Handling and preventing SONAR false positive detections

Article:HOWTO55273

Created: 2011-06-29

Updated: 2011-12-17

Article URL http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO55273

Article Type
How To

Product(s)

Show all

Subject

Show all

Languages

Show all

Handling and preventing SONAR false positive detections

SONAR might make false positive detections for certain internal custom applications. Also, if you disable Insight lookups, the number of false positives from SONAR increases.

See Enabling or disabling client submissions to Symantec Security Response.

You can change SONAR settings to mitigate false positive detections in general. You can also create exceptions for a specific file or a specific application that SONAR detects as a false positive.

You can also adjust settings and create exceptions for TruScan proactive threat scans, which run on legacy clients. See Managing TruScan proactive threat scans for legacy clients.

Warning:

If you set the action for high risk detections to log only, you might allow potential threats on your client computers.

Table: Handling SONAR false positives

Task

Description

Log SONAR high risk heuristic detections and use application learning

You might want to set detection action for high risk heuristic detections to Log for a short period of time. Let application learning run for the same period of time. Symantec Endpoint Protection learns the legitimate processes that you run in your network. Some true detections might not be quarantined, however.

See Configuring the management server to collect information about the applications that the client computers run.

After the period of time, you should set the detection action back to Quarantine.

Note:

If you use aggressive mode for low risk heuristic detections, you increase the likelihood of false positive detections. Aggressive mode is disabled by default.

See Adjusting SONAR settings on your client computers.

Create exceptions for SONAR to allow safe applications

You can create exceptions for SONAR in the following ways:

Use the SONAR log to create an exception for an application that was detected and quarantined
You can create an exception from the SONAR log for false positive detections. If the item is quarantined, Symantec Endpoint Protection restores the item after it rescans the item in the Quarantine. Items in the Quarantine are rescanned after the client receives updated definitions.
See Creating exceptions from log events in Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager.
See Configuring how the Quarantine handles the rescanning of files after new definitions arrive.
Use an Exceptions policy to specify an exception for a particular folder or application
You can exclude an entire folder from SONAR detection. You might want to exclude the folders where your custom applications reside.
Specific file exceptions by path are not supported for SONAR. To exclude a file from SONAR, use an application exception.
See Creating exceptions for Symantec Endpoint Protection.

Legacy ID

v45103447_v59371754

Article URL http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO55273

Handling and preventing SONAR false positive detections

Handling and preventing SONAR false positive detections

Legacy ID

Please Sign In

Knowledge Base Search

Knowledge Base Search

MySymantec

MySymantec

Contacting Support

Contacting Support