Introducing the Latest Release of Airlock Digital
At Airlock Digital, we value simplicity, scalability and ease of use. Airlock Digital Version 6.1.1, announced today, makes exception management and day-to-day allowlisting workflows even more seamless for your team.
This release introduces:
- A new Exception Request workflow that enables end-users to request exceptions at the time of a block
- Wildcard Metarule Support for path and hostname criteria
- Continued UI refinements, new notifications and under-the-hood improvements including OAuth 2.0 email support, health checks, and performance optimizations.
Watch this video from Carolina McGarity, Director of Product Design for Airlock Digital, for a walkthrough of some important changes in Version 6.1.1 then read on for full details of the new release.
A New Exception Request Workflow
Allowlisting is fundamentally a process-driven control, and exception management is a critical part of that. In Version 6.1.1, we’ve introduced a new Exception Request workflow designed to make those day-to-day exceptions more streamlined, auditable, and user-friendly.
With this workflow:
- End-users can request a temporary exception in the moment a block occurs, directly from the endpoint via the popup notification or the Notifier UI.
- Administrators see all requests in one place, where they can review the context, then approve or deny through a central workflow.
- Blocklists still apply during an approved exception session, preserving the security posture of your environment.
- Exception requests can be enabled or disabled per policy, so you can choose exactly where this workflow is appropriate.
The Exception Request workflow is ideal when users need to run new software or files not yet covered by policy, without disabling the enforcement agent or bypassing process.
We’re also working on extending Exception Requests so they can be routed and managed through other platforms such as email and ServiceNow, giving you more flexibility in how you handle approvals.
Wildcard Metarule Support for Path and Hostname
To support complex use cases, we’ve expanded the flexibility of the allowlist and blocklist metarule engine with support for wildcards in path and hostname criteria. This allows you to:
- Craft more granular, conditional rules that reflect how software is run in your environment
- Handle cases where paths and hostnames follow a pattern, not a single fixed value
For example, you could create a rule that allows all files to run in C:\Dell\** (and its subdirectories) only when the parent process is Dellsupport.exe.
Wildcard support is available today for paths and hostnames and will be extended to other metadata criteria in future releases.
UI Refinements and Foundations for Future Workflows
Version 6.1.1 continues our multi-release program of UI and UX refinement, with changes that improve today’s experience and lay the groundwork for future workflows:
- A new banner-style notification system and modernized popups that surface more relevant context at the right time
- Bulk Add layout improvements and reputation elements that make it easier to understand what you’re trusting and why
These changes are setting us up for a larger Bulk Add/trust workflow refresh which will be delivered in an upcoming release.
Other Notable Improvements in 6.1.1
Beyond exception workflows and metarule flexibility, Version 6.1.1 delivers a set of core platform enhancements:
- OAuth 2.0 Token-Based Authentication for Email Settings to align with modern email providers such as Microsoft with Office 365.
- An interactive Server Health Check on the support page making it easier to validate configuration and troubleshoot common issues
- A broad range of performance optimizations, including faster data loads (many key screens now load around 30% faster) and smoother handling of high data rates.
Version 6.1.1 is a major step forward in effective, easy to use enterprise-grade application control. To learn more about how Airlock Digital protects endpoints from ransomware, malware and other threats, contact us here.