In the past few years, there has been a drastic change in how threats are spreading in the digital world. Nowadays, there are numerous vector points that attackers use in order to spread malicious software that has a purpose to either disrupt business or gain profit.
This article aims to aid Trend Micro customers configure their Trend Micro Worry-Free Business Security Services to protect them from advanced persistent threats that can harm their business.
Configure the following under Administration > Global Settings.
Security Settings tab
- Under General Scan, enable the following:
- Enable deferred scanning on file operations Enabling this feature significantly improves performance, but may introduce a slight security risk.
- Exclude the Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 folders
- Exclude the Microsoft domain controller folders (Not applicable to manual and scheduled spyware/grayware scans)
- Exclude Shadow Copy sections
- Resume a missed scheduled scan at the same time next day
- Enable deferred scanning on file operations
- Under Virus Scan, enable the following:
- Configure Scan Settings for large compressed files (Keep the default settings for compressed files)
- Clean compressed files
- Scan up to ___ OLE layer(s) (Keep the default settings)
- Add Manual Scan to the Windows shortcut menu on clients
- Under Spyware/Grayware Scan, enable the following:
- Scan for cookies
- Add cookie detections to the Spyware log
- Under Behavior Monitoring, enable the following:
- Enable warning messages for low-risk changes or other monitored actions
- Prompt users before executing newly encountered programs downloaded through HTTP or email applications (Server platforms excluded)
- Under HTTPS Web Threat Protection, enable the following:
- Enable HTTPS checking for Web Reputation and URL Filtering on Chrome and Microsoft Edge
- Display a notification above the Security Agent icon when an update to the feature requires users to restart Chrome
- Under Outbreak Defense Prevention, enable the following:
- Enable Red Alerts issued by Trend Micro
- Enable Yellow Alerts issued by Trend Micro
Approved/Blocked Settings tab
Make sure to only add URLs under Approved URLs that are verified as safe. If unsure if the website is safe, visit the Site Safety Center to check for the reputation of the website before adding it in the approved URLs list.
Agent Control tab
- Under Watchdog, tick the Enable the Security Agent Watchdog service and keep the default agent status checking time interval.
- Under Security Agent Uninstall Password, make sure to select Require the end user to enter a password to uninstall the Security Agent.
- Under Security Agent Exit/Unlock Password, enable Requires a password radio button to prevent end users from disabling the security agent in the workstations.
Under Devices, select Server (Default) group and then configure policy.
Scan Method
The recommended scan method is Smart Scan, to lessen the bandwidth consumption, storage consumption, and network traffic.
Antivirus/Anti-spyware
- Select Enable real-time Antivirus/Anti-spyware.
- Under Target tab, choose IntelliScan: uses "true file type" identification.
- Expand Advanced Settings and tick the following:
- Enable IntelliTrap
- Scan compressed files (keep the default value of two (2) Maximum Layers)
Web Reputation
- Tick the Enable Web Reputation check box.
- Under Security Level, choose Medium, which is recommended for Web Reputation Service.
- Under Browser Exploit Prevention, enable Block pages containing malicious script.
URL Filtering
- Select Enable URL Filtering.
- Set the Filter Strength to Medium.
- For servers, tick Sunday to Saturday for Days and select All day (24 hours) for Time of day.
Predictive Machine Learning
Enabling Predictive Machine Learning for Servers is not recommended especially for file servers as it may result in false positive detections specifically for internally developed application.
Behavior Monitoring
- Select Enable Behavior Monitoring.
- Configure Behavior Monitoring using the procedure in this article: Enabling ransomware protection for Worry-Free Business Security Services (WFBS-SVC).
Device Control
It is recommended to enable the Block the autorun function on USB storage devices option.
Agent Privileges
- Navigate to Agent Control > Security Agent Self-Protection.
- Enable Prevent users or other processes from modifying Trend Micro program files, registries and processes.
Under Devices, select Device (Default) group and then configure policy.
Scan Method
The recommended scan method is Smart Scan, to lessen the bandwidth consumption, storage consumption, and network traffic.
Antivirus/Anti-spyware
- Select Enable real-time Antivirus/Anti-spyware.
- Under Target tab, choose IntelliScan: uses "true file type" identification.
- Expand Advanced Settings and tick the following:
- Enable IntelliTrap
- Scan compressed files (keep the default value of two (2) Maximum Layers)
Web Reputation
- Tick the Enable Web Reputation check box.
- Under Security Level, choose Medium, which is recommended for Web Reputation Service.
- Under Browser Exploit Prevention, enable Block pages containing malicious script.
URL Filtering
- Select Enable URL Filtering.
- Set the Filter Strength to Medium.
- For servers, tick Sunday to Saturday for Days and select All day (24 hours) for Time of day.
Predictive Machine Learning
Tick the Enable Predictive Machine Learning option, which is disabled by default. For detailed instruction on how to configure Predictive Machine Learning, refer to this article: Enabling ransomware protection for Worry-Free Business Security Services (WFBS-SVC).
Behavior Monitoring
- Select Enable Behavior Monitoring.
- Configure Behavior Monitoring using the procedure in this article: Enabling ransomware protection for Worry-Free Business Security Services (WFBS-SVC).
Device Control
- Tick the Enable device control check box.
- Set the device control permission depending on your IT environment need.
- Enable Block the autorun function on USB storage devices option.
Application Control
Enable Application to block applications/path that is restricted on each group that you create (i.e. per department on your department). For the complete procedure in configuring the Application Control, please refer to this article: Configuring Application Control in Worry-Free Business Security Services (WFBS-SVC).
Currently, the known Microsoft vulnerability that attackers, specifically ransomware authors, are using is the MS17-010 vulnerability. Here are the update links from Microsoft to patch the said vulnerability:
For Windows OS users, Microsoft also provides Security Bulletin for documentation and download links for critical information such as patch availability, new vulnerabilities, and critical updates. You can find the lists of those vulnerabilities and updates on the following websites:
