needs to be entered in the arguments section in the CSP policy as

        cmd //c “C:\Program Files\Symantec\Critical System Protection\Agent\IPS\tools\getagentinfo.bat”

 

Quotes

Use single quotation marks when there is a space in the argument, to prevent the driver from parsing it incorrectly

For instance, if the argument was entered like this in the policy, the driver would think that C:\Program is one token and Files\Symantec\Critical was another, and so on:

         cmd //c C:\Program Files\Symantec\Critical System Protection\Agent\IPS\tools\getagentinfo.bat

The correct way to enter this argument in the policy is:

        cmd //c “C:\Program Files\Symantec\Critical System Protection\Agent\IPS\tools\getagentinfo.bat”

When a batch file is double clicked in Windows, the OS adds a double quote at the beginning of any parts of arguments that have a space, and a quote-space-quote at the end of the argument.  The CSP driver recognizes this, and will treat these as single quotes.  For instance, this is what the driver will see from the OS:

      cmd //c ““C:\Program Files\Symantec\Critical System Protection\Agent\IPS\tools\getagentinfo.bat” “

However, when parsed, the driver will treat the argument as this:

      cmd //c “C:\Program Files\Symantec\Critical System Protection\Agent\IPS\tools\getagentinfo.bat”

 

Troubleshooting Command Line Matching Issues

Sometimes, a match is not found, so the process does not get assigned to the correct PSET.  When looking over the Command Line matches, it appears that it should match, but for some reason, the driver does not agree.

The first thing to do is to look for a uppercase/lower case mismatch.  This is the #1 cause of mismatches.

After confirming that case is not an issue, then start wildcarding parts of the argument, or all of it, and get a match.  Then add the specific arguments back in the argument string one at a time until you locate the mismatch.

The cmdmatchv2.exe tool can be used from the command line to see how the driver is parsing the information.  

Here is a screenshot of the tool.  This shows you how both the pattern entered into the policy and the command line arguments are parsed, and then gives you the output of the matching logic. 

cmdmatchV2.jpg

Using this tool can help you figure out where an asterisk or question mark may need to be placed to get an argument to match.

You can get the tool from the downloads section of Connect here

 

Smart gateway for AWS Virtual Private Clouds

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Context

This article seeks to go over the details of configuring an AWS Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) to enable the use of centralized gateway IDS/IPS solutions in the cloud as we do today in the virualization world. 

As a part of this research, several security solutions available in the AWS marketplace were analyzed to identify existing techniques that implement some form of a centralized network IDS/IPS system. Below are some of the popular findings:

  • Sophos UTM 9: Provides host based security support software with the following features:
    - Web Server Protection
    - Web Protection
    - VPN support
  • CohesiveFT: The VNS-3 (Virtual Network Server) is available at the AWS Marketplace that facilitates in the creation of an overlay network to gain control of addressing, topology, protocols and encrypted communication between virtual infrastructure and cloud computing centers. Also provides support for IPSec tunneling similar to site to site VPN to ensure single LAN connectivity between environments.
    - Their solutions are mainly catered towards making clouds and virtual environment interoperable.
    - The centralized IDS can be ensured by routing all traffic to on-prem via the IPSec tunnel and use existing gateway solutions to monitor threats and attacks.
  • Cisco ASA: Cisco’s ASA series of routers are designed to provide point to point VPN access to individual compute instances in the cloud. Taking the scenario of a VPC deployment, establishing centralized security in this case implies setting up VPN tunnels to the corporate network of the org from AWS and this has to be done on a per instance basis.

While products such as above provide capabilities like VPN/IPSec and single notion of the network topology across clouds, we do not see capabilities provided for a centralized IDS/IPS solution within AWS cloud analogous to the on-premise solutions like VMWare. 

In order to determine the feasibility of the solution in AWS VPC, a prototype was developed with a VPC containing two subnets. Further details are discussed below.

Prototype Setup

A centralized NIDS solution must have all traffic run through it to ensure efficient enforcements of policies and detecting attacks and malicious traffic. Within the AWS infrastructure, a VPC with the following configuration was deployed.

 

archi_0.png

 

The configuration can easily be deployed using the standard VPC starup wizard in AWS. 

In this design a VPC configuration with 1 public and 1 private subnet is deployed. The public subnet has a compute instance with an associated elastic IP which serves as a 'router' for the rest of the internal deployments. 

The internet gateway as such today is fairly limited in its functionality and does not have an capabilities that are required to support an IDS/IPS system.

The route table is modified to ensure that the private subnet cannot talk to the outside world without going through the public subnet. In essence the Snort instance acts as a NAT for rest of the network inside the VPC thus making this the ideal place to deploy NIDS capabilities.

The instances in the private subnet have lighttpd installed on them with a test page deployed on port 80. For this prototype we assume the following:

  • Analyze only port 80 traffic i.e. HTTP traffic
  • Only one web server is set up in the private subnet with lighttpd. 

 

IPTables Configuration

AWS NAT instance supports the outbound connections from the private subnets to the internet via the Internet Gateway (IGW). Out of the box, it does not allow inbound connections from the outside world into the private subnet. In order to have the NAT instance monitor all traffic we would need to convert the NAT capabilities to support both inbound and outbound connections. 

For this prototype we have the following two scenarios from the NAT instance:

  • Inbound
    The end user should be able to make a HTTP request to the EIP of the NAT instance. The NAT instance should automatically route it to the web server and establish a session with the response from the server being routed back to the user. 
  • Outbound
    The private subnet running the web server instance should be able to access the internet through the NAT as before without being redirected or blocked. 

In order to support this we need to make changes to the iptable rules. 

Default Setting

Once the VPC is setup, the NAT instance will have the following iptable configuration supporting the NAT behavior. 

$> sudo service iptables status
.....
.....
.....
Chain OUTPUT (policy ACCEPT)

num  target     prot opt source               destination


Chain POSTROUTING (policy ACCEPT)

num  target     prot opt source               destination

1    MASQUERADE  all  --  10.0.0.0/16          0.0.0.0/0
The above rule ensures that all outbound traffic will have its source IP masqueraded if its generated within the VPC subnet 10.0.0.0/16 range. 
 

Inbound connection forwarding

We add another rule to this configuration to support inbound connections to be routed to the web server that is deployed in the private subnet. (IP: 10.0.1.113:80)

$> sudo iptables -t nat -A PREROUTING -p tcp \! -s 10.0.0.0/16  --dport 80 -j DNAT --to-destination 10.0.1.113:80
The above rule ensures that all traffic that is not from the VPC subnet (10.0.0.0/16) coming on port 80 must be routed to the web server at 10.0.1.113:80. This enables the NAT instance to monitor all traffic inbound and outbound to/from the Web Server. The rule also ensures that if there are outbound connections from the private subnet to the internet, like say updating a linux package etc., we do not apply the NAT rule for that traffic as it was meant to pass through. 
As the packets are sent out the POSTROUTING rule ensures that the source IP in those packets are masqueraded to use the NAT/EIP address thus ensuring that the internal private addresses are not revealed to the outside world. 
 
If we do not specifically add the VPC subnet range exception in the above rule, the iptables configuration would generate a loop where all outbound traffic from the private subnet would be redirected back to itself at port 80. 
 
Final IPtables rule set looks like:
 
[ec2-user@ip-10-0-0-58 ~]$ sudo service iptables status

Table: filter

Chain INPUT (policy ACCEPT)

num  target     prot opt source               destination


Chain FORWARD (policy ACCEPT)

num  target     prot opt source               destination


Chain OUTPUT (policy ACCEPT)

num  target     prot opt source               destination


Table: nat

Chain PREROUTING (policy ACCEPT)

num  target     prot opt source               destination

1    DNAT       tcp  -- !10.0.0.0/16          0.0.0.0/0            tcp dpt:80 to :10.0.1.113:80


Chain OUTPUT (policy ACCEPT)

num  target     prot opt source               destination


Chain POSTROUTING (policy ACCEPT)

num  target     prot opt source               destination

1    MASQUERADE  all  --  10.0.0.0/16          0.0.0.0/0
 
 
Once we have this setup we can use the browser to hit the EIP of the NAT instance and receive the HTTP response from the webserver deployed in the private instance. We should also be able to test the outbound connection scenario from the private instance. 
 

Result

With this set up, we would now be able to deploy an IDS/IPS at the NAT instance to tap into all traffic coming in and out of the VPC. Next steps would be to deploy Snort on this instance and configure it to behave like a simple IDS system. 

Some of the questions that come up as a result of this research are as follows:

  • How do cloud infrastructure service consumers utilize resources in AWS or other similar clouds to deploy their multi-tier applications? Is there a need for centralized network IDS/IPS solutions today?
  • How is this trend going to change in the coming years? Is the lack of a centralized network security solution forming a hurdle today for customers to migrate from virtual infrastructure solutions to the cloud?
  • Today we can implement a network IDS/IPS solution by enforcing a VPN tunnel to the VPC in AWS cloud ensuring all traffic is monitored by the corporate network via the VPN. This would enable organizations to set up IDS/IPS monitoring solutions in the traditional way in front of their internet gateway. Does this model scale well in today? Would this scale in environments where large workloads would be moved to the cloud tomorrow? 

 

 

Symantec Endpoint Protection 12 ポリシー設定集

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この記事の各資料には、Symantec Endpoint Protection 12 において、必ず確認した方がよい設定や、よく使われる設定がまとめられています。使用環境や運用方法に応じて定義ファイルを何日分保持したらよいのか、通信の設定や定時スキャンの設定などについて詳しく解説しています。

『SEP マネージャ構築時の注意事項 1 マネージャの HDD 容量の見積もり方法』
SEPM の HDD を消費するのは、SEPM のプログラムと日々ダウンロードし、蓄積するウイルス定義ファイルです。SEPM に保存するウイルス定義ファイルの保存世代数は、SEP クライアントへ配信する差分ファイルと関連します。これらの点を踏まえて、SEPM の HDD の容量の見積もり方法について解説します。

『SEP マネージャ構築時の注意事項 2 ネットワーク負荷を軽減させる方法』
SEPM と SEP クライアントの間で最も大きなトラフィックは、ウイルス定義ファイルです。ウイルス定義ファイルの配信によるネットワーク負荷を軽減する考慮点について解説します。

『SEP マネージャ構築時の注意事項 3 アンチウイルスポリシー設定方法』
SEP のセキュリティポリシーは、インストール時に自動で設定されたものが推奨ポリシーとなっています。導入する会社の規模や組織により、適用するセキュリティポリシーを変更する必要がある場合があります。セキュリティポリシーの作成、変更に関する考慮点について解説します。

『SEP マネージャ構築時の注意事項 4 アプリやファイルをスキャンから除外する方法』
SEP では、特定のファイルやフォルダ、アプリケーションをウイルススキャンの対象から除外することができます。誤検知を防ぐ設定方法について解説します。

 

* 「セキュリティ」コミュニティの記事のリストページで、投稿者メニューからプルダウンして[日本 SE チーム]を選ぶと、すべての記事が一覧表示されます。

How to use Symantec Offline Image Scanner tool (SOIS)

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Hello Everyone

Today we will see how to use Symantec Offline Image Scanner tool (SOIS).

1. From https://symantec.flexnetoperations.com download the archive Symantec_Endpoint_Protection_12.1_Tools_and_Documents_EN.exe
 
2. Launch the Symantec_Endpoint_Protection_12.1_Tools_and_Documents_EN.exe and give a destination path
 
You will see there Symantec offline Image scanner tool listed here
 
 
1st_3.JPG
 
3. Inside folder you will see SOIS.exe, launch SOIS.exe
 
2nd_2.JPG
4. After successful extraction, Accept the license agreement
 
3rd_1.JPG
 
 
3RD1_0.JPG
 
This is the main screen from where you can perform scan of .vmdk files. 

Symantec Offline Image Scanner (SOIS) is a stand-alone tool that can be used to scan .vmdk files using Symantec AntiVirus (SAV) 10, Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP) 11, or Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP) 12 definitions.

 
4th_0.JPG
 
This product does not ship with AntiVirus (AV) definitions nor does it download them from Symantec's servers. If you have SEP/SAV installed on your computer, SOIS uses those definitions.
 
Also, you have other options.
  • Compressed files options - By default it's set to 3
  • File exclusion - By default no files are excluded from scanning.
  • Heuristic scanning- By default this option is checked.
 
5th_0.JPG
 
Command line options
 

Option

Description

--file [filename]

 file to scan

--dir [folder]                

 folder to scan

--avedefs [folder]

 use AV definitions from this location

--tempPath [folder]

 folder for temporary files

--extExclude [extensions]

 exclude specified filetypes from being scanned (example: ".mp3")

--heurLevel [level]

 Heuristic BloodHound(TM) level: 0, 1, 2, or 3

--scanDepth [depth]

 number of levels to expand in compressed files

--log [filename]

 output scan results to the specified log file

--debugLog [filename]

 output debugging info to the specified log file

--stopOnError

 Stop scanning if errors occur

--silent

 silent execution with no output to the console

--skipCompressedFiles

 skip extraction of compressed or container files

--disableTelemetry  

 do not submit usage statistics

--enableDiagnostics

 submit diagnostics information

--noGUI

 run in command-line mode

--acceptEULA

 accept EULA before proceeding to scan

 
The functionality of the current version of the tool is:
  • Can be run on Windows to scan FAT32 and NTFS file-systems in the guest OS
  • Scans offline VMware images (.vmdk files only)
  • No dependency on any other Symantec solutions beyond AV defs 
  • Command-line options for silent and automated operation
  • Detailed logging/reporting capabilities
  • Runs as a portable application and doesn’t require a traditional install
 
The Caveats for the current version of the tool are:
  • SOIS does not support scanning snapshots, suspended images or memory dumps (.vmem files)
  • SOIS does not support nested VMDKs
  • SOIS only supports FAT32 and NTFS file systems
  • Tool is English only but it can scan VMs having a OS in any language 
  • SOIS runs with the privileges of the currently logged-in user. It is unable to scan folders such as “System Volume Information” and “Recycle Bin” which have permissions only for the SYSTEM user.
  • SOIS is compatible with AV defs of SEP 11, 12 and SAV 10 only
 
Reference Articles:
 
How to use the Symantec Offline Image Scanner tool (SOIS)
 
 
About the Symantec Offline Image Scanner tool
 
 

Step by step guide to use Sylinkdrop.exe

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Hello Everyone,

Today we will see how to use Sylinkdrop tool.

This tool is effective to replace Sylink.xml file on single machine, it can not be used to replace on multiple machines in one go. To replace on multiple machines will hvae to use Sylink replacer tool.

To learn more about Sylink replacer tool check this article:

https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/downloads/sylinkreplacer-tool-connecting-sep-clients-sepm

Before that it's important to know what is Sylink.xml.

Sylink.xml stores the global communication settings. This file is for internal use only and should not be edited. It contains settings from the Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager. If you edit this file, most settings will be overwritten by the settings from the management server the next time the client connects to the management server.

Sylink file is an XML file containing communication settings and following  files :-

A list of SEPM servers to connect to

The public SEPM certificate for all servers.

The KCS, or encryption key.

The DomainID that the client belongs to.

PUSH/Pull connection setting

Various log settings

If the clients have lost the communication with a management server, you must replace the old Sylink.xml file with a new Sylink.xml file. The SylinkDrop tool automatically replaces the Sylink.xml file on the client computer with a new Sylink.xml file.

When you run the SylinkDrop tool, it can also perform the following tasks:
  • Migrates or moves clients to a new domain or management server.
  • Restores the communication breakages to the client that cannot be corrected on the management server.
  • Moves a client from one server to another server that is not a replication partner.
  • Moves a client from one domain to another.
  • Converts an unmanaged client to a managed client.
  • Converts a managed client to an unmanaged client.
1.In the console, export the communications file from the group that connects to the management server to which you want the client computer to connect. The communications file is the Sylink.xml file
 
1st_4.JPG
 
1. From https://symantec.flexnetoperations.com download the archive Symantec_Endpoint_Protection_12.1_Tools_and_Documents_EN.exe
 
2. Launch the Symantec_Endpoint_Protection_12.1_Tools_and_Documents_EN.exe and give a destination path
 
You will see SylinkDrop folder.
 
This tool is also available at the following location.
 
On the computer that runs the management server, locate drive:\Program Files (x86)\Symantec\Symantec Endpoint Protection\Version.Number\Bin\SylinkDrop.exe
 
 
2ND.JPG
 
 
3. In the SylinkDrop folder SylinkDrop.exe is available. Double click the exe file.

3rd_3.JPG

4.In the Sylink Drop dialog box, click Browse, and locate the .xml file exported in step 1.
 
4th_1.JPG
 
5.When you see a confirmation dialog box, click OK.
 
6.In the Sylink Drop dialog box, click Exit.
 
You should see now the local SEP client with green dot.
 
Jobs can be peformed using Sylinkdrop.exe :
  • Migrates or moves clients to a new domain or management server.
  • Restores the communication breakages to the client that cannot be corrected on the management server.
  • Moves a client from one server to another server that is not a replication partner.
  • Moves a client from one domain to another.
  • Converts an unmanaged client to a managed client.
  • Converts a managed client to an unmanaged client.
 
Public KB's: How to restore/retain client-server SEP communication using custom installation settings without having to use the sylink drop tool
 
 
Restoring client-server communication settings by using the SylinkDrop tool
 
 

How to block clients connection to the specific group

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Hello Everyone,

Today we will see how we can block the clients connection to the specified group which they were assigned in the client installation package.

We can set up client installation packages with their group membership If you define a group in the package, the client automatically is added to the appropriate group. The client is added the first time it makes a connection to the management server.

We can turn on blocking if you do not want clients to be added automatically to a specific group when they connect to the network.

Let's see how to make it turn on.

Select the Specific group or groups, Right click on the group name, Click on Properties

1st_5.JPG

At the bottom of Group Propertis you will see the option 'Block New Clients'. By default it's uncheck.

2nd_3.JPG

Even you can check in right pane under 'Details'

3rd_4.JPG

The blocking option prevents users from automatically being added to a group.

You can block a new client from being added to the group to which they were assigned in the client installation package. In this case, the client gets added to the default group. You can manually move a computer to any group.

This is helpful if you don't want clients to report to their respective group after connected to the SEPM first time.

 

"How to..." Series for Symantec Endpoint Protection - Part 2

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Hello,

This is Part 2 of the "How to Series...", you can find the Part 1 here.

Here are few popular "How to..." which would be assistance to the Symantec Endpoint Protection Users.

Series 2 contains the following "How to..."

1) How to Deploy the Communication Settings to the SEP 12.1 RU2 clients.

2) How to Enable Anti-MAC spoofing

3) How to export MSI Package to deploy the SEP clients.

4) How to verify what type of database is used for SEPM ?

 

=========================================================================================================

1) How to ... Deploy the Communication Settings to the SEP 12.1 RU2 clients.

If the client-server communications breaks, you can quickly restore communications by replacing the Sylink.xml file on the client computer. You can replace the sylink.xml file by redeploying a client installation package. Use this method for a large number of computers, for the computers that you cannot physically access easily, or the computers that require administrative access.

Here are the steps:

1)  Login into SEPM console

2)  Go to Clients Tab

3)  Select the Group in which you would like to see the offline clients

4)  Right click on the group and click on “Add Client”

5)  Now please follow the Screenshot as mentioned below:

Deploy_Comm1.JPG

6)  You will get “Client Deployment Wizard”

7)  Select “ Communication Update Package Deployment” Option

8)  Click Next

Deploy_Comm2.JPG

 

9)  Select the group in which you would like to see the client

10) Leave it on “Computer mode”

11) Click Next

Deploy_Comm3.JPG

 

12) Select Remote Push

13) Click Next

Deploy_Comm4.JPG

14) Browse your network and add the computers to the list

15) Click Next

Deploy_Comm5.JPG

 

16) Authenticate the User

Deploy_Comm6.JPG

17) Click Next

Deploy_Comm7.JPG

18) Click Send

Deploy_Comm8.JPG

19) Click Finish

Deploy_Comm9.JPG

20) Please check the SEP client status in the SEPM, it should now show in the SEPM\Clients

 

Check these Articles:

Restoring client-server communications with Communication Update Package Deployment

http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO81109

SEP 12.1 RU2 and Reset Client Communication

https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/articles/sep-121-ru2-and-reset-client-communication

=========================================================================================================

2) How to... Enable Anti-MAC spoofing

1)      Login into SEPM Console.

2)      Go to “Policies”

3)      Edit the Firewall Policy

4)      Go to “Protection and Stealth”

5)      ENABLE  Anti-MAC Spoofing

Anti-Mac.JPG

 

 
Enabling anti-MAC spoofing - Allows the inbound and outbound ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) traffic only if an ARP request was made to that specific host. It blocks all other unexpected ARP traffic and logs it in the Security Log. 
 
Media access control (MAC) addresses are the hardware addresses that identify the computers, the servers, and the routers. Some hackers use MAC spoofing to try to hijack a communication session between two computers. When computer A wants to communicate with computer B, computer A may send an ARP packet to computer B.
 
Anti-MAC spoofing protects a computer from letting another computer reset a MAC address table. If a computer sends an ARP REQUEST message, the client allows the corresponding ARP RESPOND message within a period of 10 seconds. All client rejects all unsolicited ARP RESPOND messages. 
 
This option is disabled by default.
 
Check these Articles:

About firewall rules

http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO55261

Default Symantec Endpoint Protection 12.1 RU1 Firewall Policy explanation

http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH180569

=========================================================================================================

3) How to... export MSI Package to deploy the SEP clients.

Follow the steps provided below to Export client packages with / without latest definitions.  

Note that screens when exporting a SEP for Mac client will appear slightly different.

1) Login into Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager (SEPM).

Click on Home and from Common Tasks, select Install Protection Client to Computers

package1.JPG

 2) In the Select the Group and Install Features set window, and under the In the Content Options, select

All Content:  This option will have content version at the time of the deployment.

Basic Content:  This option provides small client deployment packages, the definition (content) are downloaded via LiveUpdate after client installation.
 

package2.JPG

 

Click Next.

3) Select the preferred installation method.  Example is using Save Package.

Click Next

package3.JPG

 

 4) Select the way it needs to be saved (Single .exe or separate files in .MSI).

package4.JPG

 5) Before it is saved, it gives modules/details of the package.

Once confirmed, click Next.

package5.JPG

 6) Package is created at the saved location. Click Finish Button This package can be used to push to the clients at Later time.

package6.JPG

Click Next.

Check these Articles:

How to export Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP) client install packages without any definitions or package with Basic Content.

http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH178698

Creating custom client installation packages in the Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager console

www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH102817

Managing client installation packages

www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=HOWTO55410

Exporting client installation packages

www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=HOWTO55412

How do I create and configure a custom Symantec Endpoint Protection installation package in version 12.1?

https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/articles/how-do-i-create-and-configure-custom-symantec-endpoint-protection-installation-package-vers

=========================================================================================================

4) How to... verify what type of database is used for SEPM ?

1)      Microsoft SQL Database

SQL.JPG

 

2)      Embedded database

EmbeddedDB.JPG

 

====================================================================================

Configure liveupdate to run on client computers - Part 1

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Hello,

This article will demonstrate hot to configure liveupdate to run client updates.

Some time customers may get confuse with these settings, they may feel these settings are applicable for SEP client and SEP Manager communication but it's not true.

It's very important to go through the following note which is available at the start of the page.

Important note: Enable the scheduling of automatic downloads from liveupdate servers. The schedule settings do not control downloads from the default management server, from Group Update Providers, or from third party content management tools. Downloads from the default management server depends upon heartbeat interval and selected mode. (Push mode or Pull mode)

 

1) Enable Liveupdate Scheduling:

  1. Click Policies and then click LiveUpdate.

  2. On the LiveUpdate Settings tab, right-click the policy that you want, and then click Edit.

  3. Under Windows Settings, click Schedule.

  4. Check Enable LiveUpdate Scheduling.

  5. Specify the frequency

You can select this option as per business requirement, By default it's set to every 4 hours.

Untitled6.png

 

2) Retry Window:

Untitled5.png

Set the maximum retry allowed after a failed schedule update. If the maximum time is reached before the update has run, the computer will wait for hthe next scheduled time to try again.

If you select any frequency other than Continuously, specify the Retry Window.

 

3) Download Randomization Option:

If you selected Continuously or Every "XX" hours then this option is grayed out by default.

Check the screen-shot.

Untitled2.png

If you selected Daily or Weekly option then you can configure download randomization options.

For Daily you set it to minimum 1 days & maximum 12 days

For Weekly you can set it to minimum 1 days & maximum 3 days

Untitled4.png

Your network might experience traffic congestion when multiple client computers attempt to download content from a LiveUpdate server. You can configure the update schedule to include a randomization window. Each client computer attempts to download content at a random time that occurs within that window

4. Idle Detection:

Untitled.png

To ease client computer performance issues, you can configure content downloads to run when client computers are idle. This setting is on by default. Several criteria, such as user, CPU, and disc actions, are used to determine when the computer is idle.

If Idle Detection is enabled, once an update is due, the following conditions can delay the session.

  • The user is not idle.

  • The computer is on battery power.

  • The CPU is busy.

  • The disk I/O is busy.

  • No network connection is present.

After one hour, the blocking set is reduced to CPU busy, Disk I/O busy, or no network connection exists. Once the scheduled update is overdue for two hours, as long as a network connection exists, the scheduled LiveUpdate runs regardless of idle status

To configure client updates to run when client computers are idle

To configure client updates to run when client computers are idle.

  1. Click Policies.

  2. Under Policies, click LiveUpdate.

  3. On the LiveUpdate Settings tab, right-click the policy that you want to edit, and then click Edit.

  4. Under Windows Settings, click Schedule.

  5. Check Delay scheduled LiveUpdate until the computer is idle. Overdue sessions will run unconditionally.

Reference: http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO55289

5. Options for skipping liveupdate:

Untitled1_1.png

To save bandwidth, Symantec Endpoint Protection clients can be configured to only run scheduled LiveUpdates from the Symantec LiveUpdate server if one of the following conditions is met

  • Virus and spyware definitions on a client computer are more than two days old. Maximum duration can be 31 days.

  • A client computer is disconnected from Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager for more than eight hours.  Maximum hours can be 24 hours

 

Following KB's can be helpful as well:

Configuring the LiveUpdate download schedule for client computers

http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO55287

Randomizing content downloads from a LiveUpdate server

http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO55174

Configuring the LiveUpdate download schedule for client computers

http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO55287

Configuring client updates to run when definitions are old or the computer has been disconnected

http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO55293

Configuring client updates to run when client computers are idle

http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO55289

Configure liveupdate to run on Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager (SEPM) - Part 2

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Hello,

In the previous article we seen how to configure liveupdate on SEP client computers.

Here is the link for that: https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/articles/configure-liveupdate-run-client-computers

This article will demonstarte step by step guide to configure liveupdate settings on Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager (SEPM).

You can adjust the schedule that Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager uses to download content updates from LiveUpdate to the management server. For example, you can change the default server schedule frequency from hourly to daily to save bandwidth.

To configure the schedule for LiveUpdate downloads to Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager

  1. In the console, click Admin.

  2. On the Admin page, click Servers.

  3. Select the site, then under Tasks, click Edit Site Properties.

Untitled1_3.png

      4. In the Server Properties dialog box, on the LiveUpdate tab, click Edit Source Servers.

Untitled2_0.png

Liveupdate Source Server

Untitled3.png

By default Symnatec liveupdate server is selected. If you have configured Internal liveupdate server then need to add that server details manually. Need

to click on Add and enter the required details.

Untitled4_0.png

Untitled5_1.png\

Following article can help to "Setting up an internal LiveUpdate server"

http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO55180

To randomize content downloads from the default management server or a Group Update Provider

  1. In the console, click Clients.

  2. Under Clients, click the group that you want.

  3. On the Policies tab, under Location-independent Policies and Settings, under Settings, click Communication Settings.

  4. In the Communication Settings dialog box, under Download Randomization, check Enable randomization.

  5. Optionally, change the randomization window duration.

Check this Screenshot:

Untitled6_0.png

Untitled7.png

For downloads from the default management server or a Group Update Provider, you configure the randomization settings in the Communication Settings dialog box for the selected group. The settings are not part of the LiveUpdate Settings policy.

The Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager supports randomization of simultaneous content downloads to your clients from the default management server or a Group Update Provider. It also supports the randomization of the content downloads from a LiveUpdate server to your clients. Randomization reduces peak network traffic and is on by default.

You can enable or disable the randomization function. The default setting is enabled. You can also configure a randomization window. The management server uses the randomization window to stagger the timing of the content downloads. Typically, you should not need to change the default randomization settings.

In some cases, however, you might want to increase the randomization window value. For example, you might run the Symantec Endpoint Protection client on multiple virtual machines on the same physical computer that runs the management server. The higher randomization value improves the performance of the server but delays content updates to the virtual machines.

You also might want to increase the randomization window when you have many physical client computers that connect to a single server that runs the management server. In general, the higher the client-to-server ratio, the higher you might want to set the randomization window. The higher randomization value decreases the peak load on the server but delays content updates to the client computers.

In a scenario where you have very few clients and want rapid content delivery, you can set the randomization window to a lower value. The lower randomization value increases the peak load on the server but provides faster content delivery to the clients.

Reference: http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO55173

 

How to export device IDs from Application and Device control policy

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Hello All,

It is sometime necessary to list all the Device Ids which are added in the Application and Device Control policy.

This is not possible with the default SEPM reports.

Here are the steps to export all the manually added Device IDs:

  1. Open Application and Device control policy

1.PNG

 

2) Right Click on the policy and select export

2.PNG

 

3) The file will be exported with .dat extension. Save the file

3.PNG

 

4) Rename the file as .zip file

4.PNG

5) Once renamed we need to extract the file using winzip. Right click on the .Zip file and extract it

5.PNG

 

6) Once the file is extracted you will find a single file named Main.xml. All the information are stored in this .XML file. Lets open this

 file in excel.

6.PNG

 

 

7) Open Excel

      a. Click on File -Click on Open

      b. Select the Main.xml saved in Step 6

7.PNG

 

8) Excel will prompt "How would you like to open this file". Select the first option "As an XML Table"

8.PNG

 

9) Click Ok for the message

9.PNG

 

10) Now do a search for DeviceClassGuid.

10.PNG

 

11) Device IDs will be way down the column so , lets Sort the DeviceClassGuid Column I sorted from A-Z

11.PNG

 

12) These are the Device IDs - 

12.PNG

Hope this was helpful.

"How to..." Series for Symantec Endpoint Protection - Part 3

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Hello,

This is Part 3 of the "How to Series...", you can find the Part 1 here and Part 2 here.

Here are few popular "How to..." which would be assistance to the Symantec Endpoint Protection Users.

Series 3 contains the following "How to..."

1) How to create a GUP (Group Updater Provider) in SEP 12.1 RU2

2) How to Export a log report in Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager in .csv format

3) How to disable the "Active Scan on Startup" whenever different users log into a single computer on an unmanaged client.

4) How to Export SEP Client Package from Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager 12.1

======================================================================================================

1) How to create a GUP (Group Updater Provider) in SEP 12.1 RU2

    Step 1. Go to the Policies of that Group where that Systems are Stored in Symantec Console.

    Step 2. Click on Live Update Setting Policy (Fig-1)

GUP1.JPG

     

      Step 3. Live Update Policy Screen Display. Choose the Server Setting (Fig-2)

GUP2.JPG

                 (Figure-2)

     Step 4. There three option displays

                  a) Internal & External Live Update Setting

                  b) Group Updater Provider

                  c) Third Party Management

     

     Step 5. Check on the Use of Group Updater Provider. Now Group Updater Provider is Enable. Click on it.

     Step 6. Group Updater Provider Box Display. Fig (3)

GUP3.JPG

                 (Figure-3)

        Step 7. Two options are available in Group Updater Provider

           a) Group Updater Provider Selection for Clients.

           b) Group Update Provider Settings

        Step 8. In the Group Updater Provider Selection for Clients, there are 3 options displayed as below:

      a)   Multiple Group Update Provider: Multiple Group Update Providers use a set of rules, or criteria, to elect themselves to serve groups of clients across subnets. To configure multiple Group Update Providers, you specify the criteria that client computers must meet to qualify as a Group Update Provider. If a client computer meets the criteria, the Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager adds the client to its list of Group Update Providers. Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager then makes the list available to all the clients in your network. Clients check the list and choose the Group Update Provider that is located in their subnet. You can also configure a single, dedicated Group Update Provider to distribute content to clients when the local Group Update Provider is not available.

      b)  Explicit Group Update Provider: Use an explicit list of Group Update Providers when you want clients to be able to connect to Group Update Providers that are on subnets other than the client's subnet. Clients that change location can roam to the closest Group Update Provider on the list.

NOTE: Clients from releases earlier than this release do not support the use of explicit Group Update Provider lists. Clients that communicate with Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager versions 12.1 and earlier do not receive any information about explicit Group Update Provider lists.

      c) Single Group Update Provider: A single Group Update Provider is a dedicated client computer that provides content for one or more groups of clients. A single Group Update Provider can be a client computer in any group. To configure a single Group Update Provider, you specify the IP address or host name of the client computer that you want to designate as the Group Update Provider.

Step 9. Choose Multiple Group Update Providers / Explicit Group Update Provider / Single Group Update Provider as per required and Update the Hostname/IP of Group Updater System.

Step 10. Click Ok.

Note: 1000 systems can be updated with Single GUP.

Check these articles:

About the types of Group Update Providers

http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO80957

Understanding "Explicit Group Update Providers (GUPs) for Roaming Clients" in Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP) 12.1.2

http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH198640

====================================================================================

 

2) How to Export a log report in Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager in .csv format

Earlier in Symantec Endpoint Protection 11.x, the Log reports exported were in.txt format.

However, in Symantec Endpoint Protection 12.1, the Log reports are exported in.csv format.

 To look at all data for all clients follow these steps:

  1. In the SEPM, click Monitors > Logs.
  2. For Log type: select Computer Status.
  3. Click the View Log button.
  4. Click the Export link at the top of the page. 
  5. In the window, click Open or Save as a .csv file.

csv.JPG

 

Again, all the Reports (Quick / Scheduled) are saved in MHTML Web page archive format in the location you selected.

Check these articles:

Exporting a log report in Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager in .csv format

http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH179235

Printing and saving a copy of a report

http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO55383

Running and customizing quick reports

http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO55413

====================================================================================

 

3) How to disable the "Active Scan on Startup" whenever different users log into a single computer on an unmanaged client.

Different users get a new "Active Scan on Start up" within "Scan for threats" on the Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP) client GUI whenever they log in into the same machine. You wish to know how to disable this scan on an unmanaged client.

To disable this scan, follow the steps below based on the version of Windows running on the client.

WARNING: In the next steps you edit the Windows registry. Back up the registry before you make any changes to it, because incorrect changes to the registry can result in permanent data loss or corrupted files. Modify or delete only the registry keys that are specified. For instructions, see the document How to back up the Windows registry.

On 32-bit versions of Windows:

  1. Click on Start, then Run and type regedit into the run line. Click OK.
  2. Navigate to the following registry key:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Symantec\Symantec Endpoint Protection\AV\AdministratorOnly\General
  3. Change the StartupScansEnabled DWORD value to 0.

On 64-bit versions of Windows:

  1. Click on Start, then Run and type regedit into the run line. Click OK.
  2. Navigate to the following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Symantec\Symantec Endpoint Protection\AV\AdministratorOnly\General
  3. Change the StartupScansEnabled DWORD value to 0.
  4. Close the Registry.

 

disable_active_scan.JPG

 

Check this article:

How to disable the "Active Scan on Startup" whenever different users log into a single computer on an unmanaged client.

http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH173305

 

====================================================================================

 

4) How to Export SEP Client Package from Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager 12.1

You would like to know how to create new client installation packages using the Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager (SEPM) console.  

1) Login to SEPM console

2) Select a task – Install Protection client to computers

 

export_package1.JPG

 

3) Select “New Package Deployment"

export_package7.JPG

 

 

4) In the Select the Group and Install Features set window,

  • Select the correct version of Install Package.
  • Click on "Browse" to select the correct Group to which the client package should be meant to report to.
  • Select the correct Install Feature Sets
  • Select the correct Install Settings
  • Select the correct Content Options
  • Select the correct Preferred Mode
  • Click Next

export_package3.JPG

 

5)  Select : Save Package

export_package4.JPG

 

6) Browse for the location to Save the Package and click Next

7) Select : Single .exe file (default) and Click Next

export_package5.JPG

 

8)      Click Finish

export_package6.JPG

 

Check these Articles:

How to create new client installation packages in the Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager console

http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH102215

Creating custom client installation packages in the Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager console version 12.1

http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH165801

How to export Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP) client install packages without any definitions or package with Basic Content.

http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH178698

Other Related Articles

====================================================================================

Network Monitor and Network Prevent- Differences and When to use what.

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During my work with a lot of customer I keep hearing the following questions very often: -

What is the difference between Network Monitor and Network Prevent?

Do I need both Network Monitor and Network Prevent?

Can I have Network Monitor and Network Prevent together?

 

So I decided to write an article on this. Lets start with what is the technical difference between a Network Monitor and Network Prevent.

 

Network Monitor is technically a sniffer which parses the incoming packets (mirrored or tapped) for content based on polices you create. It cannot do any preventive action.

Network Prevent for SMTP is a streaming SMTP proxy which acts as an intermediary between the upstream MTA (like an Microsoft Exchange Edge) and an downstream MTA (like Symantec Mail Gateway) when deployed in Forwarding Mode. It may also be deployed in a reflect mode where it will return the email to the sending MTA. Irrespective of the deployment ,it just relays SMTP commands(and data) between these two MTAs and is not a true SMTP proxy or MTA. It looks for content based on the polices you have created. Due to its placement it can block or modify SMTP conversations.

Network Prevent for Web acts as an ICAP server. It parses the ICAP traffic it received for content based on polices and has several ICAP responses at its disposal including block. It relies on the proxy to send it traffic for inspection.

 

Now that we have seen the technical differences, lets move on to who needs what and when.

 

Network Monitor is needed in the following scenarios even when there is Network Prevent in the environmen: -

  • To monitor email traffic not routed via email gateways covered by Network Prevent
  • To monitor web traffic not routed via web proxies covered by Network Prevent
  • To monitor email and web traffic related to email gateway and web traffic that cannot be integrated with DLP due to various technical reasons
  • IM, P2P Traffic, file copies.
  • Any other interesting clear text TCP/IP traffic through custom protocols
  • To quickly deploy DLP passively in an environmen by the time you design and work on Network Prevent
  • To do a risk analysis to create a case for DLP or otherwise
  • To monitor rogue email and web traffic

Network Prevent (Email Prevent and Web Prevent) is needed in the following scenarios even if there is a network monitor: -

  • To have block/quarantine capability for email and web traffic.
  • To monitor encrypted email and web traffic.

 

In a practical scenario a Network Monitor can be deployed to exclude traffic from email and web gateways covered by Network Prevent to provide added security and cover some of the risks discussed earlier. So any organization can have both Network Monitor and Network Prevent. However organizations where the risks like rogue email and web traffic, and non email/web traffic are adequately covered by other controls or are acceptable may decide not to deploy Network Monitor along with Network Prevent.

 


Install and Use Enterprise Manager for DLP Oracle Database

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Think about: running the DLP Solution for about one year, and find out that there are no more tablespace of the DLP Oracle to store the new incidents.

Then, you need to expand the tablespace, or, add new data file to the tablespace. Install and use the Enterprise Manager (EM) is the best choice.

On the other hand, by using EM, the administrator can monitor the usage and performance of the Oracle, and check the error message.

Here are the steps to install and use EM:

1. From Start menu, choose 'Oracle - OraDb11g_home' --> 'Configuration Assistant for Windows' --> 'Database Configuration Assistant':

Oracle_EM_01.png

2. Click Next:

Oracle_EM_02.png

3. Select 'Configure Database Options':

Oracle_EM_03.png

4. Select 'Protect' and click Next:

Oracle_EM_04.png

5. Select 'Configure Enterprise Manager' and click Next:

Oracle_EM_05.png

6. Keep default, and click Next:

Oracle_EM_06.png

7. Select 'Use the Same Administrative Password for All Accounts', and input the password for sys:

Oracle_EM_07.png

8. Select 'Dedicated Server Mode' and click Next:

Oracle_EM_08.png

9. Click OK to start the configuration:

Oracle_EM_09.png

10. The configuration running:

Oracle_EM_10.png

11. After the configuration, there will be a 'Database Control - protect' link added to the Oracle manu:

Oracle_EM_11.png

12. After click to run the 'Database Control - protect', the browser will open the console of the EM.

Input the User Name as sys and select the Connect As SYSDBA:

Oracle_EM_12.png

13. From the EM console, the admin can monitor the performance and usage of the protect database.

The admin can also add more data files to the tablespaces.

Click 'Server' and select 'Tablespaces':

Oracle_EM_13.png

14. Select the tablespaces name and choose 'Add Datafile' from the 'Actions' list:

Oracle_EM_14.png

The EM is not installed defaultly during the configuration of protect database. So, if you want to add more data files to the tablespaces, you need to run sql query by sqlplus.

As the installation of the EM doesn't need to stop the Oracle Database, it's a good choice to configure EM for DLP.

A graphical overview of using Sym Help tool

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If you want to have pre installtion check,Health checkup, recommendations and collect logs for support. Then please go through the document so that you can learn how to run a Sym help tool

Apply a policy on a single machine also without creating a new group.

Introduction of Content Root Enumeration on DLP 12.0

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There is a new feature on DLP 12.0: Content Root Enumeration. 

The Content Root Enumeration is a function about Auto-discovery of servers and shares.

Content Root Enumeration enables you to locate servers and shares within a domain and filter them by IP range or server name. Share discovery works only for CIFS-compliant file servers, including those with DFS file shares.

Content Root Enumeration scans produce a list of servers and shares that you can use directly in file system targets for Discover scanning, or export to a CSV file. A Content Root Enumeration scan does not scan the content of the servers and shares it discovers, but it enables you to find servers and shares in your domain and configure automated scanning of them.

Here are the steps to configure the Content Root Enumeration on DLP 12.0:

1. From Enforce Console, choose 'System' --> 'Settings' --> 'Directory Connections', click 'Create New Connection':

Content_Root_Enumeration_01.png

2. Fill in the nessary information to create the directory connection:

Content_Root_Enumeration_020.png

 

3. Select 'Manage' --> 'Discover Scanning' --> 'Content Root Enumeration':

Content_Root_Enumeration_03.png

4. From the drop-down list of 'Directory Connection', select the directory connection which added on step2:

Content_Root_Enumeration_04.png

5. Fill in the IP range that need to discover:

Content_Root_Enumeration_05.png

6. After the save the configuration, click 'Start':

Content_Root_Enumeration_06.png

7. After the scan, the file servers and share folder will be discovered:

Content_Root_Enumeration_07.png

8. Click the link to check the result:

Content_Root_Enumeration_08.png

 

Note:

You need to set up the DNS server on the DLP Enforce Server in order to resolve the FQDN of the file server.

And, you need a Domain User credential at least to finish the auto-discovery.

 

Knowledgebase Articles for Liveupdate Administrator (LUA)

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Please find knowledgebase articles available for SymantecLiveupdate Administrator (LUA) - current version available is 2.3.2.99. Articles are split in several catagories to allow you fast browsing and search for interesting topics. Both Symantec official KB resources and Symantec Connects resources included. Please look for a smiley enlightened - with it I have marked articles with specific relevance. As attachments you can find the .pdf documents of the Symantec LiveUpdate™ Administrator User's Guide.  I will be updating this "knowledgebase" as soon as any new articles regarding LUA are being published or any new version of this software is released.

 

LUA.png

 

About LiveUpdate Administrator (from Symantec LiveUpdate™ Administrator User's Guide)
LiveUpdate Administrator is an enterprise Web application that allows you to manage updates on multiple internal Central Update servers, called Distribution Centers. Using LiveUpdate Administrator, you download updates to the Manage Updates folder, and then send the updates to production distribution servers for Update clients to download, or to testing distribution centers, so that the updates can be tested before they are distributed to production. You can download and distribute updates on schedule, allowing you to create a low maintenance, reliable system that can be set up once, and then run automatically. Updates can also be manually downloaded and distributed as needed.

Updates are downloaded from an external site to an internal LiveUpdate Administrator server. From there, the updates can either be sent immediately to a production distribution center to be downloaded by Update clients, or sent to a testing center, so that the updates can be tested. Once the updates have passed your testing requirements, they are sent to the production center, on a schedule you determine.

 

Important notes about the product:

  • LUA 2.3.0 and previous releases utilize versions of PostgreSQL which have reached end of life.  All customers using previous versions of LUA are advised to migrate to LUA 2.3.1 as soon as possible.
  • Known Vulnerability in Symantec LiveUpdate Administrator Windows version 2.3.1 and prior -> Insecure File Permissions  Local Elevation of Privilege - Medium (http://www.symantec.com/security_response/securityupdates/detail.jsp?fid=security_advisory&pvid=security_advisory&year=2012&suid=20120615_00) - Recommendation: Update to Symantec LiveUpdate Administrator Windows version 2.3.2
  • LUA 2.3.2 includes a new feature for Enabling Automatic Symantec Product Catalog Updates - please check TECH201472 for reference
  • In order allow LUA to provide your SEP 12.1 RU2/RU3 clients/SEPM with definitions please update your Product Catalog and select the definitions for SEP 12.1 RU2 (those definitions are being used as well by the RU3 product)
  • When contacting Symantec Support for assistance regarding LUA please always collect following data:
    - Collect Luadebuginfo.zip using Troubleshoot link in the upper-right corner of the LUA interface (http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH92654)
    - Export the LiveUpdate Administrator 2.x Server Event Log in .csv format (http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO61146)
    - For LUA 2.3 and above always export the LUA server's Configuration Recovery File (http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH159239)

 

SYMANTEC KB ARTICLES

 

VERSIONS / REQUIREMENTS:

How to obtain the latest version of Symantec LiveUpdate Administrator (LUA) 2.x
http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH134809

What's new in LiveUpdate Administrator 2.xenlightened
http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH171578

System Requirements for LiveUpdate Administrator 2.1 (LUA 2.1)
http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH105358

System Requirements for LiveUpdate Administrator 2.2 (LUA 2.2)
http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH92719

System Requirements for LiveUpdate Administrator 2.3 (LUA 2.3)
http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH173272

System Requirements for LiveUpdate Administrator 2.3.1 and 2.3.2
http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH177544

LiveUpdate Administrator 2.3.x: Release Notesenlightened
http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH155523

 

 

BEST PRACTICES:

Best Practices for LiveUpdate Administrator (LUA) 2.xenlightened
http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH93409

When to use LiveUpdate Administrator?enlightened
http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH154896

LiveUpdate Administrator 2.x and Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager on the same computerenlightened
http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH105076

Is it Supported to Configure Unmanaged Symantec Endpoint Protection Clients to Update from LiveUpdate Administrator 2.x rather than the Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager?
http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH123388

About Updating the Symantec Product Catalog in LiveUpdate Administrator 2.xenlightened
http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH201472

About Installing LiveUpdate Administrator 2.x on a Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7 Operating System
http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH152817

 

 

INSTALLATION / CONFIGURATION:

Installing and Configuring LiveUpdate Administrator (LUA)
http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH102701

LiveUpdate Administrator 2.x installation walk through
http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH102862

How to backup and restore LiveUpdate Administrator (LUA) configuration in LUA 2.3enlightened
http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH159239

How much hard disk space is consumed by LiveUpdate Administrator 2.x for content updates?enlightened
http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH90823

How To Determine the Corresponding Product for a LiveUpdate Administrator 2.x File
http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH131177

LiveUpdate Administrator 2.x: What product selections are needed for specific versions of Symantec Endpoint Protection?
http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH139618

Type of files and extensions associated with definitions in LiveUpdate Administrator 2.x with Symantec Endpoint Protection 12.1
http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH166279

Configuring LiveUpdate Administrator (LUA) to download updates from another LUA Server
http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH105741

Updating downloads in an internal LiveUpdate Administrator 2.x Server using the downloads from an external LiveUpdate Server
http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH106254

How to distribute definition content from a LiveUpdate Administrator 2.x (LUA 2.x) server to an isolated network.
http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO44060

How to configure a LiveUpdate Administrator 2.x Distribution Center to use the UNC protocol
http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH106222

 

 

TROUBLESHOOTING:

How to Collect Troubleshooting Information from LiveUpdate Administrator 2.xenlightened
http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH92654

How to Export the LiveUpdate Administrator 2.x Server Event Log
http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO61146

Exporting Client Settings for Windows and Java LiveUpdate Clients from the LiveUpdate Administrator 2.x
http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH97460

 

 

PERFORMANCE / TUNING:

LiveUpdate Administrator 2.2 Performance Tuningenlightened
http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH96391

Tuning LiveUpdate Administrator 2.x's PostgreSQL Database
http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH93476

 

 

UPDATING OTHER PRODUCTS VIA LUA:

Configuring Symantec Mail Security for Domino to Update from an internal LiveUpdate Administrator 2.x Server
http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH202619

About updating Brightmail Antispam definitions from LiveUpdate Administrator 2.x or other local repository server
http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH174535

Distributing virus definitions for Symantec Mail Security for Microsoft Exchange (SMSMSE) via LiveUpdate Administrator 2.x.
http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH96018

How to use LiveUpdate Administrator 2.x with Symantec Security Information Manager 4.5, 4.6, 4.7 and SSIM Event Collectors
http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH91326

Updating Symantec Mobile Security 7.2 Devices from an Internal LiveUpdate Administrator 2.x Server
http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH192276

Updating Windows Mobile Devices from an Internal LiveUpdate Administrator 2.x Server
http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH159934

 

 

SYMANTEC CONNECT

RECOMMENDED:

LiveUpdate Administrator 2.3 Vulnerability - Please Upgrade!enlightened
https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/forums/liv...

Managing LiveUpdate Administrator 2.x Space Usage.enlightened
https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/articles/m...

LiveUpdate Administrator 2.x Server Connection Recommendationsenlightened
https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/articles/l...

A Helpful LiveUpdate Administrator 2.x Analogyenlightened
https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/articles/h...

LiveUpdate Administrator: Product Selection Guideenlightened
https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/articles/l...

How Big are Current Symantec Endpoint Protection Definitions?enlightened
https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/articles/h...

 

 

INSTALLATION / CONFIGURATION:

LiveUpdate Administrator: How to configure a remote Distribution Center
https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/articles/l...

Installation and configuration of LUA
https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/articles/i...

Configuring Distribution Center in LUA
https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/articles/c...

Group Update Provider v/s Liveupdate Administrator
https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/articles/g...

Using IIS Logs to Check LiveUpdate Administrator 2.x Health
https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/articles/u...

Illustrated Guide to Configuring LiveUpdate Administrator 2.x for SMSMSE 6.5.5
https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/articles/i...

 

 

SYMANTEC CONNECT VIDEOS

LiveUpdate Administrator: How to configure a remote Distribution Center
https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/videos/liv...

Install LUA (Live Update Administrator) and Configure for Symantec Endpoint Protection
https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/videos/ins...

LiveUpdate Administrator 2.3: What's Newenlightened
https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/videos/lua...

 

 

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