Certificate handling in CapaInstaller

Owned by Martin Gudme Søndergaard
Nov 14, 2023
11 min read

Introduction

Before CapaInstaller Mobile Device Management is ready to communicate with 3. party mobile providers it's necessary to protect the data sent back and forth by the use of signed certificates.

This guide explains in a few simple steps how to secure your communications with Transport Layer Security and an Apple Push certificate.

 Read More

Recommendations

  • It's recommended using a certificate that supports at least TLS 1.2
  • The certificate should be signed with SHA-256
  • The Certificate Authority used needs to be trusted by the manufacturer of the devices you wish to manage

 Request a TLS certificate

 Click here to expand...

To secure your MDM communication you need a certificate issued to the domain where the MDM server resides.

In the case that there is no certificate associated with the domain where the MDM server a Certificate request to a trusted certificate authority provider should be initiated before proceeding.

As this can take some time, this should be done in due time before implementing MDM in your system.


CapaInstaller MDM supports wildcard certificates to lower implementation cost and time

New Apple Push Certificate Service

 Click here to expand...

In order to communicate with Apple devices, CapaInstaller relies on the Apple Push Notification service (APNs). The APNs requires that each service identifies itself by using a certificate issued by Apple, ensuring that only authorized services can contact Apple devices.

Before an APNs certificate can be issued using the Apple Push Certificate Portal, a certificate request must be generated and signed by an authorized MDM vendor, in this case, CapaSystems A/S. 

To upload the certificate request to Apple, an Apple ID is required. It is strongly recommended that a unique Apple ID is created for this purpose, DO NOT use your personal Apple ID for this.

StepAction
1

In the "System Administration"  menu "Actions", you will find the "Apple Push Certificate request.."

2

Wizard starts, press the "Next" button to proceed

3

If the "Verify OpenSSL" isn't status Passed go to /wiki/spaces/CI63DOC/pages/17179397371

If the "Verify access to Capainstaller certificate request signing service" isn't status passed you must:

First, try to open a browser on the machine from which you run this wizard. Open the following URL: http://certservice.capainstaller.com:7000/status

Ensure that port 7000 is opened from the CapaInstaller server out to the internet. The certificate request signing service is placed on a Capainstaller server at port 7000.

4

Select an output folder. Press the "Start" button, and click "Next" when the certificate request is finished

5Now you have created the certificate request which has been signed by CapaSystems and stored in the previously selected output folder
6

Press the "Open Apple Push Certificates Portal"

7

Login with your Apple Push Certificates Portal account

8

Press the "Renew" tab

9

If this disclaimer appears then just accept it


10

Press "Choose File" and select the file named: plist_encoded, it is stored in the output directory, and click "upload"

11

Now you should get the real certificate as shown in the picture.

First, you should open your calendar and insert an alert that will expire a month before the certificate's expiring date. This will help you recall when to get a new certificate.

12738px

You should now press the "Create Certificate File" button in the CapaInstaller certificate Wizard in order to continue certificate issuing process.

13

In the "Apple certificate File" select the certificate downloaded from the Apple push Cert page. (Named: MDM_something.pem)

When that is done, press the start tab and then click next

14

Now you have the Apple Push Certificate in your output folder (File extension is pfx)

15

Now you need to open MMC

16In MMC, click on → file → Add/remove snap-in...
17

Click on Certificates, and click Add.

18

Click on "Computer account" and click next.

19

Now click "Local computer: (the computer this console is running on)" and click finish

20

Click "OK"

21

Now expand Certificates, Right-click "personal" and under "All Tasks" click "Import"

22

Click next

23

Browse your certificate now, and click next

24

Click next

25

Click Next

26

Click finish

27

Now under "certificates", you can see your renewed Apple Push Certificate

28

Now go back to the CI Console → Click on System Administration → Right-click your MDM Service → Click on Service Settings

29

Under Service settings, click the configuration tab, scroll down to "Apple Push Certificates", click on the "..."

30

Click on the "..." 

31

select the renewed certificate, and click ok

32

now open the certificate store by opening run and typing "Certlm.msc" and then press Enter  

33

Right-click the Apple push certificate and click on "open" then go to the "Details" tap and find the "Thumbprint" menu and copy the text in the menu  

34

Paste the copied text under "thumbprint" in the Capa console and click "ok"

35

Now click ok 

36

Now restart your MDM Service, and you have renewed your Apple Push Certificate

37You made it well done!

For each certificate, there is an "Expiration Date", e.g. Apple requires the Apple Push Certificate to be renewed every 365 days. 

Best practice dictates to initiate the renewal request process in due time before they expire.

Without a valid certificate, the CapaInstaller MDM service will fail!

 Request and generate or update an Apple Push Certificate

 Click here to expand...

In order to communicate with Apple devices, CapaInstaller relies on the Apple Push Notification service (APNs). The APNs requires that each service identifies itself by using a certificate issued by Apple, ensuring that only authorized services can contact Apple devices.

Before an APNs certificate can be issued using the Apple Push Certificate Portal, a certificate request must be generated and signed by an authorized MDM vendor, in this case, CapaSystems A/S. 

To upload the certificate request to Apple, an Apple ID is required. It is strongly recommended that a unique Apple ID is created for this purpose, DO NOT use your personal Apple ID for this.

StepAction
1

In the "System Administration"  menu "Actions", you will find the "Apple Push Certificate request.."

2

Wizard starts, press the "Next" button to proceed

3

If the "Verify OpenSSL" isn't status Passed go to Install OpenSSL

If the "Verify access to Capainstaller certificate request signing service" isn't status passed you must:

First, try to open a browser on the machine from which you run this wizard. Open the following URL: http://certservice.capainstaller.com:7000/status

Ensure that port 7000 is opened from the CapaInstaller server out to the internet. The certificate request signing service is placed on a Capainstaller server at port 7000.

4

Select an output folder. Press the "Start" button, and click "Next" when the certificate request is finished

5Now you have created the certificate request which has been signed by CapaSystems and stored in the previously selected output folder
6

Press the "Open Apple Push Certificates Portal"

7

Login with your Apple Push Certificates Portal account

8

Press the "Renew" tab

9

If this disclaimer appears then just accept it


10

Press "Choose File" and select the file named: plist_encoded, it is stored in the output directory, and click "upload"

11

Now you should get the real certificate as shown in the picture.

First, you should open your calendar and insert an alert that will expire a month before the certificate's expiring date. This will help you recall when to get a new certificate.

12738px

You should now press the "Create Certificate File" button in the CapaInstaller certificate Wizard in order to continue certificate issuing process.

13

In the "Apple certificate File" select the certificate downloaded from the Apple push Cert page. (Named: MDM_something.pem)

When that is done, press the start tab and then click next

14

Now you have the Apple Push Certificate in your output folder (File extension is pfx)

15

Now you need to open MMC

16In MMC, click on → file → Add/remove snap-in...
17

Click on Certificates, and click Add.

18

Click on "Computer account" and click next.

19

Now click "Local computer: (the computer this console is running on)" and click finish

20

Click "OK"

21

Now expand Certificates, Right-click "personal" and under "All Tasks" click "Import"

22

Click next

23

Browse your certificate now, and click next

24

Click next

25

Click Next

26

Click finish

27

Now under "certificates", you can see your renewed Apple Push Certificate

28

Now go back to the CI Console → Click on System Administration → Right-click your MDM Service → Click on Service Settings

29

Under Service settings, click the configuration tab, scroll down to "Apple Push Certificates", click on the "..."

30

Click on the "..." 

31

select the renewed certificate, and click ok

32

now open the certificate store by opening run and typing "Certlm.msc" and then press Enter  

33

Right-click the Apple push certificate and click on "open" then go to the "Details" tap and find the "Thumbprint" menu and copy the text in the menu  

34

Paste the copied text under "thumbprint" in the Capa console and click "ok"

35

Now click ok 

36

Now restart your MDM Service, and you have renewed your Apple Push Certificate

37You made it well done!

For each certificate, there is an "Expiration Date", e.g. Apple requires the Apple Push Certificate to be renewed every 365 days. 

Best practice dictates to initiate the renewal request process in due time before they expire.

Without a valid certificate, the CapaInstaller MDM service will fail!

 Importing a certificate to the Windows Certificate Store

 Click here to expand...

There are several ways of importing a certificate file to the Windows Certificate Store.

CapaInstaller MDM requires a certificate signed with a private key. This will always be a .pfx file.

When you have generated the .pfx certificate file, follow the below steps to import into the Windows Certificate Store.


For a simple point and click method, follow these steps:

On the computer that the certificate is to be imported to, locate the .pfx file that was exported in the procedure described earlier in this article.

Right-click the file, and then click Install PFX.

When the Certificate Import Wizard starts, click Next.

On the File to Import page, click Next.

On the Password page, type the password for the private key in the Password box, and then click Next. 

On the Certificate Store page, click Automatically select the certificate store based on the type of certificate, and then click Next.

Click Finish.


Read more

Unlinking previously installed certificates

 Click here to expand...

To check for registered certificates you can open a command console as administrator and run the following command

Check for SSL bindings
netsh http show sslcert

This will give a list of all certificate bindings for ports and certificates. You can now remove the certificate binding for the desired port by running the following command

Remove SSL binding for port 443
netsh http delete sslcert ipport=0.0.0.0:443



If the verification phase fails, refer to the relevant document.