Get Started with User-Defined Controls

Managers and Auditors can add user-defined controls to the subscription for Windows and Unix platforms. Unit Managers may be granted this permission. Once added, users can include the UDCs in compliance policies.

Create a Control

Go to PA > Policies > Controls > New > Control.

Select Windows Control Types, Unix Control Types, or Database Control Types. Then click the control type you want to create.

Click the launch help link for help with control settings.

Control Types 

The section outlines various control types available for monitoring and security checks across different systems. 

Windows Controls	Unix Controls	Database Controls
Registry Key Existence Registry Value Existence Registry Value Content Check Registry Permission File Content Check File/Directory Existence File/Directory Permission File Integrity Check Group Membership Check WMI Query Check Share Access Check Directory Search Check Directory Integrity Check	File Content Check File/Directory Existence File/Directory Permission File Integrity Check Directory Search Check Directory Integrity Check File Content Check (Agent Only)	MS SQL Database Oracle Database Sybase Database PostgreSQL/ Pivotal Greenplum Database SAP IQ Database

Videos

Check out these videos:

• User-Defined Controls
  

• User-Defined Controls - Linux/Unix
  
  
  
  

• User-Defined Controls - Windows
  
  
  
  

• User-Defined Controls - Databases
  
  
  
  

Still have questions?

Tell me about control IDs

We automatically assign a unique control ID (CID) to each user-defined control, starting at 100000. For example, if you added 2 user-defined controls they would have the CIDs 100000 and 100001.

Tell me about scan parameters

The scan parameters are used to gather data needed for compliance evaluation at scan time. Scan parameters differ for each control type. See the online help for each control type to understand which scan parameters are required.

Tell me about controls with duplicate scan parameters

Creating controls using the UI: If a control exists in your account with the same scan parameters as a control you are adding, you are prompted to either assign the description in the existing control to the new control or to overwrite it. If you overwrite it, all controls with the same scan parameters will be updated with the new description.

Importing controls from XML: If a control exists in your account with the same scan parameters as control(s) being imported, we assign the DESCRIPTION parameter of the existing control to the DESCRIPTION parameter of all imported controls with the same scan parameters.

Can I import controls from XML?

Yes, you can import and export user defined controls in XML format. Learn more

Check out the User-Defined Controls FAQs