[KB7857] Set up an HTTPS/SSL connection for ESET PROTECT On-Prem (Linux)

• You receive the warning message "Using unencrypted connection! Please configure the webserver to use HTTPS" when accessing ESET PROTECT On-Prem via HTTP
• Use an existing certificate 
• Create a new certificate and get it signed

The error message "Using unencrypted connection! Please configure the webserver to use HTTPS" may appear when accessing ESET PROTECT On-Prem via HTTP. This occurs after the ESET PROTECT On-Prem installation.

Create a new certificate and get it signed

Use a secure HTTPS/SSL connection for ESET PROTECT On-Prem.

1. Create a keystore with an SSL certificate. You must have Java installed.

   Apache Tomcat requires Java:

   • Verify that Java, ESET PROTECT On-Prem, and Apache Tomcat have the same bitness.

   • If you have multiple Java versions installed on your system, we recommend that you uninstall earlier Java versions and keep only the latest Java.

   • Oracle JAVA SE public updates for business, commercial or production use require a commercial license. If you do not purchase a JAVA SE license, you can use this guide to transition to a no-cost alternative.

   Java includes the keytool, which enables you to create a certificate via command line.

   1. You must generate a new certificate for each Tomcat instance (if you have multiple Tomcat instances) to ensure that if one certificate is compromised, other Tomcat instances will remain secure. Below is a sample command to create a keystore with an SSL certificate.

   2.  Navigate to the exact location of the keytool file, for example /usr/lib/jvm/”java version”/jre/bin (the directory depends on the OS and Java version) and run the command: 

      sudo keytool -genkeypair -alias "tomcat" -keyalg RSA -keysize 4096 -validity 3650 -keystore "/etc/tomcat/tomcat.keystore" -storepass "yourpassword" -keypass "yourpassword" -dname "CN=Unknown, OU=Unknown, O=Unknown, L=Unknown, ST=Unknown, C=Unknown"

      The file path /etc/tomcat/tomcat.keystore It is only an example; choose your own secure and accessible destination.

      -storepass and -keypass parameters

      Values for -storepass and -keypass must be the same.

2. Export the certificate from the keystore. Below is a sample command to export the certificate sign request from the keystore:

   sudo keytool -certreq -alias tomcat -file "/etc/tomcat/tomcat.csr" -keystore "/etc/tomcat/tomcat.keystore" -ext san=dns:ESETPROTECT

   Replace values appropriately

   • Replace the value "/etc/tomcat/tomcat.csr" for the -file parameter with the actual path and filename where you want the certificate to be exported.

   • Replace the value ESETPROTECT for the -ext parameter with the actual hostname of the server on which your Apache Tomcat with ESET PROTECT On-Prem is running.

3. Get the SSL certificate signed with the Root Certificate Authority (CA) of your choice.

   You can proceed to step 6 if you plan to import a Root CA later. If you choose to proceed this way your web browser may display warnings about a self-signed certificate and you will need to add an exception to connect to ESET PROTECT On-Prem via HTTPS.

4. Import the root certificate and intermediate certificate of your CA to your keystore. These certificates are usually made available by the entity that signed your certificate. It is necessary because the certificate reply is validated using trusted certificates from the keystore.

   sudo keytool -import -alias root -file "/etc/Tomcat/root.crt" -keystore "/etc/tomcat/tomcat.keystore"

   sudo keytool -import -alias intermediate -file "/etc/Tomcat/intermediate.crt.pem" -keystore "/etc/tomcat/tomcat.keystore"

5. When you receive the signed certificate with the Root CA, import the public key of CA and the certificate (tomcat.cer) into your keystore. Below is a sample command that imports a signed certificate into the keystore:

   sudo keytool -import -alias tomcat -file "/etc/tomcat/tomcat.cer" -keystore "/etc/tomcat/tomcat.keystore"

   Replace values appropriately

   Replace the value /etc/tomcat/tomcat.csr for the -file parameter with the actual path and filename of the signed certificate.

   If you want to use an existing certificate (for example, a company certificate), follow these instructions.

6. Edit the server.xml configuration file so that the tag <‎Connector is written similar to the example below:

   <Connector server="OtherWebServer" port="443" protocol="org.apache.coyote.http11.Http11NioProtocol" SSLEnabled="true" maxThreads="150" scheme="https" secure="true" clientAuth="false" sslProtocol="TLS" keystoreFile="/etc/tomcat/tomcat.keystore" keystorePass="yourpassword"/>

   This modification also disables non-secure Tomcat features, leaving only HTTPS enabled (scheme= parameter). For security reasons, you may also need to edit tomcat-users.xml to delete all Tomcat users and change ServerInfo.properties to hide the identity of the Tomcat.

7. Restart the Apache Tomcat service. ESET PROTECT On-Prem may use the service name tomcat9.

   sudo systemctl restart tomcat

   Secure connection still failing on Linux

   Important content goes here.

   The following error message might appear in the /var/....../tomcat directory: "failed to initialize end point associated with ProtocolHandler ["http-bio-443"]."

   If the problem persists, change the port in the server.xml file to a value higher than 1024, because ports below 1024 may not be accessible to non-root users. If, for some reason, you have to use port 443, you can still change the value and then forward the port.

   Follow the steps below to enable port redirection (for example, from port 443 to port 8443):

   1. Allow remote Web Console access:

      sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp -m tcp --dport 8443 -j ACCEPT

      Alternatively, you can open and edit the firewall configuration file (nano /etc/sysconfig/iptables) and add this line to the section starting with *nat and ending with COMMIT:

      -A PREROUTING -p tcp -m tcp --dport 443 -j REDIRECT --to-ports |8443)

   2. Remove port 8080 to disable HTTP:

      sudo iptables -D INPUT -p tcp -m tcp --dport 8080 -j ACCEPT

   3. Save the Firewall rules:

      iptables-save > /etc/network/iptables.rules

   4. Disable SELinux. The instructions provided may differ based on your Linux distribution.