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SECURITY
Essential Eight
User Application Hardening
User Application Hardening: Stop Cybercriminals from Attacking Your Business Applications
Protect your organisation by keeping malicious features disabled and unapproved apps blocked
How ‘User Application Hardening’ Supports the Essential Eight
User Application Hardening is a foundational control in the Essential Eight framework
Reduce Cyber Risks Hidden in Everyday Applications
User Application Hardening Made Simple with Microsoft Intune and Defender for Endpoint
Applications are often the most exploited part of your IT environment. Default features, unused tools, or open permissions give cyber criminals a way to exploit your entire IT Infrastructure. This leads to data loss, downtime, and damage to your reputation.
At Exigo Tech, we help you block these risks with User Application Hardening as part of the Essential Eight. Using Microsoft Intune and Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, we apply security policies across your organisation. These policies make applications safer, prevent malicious actions, and align your business with a Zero Trust security, without slowing down productivity.
Make your everyday applications secure and free from cybercriminals. Start here.
How ‘User Application Hardening’ Supports the Essential Eight
User Application Hardening is a foundational control in the Essential Eight framework, designed to remove unnecessary or vulnerable application features that attackers exploit. It works by controlling what applications can do and stopping them from running unsafe actions or opening dangerous content. This approach reduces the number of ways criminals can attack your business, strengthens your overall security, and supports compliance with security regulations. This gives executives greater confidence in your organisation’s security and compliance posture.
Strategic alignment:
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Reduces exposure to attacks via browsers, document viewers, and productivity apps
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Enforces Zero Trust by allowing only trusted, configured applications to operate
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Helps meet compliance with ACSC, ISO 27001, and ISMS requirements
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Works alongside Application Control, MFA, and Patch Applications
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Reduces attack surface for both in-office and remote environments
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Helps reach Maturity Level 3 through automated policies and constant monitoring
Benefits:
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Prevents malware delivery through hardened browsers and applications
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Protects your brand and reputation by reducing the chance of a breach
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Keeps employees productive while staying secure
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Improves compliance reporting with accurate, real-time data
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Reduces workload for internal teams by removing manual checks
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Makes your security more consistent across the whole business
How We Do User Application Hardening: Microsoft Intune & Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
We deliver User Application Hardening using two powerful tools — Microsoft Intune and Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. They make sure your applications follow security policies, block unsafe actions, and alert you if something changes. With this setup, every device is checked automatically, security settings are applied instantly, and any problems are flagged for review. You get ongoing visibility and control, without extra effort from your internal teams.
Why Microsoft Intune?
- Keeps application settings consistent across your organisation
- Blocks access from non-compliant apps
- Provides conditional access for unsafe apps
- Automates setup and updates without manual work
- Gives clear reports on the security status of your applications
The business benefits:
- Reduces the risk of breaches from unsafe application behaviour
- Minimises operational impact with silent, automated policy deployment
- Cuts the time and cost of manual configuration work
- Keeps employees working without interruptions
- Avoids costly incidents by fixing problems before they grow
- Improves productivity by preventing application-related disruptions
Why Microsoft Defender for Endpoint?
- Detects and blocks malicious application behaviour in real time
- Uses global threat intelligence to stay ahead of new attack methods
- Creates clear, easy-to-understand reports for executives and auditors
- Integrates seamlessly with Intune for unified enforcement
- Offers advanced behaviour monitoring for apps
- Provides auto-quarantine for non-compliant apps
The business benefits:
- Stops threats before they damage operations or reputation
- Reduces cost and effort in incident management
- Improves response time with automated alerts and actions
- Increases stakeholder confidence with measurable security results
- Protects both office and remote environments without extra tools
- Supports compliance without adding complexity
Achieve Maturity Level 3 in User Application Hardening with Exigo Tech
The Essential Eight Maturity Model measures how well your applications are secured.
Level 0
No hardening applied, users can change security settings.
Level 1
Block risky features – IE11 disabled, no Java, ads, or browser setting changes.
Level 2
Apply hardening baselines (browsers, Office, PDF), block Office & PDF exploits (child processes, code injection, OLE), enforce central logging & monitoring.
Level 3
Remove legacy components (.NET 3.5, PowerShell 2.0), enforce PowerShell Constrained Language Mode, and analyse logs from all servers & workstations.
We take you to Level 3 by designing and enforcing application hardening policies that stay compliant, verified, and up to date. This ensures your organisation is resilient against application-based threats and aligned with both the Essential Eight and Zero Trust.
What Sets Exigo Tech Apart
We are already at Maturity Level 3 across all the Essential Eight strategies
Expertise in using Microsoft Intune and Microsoft Defender for Endpoint for hardening
Full alignment with Zero Trust and the ACSC Essential Eight
End-to-end service from planning to implementation and optimisation
Strategic focus on reducing business risk, safeguarding revenue, and protecting brand reputation
Don’t Let Unsafe Application Settings Result in Financial Losses
Get expert-led User Application Hardening solutions designed to match your security, compliance, and business goals
TALK TO OUR EXPERTS
Partner Ecosystem
“Our association with Exigo Tech enabled us to automate our manual HR processes to improve our productivity and efficiency levels. The Exigo Tech team listened to our needs carefully and followed a step-by-step approach to implementation.”
“Exigo Tech was instrumental in designing and implementing our WAN infrastructure. They catered to our requirements after understanding our specific needs.”
“Exigo Tech created a highly complicated logistics platform for us, that enabled us to manage the entire logistics process properly. We have benefitted from their flawless and detail-oriented approach.”
“Rhino Rack has gained a trusted advisor in Exigo Tech to advise and assist with all of our business requirements. We are looking forward to continuing our relationship with Exigo Tech.”
“Cenversa has been working with Exigo Tech to move the file server and intranet to the cloud. They came up with a secure and scalable customer and supplier centric architecture in a structured format.”
“Exigo Tech is highly recommended from the Polyseal Group for all your IT requirements. They listened to our requirements carefully and delivered solutions to increase our productivity and end user experience.”
“We liked Exigo Tech’s clear understanding of what needs to be achieved and knowing ways to improve the user experience in building custom applications for us.”
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