FS Protection for Mac 17.8 beta 1

We are pleased to announce a new release of FS Protection for Mac. Update is available for download from My FS Protection and delivery to existing installations starts today.

This release contain a large number of bug fixes as well as performance and stability improvements. Some of the highlights are:

• XFENCE is now DeepGuard
  • The consumer version of our XFENCE technology will now be known as DeepGuard
• DeepGuard Learning Mode
  • Learning Mode is a feature for advanced users using one of the "Classic" or "Strict" system rulesets. It may be familiar to users of the legacy XFENCE standalone beta and Little Flocker
  • While Learning Mode is active, DeepGuard will automatically allow and create rule suggestions for all system activity that would otherwise cause a permissions prompt
  • When exiting Learning Mode, the user will be presented with a list of suggested rules where they can choose which ones to make permanent
  • Learning Mode can be accessed from the "File" menu in the DeepGuard configuration app (available from System Preferences → fs protection → DeepGuard → Advanced)
  • Tip: you can pin the DeepGuard configuration app to the dock once it's running by ctrl-clicking on the Dock icon → Options → Keep in Dock
  • Learning Mode will be suggested whenever you switch to any of the non-default system rulesets. A reboot and login is recommended after enabling Learning Mode to let DeepGuard learn about permissions needed during system startup.
• DeepGuard rule reload
  • DeepGuard rules will be reloaded when the DeepGuard configuration app exits
  • Press ⌘R in the DeepGuard configuration app to force-reload DeepGuard rules
  • This will also reset any temporary rules ("until quit", "until reboot") that may have been created either by the user or automatically by DeepGuard if a prompt has timed out
• DeepGuard user interface fixes
  • Several improvements to DeepGuard alerts in multiuser environments
  • Localization improvements in DeepGuard dialogs in many languages
• New Family Rules
  • Family Rules feature has been reworked from the ground up to provide more seamless user experience. 
  • Users are no longer required to log out to apply Family Rules updates. New Daily Time Limits and Bedtime are now effective immediately. 
  • Family Rules do not have macOS account type restrictions. Family Rules can now be applied to admin accounts as well as child/standard accounts.
• Improved on-demand scan
  • On-demand malware scan has been reworked under the hood for stability and usability improvements

Known issues:

• FS Protection installer may get stuck during the final steps of product installation. In case this issue is encountered, please run the "Support Tool" and provide feedback via our beta portal.
• After switching profile, if Family Rules unexpectedly is disabled, please run the "Support Tool" and provide feedback via our beta portal

If you experience any issues, please run the "Support Tool" in the Applications -> "fs protection" folder and submit a bug report with the file created to allow us to investigate the issue. For issues related to Browsing protection and Parental control, remember to include any URLs that reproduce the problem in your bug report. You may also submit false positives and uncategorized web pages directly to F-Secure Labs using https://www.f-secure.com/en/web/labs_global/submit-a-sample#sample-url

As always, we welcome any feedback via the community pages, and reports of any issues found via https://beta.f-secure.com

Best Regards,

FS Protection Mac team