Can’t seem to block the Perplexity Comet app on Windows devicesSolved

Hey @gnishilda ,

Yeah, I’ve had something similar happen before. Sometimes the block doesn’t work because the Publisher name in the rule isn’t in the right format.

Hexnode relies on the exact digital signature to match the app, so if the Publisher name doesn’t follow the proper structure, it just doesn’t register as a match. You might need to verify the full publisher string again; it should start with something like O=.

Hmm, interesting I didn’t know the format mattered that much. I just copied the publisher’s name from the file’s Properties > Digital Signatures tab.

Is there a better way to check what the correct one should look like? I’m on a Windows 11 Pro device, if that helps.

Yep, you can find the exact valid publisher’s name using the Local Security Policy editor (secpol.msc). Here’s how:

1. Press Windows + R, type secpol.msc, and hit Enter.
2. Go to Application Control Policies > AppLocker > Executable Rules.
3. Right-click Executable Rules and select Create New Rule.
4. Go through the wizard until you can browse and select the Perplexity Comet executable file.

When you reach that step, the full Publisher name (starting with something like O=PERPLEXITY AI, INC., L=San Francisco, S=California, C=US) will appear.

That’s the exact string you need to use in your Hexnode rule. The rule in Hexnode must match this publisher format exactly for the block to apply.

Once you’ve got that right, the restriction should work as expected.