To improve security, you can bind Deep Security Agent to a specific Deep Security
Manager. The instructions vary depending on if you're using manager-initiated activation
or agent-initiated activation. Follow the instructions below, depending on your environment:
Manager-initiated activation
During agent-manager communications, Deep Security Agent can authenticate the identity
of its manager. It does this by comparing your trusted manager's certificate to the
connecting manager's certificate. If they don't match, manager authentication fails
and
the agent won't connect.
This prevents agents from activating with or connecting to a malicious server that
is
pretending to be your Deep Security Manager. This is recommended especially if agents
connect through an untrusted network such as the Internet.
To do this, you must configure each agent with the trusted manager's server certificate
so that they can recognize their authorized manager before they try to connect.
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NoteIf you reset or deactivate an agent, it deletes the Deep Security Manager
certificate. Repeat these steps if you want to reactivate the agent.
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On Deep Security Manager, run the command to export its server certificate:
dsm_c -action exportdsmcert -output ds_agent_dsm.crt [-tenantname TENANTNAME | -tenantid TENANTID]
where:-
ds_agent_dsm.crt is the name of the manager's server certificate.
Note
You must use this exact file name. You cannot rename it. -
-tenantname TENANTNAME
is the name of a Deep Security tenant. If the Deep Security Manager is multi-tenant, either this or the-tenantid
parameter is required. See also Set up a multi-tenant environment. -
-tenantid TENANTID
is the ID of a tenant.
If you have multiple tenants, run the command to export the first tenant's certificate, like this:dsm_c -action exportdsmcert -output ds_agent_dsm.crt -tenantname TENANT1
and then continue to the next step. (Don't run the export command again for TENANT2 and others until you are finished with the certificate for TENANT1. The command will overwrite the file.) -
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On each agent's computer, put the ds_agent_dsm.crt file in this folder:
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Windows: %ProgramData%\Trend Micro\ Deep Security Agent\dsa_core
-
Linux: /var/opt/ds_agent/dsa_core
If you have multiple tenants, copy each tenant's certificate file only to its own agents. Agents cannot be activated by other tenants. -
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If you have a multi-tenant Deep Security Manager, repeat the previous 2 steps for each tenant.
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NoteInitially, after completing these steps, the agent enters a 'pre-activated' state.
Until the agent is fully activated, operations initiated by other Deep Security
Managers or by entering commands to the agent via
dsa_control do not
work. This is intentional. Normal operation resumes upon activation. |
Agent-initiated activation
During agent activation, Deep Security Agent can authenticate the identity of its
Deep
Security Manager by pinning the manager's certificate to the agent. It does this by
validating the connecting manager’s certificate path and ensuring it is signed by
a
trusted Certificate Authority (CA). If the certificate path is validated, the manager
authentication passes and activates the agents. This prevents agents from activating
with a malicious server that is pretending to be your Deep Security Manager.
To protect your agents, you must configure each agent so that they can recognize their
authorized manager before they try to activate.
Import a Deep Security Manager certificate chain issued by a public CA
-
Prepare a chain.pem file based on the following specifications:
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A private key in PKCS #8 format.
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The X509 certificate that corresponds to the above private key.
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Any other intermediate X509 certificates to build a chain of trust from the above to certificate to a trusted certificate authority (CA) root. Each certificate must sign the certificate that directly precedes it, so the order is important. See certificate_list in the RFC.
-
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On Deep Security Manager, run the following command to import the certificate chain:
/opt/dsm/dsm_c -action agentHBPublicServerCertificate -set ${path_to_pem_file}
Note
The ${path_to_pem_file} must be an absolute path, not relative.
-
Copy the public CA certificate and rename it
ds_agent_dsm_public_ca.crt
. -
On the agent computer, place the
ds_agent_dsm_public_ca.crt
file in one of these locations:-
Windows:
%ProgramData%\Trend Micro\Deep Security Agent\dsa_core
-
Linux/Unix:
/var/opt/ds_agent/dsa_core
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NoteIf you've installed Deep Security Manager 20.0.262 and are activating Deep Security
Agent 20.0.1540 or a newer agent, the following error message appears upon
activation, which indicates you have not pinned the manager's certificate to the
agent:
[Warning/2] | SSLVerifyCallback() - verify error 20: unable to get local
issuer certificate Pinning a trusted certificate is optional, so you can ignore this error if it doesn't
apply to you. However, if you'd like to use a trusted certificate, follow the steps
in the section above before activating the Deep Security Agent.
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Confirm the certificate chain is imported
To confirm the certificate chain is imported, enter the following command:
/opt/dsm/dsm_c -action agentHBPublicServerCertificate -isSet
Delete the imported certificate chain
If you'd like to stop using a Deep Security Manager certificate chain issued by a
public CA, enter the following command:
/opt/dsm/dsm_c -action agentHBPublicServerCertificate -delete
By default, the Deep Security Manager will revert to using a self-signed certificate.