Windows 11 Smart App Control and Ergosoft RIP

Windows 11 Smart App Control and Ergosoft RIP

Introduction

Smart App Control (SAC)  is a Windows 11 security feature that helps protect a computer from untrusted or potentially harmful applications. It uses Microsoft's cloud-based reputation services and code-signing validation to decide whether an application is allowed to run.

Because print production environments use specialized software such as RIP applications, printer and cutter drivers, color management tools, and workflow utilities, Smart App Control may occasionally create compatibility issues with legitimate software.

Official Overview - Smart App Control 
[learn.microsoft.com]

Is Smart App Control Recommended for Ergosoft RIP?

Info
No - Ergosoft does not generally recommend enabling Smart App Control on production RIP systems.
While Smart App Control can improve security, it may also block legitimate software components that are required for printing and production workflows.

Why?

Ergosoft software components are digitally signed and are generally expected to be recognized as trusted by Windows Smart App Control.
However, a typical RIP workstation also depends on software components from printer manufacturers, cutter manufacturers, color measurement device manufacturers, and other third-party vendors. Some of these applications may have limited Microsoft reputation due to their age, the use of specialized libraries, or the inclusion of helper programs that Smart App Control may classify as untrusted. If this occurs, Windows may prevent the software from functioning correctly.
  1. Printer manufacturer drivers and related utilities, such as status monitoring tools, media setting transfer services, web-based device management components, and proprietary communication drivers & libraries (DLLs).
  2. Cutter manufacturer drivers and communication tools, including media setting synchronization service, and proprietary communication drivers & libraries (DLLs).
  3. Color measurement device manufacturer drivers and related utilities, including communication tools and proprietary communication libraries (DLLs) used with spectrophotometers and other color measurement devices.
  4. Third-party ICC profile creation, editing, and management tools.
  5. Third-party workflow applications, prepress tools, automation software, and supporting utilities used for job preparation, file processing, and production workflow integration.

Possible Effects

If Smart App Control blocks a required component, users may experience:
  1. Failure of the Ergosoft RIP software to start.
  2. Missing functionality due to required modules or utilities being blocked.
  3. Printer communication issues.
  4. Cutter communication issues.
  5. Color measurement device communication issues.
  6. Interrupted production workflows.

Recommendation

Production Systems
Recommended: Keep Smart App Control disabled.
For systems used in daily production, workflow reliability and accessibility of all modules  is typically more important than the additional protection provided by Smart App Control. Because RIP environments often depend on multiple third-party software components, enabling Smart App Control may introduce compatibility issues that can affect production.

Test Systems
Optional: Enable Smart App Control for evaluation.
To assess compatibility, test your complete workflow on a non-production system before considering deployment on production systems.

Summary

Ergosoft recommendation: Do not enable Smart App Control on production RIP systems unless the complete hardware and software workflow has been fully tested and validated. The risk of blocking legitimate workflow components may outweigh the security benefits in a production printing environment.

Alternative Security Measures

For most Ergosoft RIP installations, the following security measures are recommended:
  1. Use a reputable and up-to-date antivirus or endpoint protection solution.
  2. Keep Windows and installed software up to date.
  3. Install software only from trusted and verified sources.
  4. Restrict access to the RIP workstation and network resources.
  5. Maintain regular backups and test recovery procedures.
  6. Follow your organization's IT security policies and best practices.
These measures help improve security while minimizing the risk of workflow interruptions.





Reporting Smart App Control Blocks

If you suspect that Smart App Control is blocking an Ergosoft RIP component or a third-party application required for your workflow, please provide the relevant Windows event information when contacting Ergosoft Support.

How to Find Smart App Control Events

  1. Open Event Viewer.
  2. Navigate to: Event Viewer > Applications and Services Logs > Microsoft > Windows > CodeIntegrity > Operational
  3. Look for recent Warning or Error events that occurred at the time of the problem.
  4. Open the event and check whether it references an executable file (.exe) or library (.dll) that was blocked.

Information to Include in Your Support Request

Please provide:
  1. A screenshot of the event details.
  2. The complete event text.
  3. The full path of the blocked file (.exe or .dll).
  4. The Ergosoft RIP version in use.
  5. A brief description of the issue observed.
Alert
Important
A blocked file is not necessarily an Ergosoft component. The blocked file may belong to a printer manufacturer, cutter manufacturer, color measurement device manufacturer, or another third-party application installed on the RIP workstation. Providing the event details helps identify the affected component and determine the appropriate next steps.