The VMware Carbon Black Cloud Endpoint Standard allows administrators to add applications to the Approved List, which approves the presence and actions of specified applications on the endpoints. Adding to the Approved List is global in its effects and applies to all policies attached to a particular version of an application. There are two different methods that can be used to add applications to the Approved List: by signing certificate or by application path.

By signing certificate: This method allows administrators to approve files that are signed by a specific certificate authority (CA) or signer. For example, if an administrator wants to approve all files that are signed by Google Inc, they can add the signer name and the CA name to the Approved List. This method is useful for approving files that are frequently updated or have dynamic names or paths. However, administrators should be careful when using wildcards or approving certificates from untrusted sources, as this could lead to incidentally approving malicious software that appears to be signed by a trusted CA or signer.

By application path: This method allows administrators to approve files that are located in a specific path on the endpoint. For example, if an administrator wants to approve a custom application that is installed in C:\Program Files\Custom Application\, they can add the path and the file name to the Approved List. This method is useful for approving files that have a fixed name and location on the endpoint. However, administrators should be aware that this method does not account for new versions of the application, and they should routinely update the Approved List to reflect the changes. Administrators can also use wildcards to target certain files or directories, but they should be as specific as possible to avoid approving unwanted files.

The other options are not valid methods for adding applications to the Approved List. MD5 hash is a method for adding files to the Banned List, which prevents specific files from running on the endpoints by their hash values. Application name is a method for creating permission rules, which allow or deny the presence and actions of an application only on a specific device. IT Tool is not a method, but a category of applications that are recommended to be added to the Approved List, such as software deployment tools, executable installers, IDEs, compilers, or script editors. References: Adding to the Approved List, Endpoint Standard: How to add a Certificate to the Approved List, Endpoint Standard: How to add a SHA256 hash to Approved/Banned List