safelist

Safelist, also called an allowlist, is a collection of items explicitly permitted to bypass certain filters or access controls. Items on a safelist are treated as trusted and are allowed to pass or operate without the usual checks, while anything not on the safelist is subject to blocking or additional verification. Safelists are used to reduce false positives in automated systems and to ensure that legitimate sources, content, or software are not inadvertently blocked.

Common applications include email filtering (safe senders and domains), network and endpoint security (IP addresses or digital signatures that are permitted to communicate or execute), and content management or software deployment (trusted URLs, domains, or executables that are allowed).

Management and risks: Safelists require ongoing maintenance to remain accurate. Entries can become outdated, misused if compromised, or overwhelmed by size, which can erode security. Organizations typically limit safelist scope, implement time-based expirations, and require formal approval for changes; online reputation and monitoring may be used to keep the list trustworthy.

Naming and terminology: The term safelist is related to allowlist and whitelist. Some organizations prefer allowlist as a more neutral term, while safelist emphasizes trust conferred to listed items. Standards vary by industry and platform.

See also: allowlist, whitelist, blocklist, filter.