4.2 Configuring ZENworks Agent Security

To secure the ZENworks Agent on devices, you can configure both uninstall and self-defense settings for the agent.

  1. In ZENworks Control Center, click the Configuration tab.

  2. In the Management Zone Settings panel, click Device Management, then click ZENworks Agent.

  3. In the Agent Security panel, configure the following settings:

    • Allow Users to Uninstall the ZENworks Agent: Select this option to uninstall the ZENworks Agent.

    • Require an Uninstall Password for the ZENworks Agent: Select this option to specify a password that is required to uninstall the ZENworks Agent. Click Change to set the password.

      To avoid distributing the uninstall password to users, we recommend that you use the Password Key Generator utility to generate a password key. The key, which is based on the uninstall password, functions the same as the uninstall password but can be tied to a single device or user, so that its use is limited.

      The Password Key Generator utility is accessible under the Configuration Tasks list in the left navigation pane.

    • Enable an Override Password for the ZENworks Agent: Select this option to specify an override password that can be used in the ZENworks Agent to:

      • Access information about the device’s current location and how the location was assigned.

      • Access the Administrative options in the Endpoint Security Agent. These options let you disable the currently applied security policies (with the exception of the Data Encryption policy), view detailed policy information, and view agent status information.

      • Access the Administrative options in the Full Disk Encryption Agent. These options let you view detailed policy information, view agent status information, and perform functions such as enabling user capturing and decrypting volumes.

      • Uninstall the ZENworks Agent.

    • Enable Self Defense for the ZENworks Agent: Select this option to enable self defense. Currently, the self-defense functionality protects only the ZENworks Endpoint Security Agent. It does not protect the other ZENworks Agent modules.

      Self defense protects the Endpoint Security Agent from being shut down, disabled, or tampered with, in any way. If a user performs any of the following activities, the device is automatically rebooted to restore the correct system configuration:

      • Using Windows Task Manager to terminate any Endpoint Security Agent process.

      • Stopping or pausing any Endpoint Security Agent service.

      • Removing critical files and registry entries. If a change is made to any registry key or value associated with the Endpoint Security Agent, the registry key or value is immediately reset.

      • Disabling the NDIS filter driver binding to adapters.

  4. To save the changes, click OK.