Manage SSL Certificates69 minutes to read
Create, discover and store SSL certificates in the centralized repository of PAM360. Raise requests for new certificates and domain additions to the existing certificates. You receive notifications when the certificates are about to expire, to help you with their timely renewal. Use PAM360 to:
Steps to Manage SSL Certificates
1. Discover Certificates in your NetworkYou can automatically discover all the certificates available in your network using PAM360, irrespective of the CA. You can discover the certificates anytime as needed or periodically based on scheduled tasks. The discovery options are quite flexible - you can discover certificates from a single server or multiple servers, and from multiple ports, at one go. PAM360 also allows users to rediscover the expired and about-to-expire certificates from the 'Certificate Expiry' widget in the Dashboard. 1.1 Discover SSL Certificates On DemandTo discover the certificates manually:
Notes:
Note:You can specify multiple ports separated by commas for the discovery of SSL certificates in a single discovery instance. ![]() 1.2 Discover SSL Certificates from SMTP ServersYou can discover SSL certificates used by mail servers present in your network and consolidate them in PAM360's centralized certificate repository. To perform mail server certificate discovery:
![]() 1.3 Discover SSL Certificates Deployed to Load BalancersPAM360 allows you to discover SSL certificates deployed to load balancers, within your network, and consolidate them in its secure, centralized repository. As of now, PAM360 supports discovery of certificates from Linux-based load balancers only (i.e., Nginx, F5, etc) and the process is tunnelled via SSH. To perform load balancer certificate discovery:
![]() Note: During the Citrix REST API-based load balancer discovery, the user credentials you provide must have sufficient permissions to read files and for REST API access. Therefore, to ensure success of the discovery, it is recommended that you supply the credentials of an account which has the superadmin role. 1.4 Discovering SSL Certificates deployed to Fortigate FirewallYou can discover SSL certificates deployed to the FortiGate Firewalls within your network and consolidate them in a secure, centralized repository of PAM360. Do the steps that follow to perform FortiGate Firewall certificate discovery:
![]() Now, you can view the discovered certificates deployed to FortiGate Firewall from the Certificates tab. 1.5 Discovering SSL Certificates from a Shared Directory PathPAM360 allows you to discover SSL certificates that are saved in a shared directory path within your network and consolidate them in its secure, centralized repository. Using this option, you can discover all the certificate files saved in a particular folder and then, either add all the certificates to the repository or choose the ones you want to import. During the discovery process, PAM360 will scan only the folder specified in the path and nowhere else in the target machine. Follow the below steps to discover and import SSL certificates from a shared directory path:
To check the status of the discovery, click the Discovery Audit tab. Note: Certificate files that are over 30 KB in size will not be imported during this discovery operation. ![]() ![]() 1.6 Discover SSL certificates using the Key Manager Plus (KMP) AgentYou can discover SSL certificates deployed across your network using the KMP agent right from the PAM360 web interface. This functionality enables you to download and deploy KMP Windows agent to target systems. It also allows you to discover and import the certificates from those systems into a centralized certificate repository directly from the PAM360 web interface. The server(s) in which the agent is deployed is connected to the PAM360 server via a secure HTTPS connection. Discovering certificates through the KMP agent is helpful in the following scenarios:
To discover the SSL certificates using the KMP agent, you need to download and install the agent first. Follow the steps below: To perform SSL certificate discovery through KMP agent:
The certificates are discovered from the servers in which the agent is installed and imported into PAM360's certificate repository. 1.6.1 Discover SSL Certificates from a Directory Path in a Remote MachinePAM360 allows you to discover SSL certificates that are saved in a directory path in a remote machine that is not directly accessible by the PAM360 server—this is achieved through the Key Manager Plus agent. Once the certificates are discovered, you can consolidate them into PAM360's centralized repository. Using this option, you can discover all the certificate files saved in a particular folder and either add all the certificates to the repository or select only the ones you require. During the discovery process, the Key Manager Plus agent will scan only the folder specified in the path and nowhere else in the target machine. Follow the below steps to discover and import SSL certificates from a directory path in remote machine:
To check the status of discovery, click the Discovery Audit tab. Notes:
1.7 Discover SSL Certificates Automatically Through SchedulesSSL Certificate discovery can also be scheduled to occur at periodic intervals.
You will get a message confirming addition of a new schedule. 1.8 Discover SSL Certificates Mapped to User Accounts in Active DirectoryPAM360 helps you discover and manage the certificates mapped to user accounts in Active Directory. To perform AD user certificate discovery,
![]() 1.8.1 Manage SSL Certificates from MS Certificate Store and Local CAPAM360 helps you request, acquire, discover, consolidate, track and manage certificates from MS Certificate Store and those issued by Local certificate authority. Before importing / acquiring certificates from MS Certificate Store and Local CA, ensure that you use your domain administrator account as PAM360' service logon account.
Note: During Windows Certificate Store discovery, if the target server name is not specified, choosing Get Stores option will list down all the certificate stores available in the local host. ![]() To request and acquire certificates stored in Local CA from PAM360, you have to initially generate a certificate signing request, then get it signed from the local certificate authority using the steps mentioned below.
![]() You can also get the CSR signed from Microsoft Certificate Authority directly from PAM360 itself.
![]() 1.8.2 Rediscover SSL CertificatesFrom build 5300 onwards, PAM360 allows you to rediscover SSL certificates from the same source using the server details entered during the previous discovery operation. Follow the below steps to perform certificate rediscovery:
The rediscovery operation begins immediately. You can track the discovery status in the Discovery Audit page. Please note that for agent-based discovery to work properly, upgrade Key Manager Plus Agent to version 6000 before commencing the discovery operation. 1.8.3 The Centralized Certificate RepositoryAll the discovered SSL certificates, those that are discovered manually as well as those discovered through scheduled discovery operations are automatically added to the centralized repository of PAM360. You can view these certificates under the Certificates >> Certificates option in the user interface.
i. Search SSL CertificatesPAM360 allows you to search certificates using Common Name, DNS Name, Issuer, Key Size, Signature Algorithm, Description, additional fields, etc.
1.8.4 Export Private Key/Keystore FilePAM360 allows you to identify and export the private keys / keystore files of SSL certificates stored in the certificate repository. You can also export certificates in other formats such as PKCS12/PFX or PEM format. Click the Keystore icon ( To export the private key or the certificate file:
1.8.5 Track and Manage Various Certificate VersionsSometimes, there occurs a situation where you have to use different certificates on different end-servers for the same domain. Under such circumstances, it is necessary for you to track the usage and expiry of all these certificates individually even though they represent a common domain. Monitoring various such certificate versions manually is daunting and error-prone. PAM360 helps you simultaneously track and manage the usage and expiry of various certificate versions from a single window. To track certificate versions,
1.8.6 Update Servers with Latest Certificate VersionsIn case of wildcard certificates or single SSL certificate deployed to multiple servers, it is necessary to keep track of servers in which the certificate is deployed and also check if the latest certificate version is in use. PAM360 helps you ensure this.
Also, you can edit details pertaining to a particular certificate or delete irrelevant certificates by selecting the certificate and clicking the More dropdown. 1.9 Discover SSL Certificates Hosted on AWS (ACM & IAM)PAM360 enables you to discover, import, and configure expiry notifications for SSL certificates hosted in the following Amazon Web Services: AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) and AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM). Follow the steps below to discover and import SSL certificates from ACM / IAM into PAM360. Navigate to Certificates >> Discovery >> AWS. Step 1: Configure AWS credentials in PAM360Follow the below steps if you have not added an AWS-IAM resource in PAM360: To add your AWS credentials in PAM360,
![]() If you have already added an AWS-IAM resource in PAM360,
Step 2: Discovery and Import
User certificates are imported into PAM360. 1.10 Discover SSL Certificates using ManageEngine Mobile Device Manager PlusPAM360 integrates with ManageEngine Mobile Device Manager Plus (MDM). Once the integration is done, you can discover and import SSL certificates from the devices managed through your MDM server and store the SSL certificates in the PAM360 repository. You can also deploy SSL certificates from PAM360 to the mobile devices listed in your MDM environment. Refer to this document for steps on how to discover certificates using ManageEngine MDM. 2. Create Self-Signed CertificatesPAM360 allows administrators to create their own self-signed certificates using Java keytool. These certificates are automatically imported into the PAM360 repository on successful creation. To create a self-signed certificate using PAM360:
(Applicable from build 5000 onwards) Note: Apart from having a wildcard certificate name in the Common Name field, you can add the wildcard name in the SAN field while creating a self-signed certificate. With wildcard certificates, one can secure an unlimited number of subdomains for a registered base-domain. For example, consider the base-domain zoho.com, a wildcard certificate for *.zoho.com can secure any-subdomain.zoho.com. The asterisk (*) is the wildcard that corresponds to any valid subdomain. ![]() ![]() 3. Generate CSRsThe following steps explain in detail how to generate a CSR from PAM360:
Note: You can also choose from a CSR template. Click the Manage CSR Templates link and choose one. Note: The Administrator can grant access to an operator to sign the CSR. To grant access, navigate to Settings >> SSL >> Approval, select Enable/Disable certificate sign permission for the operator globally, and click Save. (Applicable from build 5000 onwards) Note: Apart from having a wildcard certificate name in the Common Name field, you can add the wildcard name in the SAN field while creating a self-signed certificate. With wildcard certificates, one can secure an unlimited number of subdomains for a registered base-domain. For example, consider the base-domain zoho.com, a wildcard certificate for *.zoho.com can secure any-subdomain.zoho.com. The asterisk (*) is the wildcard that corresponds to any valid subdomain. ![]() 3.1 Managing CSR
![]() Note: Self-signed certificates and CSRs can be generated using RSA / DSA / EC key algorithms and SHA signature algorithm as per the details below: 4. Certificate SigningPAM360 provides the option to sign and issue certificates to all clients in your network either from your Microsoft Certificate Authority or using a custom root CA certificate that is trusted within your environment. To request and acquire certificates from Local CA from PAM360, you have to initially generate a CSR, then get it signed from the local certificate authority using the steps mentioned below. There are three ways to sign your certificates:
Navigate to Certificates >> CSR. 4.1 Microsoft Certificate AuthorityYou can get the CSR signed from Microsoft Certificate Authority from PAM360.
![]() The CSR is signed and the issued certificate can be viewed from Certificates >> Certificates. Notes:
4.2 Microsoft CA with Agent
The CSR is signed and the issued certificate can be viewed from Certificates >> Certificates. 4.3 Sign with RootPAM360 provides the option to sign and issue certificates to all clients in your network either from your Microsoft Certificate Authority or using a custom root CA certificate that is trusted within your environment.
4.3.1 Create a custom root CATo sign locally generated certificate requests with the root CA certificate, you have to initially create a custom root CA.
The chosen certificate is successfully denominated as a root CA certificate and is listed under the Root Certificate tab. You can then use this certificate to sign locally generated certificate requests.
Note: You can also generate new root CA certificates from PAM360 by enabling Generate root certificate check-box while creating a certificate from Certificates >> Certificates >> Create. 4.3.2 Sign certificates with the custom root CATo sign certificates with the custom root CA, generate a certificate signing request (CSR) and then sign it using the root certificate.
The certificate is signed based on the selected root certificate and is listed under Certificates >> Certificates tab.
Also, you can use the root CA certificate to simultaneously generate and sign certificates to user groups in bulk directly from PAM360.
The certificate is signed and you can find listed in PAM360's certificate repository.
The sign type Active Directory Users allows you to generate and sign certificates to user accounts mapped to the Active Directory within your network environment.
![]() 4.3.3 Deploy the signed certificate to target systemsAfter signing the certificate requests and obtaining the certificate, you have to deploy them to the necessary end-servers. Refer to this section of help for step-by-step explanation on certificate deployment. Note: When signing certificates with custom root CA for web-applications, make sure all the browsers in your network are configured to trust the root CA certificate in order to avoid security error messages. 5. Import and Export Certificates5.1 Allowed Certificate TypesPAM360 allows you to import and export the following certificate types:
5.2 Steps to Import the Certificates in your NetworkIn addition to certificate discovery, PAM360 provides a few other ways in which you can manually add SSL certificates into the repository. To do so, follow the below steps:
5.3 Steps to Import Issuer CertificatesPAM360 allows you to import issuer certificates into the repository and build a complete certificate chain in the product.
5.4 Steps to Export the Certificates in your Network
6. Certificate RenewalThe Certificates tab in PAM360 is a centralized console where all types of SSL certificates such as Self Signed, Root Signed, Microsoft CA Signed, certificates issued by third-party CAs etc., are consolidated and displayed. Through the Renew option, these certificate types can be renewed in the Certificates tab directly. These renewed certificates will automatically inherit the deployed servers and their credentials. For certificates issued by third-party CAs, the renewal will be initiated and redirected to the respective CA's tab. To proceed further, follow the below steps:
i. Self Signed Certificate RenewalTo renew a Self Signed certificate, follow the below steps:
The certificate will be renewed successfully and the Valid To date will change according to the new validity period specified. ii. Root Signed Certificate RenewalTo renew a Root Signed certificate, follow the below steps:
The certificate will be renewed successfully and the Valid To date will change according to the new validity period specified. iii. Microsoft CA Signed/Signed with Agent Certificate RenewalTo renew a Microsoft CA signed certificate, follow the below steps:
In addition to the above types, third-party CA signed certificates can also be renewed using this renewal option. Follow the same procedure to initiate renewal and PAM360 will redirect the renewal request to the respective third-party CA. Follow the steps detailed in the next section to learn how to set up auto-renewal for certificates in PAM360. 6.1 Auto RenewalCertificates issued by Local CA can be renewed automatically from the Admin page in PAM360. To enable auto-renewal of Local CA certificates, follow the below steps:
![]() 7. Certificate HistoryPAM360 allows you to group the certificates under a common name. To enable this,
Note: On certificate renewal, the older version of the renewed certificate will be moved to Certificate History. 8. SSL FingerprintBy default, the SSL certificates in PAM360 are configured with SHA1 fingerprint value. If you need your SSL certificates to be updated with SHA256 fingerprint value for increased security reasons, follow the below steps:
9. Certificates Sync StatusPAM360 allows users to perform periodic and automatic checks on the synchronization status on the SSL certificates deployed to multiple servers.
10. ACME ProvidersWith the Automated Certificate Management Environment (ACME) of PAM360, the system's certificate management capabilities are significantly elevated. ACME streamlines the entire process of acquiring, renewing, and revoking SSL/TLS certificates. This automation of the certificate lifecycle management effectively reduces the administrative burden associated with manual certificate provisioning. Just as with its integration with renowned certificate authorities like Let's Encrypt, Buypass Go SSL, and ZeroSSL, which offer automated SSL/TLS certificate management, you have the flexibility to incorporate other ACME service providers into PAM360. This empowers you to efficiently manage certificates with automated precision. To do so,
![]() Note: Automatic renewals are applicable only for those certificates saved in the PAM360 repository. If agent mapping has been configured, the certificate renewal process is done automatically without manual intervention. All the certificates in your organization procured from the ACME providers will be automatically renewed 15 days before their expiry, and a notification will be sent to the accounts holder's e-mail address. 11. Edit and Delete Certificates11.1 Steps to Edit a Certificate from PAM360 RepositoryTo edit a certificate from PAM360 repository:
Note: You will be able to deploy certificate to all servers on auto renewal only if the user credentials are available. Note: Click on the respective certificate from the Certificates tab to view the certificate details from the 'Certificate Details' window that opens. 11.2 Steps to Delete a Certificate from PAM360 RepositoryYou can delete the certificates that are currently not in use. To delete a certificate from PAM360 repository:
12. Certificate RequestsThe certificate request workflow is as follows:
12.1 Add Certificate RequestTo add requests for new certificates or addition of sub-domains to existing certificates, in PAM360:
![]() 12.2 Certificate Request StatusA certificate request is in either of the following statuses.
When a certificate request is raised, it is automatically elevated to the Open state. The request details can be viewed from Certificates >> Certificate Request, on clicking the domain name of the request. 12.3 Terminate the Certificate Request Life-cycle
![]() 13. Control Expiry Notification ScheduleYou can customize the periodicity of notifications you receive when a certificate is about to expire. To customize the notifications:
Note: You will receive notifications every day after the selected date before the expiry of a certificate. For instance, if a certificate is about to expire in the last week of a month, and you select the Notify if SSL certificates are expiring within 7 days option, then, you will receive a notification that your certificate is about to expire every day of the week before the expiry of the certificate. 14. Track Domain Expiration through WHOIS LookupApart from tracking certificate expiration, PAM360 also helps administrators keep a tab on their expiring domain names through an automated WHOIS look up. The domain expiration details fetched through the lookup are displayed in Certificates >> Certificates tab against its corresponding SSL certificate. Also, administrators can choose to receive timely email notifications of their expiring domains by configuring it under Admin >> SSH/SSL Config >> Notification. 14.1 How does the WHOIS lookup work?Fetching domain expiration details requires a two-stage lookup to WHOIS servers from PAM360. The first lookup provides the details of the WHOIS server with which the domain was registered by its domain registrar. The second lookup provides information about the domain such as owner details, expiration date etc., All these operations are automated the from PAM360's interface.
Note: Connection to WHOIS servers requires the use of Port 43. Ensure that port 43 is open in your environment, else the connection would fail and Domain Expiration will be marked Not Available (NA) in the Certificates tab. 15. SSL Certificate GroupPAM360 allows you to organize SSL certificates into various logical groups and execute actions in bulk on the groups. 15.1 Create Certificate GroupsTo create a certificate group,
Note: If you choose to group certificates based on criteria, the conditions will be applied to certificates discovered in the future and they will automatically be added to groups that match the criteria. ![]() 15.2 Edit Certificate GroupsTo make changes to existing certificate groups,
Note: The certificate group name cannot be modified. However, you can add or modify the list of certificates in a group or the description. 15.3 Delete Certificate GroupsTo delete a certificate group,
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