Perform Actions in ThreatSync

Applies To: ThreatSync

As you monitor threats detected by ThreatSync and review the details of an incident or endpoint, you might decide to take action to remediate it, or to reverse an action taken automatically by a WatchGuard product or service.

  • To send data to ThreatSync and receive actions, Fireboxes must run Fireware v12.9 or higher and be added to WatchGuard Cloud for logging and reporting or cloud management.
  • To send data to ThreatSync, access points must run firmware v2.0 or higher and have Airspace Monitoring enabled.
  • To perform response actions against malicious access points when integrated with ThreatSync, access points must run firmware v2.7 or higher and have Airspace Monitoring enabled.
  • An AP230W, AP330, or AP430CR with a dedicated scanning radio is required for over-the-air Evil Twin detection and ThreatSync response actions to block wireless client connections to malicious access points. All other Wi-Fi in WatchGuard Cloud access point models can detect Rogue and Suspected Rogue access points physically connected to the network, but cannot detect Evil Twin access points or perform ThreatSync response actions. For larger deployments, we recommend you deploy one access point with a dedicated scanning radio for every 3-5 access points in your deployment.
  • Wireless scanning and response actions can potentially affect the performance of an access point during detection and response to a malicious access point.
  • You cannot perform over-the-air response actions against malicious access points that use WPA3 security, WPA2 security with Protect Management Frames enabled (802.11w), or OWA security, or malicious access points that broadcast on a channel not in the current country of operation of the detecting access point.

    Caution: Make sure you adhere to local regulations for the use of over-the-air response actions to disconnect wireless clients from an access point.

You can perform these actions manually from the ThreatSync UI:

  • Block IP/Unblock IP — Blocks or unblocks the external IP address associated with the incident. When you select this action, all Fireboxes in the WatchGuard Cloud account block or unblock connections to and from the IP address.

    IP addresses blocked by ThreatSync do not appear on the Firebox Blocked Sites list in Fireware or WatchGuard Cloud. For more information, go to Manage Items Blocked by ThreatSync.

  • Delete File/Restore File — Deletes the flagged file associated with the incident, or restores a previously deleted file.
  • Isolate Device/Stop Isolating Device — Isolates the computer from the network to prevent the spread of the threat, and to block the exfiltration of confidential data, or stops isolating a previously isolated computer.
  • Block Connections to Access Point/Unblock Connections to Access Point — Blocks wireless client connections to malicious access points.

    The WatchGuard access point that detects the malicious device must have a dedicated scanning radio and run firmware v2.7 or higher to perform over-the-air response actions and block wireless client connections to a malicious access point.

  • Kill Process — Terminates a process that exhibited malicious behavior associated with the incident.
  • Remote Control — Remotely connects to the selected Windows computer on your network to enable you to investigate and remediate a potential attack. The remote control tool requires Advanced EPDR. For more information, go to About the Remote Control Tool.
  • Block/Unblock User — Blocks or unblocks the user associated with a Credential Access incident in AuthPoint. For more information on how to block users or activate blocked users in AuthPoint, go to Block a User or Token.

Not all actions apply to all incident types.

When you change the status of or perform an action on an incident, a dialog box opens with a text box to add an optional comment. These comments appear in the Comments pane on the Incident Details page. For more information, go to Review Incident Details.

Perform an Action

You can perform actions from the Incidents page, Incident Details page, and the Endpoints page.

To perform an action for one or more incidents, from the Incidents page:

  1. Select Monitor > Threats > Incidents.
    The Incidents page opens.
  2. Select the check box next to one or more incidents.
    The Change Status and Actions menus appear.
  3. From the Actions drop-down list, select the action to perform.

Screenshot of the Actions drop-down list in the Incidents page

Recommendations for an incident on the Incident Details page determine what actions are available in the Actions drop-down list on the Incidents page. For example, if the recommended action for an incident is to isolate a device, the Isolate/Stop isolating device option is enabled in the Actions drop-down list.

To perform an action for an incident, from the Incident Details page:

  1. Select Monitor > Threats > Incidents.
    The Incidents page opens.
  2. Click an incident in the incident list.
    The Incident Details page opens.
  3. To perform an action:
    • In the Threat Details section, click an action.
    • In other sections, click the lightning bolt icon Screen shot of bolt icon to open the action menu, then select an action.

Screenshot of the actions you can perform from the Incident Details page: isolate device, kill process, delete file

To perform an action for one or more endpoints, from the Endpoints page:

  1. Select Monitor > Threats > Endpoints.
    The Endpoints page opens.
  2. Select the check box next to one or more endpoints.
    The Actions menu appears.
  3. From the Actions drop-down list, select the action to perform.

Screenshot of the Actions menu on the Endpoints page

If an error occurs and ThreatSync cannot perform an action, a red exclamation point icon or error message appears. For more information, go to Troubleshoot Incident Errors.

You can set up notifications to generate alerts when actions are performed. For more information, go to Configure ThreatSync Notification Rules.

Stop or Reverse an Action

If required, you can stop or reverse a previously performed action. For example, if you performed an action to block an IP address, you can unblock the IP address.

Related Topics

Review Incident Details

Close or Change the Status of Incidents

Monitor ThreatSync Endpoints

Manage Items Blocked by ThreatSync

Troubleshoot Incident Errors

Quick Start — Set Up ThreatSync

About the Remote Control Tool