WebLinksLab - URL Security Analysis Platform

Overview

WebLinksLab is a comprehensive security analysis tool that provides:

• Malicious URL detection powered by VirusTotal API
• Safe URL interaction through isolated Docker environments
• Remote container deployment capabilities with NoVNC web-based Chrome access

Key Features

1. URL Threat Analysis
   Instant scanning using VirusTotal's threat intelligence database

2. Secure Sandbox Environment
   Docker-based isolation with:

   • NoVNC web interface
   • Chromium browser
   • Remote container deployment

3. API Integration
   FastAPI backend for scalable operations

System Requirements

Core Requirements

• Linux host system (Recommended: Ubuntu 20.04/22.04 LTS)
• Docker Engine 24.0+
• Python 3.8+
• Virtual environment (recommended)

Remote Machine Requirements

• Ubuntu Server 22.04 LTS
• Docker Engine 24.0+
• SSH server access
• Minimum 2GB RAM (4GB recommended)

Installation Guide

1. Docker Installation

# Remove old Docker versions
sudo apt-get remove docker docker-engine docker.io containerd runc

# Set up repository
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install \
    ca-certificates \
    curl \
    gnupg

sudo install -m 0755 -d /etc/apt/keyrings
curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg
sudo chmod a+r /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg

echo \
  "deb [arch="$(dpkg --print-architecture)" signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu \
  "$(. /etc/os-release && echo "$VERSION_CODENAME")" stable" | \
  sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null

# Install Docker Engine
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin

# Verify installation
sudo docker run hello-world

# add your user to docker group
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

# reboot your system 

sudo reboot -f 

2. Project Setup

git clone [Your-Repository-URL]
cd WebLinksLab

# Create and activate virtual environment
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate

# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Environment Configuration

1. Obtain VirusTotal API key from VirusTotal Portal
2. Configure .env file:

VIRUSTOTAL_API_KEY=your_api_key_here
REMOTE=remote_machine_ip

4. Remote Machine Setup

# Copy project files to remote
scp -r novnc-chrome user@remote_ip:/path/to/destination

# SSH into remote machine
ssh user@remote_ip

# Build Docker image
cd novnc-chrome
docker build -t dev-chrome1 .

5. SSH Key Configuration

# Generate SSH key pair 
ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096

# Copy public key to remote
ssh-copy-id -i ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub user@remote_ip

Application Execution

Start Services

Terminal 1 (Backend):

source venv/bin/activate
python3 backend.py

Terminal 2 (API Server):

source venv/bin/activate
cd API
uvicorn api:app --reload

Usage Instructions

1. Access web interface at http://localhost:8000
2. Enter target URL for analysis
3. Select isolation mode for container deployment:
   • Local analysis: Basic scanning
   • Remote isolation: Deploys secure container with web-based Chrome access

Security Considerations

1. API Key Protection
   Never commit .env file to version control

2. SSH Key Management
   Use passphrase-protected keys and rotate regularly

3. Container Security
   Regularly update Docker images and apply security patches

Troubleshooting

Docker Permission Issues:

sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
newgrp docker

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