Backseat

Backseat is a cross-platform and cross-ditribution GNU/Linux patch management tool.

Table of Contents

• Features
• Implementation
• Configuration
• Acknowledgments

Dependencies

• PyCryptodome

Features

The Backseat agent is capable of:

• Installing missing patches based on Backseat server selections.
• Execute commands issued from Backseat server.

On each heartbeat:

• Send results of cammands that were run
• Send local information about the machine.

The Backseat server is capable of:

• Managing endpoints across major GNU/Linux distributions. No count limit!
• Sending commands to individual or groups of endpoints.
• Orchestrating patch installation.

All network communication between agent and server occurs with the content of the packets encrypted using public encryption.

Implementation

Server

This is brain of the operation. It holds all the depots which hold the commands to be run by each Endpoint.

Endpoint

Endpoints send message to the server to see if there are any commands for the Endpoint to run. The Endpoint runs the command(s) and sends back the results.

Configuration

host.config

The format for a line in the host.config file is:

|Endpoint Name| |Endpoint OS| |Endpoint's public key|

Explaination:

|Endpoint Name|: This is a name that you come up with in order to keep track of this host. This is for your use and does not have any bearing on how the code acts.

|Endpoint OS|: This the the operating system that the endpoint is running.

|Endpoint's public key|: This is the Endpoint't public key. This is needed so that signed messages can be verified

Each line in the file is 1 endpoint.

server_info.config

The configuration of this file needs to be done for both the server and the endpoint. The endpoint uses this information in order to connect with the server.

Format: |Server IP| |Server Port| |Server Public Key|

Explaination:

|Server IP|: The server's IP.

|Server Port|: The server's Port.

|Server Public Key|: The Server's Public Key.

accounts.config

The accounts.config file is used to register users with the server. Basically, it determines who has access to the server.

Format: |username (in plain text)|,|Hashed password|

Explaination:

|username|: The username used for server access in plain text.

|Hashed password|: The hash of the password using SHA512. There is a function in account_handler.py (called add_account) that will be useful to use in order to add an account.

Each line is 1 username and password pair.

Acknowledgements