When MetaDefender is configured to perform a user authentication prior to scanning, those usernames are now available as a variable in post processing actions. Tying usernames into post processing actions allows for scanned files to be moved into specific user locations such as a specific user’s shared directory, instead of having a generic location for all scanned files. By utilizing the authentication and username variable in post processing, data can be securely brought into an organization through portable media, without needing to allow the media beyond where the kiosk is located.
Configuration of this property is done in the Workflows section of the MetaDefender Management Console.
- In order for the username variable to be active, the User Authentication settings have to be configured to Require User Authentication and use the Windows User Login, which has the ability to use both local Windows users and Active Directory users.
- Configurations using the username variable are specific to each user group, so to configure this you will need to navigate to the user group you wish to modify. In the Post Processing section there are sections for both Blocked Files and Allowed Files, which can utilize the username variable. In this case, we will configure the Copy To function for Allowed Files so they go to a directory on the local system specific to the user in a Metascan session using %%%username%%% in the Copy To path.
- When using MetaDefender the workflow will look the same until reaching the Processing Completed page, where it will note the Action Taken on Allowed Files (in this case, six files were copied).
We can open View Copy Details to see that the files were moved to the directory specified during configuration, with the username from the session in place of the %%%username%%% variable. A new folder will be created on the device with the scan session ID as its name and with folders separating Allowed and Blocked files. After this process is completed, it will have the same folder structure as the original media device.
The new feature provided in the latest version of MetaDefender makes it incredibly easy to prevent outside peripheral devices from advancing beyond a certain point within an organization. By following the steps outlined above, network administrators will be able to define more secure data workflows that ensure they protect their network from the intrusion of malware.
