Introducing PAM360 Agent

PAM360 agents are lightweight software components deployed on endpoints or servers, either within an organization’s internal network or in external environments that are not directly connected to the network where the PAM360 server is deployed. These agents act as secure intermediaries between the endpoints and the PAM360 server, ensuring encrypted communication and seamless execution of privileged management tasks.

By leveraging PAM360 agents, administrators can extend secure control and automation to remote machines, regardless of their location. The agents enable critical operations such as password resets for local accounts, execution of privileged tasks, and other management activities that require a trusted channel of communication with the PAM360 server.

This comprehensive guide helps users understand the benefits of the PAM360 agent, its communication process with the PAM360 server, and the steps to download it.

Benefits of PAM360 Agent

• Facilitates password resets for Windows machines when the PAM360 server runs on a Linux system.
  
• Enables management of systems in a Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) or on different networks without direct connectivity to the PAM360 server.
  
• Allows remote password resets without storing administrative credentials locally on the PAM360 server.
• Permits password changes for domain accounts without requiring admin credentials for the domain controller.
  

Communication Between PAM360 Server and Agent

• Secure Communication: All password-related communication between the PAM360 server and the agent is securely conducted over HTTPS. The agent always initiates the connection, ensuring one-way communication.
• Outbound Traffic: The agent on target machines only requires access to the PAM360 web interface, meaning only the PAM360 web server needs to be available to the agent. This eliminates the need for firewall adjustments or VPN paths for inbound traffic.
• Periodic Pings: The agent periodically pings the PAM360 web server through HTTPS to check for pending operations. By default, this occurs every 60 seconds, but the interval can be adjusted. Once the agent contacts the server, the server triggers the list of tasks for the agent to execute on the remote resource. Upon completion, the agent notifies the server of the results.

Downloading the PAM360 Agents

The agent package is available for download through the PAM360 web interface and it includes the necessary executable and configuration files along with an SSL certificate for secure HTTPS communication between the agent and the PAM360 web server. To download the PAM360 agent:

1. Navigate to Admin >> Agents and select the agent packages available for the following operating systems. (Windows/Windows Domain/Linux/macOS)
2. In the pop-up that appears, copy the Agent Key using the copy icon beside it. This Agent Key is necessary to install the PAM360 agent in the target system and it can be used one time only. Once the Agent Key is supplied for an installation, it will become invalid.
3. To keep the agent key in active status for a longer period, select the option Allow the key to be active for: X hours and specify the number of hours. Now, the same Agent Key can be used for any number of agent installations within the specified time.

Refer to this documentation to learn more about installing the PAM360 agent.