Java and Webview2 Detection - Attack Surface Reduction (ASR) Rules

At times Java and Webview2 may be undetectable on the computer, it is possible that a firewall is blocking these on the computer. The IT department can provide information about firewall policies and whether WebView2 is intentionally blocked.

To check firewall policies i.e., ASR rules on a Windows PC using Windows PowerShell, refer to this article: [https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/security/defender-endpoint/enable-attack-surface-reduction?view=o365-worldwide]. This requires rights to open PowerShell in elevated mode (i.e., as an administrator). IT colleagues can assist with this investigation. A list can be obtained by running the following cmdlets in PowerShell (elevated mode):

Here is the command to try in the PowerShell.

Get-MPPreference | Select-Object -ExpandProperty AttackSurfaceReductionRules_Ids
Get-MPPreference | Select-Object -ExpandProperty AttackSurfaceReductionRules_Actions

An example rule if something comes up:

A couple of the ASR rules that could affect Accessibility Assistant include:

• Block all Office applications from creating child processes.
• Block Office communication application from creating child processes.

These rules prevent Office apps from creating child processes, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Access. Occasionally, these rules may interfere with Office plugins' ability to detect installed Java on the computer.

Resolution :

We can either disable these rules or add an exclusion to the files and folders in the rule.

However, we recommend adding an exclusion since disabling the rule could compromise the effectiveness or reliability of the organization's security setup. Contact the IT department to request the addition of an exclusion for the Java path. 

Ensure that the full path to the Java executable is added as an exclusion, as shown.