[KB8515] Enable the OpenSSL 3.x support for ESET PROTECT On-Prem

Issue

Solution

Advanced security is enabled by default in ESET PROTECT On-prem 13
  • Certificates and certification authorities use SHA-256 (instead of SHA-1).
  • The ESET PROTECT Server uses the highest possible security (TLS 1.3 or 1.2) for communication with agents, Syslog and SMTP communication.
  • See more information on Advanced Security settings.

Certificate error for agents using earlier operating systems

You receive the following error when deploying agents on computers running older operating systems: Provided certificate is not valid PFX certificate or password does not match.

  1. Open ESET PROTECT On-Prem and log in.

  2. Click MoreSettings, expand Connection, disable the toggle next to Advanced security and restart the server service.

  3. Create Certificate Authority and Peer Certificate.

  4. Click MoreSettings, expand Connection, enable the toggle next to Advanced security and restart the server service. 

  5. Select the new certificate when generating installers or deploying agents using the agent deployment task.

    Using certificates with disabled settings

    We do not recommend using certificates created when Advanced security is disabled, as security may be compromised.

  6. Create a new agent policy to distribute the new certificates to clients on an older operating system.


Upgrade OpenSSL 1.1.1 to OpenSSL 3.x

Existing ESET PROTECT On-Prem environments that use OpenSSL 1.1.1 can upgrade to OpenSSL 3.x.

The safer way to upgrade OpenSSL is to upgrade the entire operating system.

OpenSSL is used by critical services such as: SSH, Apache, Nginx, System package managers, Git, Curl, many libraries and compiled apps.

Upgrading OpenSSL is unsafe because any component that depends on the system version might break due to incompatibility.
  1. Download and build/install OpenSSL 3.x on the server.

  2. Run the ESET PROTECT Server installation command again to link to the OpenSSL 3.x libraries.

  3. Create Certificate Authority and Peer Certificate. The new certificates will facilitate the OpenSSL 3.x algorithms.

  4. Create a new agent policy to distribute the new certificates to eligible clients. The original certificates are still available and can be used to connect earlier devices that do not recognize the new CA.