CertKit is a cloud-based solution that automates the issuance and management of public TLS certificates. It also provides certificate monitoring and alerting for public-facing workloads. However, many organizations have internal (non-public-facing) services that also use TLS. CertKit agent v1.13.0, currently in preview, closes this gap by providing visibility into TLS certificates used by intranet resources. After installing the latest release of the agent, CertKit can now provide visibility into the status of TLS certificates for internal resources.
Intranet Monitoring
After installing or updating the CertKit agent to v1.13.0, administrators can select an internal TLS service to monitor. Follow the steps below to enable this feature.
Certificate Collection
I recommend creating a separate Certificate Collection to support intranet monitoring. In the CertKit management console, click Add Collection, enter a unique, descriptive name, and click Add Collection.
Install the Agent
Once the new collection is created, navigate to the Agents tab, select your platform, then download, install, and register the agent.
Monitor New Host
After the agent is installed and registered, navigate to the Monitoring tab and click Monitor New Host. Enter the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the resource and specify its TLS port. Under Host Visibility, select Internal, and then choose the agent to monitor the host from. When finished, click Monitor Host.
Note: The server running the CertKit agent does not require a TLS certificate of its own to monitor internal resources.
Monitored Hosts
CertKit can track certificates for any internal workload that uses TLS. In this example, the monitored resources include web applications, security appliances, load balancers, and HTTP CRL distribution points. The list also includes LDAPS on the domain controllers and the RDP and WinRM HTTPS services on the management workstation.
The circle next to each resource indicates its certificate status. Green indicates a healthy certificate, yellow indicates one approaching expiration, and red indicates an expired certificate or another detected issue.
Note: The RDP certificate on the management workstation appears red because it contains only the Remote Desktop Authentication EKU (1.3.6.1.4.1.311.54.1.2). It intentionally does not include Server Authentication, which CertKit currently expects when validating the service. CertKit is aware of this limitation and plans to address it in a future release.
Host Discovery
CertKit provides robust discovery for public websites but does not currently offer equivalent functionality for intranet resources. Administrators can identify internal systems listening on a specific port by using Nmap.
nmap.exe -Pn -p [port] --open [internal subnet]
For example:
nmap.exe -Pn -p 443 --open 172.16.0.0/24
Alternatively, add the -oX switch to save the output in XML format.
nmap.exe -Pn -p 443 --open 172.16.0.0/24 -oX scan.xml
The resulting Nmap XML file output can be converted to CSV format using this PowerShell code.
Summary
CertKit agent v1.13.0 extends certificate monitoring to internal TLS services, giving administrators greater visibility into certificates that were previously difficult to track. Although intranet host discovery remains a manual process, tools such as Nmap and PowerShell can help identify resources to add to the monitoring platform
Getting Started with CertKit
Need help improving certificate visibility and management across your organization? Want to automate public TLS certificate enrollment for workloads such as DirectAccess, Always On VPN, IIS, SQL, and more? I can help you assess your certificate environment, identify monitoring gaps, and develop a strategy for managing certificates across internal and public-facing workloads. Fill out the form below, and I’ll provide you with more information.
Additional Information
CerKit Agent Support for Always On VPN SSTP and DirectAccess IPHTTPS TLS Certificates
IIS TLS Certificate Deployment with CertKit
The Case for 6-Day Public TLS Certificates
DirectAccess IPHTTPS and Let’s Encrypt 6-Day TLS Certificates
DirectAccess is a thing of beauty when everything is working as it should. When it isn’t, troubleshooting can be quite challenging. DirectAccess relies on many Windows platform technologies such as Active Directory for authentication, PKI for certificate management, group policy for settings deployment, IPsec for encryption, and IPv6 for transport. With so many dependencies, locating the source of the problem can be a difficult and daunting task.
