Ekran System – Full Manual - User Activity Monitoring Software

Transcription

Ekran System – Full Manual - User Activity Monitoring Software
Ekran System v.5.0
Help File
Table of Contents
About................................................................................................................................. 12
What’s New....................................................................................................................... 13
System Requirements .................................................................................................... 15
Program Structure........................................................................................................... 17
Getting Started................................................................................................................. 18
Deployment Process ...............................................................................................................18
Working with Application ........................................................................................................19
Server and Database ....................................................................................................... 20
About .........................................................................................................................................20
Database Types Comparison ................................................................................................20
High Availability Mode ............................................................................................................20
About ......................................................................................................................................20
Standard and High Availability Modes Comparison .......................................................21
Installing/Uninstalling/Updating the Server ..........................................................................21
Installing the Server .............................................................................................................21
Adding Server Executable to Windows Firewall..............................................................22
Using an External/Cloud-Based Server Computer .........................................................26
Updating the Server .............................................................................................................26
Uninstalling the Server ........................................................................................................26
Server Tray ...............................................................................................................................27
Database Management ..........................................................................................................28
About ......................................................................................................................................28
Cleanup Parameters ............................................................................................................28
One-Time Cleanup ...............................................................................................................29
Scheduled Cleanup..............................................................................................................29
Shrinking MS SQL Database .............................................................................................30
Firebird Database Optimization .........................................................................................30
Deleting the Client ................................................................................................................31
Moving the Server Database ..............................................................................................32
Moving Binary Data to Shared or Local Folder ...............................................................35
Validating Monitoring Data..................................................................................................36
Advanced SIEM Integration ...................................................................................................37
About ......................................................................................................................................37
2
CEF Log File Contents ........................................................................................................37
Enabling CEF Log File Creation ........................................................................................38
CEF Log Cleanup .................................................................................................................38
Management Tool ............................................................................................................ 39
About .........................................................................................................................................39
Management Tool Installation Prerequisites .......................................................................39
Prerequisites Overview .......................................................................................................39
Turning on Internet Information Service (IIS) ..................................................................40
Turning on IIS for Windows 8 and Windows 7 .............................................................40
Turning on IIS for Windows Server 2008 R2 ................................................................41
Turning on IIS for Windows Server 2012 ......................................................................42
Installing .NET Framework 4.5.2 .......................................................................................44
Configuring Internet Information Service (IIS) .................................................................44
Using Certificates .................................................................................................................47
Generating Self-Signed Certificate ................................................................................47
Exporting Self-Signed Certificate ...................................................................................48
Importing Trusted Certificate ...........................................................................................49
Adding Certificate to Trusted Root Certification Authorities .......................................50
Setting HTTPS Binding for a Default Web-Site ...............................................................56
Installing/Uninstalling/Updating the Management Tool .....................................................58
Installing the Management Tool .........................................................................................58
Adjusting Computer for Remote Access ..........................................................................60
Updating Management Tool ...............................................................................................62
Uninstalling Management Tool ..........................................................................................62
Opening Management Tool ...................................................................................................63
Management Tool Interface ...................................................................................................64
Changing Password for Logged in User ..............................................................................66
Licensing .......................................................................................................................... 67
General Licensing Information ..............................................................................................67
About Update & Support Period ............................................................................................68
Viewing License State ............................................................................................................69
Activating Serial Keys Online ................................................................................................70
Adding Activated Serial Keys Offline ....................................................................................70
Deactivating Serial Keys ........................................................................................................71
Client License Management ..................................................................................................72
User and User Group Management .............................................................................. 74
3
About .........................................................................................................................................74
Viewing Users and User Groups ...........................................................................................74
User Management ...................................................................................................................75
Adding Users ........................................................................................................................75
Editing Users .........................................................................................................................79
Deleting Users ......................................................................................................................79
User Group Management .......................................................................................................79
Adding User Groups ............................................................................................................79
Editing User Groups ............................................................................................................80
Deleting User Groups ..........................................................................................................80
Permissions ..............................................................................................................................81
About ......................................................................................................................................81
Administrative Permissions ................................................................................................81
Client Permissions ...............................................................................................................81
Permission Example ............................................................................................................82
Management Tool Log ............................................................................................................84
About ......................................................................................................................................84
Viewing Management Tool Log .........................................................................................84
Management Tool Log Protection .....................................................................................86
Filtering and Sorting Log Data ...........................................................................................87
Windows Clients .............................................................................................................. 88
About .........................................................................................................................................88
Monitoring via Windows Clients ............................................................................................88
Installing Windows Clients .....................................................................................................89
About ......................................................................................................................................89
Setting up Environment for Remote Installation ..............................................................89
Windows Client Installation Prerequisites .....................................................................89
Disabling Simple File Sharing in Windows XP .............................................................90
Disabling Sharing Wizard in Windows 8.1, Windows 8, and Windows 7 .................90
Checking System Services..............................................................................................91
Setting up Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 Firewall .......92
Setting up Firewall for Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Server
2012, Windows Server 2008 ...........................................................................................94
Installing Windows Clients Remotely via the Management Tool ..................................98
About ...................................................................................................................................98
Selecting Computers ........................................................................................................98
4
Remote Windows Client Installation Process .............................................................100
Remote Installation from an Existing .INI File ............................................................101
Installing Windows Clients Locally ..................................................................................102
About .................................................................................................................................102
Windows Client Installation Package ...........................................................................102
Generating Windows Client Installation Package ......................................................105
Installing Windows Clients Locally with Custom Monitoring Parameters ..............106
Downloading Windows Client Installation File (.exe) ................................................106
Installing Windows Clients Locally without .ini File....................................................106
Installation via Third Party Software................................................................................107
Cloning a Virtual Machine with Installed Client .............................................................107
Unassigning License on Virtual Machine Shutdown ....................................................107
Updating Windows Clients ...................................................................................................108
Reconnecting Windows Clients to Another Server ..........................................................109
Uninstalling Windows Clients ..............................................................................................109
About ....................................................................................................................................109
Client Uninstallation Key ...................................................................................................109
Uninstalling Windows Clients Remotely .........................................................................110
Uninstalling Windows Clients Locally..............................................................................110
Viewing Windows Clients .....................................................................................................111
Windows Client Description .................................................................................................111
Windows Client Configuration .............................................................................................112
About ....................................................................................................................................112
Protected Mode Parameter ..............................................................................................112
Client Tray Icon Parameter ...............................................................................................112
Screen Capture Creation Parameters ............................................................................113
Keystroke Logging Parameter..........................................................................................113
Start Monitoring on Keyword Parameter ........................................................................114
Monitoring Log Parameter ................................................................................................114
URL Monitoring Parameters .............................................................................................116
Application Filtering Parameters ......................................................................................117
User Filtering Parameters .................................................................................................120
Forced User Authentication Parameter ..........................................................................122
One-Time Password Parameter ......................................................................................122
Additional Message on User Login Parameter ..............................................................122
User’s Comment Parameter .............................................................................................122
5
Editing Windows Client Configuration ................................................................................123
Viewing Windows Client Configuration ..............................................................................126
Forced User Authentication on Clients ..............................................................................126
About ....................................................................................................................................126
Enabling Forced User Authentication on Client ............................................................127
Granting the User Permission to Log In .........................................................................128
Logging In ............................................................................................................................128
Logging in Using the Ekran System User Additional Credentials ...........................128
Logging in Using a One-time Password ......................................................................129
Requesting a one-time password .................................................................................129
One-Time Password Management .....................................................................................130
About ....................................................................................................................................130
Generating One-Time Password .....................................................................................130
Generating a One-Time Password on User Request ...............................................130
Generating a One-Time Password without User Request .......................................130
One-Time Passwords Page..............................................................................................131
Resending the Email..........................................................................................................132
Terminating One-time Password Manually ....................................................................133
Informing about Monitoring ..................................................................................................133
About ....................................................................................................................................133
Enabling Displaying Additional Message .......................................................................134
Enabling User’s Comment Option ...................................................................................134
Enabling Displaying Client Tray Icon ..............................................................................135
Logging In ............................................................................................................................135
Linux Clients .................................................................................................................. 137
About .......................................................................................................................................137
Monitoring via Linux Clients .................................................................................................137
Installing Linux Client ............................................................................................................137
About ....................................................................................................................................137
Downloading Linux Client Installation File......................................................................137
Installing Linux Clients .......................................................................................................138
Uninstalling Linux Clients .....................................................................................................139
Viewing Linux Clients ............................................................................................................139
Linux Client Description ........................................................................................................140
User Blocking ................................................................................................................ 141
About .......................................................................................................................................141
6
Blocking User .........................................................................................................................141
Blocking User from Live Session .....................................................................................141
Blocking User from Finished Session .............................................................................142
Blocking User on Client with Secondary Authentication ..............................................143
Blocked User List ...................................................................................................................143
Viewing Blocked User List ................................................................................................143
Removing User from Blocked User List..........................................................................144
Client Group Management ........................................................................................... 145
About Client Groups ..............................................................................................................145
Adding Client Groups ............................................................................................................145
Editing Client Groups ............................................................................................................146
Adding Clients to Groups .....................................................................................................146
Adding Clients to Groups during Client Group Editing .................................................146
Adding Clients to Groups during Client Editing .............................................................146
Applying Group Settings to Client .......................................................................................147
Removing Clients from Groups ...........................................................................................148
Removing Clients from Groups during Client Group Editing .......................................148
Removing Clients from Groups during Client Editing ...................................................148
Deleting Client Groups..........................................................................................................148
Alerts ............................................................................................................................... 150
About .......................................................................................................................................150
Viewing Alerts ........................................................................................................................150
Default Alerts ..........................................................................................................................151
Alerts Management ...............................................................................................................151
Adding Alerts .......................................................................................................................151
Rules ....................................................................................................................................153
About Rules .....................................................................................................................153
Rule Examples ................................................................................................................156
Enabling/Disabling Alerts ..................................................................................................159
Editing Alerts .......................................................................................................................159
Editing Single Alert .........................................................................................................159
Editing Multiple Alerts.....................................................................................................159
Assigning Alerts to Clients ................................................................................................160
Assigning Alerts to Clients during Alert Editing ..........................................................160
Assigning Alerts to Clients during Editing Multiple Alerts .........................................160
Assigning Alerts to Clients during Client/Client Group Editing ................................160
7
Exporting and Importing Alerts .........................................................................................161
Exporting Alerts ...............................................................................................................161
Importing Alerts ...............................................................................................................161
Deleting Alerts ....................................................................................................................161
Defining Global Alert Settings..............................................................................................162
Receiving Information on Alert Events ...............................................................................162
Advanced Reports......................................................................................................... 164
About .......................................................................................................................................164
Report Types ..........................................................................................................................164
Scheduled Reports ................................................................................................................166
About ....................................................................................................................................166
Adding Report Rules..........................................................................................................166
Editing Report Rules ..........................................................................................................168
Deleting Report Rules .......................................................................................................168
Generating Reports from the Scheduled Report Rule .................................................168
Frequency and Time Interval for Report Creation ........................................................169
Viewing Logs .......................................................................................................................170
Report Generator ...................................................................................................................171
About ....................................................................................................................................171
Report Parameters .............................................................................................................171
Generating Report..............................................................................................................171
Creating a Scheduled Report Rule from the Report Generator Page .......................172
USB Monitoring & Blocking ......................................................................................... 173
About .......................................................................................................................................173
Monitored Devices .................................................................................................................173
Kernel-Level USB Monitoring Rules ...................................................................................175
About ....................................................................................................................................175
Adding USB Monitoring Rules..........................................................................................176
Editing USB Monitoring Rules ..........................................................................................177
Deleting USB Monitoring Rules .......................................................................................178
Defining Exceptions for USB Rules .................................................................................178
Viewing Device Hardware ID............................................................................................179
Configuration ................................................................................................................. 180
Defining Email Sending Settings .........................................................................................180
Defining Player Link Settings ...............................................................................................180
Defining CEF Log Settings ...................................................................................................181
8
Viewing Monitored Data ............................................................................................... 182
Session List ............................................................................................................................182
About Sessions ...................................................................................................................182
Monitored Sessions List ....................................................................................................182
Filtering Sessions ...............................................................................................................183
Filtering by Specific Parameters ...................................................................................183
Searching in the Session Data .....................................................................................184
Sorting Sessions ................................................................................................................184
Playing Sessions ...................................................................................................................185
About ....................................................................................................................................185
Session Viewer Interface ..................................................................................................185
Session Player ....................................................................................................................186
Magnifier ..............................................................................................................................186
Getting Data URL ...............................................................................................................187
Metadata Grid .....................................................................................................................187
Player and Metadata Synchronization ............................................................................188
Filtering Data .......................................................................................................................188
Sorting Data ........................................................................................................................189
Live Sessions .........................................................................................................................189
Windows Client Sessions .....................................................................................................190
Playing Windows Sessions ...............................................................................................190
Viewing Keystrokes............................................................................................................190
Viewing USB Device Info ..................................................................................................191
Viewing URLs .....................................................................................................................192
Viewing Idle State ..............................................................................................................192
Linux Client Sessions............................................................................................................193
Playing Linux Sessions .....................................................................................................193
Filtering EXEC Commands ...............................................................................................193
Viewing Alerts ........................................................................................................................193
About ....................................................................................................................................193
Alert Viewer Interface ........................................................................................................194
Using Alert Viewer..............................................................................................................195
Archived Sessions .................................................................................................................195
About ....................................................................................................................................195
Changing Investigated Database ....................................................................................195
Viewing Archived Sessions ..............................................................................................196
9
Dashboards .................................................................................................................... 197
About .......................................................................................................................................197
Dashboard Types ..................................................................................................................197
Licenses ...............................................................................................................................197
Clients ..................................................................................................................................198
Database Usage Storage..................................................................................................199
Recent Alerts ......................................................................................................................200
Latest Live Sessions ..........................................................................................................201
Sessions out of Work Hours .............................................................................................202
Rarely Used Computers ....................................................................................................203
Rarely Used Logins............................................................................................................203
Customizing Dashboards .....................................................................................................204
Interactive Monitoring................................................................................................... 205
About .......................................................................................................................................205
Viewing Data ..........................................................................................................................205
Applications Monitoring Chart..............................................................................................205
URL Monitoring Chart ...........................................................................................................206
Forensic Export ............................................................................................................. 207
About ....................................................................................................................................207
Exporting Session Fragment ............................................................................................207
Exporting Full Session .......................................................................................................207
Viewing Forensic Export History ......................................................................................208
Playing Exported Session .................................................................................................208
Validating Exported Data ..................................................................................................210
Troubleshooting ............................................................................................................ 211
Quick Access to Log Files ....................................................................................................211
Database/Server ....................................................................................................................211
Database/Server Related Issues .....................................................................................211
Database/Server Related Error Messages ....................................................................212
Management Tool..................................................................................................................214
Management Tool Related Issues ...................................................................................214
Management Tool Error Messages .................................................................................217
Viewing Monitored Data ....................................................................................................217
Windows Client ......................................................................................................................219
Checking that the Client Is Installed ................................................................................219
Clients Installation/Uninstallation Issues and Error Messages ...................................220
10
Possible Problems with Receiving Data from Clients ..................................................225
Possible USB Monitoring Problems ................................................................................226
Linux Client .............................................................................................................................227
Possible Problems with Receiving Data from Clients ..................................................227
Checking the State of the Linux Client............................................................................227
Restarting Linux Client ......................................................................................................227
Appendix ........................................................................................................................ 228
Default Alerts ..........................................................................................................................228
Fraud Activity ......................................................................................................................228
Data Leakage......................................................................................................................229
Potentially Illicit Activity .....................................................................................................230
Not Work-related Activity ..................................................................................................230
Standard and Enterprise Edition Comparison Chart........................................................232
11
About
About
Welcome to Ekran System!
Ekran System is an application that allows you to record the activity of the target computers
with installed Clients and to view the screen captures from these computers in the form of
video.
12
What’s New
What’s New
Ekran System v. 5.0 introduces the following changes:

Enterprise features: With an activated Enterprise serial key, you get access to the
following valuable features of the Ekran System:
o Database Archiving & Cleanup: The ability to archive and then delete the old
monitored data allows you not to run out of space on the Server computer while
saving the monitored data in a secure external storage so you can view the
archived sessions in the Session Viewer any time.
o Advanced SIEM Integration: Now you can get access to the Ekran System alerted
events and monitored data via the integral ArcSight or Splunk interface.
o One-time password feature: Now Ekran System administrators can manage access
to the critical endpoints with Windows Server OS by generating one-time
passwords for users by request. The users can request one-time passwords directly
from the secondary authentication window displayed on their login to Windows.
o High Availability: The High Availability mode provides a high level of operational
performance, which allows minimizing downtime and service interruptions.

Alert Export and Import: The ability to export a set of configured alerts into the .xml file
allows using these alerts on other Ekran Servers so the user can quickly enable the
necessary alerts without having to create them manually.

Predefined Alerts: When a new Ekran System is deployed, it contains a set of
predefined alerts prepared by the vendor security experts and specifically configured to
be triggered by potentially harmful or dangerous actions performed on the Client
computers.

Managing Multiple Alerts: The ability to manage multiple alerts simultaneously makes
the process of alert editing more usable and efficient.

Alert Risk Level: The alerts are highlighted in different colours according to the risk level
assigned to them. This allows you to spot the most important alerts immediately in the
Monitored Sessions List, in the Session Viewer, and on the Recent Alerts Dashboard.

Forced user action acknowledgement: Now the users can be required to enter their
comments on login to inform the system administrator about the activities they intend
to perform on the Client computers.

Digital signature and validation of monitoring data: When enabled, the mechanism
allows digital signing of each monitored session (screenshots and metadata received
from Windows Clients) and then check that data integrity in the database has not been
altered.

Monitoring triggered by keyword: Now the monitoring of the user activity can be
started automatically on detecting a suspicious keyword in typed keystrokes. This allows
the Ekran System administrator to get the information only on the suspicious activities
performed on the Client computers.

New reports: A new Session Report focuses on the monitored endpoints. With it you
can get the detailed information on all user logins to the Client computers and on the
13
What’s New
total time spent on working with them. A new User Statistics Report focuses on your
users. It provides you with a summarized information on the computers to which they
logged in, on the remote IPs from which they logged in, and the total time spent by the
users on all the computers. A new USB Storage Grid Report provides the information on
all USB storage events, which occurred during the defined time period.

XML report format: The ability to save the Ekran reports to the .xml format allows the
Ekran System users to use the report information in the third-party software.
14
System Requirements
System Requirements
Ekran System claims different system requirements for each of its components. Make sure your
hardware and software meet the following system requirements to avoid possible component
malfunctions.
Server requirements:

2 GHz or higher CPU

1024 MB or more RAM

Enterprise-level Ethernet card

Minimum 1 Gbit/s network adapter

Windows Server 2012 and 2008 R2 (x64 platform)

.Net Framework 4.5.2
NOTE: If the Server and the Management Tool are to be installed on the same
computer, make sure you turn on the Internet Information Service before the
installation of .Net Framework 4.5.2.

[When using MS SQL Database]: Full edition of MS SQL Server 2008R2 SP1 or higher.
Standard license or higher is required.
NOTE: If you want to deploy the Ekran System in the High Availability mode, enabled
Message Queueing and configured NLB cluster are required. Please refer to the High
Availability Deployment Guide for more information.
Management Tool requirements:

2 GHz or higher CPU

1024 MB or more RAM

100 Mbit/s network adapter

Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7 (any edition except Home);
[recommended] Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2008 R2 (starting from SP2
version). Both x86 and x64 platforms are supported.

.Net Framework 4.5.2

IIS 7.5 or higher with enabled ASP.NET support

[For accessing the Management Tool locally or remotely] One of the following browsers:

Google Chrome 37 or higher

Mozilla Firefox 32 or higher

Internet Explorer 10 or higher

Safari S6 and Safari S5

Opera 15 or higher
15
System Requirements
NOTE: The Management Tool might be opened in other browsers, but its compatibility with
other browsers is not guaranteed.
Windows Client requirements:

1 GHz or higher CPU

512 MB or more RAM

100 Mbit/s network adapter

Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP
SP3; Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Server 2003 SP1.
Both x86 and x64 platforms are supported.

Citrix XenDesktop, Citrix XenApp.

It is recommended to have not less than 500MB of free space on the disk where the
Client is installed to save data during the offline session.
Linux Client requirements:

1 GHz or higher CPU

512 MB or more RAM

100 Mbit/s network adapter

It is recommended to have not less than 500MB of free space on the disk where the
Client is installed to save data during the offline session.

Linux Kernel 2.6.32 and higher
Distributor Base
OS
Versions Supported
Debian
Debian
8.0, 7.0
Ubuntu
15.0, 14.0, 12.0
Linux Mint
17.xx - 13
RedHat
7.0, 6.0
CentOS
7.x , 6.x
Oracle Linux
7.x - 5.6
RedHat
NOTE: When the Client is installed to the terminal server, hardware requirements depend on
the number of active user sessions and may increase drastically. For example, hardware
requirements for the Client deployed on the terminal server hosting 10 active user sessions
will be as follows:

Intel Core i3 or similar AMD CPU

2048 MB RAM
16
Program Structure
Program Structure
Ekran System is an application specially designed to control user activity remotely.
Ekran System includes the following components:

Ekran System Server (further referred to as Server): It is the main part of the Ekran
System used for storing the screen captures and associated information received from
the Clients. The work of the Server can be started or stopped via Server Tray.

Ekran System Management Tool (further referred to as Management Tool): It is a
central administrative unit that allows you to control and manage Clients, Users, USB
Monitoring Rules, Alerts, Server database, and Serial Keys. You can have access to the
Management Tool from any computer in the network without having to install it on this
computer.
A new Ekran System Session Viewer provides a usable interface for quick review of the
monitored data received from the Windows and Linux Clients.

Ekran System Windows Clients (further referred to as Windows Clients): Being hosted
on the remote computers, Windows Clients create screen captures of certain quality
and defined frequency and send them to the Server. Managing the remote Windows
Clients configuration and settings is performed via the Management Tool.

Ekran System Linux Clients (further referred to as Linux Clients): Being hosted on
the remote computers, Linux Clients capture input/output terminal data (including
all executed commands) and send this interactive data to the Server.

Ekran System Tray Notifications application (further referred to as Tray
Notifications application): This application allows receiving notifications on alert
events on Clients.
17
Getting Started
Getting Started
Deployment Process
The Ekran System installation consists of several steps:
1. Installing the Server: To deploy the system, first of all you need to install the Server. The
Server is used to store and process all records sent by the Clients hosted on the remote
computers. During the Server installation you can select the type of the database and define
administrator credentials.
NOTE: You can deploy the Ekran System in the High Availability mode, which allows you
to work with multiple Server instances in the Network Load Balancer cluster. This would
provide a high level of operational performance, which allows minimizing downtime and
service interruptions. Please refer to the High Availability Deployment Guide for more
information.
2. Completing Management Tool installation prerequisites: To install and run the Management
Tool, you need to turn on the Internet Information Service on your computer, add the selfsigned or trusted certificate to the Trusted Root Certification Authorities and set HTTPS
binding for a default web site (or any other IIS site).
3. Installing the Management Tool: The Management Tool is used to manage Users, Clients,
Alerts, and Database, as well as to view the monitored data received from Clients.
Connection with the Server is required for the Management Tool to operate.
4. Activating serial keys (adding activated serial keys): To be able to receive data from the
Clients, you need to license the Clients by activating purchased serial keys.
5. Installing Clients:

Installing Windows Clients: The Windows Clients are usually installed remotely via the
Management Tool. A Windows Client can be installed on any computer in the network.
The Windows Clients collect user activity data and send it to the Server.
Please note that several conditions have to be met for successful remote Client
installation.

Installing Linux Clients: The Linux Clients are installed locally. The Linux Clients
capture input/output terminal data (including all executed commands) and send
this interactive data to the Server.
6. Installing the Tray Notifications application: The Tray Notifications application can be
installed on any computer and as long as there is connection to the Server; the Tray
Notifications application displays notifications on all alert events received from Clients.
For more information, see the Tray Notifications application help file.
After installing all the system components, Ekran System is considered deployed and all its
features become available.
18
Getting Started
Working with Application
The work with the application includes the following options:
1. Assigning licenses to the Clients: An available license is automatically assigned to the Client
(both Windows and Linux) during its first connection to the Server. If the license hasn’t been
assigned to the Client, you need to assign it manually.
2. Adding Client Groups: Client Groups allow you to grant access to several Clients at the same
time to your users without the necessity to grant them access to all the Clients.
3. Adding Users/User Groups and defining their permissions: To allow others to work with the
Management Tool, you can create new users and define their permissions in the
Management Tool.
4. Defining Windows Client configuration and Client Group Configuration: The configuration
allows you to manage the Windows Client monitoring parameters, such as screen capture
creation, keystroke logging, protected mode, displaying Client tray icon, application
filtering, user filtering, monitoring logs, forced user authentication, one-time password,
monitoring of active window only, additional message on user login, and user’s comment to
the additional message.
5. Managing Alerts: Alerts are used to notify the investigators of a specific activity (potentially
harmful/forbidden actions) on the target computers with installed Clients. You can create,
assign, import, and export alerts. When the Ekran Server is installed, it has the list of the
predefined alerts.
6. Creating USB blocking rules: Kernel-level USB Monitoring allows you to detect that the USB
device is plugged into the computer on which the Client is installed. You can view
information on the detected devices, receive notifications or block USB devices.
7. Viewing monitoring results in the Management Tool: The monitored data received from the
Client computer can be viewed in the Session Viewer part of the Management Tool.
8. Exporting sessions from the Session Viewer: You can export sessions in the encrypted form
to view monitored sessions on any computer, even without access to the Management
Tool.
9. Receiving Alert notifications: The notifications on the alert events are received via the Tray
Notifications application. The notifications are displayed in the Windows notification area.
10. Generating reports: The user activity can be analysed with the help of reports generated via
the Management Tool. You can schedule the reports to be generated and sent via email at
the specified time or generate the reports manually via Report Generator.
11. Interactive Monitoring: The user activity can be analysed with the help of the statistic data
you can generate using Interactive Monitoring. You can get detailed information on the
total time that has been spent in each application/on each website.
12. Managing database: Not to run out of space on the Server computer, it is recommended to
cleanup or archive and cleanup the database periodically deleting old monitored data. You
can enable the database archiving and cleanup and then access the archived data any time
via the Management Tool. In addition, you can remove unnecessary uninstalled Clients from
the database.
19
Server and Database
Server and Database
About
The Server is the main component of the system, which provides interaction between other
components. The Server stores all monitored data, user accounts, and system settings in the
database.
Database Types Comparison
When installing the Server, you can choose between the two types of databases (MS SQL
database and Firebird database). These databases have the following differences:
Feature
MS SQL Database
Firebird
Database
Free
No (has a limited free version)
Yes
NOTE: Using MS SQL Express does
not guarantee the stable work of the
Server.
Processing speed
High
Low
Remote access to database
Yes
No
Requires additional software
installation
Yes
No
Security
High
Low
High Availability Mode
About
The High Availability mode allows you to configure and deploy Ekran System in such a way that
it can work with multiple Server instances in the Network Load Balancer cluster. This would
allow balancing the load of data sent to the servers by Ekran Clients and ensure data integrity
in case any of the instances goes offline for any number of reasons. Additionally, Ekran System
deployed in the High Availability mode includes a special License Server, which manages Client
licenses in the whole system.
NOTE: The High Availability mode is available only if you have an activated Enterprise serial
key.
20
Server and Database
Standard and High Availability Modes Comparison
The Standard and High Availability modes have the following differences:
Feature
Standard Mode
High Availability Mode
Serial key types
One of the following
serial keys:
Enterprise serial key and one of the
following keys:



Standard
Trial
Subscription



Standard
Trial
Subscription
Database type
Firebird or MS SQL
MS SQL
Number of Servers
One
Multiple
System requirements
Standard system
requirements.
Standard system requirements,
enabled Massage Queueing, and
configured NLB cluster.
Additional Ekran
System components
None
License Server
Additional Software
None
NLB cluster
NOTE: We recommend using
Windows NLB. We cannot
guarantee the High Availability
Mode to function with other load
balancers correctly.
Component
connection
Physical IP address
Logical IP address
Recommended for
Average number of
Client computers.
Large number of Client computers.
Installing/Uninstalling/Updating the Server
Installing the Server
To install the Server, do the following:
1. Run the EkranSystem_Components.exe installation file.
2. Click Next on the Welcome page.
21
Server and Database
3. Carefully read the terms of the End-User License Agreement and click I Agree.
4. On the Choose Components page, do one of the following and click Next:

In the drop-down list, select Ekran System Server.

Select Ekran System Server in the box.
5. On the Choose Install Location page, enter the installation path or click Browse to
navigate to the Server installation folder. Click Next.
6. On the Database Type page, select the type of the database you want to use for
storing data. Click Next. For more information see the Database Types Comparison
chapter.
7. If you have selected MS SQL Server, on the MS SQL Server Database Configuration
page, define the connection parameters and then click Next.

Define the MS SQL Server instance name, which is the instance name assigned
to the TCP/IP port.

Define the Database name for the database.

Define the User name and Password of a user account via which the
connection to the Server will be established.
If you have selected Firebird database, on the Database Location page, enter the database
path or click Browse to navigate to the database installation folder. Click Next.
8. If you already have a database created during the usage of previous program versions,
you will be offered to re-use it. If you want to use the existing database, click Yes. In
other case, click No and the new database will be created.
NOTE: If you click No, the existing database will be deleted.
9. On the Administrator password page, define the password for the administrator (the
default user of Ekran System with login admin and full permissions). Click Next.
10. On the Client Uninstallation Key page, enter the key that will be used during the
Client local uninstallation and click Next. By default, the Uninstallation key is allowed.
You will be able to change this key via the Management Tool any time later.
11. Click Install.
12. The installation process starts. Its progress is displayed on the Installing page.
13. After the end of the installation process, click Finish to exit the wizard.
14. In Windows Firewall, you must allow the Server executable to accept TCP connections
via ports 9447 (for the connection between the Server and the Clients) and 22713 (for
the connection between the Server and the Management Tool). These rules will be
added to Windows Firewall automatically if Windows Firewall is enabled during the
Server installation.
Adding Server Executable to Windows Firewall
Please note that Windows Firewall will be adjusted automatically if it is enabled during the
Server installation. If you use any other Firewall, it should be adjusted as well.
To add the Server executable to the Windows Firewall, do the following:
22
Server and Database
1. In the Control Panel, select System and Security > Windows Firewall.
2. In the Windows Firewall window, click Advanced settings.
3. In the Windows Firewall with Advanced Security window, right-click Inbound Rules
and select New rule.
4. The New Inbound Rule Wizard opens.
5. On the Rule Type page, select Program and click Next.
23
Server and Database
6. On the Program page, select This program path, then click Browse and navigate to
the Server executable. The default path is "C:\Program Files\Ekran System\Ekran
System\Server\EkranServer.exe ". Click Next.
7. On the Action page, select Allow the connection and then click Next.
24
Server and Database
8. On the Profile page, select the profile of the network used for connecting remote
computers and the Server. Click Next.
9. On the Name page, define the Name of the rule. Click Finish.
10. The rule is created for the Server application. By default, the rule allows any
connections via all ports.
11. To define the protocol and ports, double-click the created rule. The Properties
window opens.
25
Server and Database
12. In the Protocols and Ports tab, do the following:

In the Protocol Type list, select TCP.

In the Local port list, select Specific Ports. Type the following port numbers in
the box below:
o 9447 (for the connection between the Server and the Clients)
o 22713 (for the connection between the Server and the Management Tool)
13. Click Apply to save changes. Click OK.
14. Close the Windows Firewall window.
Using an External/Cloud-Based Server Computer
If your Server is not in the same network as Clients or the Management Tool, do the
following:
1. Make sure your Server has a unique external IP address.
2. Specify this address when installing the Management Tool and installing the Client.
Updating the Server
The updating of the Server is performed via the installation file of a newer version. During an
update you may select to update the existing database to a newer version or simply reinstall it.
To update the Server, do the following:
1. Run the EkranSystem_Components.exe installation file.
2. On the Welcome page, click Next.
3. On the Already Installed page, select Update/Add/Remove components and click Next.
4. On the Choose Components page, select Ekran System Server in the box and then click
Next.
5. On the Database Update page, if you want to keep the existing database, select Update
database to a new version, otherwise select Reinstall the database. Click Next.
NOTE: To change the type of the database, you need to reinstall the whole system.
6. On the Administrator password page, define the password for the administrator (the
default user of Ekran System with login admin and full permissions). Click Next.
7. The update process starts.
8. After the end of the update process, click Finish to exit the wizard.
Uninstalling the Server
NOTE: Before uninstalling the Server, make sure you have uninstalled all the Clients from the
remote computers. If you do not uninstall the Clients, they will remain installed on the
26
Server and Database
remote computers and collect the data locally. It will be impossible to remove them in a
common way.
To uninstall the Server from the local computer, do the following:
1. Run the EkranSystem_Components.exe installation file or click Uninstall/Change on
the Ekran System application in the Programs and Features window of the Windows
Control Panel.
2. The setup wizard opens.
3. Click Next on the Welcome page.
4. On the Already Installed page, select Uninstall and click Next.
On the Uninstall Ekran System page, click Uninstall.
5. If you want to delete the database, click Yes in the confirmation message. In other
case, click No and you will be able to use the saved database during the next
installation of the program.
6. Wait for the uninstallation process to complete.
Server Tray
The Server Tray application informs you about the Server state. This application is installed on
the computer where the Server is installed.
It also automatically restarts the Server in case of its failure. The first three times the restart is
performed automatically. The user is informed about the Server failure in the notification area.
If the Server fails for the fourth time, it does not restart.
You can start/stop the Server or hide the icon from the notification area.
If you want to contact the Support, you need to collect the Server log (<Server installation
folder>\ServerService.log) and attach it to the request.
27
Server and Database
Database Management
About
Database management is performed via the Management Tool by the user with the
administrative Database management permission. During the database management process
you can delete monitoring data, delete offline or uninstalled Clients, and shrink the database
depending on its type.
Two types of the cleanup operation are available:


Cleanup: Allows deleting old monitored data collected by the Clients from the database.
Archiving & Cleanup: Allows saving the monitored data in the secure storage and then
deleting it from the database. You can view the archived sessions in the Session Viewer
any time.
NOTE: The Archiving & Cleanup option is available only if you have an activated Enterprise
serial key.
You can configure the cleanup execution frequency as follows:

Once: The one-time cleanup operation will be performed by click on Save.

On schedule: The scheduled cleanup operation will be performed every few days at a
specified time.
Cleanup Parameters
The following parameters are available for cleanup operation:
Parameter
Description
Parameters applied to Cleanup and Archiving & Cleanup operations
Leave sessions in
database (days)
The number of days to leave sessions in the database.
Client exceptions
The Clients whose monitoring data will not be deleted during the
cleanup process. They are added on the Adding Exceptions page.
Parameters applied to the Archiving & Cleanup operation for Firebird database type
Archive database
location
The location of the database.
NOTE: If you do not have an archive database, it will be created
on Archiving & Cleanup start.
28
Server and Database
Binary data location
In case the binary data is stored separately, you have to define
the binary data folder location.
Parameters applied to the Archiving & Cleanup operation for MS SQL database type
SQL server instance
The path to the SQL server instance.
Archive database
name
The name of the database.
User name and
Password
Credentials of the user with access to the database.
NOTE: If you do not have an archive database, it will be created
on Archiving & Cleanup start.
One-Time Cleanup
To delete data from the Server once, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the administrative Database management
permission.
2. Click the Database Management navigation link to the left.
3. On the Database Management page, select the Archiving & Cleanup Options tab.
4. In the Frequency section, select the Run once option.
5. On the Archiving & Cleanup Options tab, in the Settings section, in the Action type dropdown list, select the Cleanup option to delete the monitored data from the database or the
Archive & Cleanup option to archive and then delete the monitored data.
6. Define the necessary parameters.
NOTE: To check connection with the archive database before Archiving & Cleanup start, click
Test Database Connection in the Archive parameters section.
7. To select the Clients whose monitoring data will not be deleted during the cleanup
process, click Add Exceptions.
8. On the Adding Exceptions page, select the necessary Clients and then click Add
selected. Use filters to find a specific Client.
9. When all cleanup settings are defined, click Save.
10. The cleanup process starts.
Scheduled Cleanup
To delete data from the Server on schedule, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the administrative Database management
permission.
29
Server and Database
2. Click the Database Management navigation link to the left.
3. On the Database Management page, select the Archiving & Cleanup Options tab.
4. In the Frequency section, select the Repeat by scheduler option.
5. Define the following options:


Perform every (days): The frequency of the cleanup operation.
Start database cleanup at: The time to execute the cleanup operation.
6. On the Archiving & Cleanup Options tab, in the Settings section, in the Action type dropdown list, select the Cleanup option to delete the monitored data from the database or the
Archive & Cleanup option to archive and then delete the monitored data.
7. Define the necessary parameters.
NOTE: To check connection with the archive database, click Test Database Connection in the
Archive parameters section.
8. To select the Clients whose monitoring data will not be deleted during scheduled
cleanup process, click Add Exceptions.
9. On the Adding Exceptions page, select the necessary Clients and then click Add
selected. Use filters to find a specific Client.
10. When all cleanup settings are defined, click Save.
Shrinking MS SQL Database
The database shrinking feature allows you to shrink the size of the MS SQL database to the
actual amount of the data stored in it by cutting the space reserved by the database, but which
is not used by it.
NOTE: The database shrinking procedure may take some time (up to several hours) and cause
performance slowdown.
To shrink a database, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the administrative Database management
permission.
2. Click the Database Management navigation link to the left.
3. On the Database Management page, select the Database Options tab.
4. On the Database Options tab, click Shrink database.
NOTE: The progress of the database shrinking process is not displayed in the Management
Tool and there is no indication of the process finishing.
Firebird Database Optimization
When using the Firebird database it is recommended to perform the Update statistics
procedure at least every two months in order to optimize the database and increase the speed
of reports generation.
30
Server and Database
To perform the Update statistics procedure, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the administrative Database management
permission.
2. Click the Database Management navigation link to the left.
3. On the Database Management page, select the Database Options tab.
4. On the Database Options tab, click Update statistics.
Deleting the Client
To delete the Client means to delete it completely from the database with cleaning up all its
captured sessions. After this, the Client disappears from the Management Tool and its captured
data is not displayed in the Session Viewer.
It is possible to delete only offline or uninstalled (both after local or remote uninstallation)
Clients. If after deletion the Client connects to the Server again, it will appear in the
Management Tool but its deleted data will be unavailable.
To delete one offline/uninstalled Client, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the administrative Database management
permission.
2. Click the Client Management navigation link to the left.
3. On the Clients page, select the needed offline or uninstalled Client from the list and click
Edit Client.
4. On the Editing Client page, on the Properties tab, click Delete Client.
5. In the confirmation message, click Delete.
6. The Client is deleted.
To delete several offline/uninstalled Clients, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the administrative Database management
permission.
2. Click the Client Management navigation link to the left.
3. On the Clients page, click Delete Clients.
31
Server and Database
4. On the Client Deletion page, click Add Clients to list.
5. The Client Deletion from Database page opens. It contains all Clients that can be deleted.
NOTE: Only offline and uninstalled Clients are displayed in the list.
6. Select the needed Clients from the list and then click Next. To find a specific Client, enter its
name in the Contains box and click Apply Filters.
7. When all Clients are selected, click Delete on the Client Deletion from Database page.
8. The Clients are deleted from the Server (with all captured sessions) and disappear from the
Management Tool.
Moving the Server Database
If you are using an MS SQL database, you can move it to another location on the same
computer using SQL Management Studio.
If you are using the Firebird database, you can change its location to another disk/directory or
rename it.
32
Server and Database
To change the location for the Server Firebird database, do the following:
1. Stop the Server by clicking Stop in the right-click menu of the Server icon in the notification
area or find the Server application in the Task Manager and click End task.
2. Open the Windows Registry Editor.
3. In the Registry Editor window, select the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\EkranSystem
key.
4. Find the Database values (Database and ManagedDatabase) and see where the Database
files are located on your computer.
5. Move the folder with database files to a new location.
NOTE: The folder contains the EKRANACTIVITYDB.FDB and MANAGEMENTDATABASE.FDB
files and the Cache subfolder (unless your Cache subfolder is stored in the shared folder).
33
Server and Database
6. In the Registry Editor window, modify the following values:

Database: Enter the full path to the EkranActivityDB.fdb file (including the file name) in
its new location and then click OK.

Managed Database: Enter the path to the folder with Ekran database in its new location
and then click OK.
34
Server and Database
7. The Database location is changed. Start the Server to continue working with the program.
Moving Binary Data to Shared or Local Folder
If necessary, you can store binary data received from Clients in the shared or local folder on
your computer. This might be necessary for storing large amounts of data.
This feature has the following limitations:


Shared Folders on mapped and mounted disks cannot be used for storing binary data.
After you select to store binary data in the shared folder instead of MS SQL database,
the already existing screenshots will no longer be displayed (only metadata will be
available for them). The newly received screenshots will be displayed.
To move binary data to the shared folder, do the following:
1. Stop the Server by clicking Stop in the right-click menu of the Server icon in the notification
area or find the Server application in the Task Manager and click End task.
2. For a Firebird database do the following:
 Open the Windows Registry Editor.
 In the Registry Editor window, select the
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\EkranSystem key.
 Find the Database value and check where the Database files are located on your
computer.
 Move the Cache folder with binary file to a new location.
3. In the Registry Editor window, click Edit>New>String value and add a new value:
 Value type: String
 Value name: StorageDirectory
 Value data: Shared Folder location as \\<computer IP>\<folder path> or \\<computer
name>\<folder path>
35
Server and Database
4. To access binary data in the shared folder on a different computer from your Server, it is
recommended to do the following:
 Open Computer Management.
 In the Computer Management window, open Services and Applications > Services.
 In the Services pane, find the EkranServer service and select Properties in the rightclick menu.
 In the EkranServer Properties window navigate to the Log On tab.
 In the Log On tab, select the This account option, specify the credentials for the
EkranServer service to start under, and click Apply. Make sure the user with the
specified credentials has administrator permissions on your Server computer and full
access to the shared folder on the different computer.
 Restart the service.
5. Start the Server to continue working with the program.
Validating Monitoring Data
If necessary, you can enable the validation of monitoring data, which allows checking that data
integrity in the database has not been altered.
The validation of monitoring data can be enabled for both Firebird and MS SQL databases but it
works only for the Windows Client sessions.
36
Server and Database
If the monitoring data validation is enabled, the integrity of a Windows Client session will be
checked on session opening. In case some screen captures or metadata records have been
deleted or modified in the session, the warning message “Session data is not valid!” will be
displayed in the Session Viewer.
NOTE: When the validation of monitoring data is enabled, the CPU usage will rise while
viewing the Client sessions in the Session Player.
To enable the monitoring data validation, do the following:
1. Stop the Server by clicking Stop in the right-click menu of the Server icon in the notification
area or find the Server application in the Task Manager and click End task.
2. Open the Windows Registry Editor.
3. In the Registry Editor window, select the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\EkranSystem
key.
4. Select Edit > New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
5. Define the following:
 Value name: SignMonitoredData
 Value data: 1
6. Start the Server to continue working with the program.
Advanced SIEM Integration
About
Advanced SIEM integration provides the ability to create a separate log file in the CEF format,
which can be then viewed and analysed with the help of the Splunk and ArcSight monitoring
software.
NOTE: The SIEM Integration functionality is available only if you have an activated Enterprise
serial key.
CEF Log File Contents
Depending on the defined CEF log contents settings, the following data can be written to a CEF
log file:
Event type
CEF header information
Log data
Client events
Device Event Class ID = 100
Windows Client events: username (with the
secondary username), Client name, activity
ID, activity time, activity title, application
name, URL, text data, alert/USB Rule, Session
Name = EkranClientEvent
cat = ClientEvents
37
Server and Database
Player URL, OS, domain name, IPv4, IPv6,
remote IP.
Linux Client events: username (with the
secondary username), Client name, activity
time, command, function, parameters, alert,
Session Player URL, OS, IPv4, IPv6, remote IP.
Alert events
Device Event Class ID = 200
Name = EkranAlertEvent
cat = AlertEvents
Windows Client alert events: alert ID, alert
name, alert description, username (with the
secondary username), Client name, activity
ID, activity time, activity title, application
name, URL, text data, Session Player URL, OS,
domain name, IPv4, IPv6, remote IP.
Linux Client events: alert ID, alert name,
alert description, username (with the
secondary username), Client name, activity
time, command, function, parameters,
Session Player URL, OS, IPv4, IPv6, remote IP.
Enabling CEF Log File Creation
To enable the creation of a CEF log file, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the administrative Database management
permission.
2. Click the Configuration navigation link to the left and open the ArcSight Integration tab.
3. Select the Create a log file option to enable creating a CEF log file.
4. Define the CEF log settings.
5. Click Save.
CEF Log Cleanup
Depending on the defined CEF log cleanup settings, the cleanup operation can be performed
either daily at a specified time or every few days, hours, or minutes. During the CEF log cleanup
operation the current CEF log file is renamed and a new one is created in the same folder. In
case a CEF log file achieves its maximum size before the cleanup start time, it also will be
renamed.
NOTE: Not to run out of space on the computer where the CEF log files are stored, it is
recommended to check the used disk space periodically and delete the unnecessary log files.
38
Management Tool
Management Tool
About
The Management Tool is the component for managing the whole system and viewing
monitored data received from Clients. It can be installed on any computer, but a network
connection to the Server is required for the Management Tool to operate. There can be several
computers with the installed Management Tool in the system. The work with the Management
Tool is performed via your browser.
Management Tool Installation Prerequisites
Prerequisites Overview
The following prerequisites are necessary for successful installation of the Management Tool.
For Windows 7, it is important that you follow these steps in the correct order.
To be able to install the Management Tool, you need to:
1. Turn on the Internet Information Service.
2. Install .NET Framework 4.5.2.
3. Configure the Internet Information Service.
4. Generate a self-signed certificate or import a purchased SSL certificate issued for the
computer on which the Management Tool will be installed.
5. Add the certificate to the Trusted Root Certification Authorities on the computer on which
the Management Tool will be installed. Otherwise a certificate error will be displayed in
your browser when opening the Management Tool.
6. Set HTTPS binding for a default web site (or any other IIS site).
NOTE: If you already have a certificate generated for the computer on which the
Management Tool will be installed, you can skip certificate generation step and use an
existing certificate.
39
Management Tool
Turning on Internet Information Service (IIS)
Turning on IIS for Windows 8 and Windows 7
To turn on the Internet Information Service for Windows 8 and Windows 7 do the following:
1. Select Control Panel > Programs and Features (Program uninstallation).
2. Click the Turn Windows features on or off navigation link.
3. The Windows Features window opens.
4. In the features tree-view, select the Internet Information Services check box.
5. Click OK.
40
Management Tool
Turning on IIS for Windows Server 2008 R2
To turn on the Internet Information Service for Windows Server 2008 R2, do the following:
1. In the Start menu, select All Programs > Administrative Tools > Server Manager.
2. In the navigation pane, select Roles, and then click Add Roles.
3. The Add Roles Wizard opens.
4. On the Before You Begin page, click Next.
5. On the Server Roles page, select Web Server (IIS), click Next, and then go to the Role
Services page to start configuring Web Server (IIS).
41
Management Tool
Turning on IIS for Windows Server 2012
To turn on the Internet Information Service for Windows Server 2012, do the following:
1. In the Start menu, select Server Manager.
2. In the navigation pane, select Dashboard, then click Manage > Add roles and features.
3. The Add Roles and Features Wizard opens.
4. On the Before You Begin page, click Next.
5. On the Installation type page, select Role-based or feature-based installation, and then
click Next.
6. On the Server Selection page, select Select a server from the server pool, select your server
from the Server Pool list, and then click Next.
42
Management Tool
7. On the Server Roles page, select Web Server (IIS), click Next and then click Add Features to
start configuring Web Server (IIS).
43
Management Tool
Installing .NET Framework 4.5.2
NET Framework 4.5.2 is usually installed on Windows 10.
If you are using Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server
2008, or if there is no .NET Framework 4.5.2 on other Windows versions, you can download it
from the Microsoft official website http://www.microsoft.com/enus/download/details.aspx?id=42642 and run the installation file on your computer.
Configuring Internet Information Service (IIS)
Windows 8
Windows 7
Make sure that all the following check boxes are selected in the
Windows Features window and then click OK:

.NET Framework 3.5 and .NET Framework 4.5 Advanced
Services;

Internet Information Services > Web Management Tools
> IIS Management Console;

Internet Information Services > World Wide Web
Services > Application Development Features > ASP.NET
3.5 and ASP.NET 4.5;

Internet Information Services > World Wide Web
Services > Common HTTP Features > Static Content.
Make sure that all the following check boxes are selected in the
Windows Features window and then click OK:

Internet Information Services > Web Management Tools
> IIS Management Console;
44
Management Tool
Windows Server
2008

Internet Information Services > World Wide Web
Services > Application Development Features > ASP.NET;

Internet Information Services > World Wide Web
Services > Common HTTP Features > Static Content.
1. In the Add Roles Wizard window, on the Role Services page,
make sure that the following check boxes are selected:
 Common HTTP Features > Static Content;
 Application Development > ASP.NET.
2. Click Next and then click Add Required Role Services.
3. On the Role Services page, make sure that the following
check boxes are selected:
 Management Tools > IIS Management Console.
4. Click Next and then click Install.
5. After the end of installation, click Close.
Windows Server
2012
1. In the Add Roles and Features Wizard window, on the Server
Roles page, make sure that the Web Server (IIS) check box is
selected and then click Next.
2. On the Features page, make sure that the following check
boxes are selected:
45
Management Tool


.NET Framework 3.5 Features (Installed) > .NET
Framework 3.5;
.NET Framework 4.5 (Installed) > ASP.NET 4.5.
2. Click Next.
3. On the Web Server Role IIS page, click Next.
4. On the Role Services page, select the ASP.NET 4.5 check box
(under Application Development).
5. Click Next and then click Add Features.
6. On the Role Services page, make sure that the following
check boxes are selected:
 Application Development > .NET Extensibility 4.5 > ASP >
NET 4.5 > ISAPI Extensions > ISAPI Filters.
7. Click Next and then click Install.
8. After the end of installation, click Close.
46
Management Tool
Using Certificates
Generating Self-Signed Certificate
To generate a self-signed certificate on the machine on which you will install the
Management Tool, do the following:
1. Open the Internet Information Service Manager:
 For Windows 8 or Windows 7: Open Computer > Manage > Services and Applications >
Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.

For Windows Server 2012 or Windows Server 2008: Press Windows+R, enter inetmgr
in the Run window and then press Enter.
NOTE: Using the inetmgr command is a common way of opening the Internet Information
Service Manager for any version of the Windows operating system.
2. Click the main node in the Connections tree-view and then double-click the Server
Certificates item under the IIS category.
3. The Server Certificates pane opens.
4. On the Actions pane (to the right), click Create Self-Signed Certificate.
47
Management Tool
5. The Create Self-Signed Certificate window opens.
6. Enter the name for a certificate in the Specify a friendly name for the certificate box and
select Personal in the Select a certificate store for the new certificate drop-down list. Click
OK.
7. The certificate is created.
Exporting Self-Signed Certificate
To export self-signed certificate, do the following:
1. In the Internet Information Service Manager, on the Server Certificates pane, select the
generated certificate and click Export on the Actions pane or in the certificate right-click
menu.
48
Management Tool
2. In the Export Certificate window, define the location and password for the certificate. Click
OK.
3. The certificate is exported and can be added to the Trusted Root Certification Authorities.
Importing Trusted Certificate
To import a purchased certificate issued for the computer, do the following:
1. Open the Internet Information Service Manager:

For Windows 8 or Windows 7: Open Computer > Manage > Services and
Applications > Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.

For Windows Server 2012 or 2008: Press Windows+R, enter inetmgr in the Run
window and then press Enter.
NOTE: Using the inetmgr command is a common way of opening the Internet
Information Service Manager for any version of the Windows operating system.
2. Click the main node in the Connections tree-view and then double-click the Server
Certificates item under the IIS category.
3. The Server Certificates pane opens.
4. On the Actions pane (to the right), click Import.
49
Management Tool
5. In the Import Certificate window, click the dots (…) to browse for the file of the purchased
certificate and enter its password in the Password field.
6. Click OK.
7. The certificate is imported and displayed on the Server Certificates pane of the Internet
Information Services (IIS) Manager.
Adding Certificate to Trusted Root Certification Authorities
Before adding the self-signed certificate to the Trusted Root Certification Authorities, it should
be exported. For purchased certificates that were issued for your computer this procedure is
not needed.
To add the certificate to the Trusted Root Certification Authorities, do the following:
1. Press Windows+R, type mmc in the Run text box and press Enter.
2. In the opened User Account Control window, click Yes.
3. In the Console window, select File > Add/Remove Snap-in.
50
Management Tool
4. In the opened Add or Remove Snap-ins window, select Certificates > Add.
5. In the opened Certificates snap-in window, select Computer account and click Next.
6. In the opened Select Computer window, select Local computer: (the computer this console
is running on) and click Finish.
51
Management Tool
7. In the Add or Remove Snap-ins window, click OK.
8. In the Console window, expand the Certificates (Local computer) node.
9. In the Certificates (Local computer) tree-view, find the Trusted Root Certification
Authorities node.
10. In the right-click menu of the Trusted Root Certification Authorities node, select All Tasks >
Import.
11. The Certificate Import Wizard opens.
52
Management Tool
12. On the Certificate Import Wizard Welcome page, click Next.
13. On the File to Import page, click Browse to find the certificate to be imported and then click
Next.
14. On the Private key protection page, enter the certificate password and then click Next.
53
Management Tool
15. On the Certificate Store page, click Next.
16. On the last page of the Certificate Import Wizard, click Finish.
17. In the confirmation message, click OK.
54
Management Tool
18. The certificate is imported and is displayed in the Console window in the Certificates node.
Please note that the Issued To field contains the name of the computer on which the
Management Tool will be installed in the format that will be used when opening the
Management Tool.
19. Close the Console window.
55
Management Tool
Setting HTTPS Binding for a Default Web-Site
To set HTTPS binding for a default web-site, do the following:
1. Open the Internet Information Service Manager:

For Windows 8 or Windows 7: Open Computer > Manage > Services and
Applications > Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.

For Windows Server 2012 or Windows Server 2008: Press Windows+R, enter
inetmgr in the Run window and then press Enter.
NOTE: Using the inetmgr command is a common way of opening the Internet
Information Service Manager for any version of the Windows operating system.
2. Expand the node with the name of the target computer in the central pane.
3. Expand the Sites node.
4. Select the Default Web Site.
NOTE: If there is no such site in the Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager of your
computer, you can select any other site (the name of the site does not matter).
5. Click the Bindings navigation link to the right.
6. The Site Bindings window opens.
7. If there is no binding of HTTPS type in the Site Bindings window, click Add.
56
Management Tool
8. The Edit Site Binding window opens.
9. In the Type box, select https.
10. Next to the SSL certificate drop-down list, click Select.
11. The Select Certificate window opens, where the list of existing certificates is displayed.
12. In the Select Certificate window, select the certificate generated for the Management Tool
and then click OK.
13. In the Add Site Binding window, click OK.
14. In the Site Bindings window, click Close.
15. Now the Internet Information Service is fully adjusted and you can start installing the
Management Tool.
57
Management Tool
Installing/Uninstalling/Updating the Management Tool
Installing the Management Tool
To install the Management Tool, do the following:
1. Run the EkranSystem_ManagementTool.exe installation file.
2. On the Welcome page, click Next.
3. Carefully read the terms of the End-User License Agreement and click I Agree.
4. On the Connection Settings page, do the following and then click Next:

In the Server address box, enter the name or IP address of the computer on which
the Server is installed.

In the URL address field enter the folder where the Management Tool will be
located within IIS. This URL will be used when opening the Management Tool.
5. On the Choose Install Location page, enter the destination folder in the corresponding
field or click Browse and in the Browse For Folder window, define the destination
folder. Click Install.
58
Management Tool
6. The installation process starts. Its progress is displayed on the Installing page.
7. After the end of the installation process, click Close to exit the wizard.
8. The Management Tool is displayed as an application of a default web site or any other
site with https connection in the Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.
9. Now you can open the Management Tool via your browser from the same computer
or a remote one.
59
Management Tool
Adjusting Computer for Remote Access
If you want to open the Management Tool from the computer different from the one where
the Management Tool is installed, you need to adjust Firewall settings to be able to access this
computer.
If the users access Management Tool only from computers where it is installed, there is no
need to configure Firewall.
To adjust Firewall on the computer where the Management Tool is installed, do the
following:
1. In the Control Panel, select System and Security > Windows Firewall.
2. In the Windows Firewall window, click Advanced settings.
3. In the Windows Firewall with Advanced Security window, right-click Inbound Rules
and select New rule.
4. The New Inbound Rule Wizard opens.
5. On the Rule Type page, select Predefined and then select Secure World Wide Web
Services (HTTPS) in the list. Click Next.
6. On the Predefined Rules page, select the World Wide Web Services (HTTPS Traffic-In)
check box. Click Next.
60
Management Tool
7. On the Action page, select Allow the connection. Click Finish.
8. The new inbound rule for Firewall is created.
61
Management Tool
Updating Management Tool
To update the Management Tool, do the following:
1. Run the Management Tool installation file (EkranSystem_ManagementTool.exe) of a newer
version.
2. On the The program is already installed page, select Update and then click Next.
3. Follow the installation instructions.
4. The Management Tool will be updated to the new version.
Uninstalling Management Tool
To uninstall the Management Tool, do the following:
1. Open the Programs and Features window of the Windows Control Panel.
2. In the Programs and Features window, find the Ekran System Management Tool
application.
3. In the right-click menu of the application, select Uninstall.
4. The setup wizard opens and starts the uninstallation process.
5. When the process is completed, click Close to exit the setup wizard.
6. The Management Tool is uninstalled and removed from the Internet Information Service
(IIS).
62
Management Tool
Opening Management Tool
To open the Management Tool, do the following:
1. Open the browser and enter https://<name of the computer or IP on which the
Management Tool is installed>/<URL address that has been specified during the
Management Tool installation> in the address line.
For example, https://john-pc/MyMonitoringSystem.
NOTE: If the certificate is not added to the Trusted Root Certification Authorities or
the name of the computer entered in the browser address does not match the
subject (Issued To field) of the certificate, your browser will display a certificate
error when opening the Management Tool.
2. The Management Tool opens.
3. Enter the credentials of the existing user added to the system:

For an internal user, enter the login and password defined during user
creation.

For a Windows user, enter the login in the form <domain name>\<user name>
and Windows authentication password.
Please note, if the Active Directory user group has been added to the system, the users
belonging to it can login using their Windows credentials.
4. The Management Tool Home page opens.
Please note, the Management Tool may take a while to launch on first connection, since
IIS is not used constantly and its processes are stopped and restarted on the connection.
If you encounter any problems when opening the Management Tool, see the
Troubleshooting chapter.
63
Management Tool
Management Tool Interface
The Management Tool interface is divided into the following areas:

Navigation pane

Data View pane

Filtering pane

Toolbar
Panes
The Navigation pane
The Navigation pane allows you to navigate between different sections of the Management
Tool and consists of the following navigation links:

Home: Opens the page on which dashboards are displayed, containing information on
the system state, recent user activity, and any suspicious user behavior.

Monitored Sessions: Displays the list of all monitored sessions received from Clients to
users that have View monitoring results permission.

Forensic Export History: Displays the list of sessions exported via Forensic Export from
the Session Viewer. A user can download any exported session and validate the already
exported session.

Report Generator: Opens the Report Generator page on which the user can generate
the report of the required type by defined parameters and then save it or print it.

Interactive Monitoring: Opens the Interactive Monitoring page on which the user can
view statistic data on user activity displayed in two column charts (Applications
Monitoring and URL Monitoring).

Client Management: Displays the information about all Clients in the system. The
number of Clients displayed on the page depends upon permissions given to users that
log in to the Management Tool. Additionally, you can navigate to the Blocked User list
from the Client Management page.

User Management: Displays the information about all Users in the system and is
available for users that have the User management permission.

Alert Management: Displays the information about alerts assigned to your Clients.

Kernel-level USB monitoring: Displays the list of all USB monitoring rules for all the
Clients in the system and is available for the users with the administrative Client
installation and management permission.

Scheduled Reports: Opens the Scheduled Reports page on which the user can view and
manage report generation rules, and view rule logs.

Database Management: Opens the page on which the user with the Database
management permission can perform archiving and cleanup of the Database.
64
Management Tool

Serial Key Management: Displays the information about your Serial key and contains
keys activating/deactivating options and is available for users that have the Serial keys
management permission.

Configuration: Opens the page on which the user can define the Email sending settings,
Player Link Settings, and CEF Log Settings.

Management Tool Log: Contains information on all user actions performed in the
Management Tool.

Diagnostics: Provides quick access to Server and Management Tool log files for users
that have the Database management permission.
The Data View pane
The Data View pane contains a grid with the information about your Clients, Users, Alerts,
database, and Serial keys.
The Filtering pane
The Filtering pane allows you to filter the Clients, Users, and Alerts by keywords of their names
and hide offline/online/uninstalled/licensed/Windows/Linux Clients.
Toolbar
The Toolbar of the Management Tool allows you to perform basic actions with Clients, Users,
and Alerts. The options of the Toolbar are the following:

For Client Management: Add Client Group, Install Clients, Manage Licenses, Edit
Uninstallation Key, Uninstall Clients, Delete Clients, and Blocked User List.

For User Management: Add User and Add User Group.

For Alert Management: Add Alert, Manage Multiple Alerts, Export Alerts, Import Alerts,
and Global Alert Settings.

For Kernel-Level USB Monitoring Management: Add Rule.

For Scheduled Reports: Add Rule.

For Forensic Export: Validate Export Results.
65
Management Tool
Changing Password for Logged in User
Internal users, including the Built-in administrator, can change their password after logging in
to the Management Tool. This action is not available for Active Directory users.
To change your password, do the following:
1. Click your user name in the upper right corner of any Management Tool page.
2. The Manage account page opens.
3. In the Current password box, type your current password.
4. In the New password box, type the new password.
5. Re-enter the password in the Confirm password box.
6. Click Change password.
7. Your password is changed. You will need to use it on the next log in.
66
Licensing
Licensing
General Licensing Information
To start receiving information from the Clients, you have to assign licenses to them. Three
types of licenses are available:

Workstation license: Clients with this license monitor only one session, either remote or
local, on the investigated computer.
NOTE: Licenses of the workstation type cannot be assigned to a computer with Server
OS.

Server license: Clients with this license monitor unlimited number of remote sessions
and any local sessions on the investigated computer. Remote sessions include Remote
Desktop sessions, terminal sessions, etc.

Linux license: Linux Clients with this license monitor unlimited number of terminal
sessions on the investigated computer.
Each Client can have only one license assigned. During the first connection to the Server, the
license corresponding to the Client computer operating system is automatically assigned to a
Client. If the license has not been automatically assigned, then you will have to assign the
license to the Client manually.
When you log into the Management Tool for the first time, you can request a trial serial key
which allows you to use 5 workstation licenses, 3 Linux licenses, and 1 server license for 30
days. The trial serial key will be sent to the email address you specify in the request form.
To use the system permanently and with a greater number of licenses, you have to license it
with purchased serial keys on a computer with the installed Server.
NOTE: After activation of any serial key, the embedded trial key expires.
Four types of serial keys are available:

Standard serial keys: These keys allow you to use licenses they contain during the
unlimited period of time.

Trial serial keys: These keys allow you to use the licenses they contain during 30 days
from activation and update the product during this period.

Subscription serial keys: These keys allow you to use licenses they contain during the
subscription period.

Enterprise serial keys: These keys allow you to get an access to the enterprise features
of the Ekran System during the unlimited period of time.
Each standard, trial, and subscription serial key contains the following data:

Update & support period

Server licenses for the Clients

Workstation licenses for the Clients
67
Licensing

Linux licenses for the Clients
The enterprise serial key does not contain any Client licenses and is active during the unlimited
period of time. This key grants you an access to such valuable features of the Ekran System as
Database Archiving, ArcSight Integration, One-time Password, and High-Availability.
See the detailed information on the Standard and Enterprise Editions of Ekran System in the
Appendix.
Once you have purchased serial keys, you can either activate serial keys online or add activated
serial keys if you have no Internet connection on a computer with the installed Server. Contact
your vendor for information on purchasing serial keys.
You need the administrative Serial keys management permission to activate serial keys.
Please note, after the activation, serial keys are bound to a specific computer and cannot be
used on another computer.
About Update & Support Period
An Update & support period is a period that defines what updates can be applied to your copy
of the product. Updates are defined by their release date. After the update & support period
expires, you can still assign licenses to Clients, but you will be unable to update the System to
versions released after the update & support period expiration date.
The update & support period end date is defined during the serial key activation (either via the
Management Tool or on the vendor’s site). It is calculated using a serial key with the longest
update & support period.
Example:
If you activate two keys, one with a 30 days update & support period and one with a 12 months
update & support period, simultaneously, the update & support period end date will be set to
12 months from the activation date.
When a new serial key is being activated, the update & support period is prolonged
accordingly. Please note, if the current update & support period is longer than the one of a key
being activated, current update & support period does not change. For example, if you activate
a key with 12 months update & support period after a key with 30 days update & support
period, the update & support end date will be set to 12 months since the activation date. But if
you activate a key with 30 days update & support period after a key with 12 months update &
support period, the update & support period end date will not change.
If your update & support period expires, you can purchase a special subscription extension
serial key, which does not contain any keys, but extends your update & support period, or you
can activate any other serial key.
68
Licensing
Viewing License State
You can view the information on serial keys you have activated or added and license details on
the Serial Key Management page in the Management Tool.
To view the license state, open the Management Tool and click Serial Key Management
navigation link to the left.
The following information is displayed on the Serial Key Management page:

Update & support period end date: The update & support period end date is calculated
basing on dates of serial keys activation and their subscription periods.

Workstation licenses used: The number of workstation licenses used out of total
number, which is summed up from all activated serial keys.

Server licenses used: The number of server licenses used out of total number, which is
summed up from all activated serial keys.

Not licensed Clients: Displays the number of installed Clients with no licenses assigned.

Linux licenses used: The number of Linux licenses used out of total number, which is
summed up from all activated serial keys.

Enterprise key: Displays whether the target Server computer has an activated
enterprise serial key.
The following information is displayed in the Serial Key Management table:
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Serial key
Activation date
Deactivation date (for deactivated keys only)
Number of server licenses
Number of workstation licenses
Number of Linux licenses
Key state: activated/deactivated/expired. For a trial serial key, an expiration
date is displayed near the key state.
69
Licensing
Activating Serial Keys Online
To activate purchased serial keys online, do the following:
1. Make sure you have an active Internet connection on the computer with the installed
Server.
2. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the administrative Serial keys management
permission.
3. Click the Serial Key Management navigation link to the left.
4. On the Serial Key Management page, click Activate keys online.
5. In the Serial Key Activation window, enter serial keys to be activated separating them with
semicolons or paragraphs and click Activate.
6. The activated keys will appear on the Serial Key Management page.
7. The number of available server, workstation, and Linux licenses and the update & support
period end date change.
Adding Activated Serial Keys Offline
If you have no Internet connection on a computer on which the serial keys are to be activated,
you can activate them on the license site and then add the activated serial keys offline. For
more information, send an email to [email protected]
NOTE: Subscription serial keys cannot be activated offline.
To activate serial keys offline on the license site, do the following:
1. On the computer with the installed Server, start the UniqueIdentifierGenerator.exe file,
which you can download at
https://www.ekransystem.com/sites/default/files/ekransystem/UniqueIdentifierGenerator.
exe
2. The Unique Identifier Generator window opens.
3. Click Generate to generate a unique identifier for your computer.
4. When a unique identifier for your computer is generated, it will appear in a text box under
the Unique Identifier group of options.
5. Copy the unique identifier from the text box to a text file on a removable drive.
6. Go to the license site.
70
Licensing
7. Enter the generated unique identifier in the Unique Identifier box.
8. Copy and paste the purchased serial keys to the Serial Keys box separating them with
paragraphs or spaces.
9. Enter the CAPTCHA text in a text box near the CAPTCHA image.
10. Click Activate.
11. The activatedKeys.txt file will be generated. Save the file on a removable drive.
12. Copy the file to the computer on which you will open the Management Tool.
NOTE: Please do not edit the generated file activatedKeys.txt.
To add activated serial keys in offline mode, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the administrative Serial keys management
permission.
2. Click the Serial Key Management navigation link to the left.
3. On the Serial Key Management page, click Add activated keys.
4. On the Activated Serial Key Adding page, click Choose File and navigate to the
activatedKeys.txt file with activated serial keys.
5. Click Add.
6. The newly added serial keys appear on the Serial Key Management page.
7. The number of available server, workstation, and Linux licenses and the update & support
period end date changes.
8. If there are both licensed and unlicensed Clients in your network and you want to license
the rest of Clients with a purchased key, you will have to assign the license to the remaining
unlicensed Clients manually.
Deactivating Serial Keys
If for some reason you decide to discontinue using Ekran System, you can deactivate serial
keys.
To deactivate a serial key, do the following:
1. Make sure you have an active Internet connection on the computer with the installed
Server.
2. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the administrative Serial keys management
permission.
3. Click the Serial Key Management navigation link to the left.
4. On the Serial Key Management page, select a serial key to be deactivated and click
Deactivate selected.
NOTE: Expired serial keys can’t be deactivated.
5. In the confirmation message, click Deactivate.
71
Licensing
6. The deactivated serial key is marked as Deactivated in the State column of the Serial Key
Management page.
7. The number of available server, workstation and Linux licenses and the update & support
period end date change.
Client License Management
The Client license management is performed in the Management Tool by the user with the
administrative Client installation and management permission.
You can assign a license to a Client or unassign it manually any time. The license can be
assigned to an offline Client, and it will be applied after the Client is online. If the Client is
uninstalled, its license becomes free and can be assigned to another Client.
NOTE: When a trial serial key expires, the corresponding number of licenses is automatically
unassigned from Clients.
Information about the number of used and free licenses of each type is displayed on the Serial
Key Management page in the Management Tool.
To assign the license to one Client, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the administrative Client installation
and management permission.
2. Click the Client Management navigation link to the left.
3. On the Clients page, select the needed Client from the list and then click Edit Client.
4. On the Editing Client page, on the Properties tab, in the License box, select the type
of license you want to assign to the Client.
5. Click Finish.
6. The license is assigned to the Client.
To manage the licenses to several Clients, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the administrative Client installation
and management permission.
2. Click the Client Management navigation link to the left.
3. On the Clients page, click Manage Licenses.
4. On the License Management page, select the Clients to which the licenses should be
assigned. To find a specific Client, enter its name in the Contains box and click Apply
Filters.
5. When the Clients are selected, click one of the following:

Assign workstation license: Assigns licenses to the selected Windows Clients
installed on the computers with not Server operating system.

Assign server license: Assigns licenses to the selected Windows Clients installed on
the computers with Server operating system.
72
Licensing

Assign Linux license: Assigns licenses to the selected Linux Clients.

Assign recommended license: Automatically defines the type of the licenses to be
assigned basing on the operating system of the computers on which the Clients are
installed.

Unassign license: Removes licenses from the selected Clients.
NOTE: To change the Client license type, you do not need to unassign the current license.
This will be done automatically.
73
User and User Group Management
User and User Group Management
About
By default, there is one administrator in the system, whose login is admin and whose password
is defined during the Server installation. The administrator has all the rights for work in the
system.
In order to grant others access to the system, you can add users and define their permissions.
There are two types of users:

Internal users

Active Directory Users (Windows domain users and Windows domain user groups)
To define permissions for users, you can create user groups. One user can belong to several
user groups.
When the user is added to a group, he/she inherits all permissions from a group. If the user
inherited some permissions from a group, these permissions can be removed only by removing
the user from this group. Apart from permissions received from the group, you can assign
other permissions to a specific user.
By default, there are three user groups in the system:

All Users: A group that contains all created users.

Administrators: A group of users that can perform administrative functions within the
system. If a user is added to this group, he/she receives all administrative and Client
permissions within the system. This user group corresponds to the Administrator role in
the earlier versions of the application.

Supervisors: A group of users that perform major investigative work with the Clients. If
a user is added to this group, he/she receives the Viewing monitoring results
permission for All Clients. This user group corresponds to the Supervisor role in the
earlier versions of the application.
You can also add other custom user groups and manage them yourself.
Please note, user and user group management is allowed only to the users with the
administrative User management permission.
Viewing Users and User Groups
The Users and User Groups are displayed on the User Management page in the Management
Tool. Users are grouped by the User Groups which they belong to. The lists of Users contain the
following information:

User Name

First Name

Last Name

Description
NOTE: For Active Directory users, their first name and last name will be filled automatically
after the first log in to the system.
74
User and User Group Management
To find a required User, enter a part of his/her user name, first name, last name or description
in the Contains box and click Apply Filters.
On the User Management page, you can add new Users/User Groups and edit existing
Users/User Groups (including deleting).
User Management
Adding Users
To add a new user, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the administrative User management
permission.
2. Click the User Management navigation link to the left.
3. On the Users page, click Add User.
4. On the User Type tab, select the type of the user you want to add:

Click Add an Internal user to create an internal application user.

Click Add an Active Directory user/user group to add an existing Windows user/user
group.
75
User and User Group Management
5. On the User Details tab, do one of the following and click Next:

For an internal user, define user credentials and additional information about the
user.
NOTE: Login and password are required. The password must be at least 6 characters long.
The maximum length of the first name, last name, and description is 200 characters.

For an Active Directory user, enter user login and domain.
76
User and User Group Management
NOTE: The Active Directory user cannot be added if the Server belongs to a Workgroup.
6. On the User Groups tab, select the user groups to which the user will belong. To find a
specific group, enter its name in the Contains box and click Apply Filters. Click Next.
NOTE: The user is automatically added to the default All Users group and can’t be
removed from it.
7. On the Administrative Permissions tab, select administrative permissions that will be given
to the user. Click Next.
NOTE: If the user has inherited some permissions from user groups, you can only add new
permissions. To remove permissions inherited from user groups, you need to remove the
user from these groups.
77
User and User Group Management
8. On the Client Permissions tab, do the following:

Select the necessary Client/Client Group. To find a specific Client/Client Group, enter
its name in the Contains box and click Apply Filters.

Click Edit Permissions and then, in the Client Permissions/Client Group Permissions
window, define the Client permissions which will be given to a user for the
corresponding Client/Client Group.

When the permissions are defined, click Save to close the Client Permissions/Client
Group Permissions window.
9. Click Finish.
10. The user is added and displayed on the Users page.
NOTE: For an Active Directory user, the first name and last name properties will be
automatically filled after the user’s first login to the system.
78
User and User Group Management
Editing Users
To edit an existing user, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the administrative User management
permission.
2. Click the User Management navigation link to the left.
3. On the Users page, click Edit User for the required user.
4. Edit user properties and permissions on the corresponding tabs in the same way as when
adding a new user.
NOTE: Click Next or Finish to save the changes on each tab.
5. The user is edited.
Deleting Users
Deleting a user means that a user will not be able to use the system. If you delete the user who
is logged in the Management Tool, the Management Tool will become unavailable for the user
at once and none of its pages will be displayed.
To delete a user, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the administrative User management
permission.
2. Click the User Management navigation link to the left.
3. On the Users page, click Edit User for the required user.
4. On the User Details tab, click Delete User.
5. In the confirmation message, click Delete.
6. The user is deleted.
User Group Management
Adding User Groups
To add a new user group, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the administrative User management
permission.
2. Click the User Management navigation link to the left.
3. On the Users page, click Add User Group.
4. On the Group Properties tab, define the name for the user group and optionally define its
description. Click Next.
NOTE: The maximum length of the group name and description is 200 characters.
5. On the User Management tab, select users that will belong to the user group. To find a
specific user, enter its name in the Contains box and click Apply Filters. Click Next.
79
User and User Group Management
6. On the Administrative Permissions tab, select administrative permissions that will be given
to all users belonging to this user group. Click Next.
7. On the Client Permissions tab, find the Client/Client Group for which permissions are to be
defined.

To find a specific Client/ Client Group, enter its name in the Contains box and click
Apply Filters.

Click Edit Permissions and then, in the Client Permissions/ Client Group
Permissions window, define the Client permissions which will be given to a user for
the corresponding Client/Client Group.

After you have defined all Client permissions, click Save to close the Client
Permissions/ Client Group Permissions window.
8. On the Client Permissions tab, click Finish.
9. The user group is added.
Editing User Groups
To edit an existing user group, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the administrative User management
permission.
2. Click the User Management navigation link to the left.
3. On the Users page, click Edit User Group for the required user group.
4. Edit user group properties and permissions on the corresponding tabs in the same way as
when adding a new user group.
NOTE: Click Next or Finish to save the changes on each tab.
5. The user group is edited.
Deleting User Groups
Deleting a user group does not delete users belonging to it. If the group is deleted, its users no
longer have permissions given by this user group unless these permissions are inherited from
another user group.
NOTE: The user group All Users cannot be deleted.
To delete a user group, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the administrative User management
permission.
2. Click the User Management navigation link to the left.
3. On the Users page, click Edit User Group for the required user group.
4. On the Group Properties tab, click Delete Group.
5. In the confirmation message, click Delete.
6. The user group is deleted.
80
User and User Group Management
Permissions
About
The permissions allow you to define which functions a user will be able to perform with the
system and Clients. There are two types of permissions: administrative permissions and Client
permissions.
Administrative permissions define actions that a user can perform with the whole system.
Client permissions define actions that a user can perform with selected Clients.
The permissions can be defined during user and user group adding/editing.
If you define permissions for the group, any user belonging to this group inherits these
permissions. To remove permissions inherited by the user from a group, you need to remove
the user from a group. Apart from permissions inherited from the group, you can assign a user
his/her own permissions.
Administrative Permissions
The following administrative permissions are available:

Serial keys management: Allows a user to activate and deactivate serial keys.

User management: Allows a user to add, edit, delete Users/User groups and define
permissions for them. It also allows a user to view the Management Tool log.

Client installation and management: Allows a user to install Windows Clients, assign
licenses to Windows Clients, add, edit, and delete Client groups, manage alerts, define
alert settings, create and manage scheduled report rules, view report logs, define Email
sending settings, create and manage the USB monitoring & blocking rules, as well as
block users.

Database management: Allows a user to get information on the database, perform
database cleanup, delete Clients from the database, and download Server and
Management Tool log files.

Viewing archived data: Allows a user to view and export sessions from archive
databases.
Client Permissions
Client permissions define which actions a user will be able to perform with the Clients.
If a user does not have the administrative Client installation and management permission, in
the Management Tool he/she will see only those Clients for which he/she has at least one
Client permission.
NOTE: Client permissions are defined for each Client or Client Group individually.
The following Client permissions are available:

Client configuration management: Allows a user to define Client configuration.
81
User and User Group Management

Viewing monitoring results: Allows a user to:
o View the results of Client monitoring and Forensic Export results in the
Management Tool.
o View Windows and Linux Client configuration.
o Generate reports in the Management Tool.

[Windows Clients] Viewing keystrokes: Allows a user to view keystrokes recorded
during Client monitoring

[Windows Clients] Client uninstallation: Allows a user to uninstall a Client.

[Windows Clients] Login to Client computer: Allows a user to log in to the Client
computer with enabled forced user authentication and is available only for the Client
with server operating system.
Permission Example
You can define the permission for a user, by selecting the Edit User option and selecting the
check box next to the required permission on the Administrative Permissions tab.
If the user belongs to several Groups, he/she will inherit all the permissions defined for them.
For example:
There is a user Joe who belongs to Group 1 and Group 2 user groups.
Besides, there are Client 1 and Client 2 that belong to All Clients group.
The following permissions are given to the user Joe, Group 1, and Group 2 by the administrator:
User/User Group
Group 1
Group 2
User Joe
Administrative
permissions
User management
Serial keys management
Client installation and
management
Serial keys management
Client permissions
Permission
Client uninstallation
Viewing monitoring
results
Viewing monitoring
results
Client configuration
management
For
Client 1
Client 2
Client 1
All Clients
As a result, the user Joe will have the following permissions:

Administrative
o User management permission (Because he belongs to Group 1).
o Serial keys management permission (Because he belongs to Group 2. But he also
has his own Serial keys management permission, and thus will have it even if
Group 2 is deleted or its permissions are edited).
o Client installation and management permission (He will have this permission
irrespective to user groups which he will be added to).
82
User and User Group Management

Client permissions for Client 1
o Client uninstallation permission (Because he belongs to Group 1).
o Viewing monitoring results permission (Because it is his own permission and he
will have it irrespective to user groups which he will be added to).
o Client configuration management permission (Because the Client belongs to All
Clients group).

Client permissions for Client 2
83
User and User Group Management
o Viewing monitoring results permission (Because he belongs to Group 2).
o Client configuration management permission (Because the Client belongs to All
Clients group).
Management Tool Log
About
The Management Tool Log is a component that contains information on all user actions
performed in the Management Tool. Such information might be useful for the administrator to
manage and monitor the actions of all users in the system.
Viewing the Management Tool Log is available only to users with the administrative User
management permissions.
Viewing Management Tool Log
To view the log, log into the Management Tool and click the Management Tool Log navigation
link to the left.
On the Management Tool Log page, the Log Grid with the following data is displayed:




Time: Displays the date & time the action was performed.
User Name: Displays the name of the user who performed the action.
User Groups: Displays the list of the User Groups the user belongs to.
Category: Displays the category the action performed belongs to.
84
User and User Group Management



Action: Displays the action performed.
Object: Displays the list of the objects affected by the action.
Details: Displays additional information about the action performed.
You can define the number of the log entries to be displayed per page: 10/100/250/1000.
All actions performed by the users in the Management Tool are grouped by the following
categories:
1. Alert management. Contains the information on the alert configuration being changed,
as well as exporting, importing, deleting older alerts, creating new ones, and changing
the Global Alert settings.
2. Alert player viewing. Contains the information on viewing alert events in the Alert
Viewer by a user.
3. Archived Sessions Viewing. Contains the information on the archived sessions opened
in the Session Viewer as well as the information on users performing Forensic Export of
the viewed archive sessions.
4. CEF log settings. Contains the information on the CEF log settings being changed.
5. Client editing. Contains the information on the Client configuration being changed. If
there were multiple configuration changes, they are combined in a single log entry.
6. Client group management. Contains the information on the Client Group configuration
being changed, as well as deleting older Client Groups and creating new ones.
7. Client installation/Uninstallation. Contains the information on installation and
uninstallation of the Clients performed by a user, as well as the Client uninstallation key
being changed.
8. Database cleanup. Contains the information on the manual & automatic cleanup being
performed and the changes made to the automatic cleanup settings by a user.
9. Database management. Contains the information on the database shrinking, database
archiving and cleanup, and statistics update performed by a user.
10. Diagnostics. Contains the information on downloading the server and Management Tool
log files by a user.
11. Email sending settings. Contains the information on the email sending settings being
changed.
12. Forensic Export. Contains the information on users performing Forensic Export,
downloading and deleting the Forensic Export results, as well as validating those results.
85
User and User Group Management
13. Interactive monitoring. Contains the information on Clients, users on Client computers,
and time period, for which the Application Monitoring and URL Monitoring widgets
were generated.
14. Kernel-level USB monitoring. Contains the information on the USB monitoring &
blocking rules being changed by a user, as well as deleting older rules and creating new
ones.
15. Log in / Log off. Contains the information on users logging in/logging off (including MT
being closed, session expiring, etc.).
16. One-time password. Contains the information on the one-time passwords generated by
a user via the Management Tool as well as the information on the manually terminated
ones.
17. Report generation. Contains the information on the reports generated by a user, both
via Report Generator and from the Scheduled rule. It also contains information about
the generated reports being downloaded by a particular user.
18. Scheduled report management. Contains the information on the Scheduled Report
rules being changed by a user, as well as deleting older rules and creating new ones.
19. Serial key management. Contains the information on adding, activation, and
deactivation of the serial keys by a user.
20. Session Viewing. Contains the information on the sessions opened in the Session Viewer
by a user.
21. User blocking. Contains the information on users being added to and removed from the
Blocked User list.
22. User group management. Contains the information on the user group configuration
being changed by a user, as well as deleting older user groups, creating new ones,
changing the Client and administrative permissions.
23. User management. Contains the information on the user configuration being changed
by a user, as well as deleting older users, creating new ones, changing the Client and
administrative permissions.
Management Tool Log Protection
The Management Tool Log is protected against log-altering attacks, its data being encrypted in
the database. The database encrypting is unique for each server. If the log has been modified, a
warning is displayed that the log data is not valid, and the invalid log entries are marked red.
86
User and User Group Management
Filtering and Sorting Log Data
You can filter Management Tool log entries using the dropdown menu near the column header
in the Log grid. You can filter data by multiple fields.
To filter data by the not date field (User Name, User Groups, Category, Action, Object), click
near the required column name, select one or several check boxes, and then click OK.
To filter data by the Time field, click
near the required column name, select the From and
To dates in the dropdown menu, and then click OK.
To sort data in the Log grid, click the required column header. You can change column sort
order from ascending to descending, and vice versa. To do this, click the Sort arrow near the
column header.
87
Windows Clients
Windows Clients
About
Windows Client is a program that can be installed on the target computers to monitor the
activity of their users. The monitored data is sent by the Windows Client to the Server and can
be viewed in the Management Tool.
Depending upon his/her permissions, a user can install/uninstall Clients remotely, manage
their configuration, and manage Client groups.
Monitoring via Windows Clients
The Windows Clients work as follows:

Each Windows Client starts automatically on computer start.

A licensed Windows Client performs the monitoring of both remote and local sessions.
Clients with a server license can monitor many sessions simultaneously. Clients with a
workstation license monitor only one session (local or remote).

Every time the computer is restarted, the Windows Client starts recording screen
captures in a new session. The maximum duration of one session can be 24 hours. At
00:00 all live sessions are terminated. After their termination (their status changes from
live to finished), new live sessions automatically start.

If a user works with several monitors, the Windows Client creates screen captures from
all of them.

The Windows Client sends its monitoring results to the Server. On the Client side, the
monitoring data is compressed before sending it to the Server.
To disable the data compression on the Client side, in the Windows Registry Editor,
select the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\EkranSystem\Client key and add a new
value:
o
o
o
Value type: DWORD
Value name: Compression
Value data: 0

If there is no connection with the Server, the Client stores the monitored data and
automatically sends it to the Server when the connection is renewed. The data is stored
in the TempWrite.dat file in the Client folder, which is located here: C:\Program
Files\Ekran System\Ekran System\Client. The Client continues offline data storing until
there is the 500 MB of free space on the hard drive left. The Client can renew the offline
data storing in case there will be more than 500 MB free space on the hard drive.

The screen capture creation frequency of the Windows Client is the following:
o If the user is typing the text, the screen capture is created once in 10 seconds.
o If the user clicks a mouse, the screen capture is created once in 3 seconds.
o If the user changes an active window, the screen capture is created once in 3
seconds.
88
Windows Clients
Screen capture creation triggers usually influence each other, though the average
screen capture creation frequency is higher.
If the Capture screen on each event without timeout parameter is selected for the
Windows Client, screen captures are created on each mouse click or keyboard key
pressing without using data sending time out.
WARNING! The Capture screen on each event without timeout option affects CPU
usage on the Client computer and database size. It is not recommended to use this
option for a great number of Clients and for a long period of time.
Installing Windows Clients
About
During the system deployment, remote installation of the Windows Clients is used. Remote
installation of the Clients is performed via the Management Tool.
To ensure successful remote installation of the Windows Clients, you have to set up the
network environment beforehand. If your computers belong to a workgroup but not a domain,
you need to know the administrator account credentials for each remote computer. Otherwise,
knowing the domain administrator credentials is enough.
The Windows Clients can also be installed locally via the installation package generated in the
Management Tool. Thus you can distribute the installation package of the Client with
predefined settings among the network computers and install it. This kind of installation is
useful when you experience difficulties with installing the Clients remotely via the
Management Tool, or the computers in your network are a part of a workgroup and do not
have the same administrative account for each computer.
Setting up Environment for Remote Installation
Windows Client Installation Prerequisites
The majority of Windows Client installation/uninstallation issues are caused by incorrect
system or network settings.
The following conditions have to be met for successful Windows Client installation:

The remote computer has to be online and accessible via network.

Shared folders have to be accessible on the remote computer. Simple file sharing
(Sharing Wizard) has to be disabled if the computer is in a workgroup (for domain
computers this requirement can be skipped).

You need to know the domain administrator or local administrator account credentials
for the remote computer.

The Server and the Remote Procedure Call (RPC) system services have to be running on
the remote computer.

Windows Vista and Windows XP Firewall has to be properly set up on the remote
computer during the Clients remote installation.
89
Windows Clients

In Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2008 Firewall,
inbound connections have to be allowed in the Remote Service Management (RPC) rule
for the remote computers and the File and Printer Sharing option has to be enabled (in
this case it is not necessary to disable Windows Firewall).
In Windows Firewall on the Server side, allow the Server executable to accept TCP connections
via ports 9447 (for the connection between the Server and the Clients).
NOTE: These rules will be added to Windows Firewall automatically if Windows Firewall is
enabled during the Server installation.
Make sure the conditions mentioned above are met to avoid possible problems with Client
remote installation.
Disabling Simple File Sharing in Windows XP
To disable simple file sharing in Windows XP, do the following:
1. Open My Computer.
2. Select Tools > Folder Options in the menu.
3. In the Folder Options window, select the View tab.
4. Clear the Use simple file sharing check box.
5. Click Apply and OK to close the window.
Disabling Sharing Wizard in Windows 8.1, Windows 8, and Windows 7
To disable the Sharing wizard in Windows 8.1, Windows 8, and Windows 7, do the following:
1. Open the Folder options window:
90
Windows Clients


For Windows 8.1/Windows 8: Open the Control Panel and then select
Appearance and Personalization.
For Windows 7: Open Computer and then select Organize > Folder and search
options.
2. In the Folder Options window, select the View tab.
3. Clear the Use Sharing Wizard check box.
4. Click Apply and OK to close the window.
Checking System Services
To check that the Server and Remote Procedure Call (RPC) system services are running:
1. Right-click Computer and select Manage. The Computer Management window opens.
2. Expand the Services and Applications node and select Services. To quickly access
Windows Services, press Windows+R, type services.msc in the Run text box and press
Enter.
3. Find the Server service and the Remote Procedure Call (RPC) service in the list of
services. Make sure both services are running (their status is displayed as Started).
91
Windows Clients
4. If one or both services are not running, start them manually. To start the service,
right-click it and select Start from the context menu. The selected service is started.
Setting up Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003
Firewall
It is not necessary to disable the Firewall in Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server
2003. For successful remote installation of the Clients, you have to enable the File and Printer
Sharing option.
To set up Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 Firewall, do the following:
1. Select Start > Control Panel > Windows Firewall.
92
Windows Clients
2. In the Windows Firewall window, select the Exceptions tab.
3. On the Exceptions tab, select the File and Printer Sharing check box.
4. Click OK.
93
Windows Clients
Setting up Firewall for Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7,
Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2008
It is not necessary to disable the Firewall in Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows
Server 2012, and Windows Server 2008. For successful remote installation of the Clients, you
have to allow inbound connections in the Remote Service Management (RPC) rule for the
remote computers and enable the File and Printer Sharing option.
To enable inbound connections for the Remote Management Service (RPC), do the following:
1. Select Control Panel > System and Security > Windows Firewall.
2. In the Windows Firewall window, click Advanced settings.
3. In the Windows Firewall with Advanced Security window, click Inbound Rules and
then double-click the Remote Service Management (RPC) rule in the rules list.
4. The Remote Service Management (RPC) Properties window opens.
5. In the General tab, select Enabled under General and click Allow the connection
under Action.
94
Windows Clients
6. In the Advanced tab, under Profiles, select the profile of the network used for
connecting remote computers and the Server.
95
Windows Clients
7. Click Apply and then OK to save the settings and close the Properties window.
8. Close the Windows Firewall window.
To enable the File and Printer Sharing option, do the following:
1. Select Control Panel > System and Security > Windows Firewall.
2. In the Windows Firewall window, click Allow an app or feature through Windows Firewall.
3. In the opened Allowed apps window, click Change settings.
96
Windows Clients
4. Select the File and Printer Sharing check box.
5. Click OK.
97
Windows Clients
Installing Windows Clients Remotely via the Management
Tool
About
You can install the Windows Clients remotely via the Management Tool. This way of installation
is very convenient if all computers in your network have the same domain administrator
credentials.
Remote Windows Client Installation is performed by a user who has the Client installation and
management permission in two steps:
1. Selecting computers on which Clients will be installed.
2. Defining installation parameters and installing the Clients.
Selecting Computers
To select the computers for Client installation, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the Client installation and management
permission.
2. Click the Client Management navigation link to the left.
3. On the Clients page, click Install Clients.
4. The Computers without Clients page opens. On this page, you can see the computers for
which the previous installations failed.
5. Select how you would like to search for computers where the Windows Clients will be
installed:

To select computers from the list of all computers in your network, click Deploy via
network scan.

To select computers by IP range (IPv4 or IPv6 addresses), click Deploy via IP range.

To select computers by their names, click Deploy on specific computers.
6. In the Choose search results window:
98
Windows Clients

Click Start new search to look for computers with defined parameters.

Click Previous search results to choose the computers found in the previous search.
If you have not performed any searches yet, this option will be absent.
7. If you have selected the Deploy via IP range option, the Computers Scan page opens. In the
From Address and To Address boxes, enter the IP range (either IPv4 or IPv6) for which the
network should be scanned. To find only one computer, enter the same IP address in both
boxes. Click Scan.
8. If you have selected the Deploy on specific computers option, the Adding Computers page
opens. Enter the names of computers on which Windows Clients must be installed in the
box Name and click Scan. Use semicolon to separate computer names.
Please note that you should enter the full name of the computer.
9. The scanning process starts. The list of found computers will be updated automatically. If it
is not updated, click Refresh.
10. When the scanning process finishes, select check boxes next to the computers that you
want to install the Clients on. Click Next.
11. The selected computers are added to the list on the Computers without Clients page.
99
Windows Clients
12. If you want to remove some computers from this list, click Remove from list next to the
selected computer.
Remote Windows Client Installation Process
When all computers for Windows Client installation are selected, you are ready to start
installation. Please make sure that all selected computers are correctly adjusted.
To install the Windows Clients remotely, do the following:
1. On the Computers without Clients page, click Install.
2. On the Client Configuration page, define the name/IP of the Server to which the Windows
Clients will connect, and define the Client configuration for the Clients you are installing.
Click Next.
NOTE: The Server IP address has to be static for Clients to connect to it successfully.
Unique external IP addresses should be used for cloud-based Servers.
3. On the Installation credentials page, enter the credentials of a user with administrator
permissions on the target computers for Client installation and then click Next.

If the computers are in a domain, enter the domain name and domain administrator
account credentials.

If the computers are in workgroup, enter the credentials of a local administrator for
target computers.
If you leave the Domain box empty, the entered credentials will be used as the credentials
of a local user of a target computer and the Client will be installed under the <target PC
name>\<user name> account.
NOTE: All workgroup computers must have the same administrator account credentials.
Otherwise use installation via installation package method to deploy the Clients.
100
Windows Clients
4. The installation process starts. The progress of installation will be updated automatically on
the Client installation page. If it is not updated, click Refresh.
5. After the end of the installation, the installed Clients will appear on the Clients page in All
Clients group. If the installation of some Clients fails, these computers will remain in the
Computers without Clients list and you can click Retry to start the installation again.
Remote Installation from an Existing .INI File
If you already have an .ini file with defined settings generated in the Management Tool and
saved to your computer, you can use it for installing the Windows Clients.
To install the Windows Clients remotely using an existing .ini file, do the following:
1. On the Computers without Clients page, click Install using existing .ini file.
2. On the INI file selection page, click Choose file to select the .ini file that will be used for
configuration of new Clients.
Please note, if any parameter except RemoteHost is absent or not valid, its value will be set
to default. The RemoteHost parameter is ignored in this type of installation. The Windows
Client will connect to the Server to which the Management Tool is connected.
3. Once the .ini file is chosen, click Next and continue the installation the same way as when
installing the Clients remotely in a common way.
101
Windows Clients
Installing Windows Clients Locally
About
You can install the Windows Clients locally using the Client installation file generated in the
Management Tool. You have two options for downloading the Client installation file from the
Management Tool:

Generate the installation package and set the Windows Client configuration during
generation.

Use Client installation file (.exe) to install the Client with default parameters.
Windows Client Installation Package
The installation package consists of 2 components:

A signed agent.exe installation file.

An agent.ini text configuration file that contains the Windows Client installation
parameters defining the Server to which the Client will connect, and the Client
configuration.
The table below lists all the Windows Client installation parameters. If any parameter
except RemoteHost is absent or not valid, its value will be set to default.
NOTE: The Forced User Authentication parameter can be set only during Client editing.
Parameter
Description
Default Value
RemoteHost
A name or IP address of the computer on
which the Server is installed.
No
NOTE: The Server IP address has to be static
for Clients to connect to it successfully.
Unique external IP addresses should be
used for cloud-based Servers.
ColourDepth
A colour scheme used for screenshots saving.
7— 4 bits (Grayscale), 8 — 8 bits, 16 — 24
bits.
7(4 bits
(Grayscale))
EnableActiveWindow
Screen captures will contain active window
only. If the value is 1, the option is enabled,
if the value is 0 – disabled.
Disabled
MonitorUSBStorage
The Client will monitor plugged in USB-based
storage devices. If the value is 1, the option
is enabled, if the value is 0 — disabled.
Enabled
EnableTimer
Screenshots will be created with a certain
time interval. If the value is 1, the option is
enabled, if the value is 0 — disabled.
Disabled
102
Windows Clients
Timer
A period of screenshot creation in seconds.
This period can’t be less than 30 seconds.
This parameter is needed if the EnableTimer
parameter is set.
30
EnableActivity
A screenshot creation when an active
window is changed. If the value is 1, the
option is enabled, if the value is 0 —
disabled.
Enabled
EnableWndNmChanges
A screenshot creation when a window name
is changed. If the value is 1, the option is
enabled, if the value is 0 — disabled.
Enabled
SmoothMode
A screenshot creation on each event without
timeout. If the value is 1, the option is
enabled, if the value is 0 — disabled.
Disabled
WARNING! This parameter affects CPU
usage on the Client computer and database
size.
DisplayClientIcon
The Client tray icon displaying. If the value is
1, the Client tray icon is displayed, if the
value is 0 – hidden.
Disabled
EnableKBandMouse
A screenshot creation on clicking and a key
pressing. If the value is 1, the option is
enabled, if the value is 0 — disabled.
Enabled
EnableProtectedMode
The mode of Client work. If the value is 1,
the protected mode is enabled, if the value is
0 — disabled.
Disabled
EnableKeystrokes
Logging of a keystroke. If the value is 1, the
option is enabled, if the value is 0 —
disabled.
Enabled
StartSessionOnKeyword
Starting monitoring on detecting a suspicious
keyword in the keystrokes. If the value is 1,
the option is enabled, if the value is 0 –
disabled.
Disabled
URLMonitoring
Monitoring of URL addresses. If the value is
1, the option is enabled, if the value is 0 —
disabled.
Enabled
103
Windows Clients
MonitorTopDomain
Monitoring of top and second-level domain
names. If the value is 1, the option is
enabled, if the value is 0 — disabled.
Enabled
NOTE: This parameter works only if
URLMonitoring=1.
FilterState
Application filtering during monitoring. If the
value is “disabled”, the application filtering is
disabled and all applications are monitored.
If the value is “include”, the application
filtering is enabled in the Include mode, and
only applications listed in FilterAppName or
FilterAppTitle are monitored. If the value is
“exclude”, the application filtering is enabled
in the Exclude mode, and only applications
not listed in FilterAppName or FilterAppTitle
are monitored.
Disabled
FilterAppName
The list of application names separated with
comma (e.g., word.exe, skype.exe). Names
are combined with OR logic; the LIKE
operator is applied to names (e.g., if
word.exe is written then winword.exe will be
monitored).
Empty
FilterAppTitle
The list of application titles separated with
comma (e.g., Facebook, Google). Names are
combined with OR logic; the LIKE operator is
applied to titles (if Facebook is written, then
Facebook-Messages will be monitored).
Empty
UserFilterState
User filtering during monitoring. If the value
is “disabled”, activity of all users is
monitored. If the value is “include”, the user
filtering is enabled in the Include mode, and
only activity of users listed in
UserFilterNames is monitored. If the value is
“exclude”, the application filtering is enabled
in the Exclude mode, and only activity of
users not listed in UserFilterNames is
monitored.
Disabled
UserFilterNames
The list of user names separated with a
semicolon (e.g., work\jane;work\john).
Names are combined with OR logic. Using
asterisk (*) as name/domain mask is allowed
(e.g., *\administrator or *\admin*).
Empty
104
Windows Clients
MonLogging
Creation of monitoring logs on the Client
computer. 0 - monitoring logs creation is
disabled, 1 - monitoring text log will be
created in the LogPath location.
Disabled
LogPath
The path to the monitoring logs location.
Using environment variables (%appdata%,
%temp%, etc.) is allowed.
C:\ProgramDa
ta\Ekran
System\MonL
ogs
EnableForcedAuth
Additional identification of users that log in
to the Client computer with server operation
system. If the value is 1, the option is
enabled, if the value is 0 — disabled.
Disabled
OneTinePassword
A possibility for a user to request a one-time
password in order to get a temporary access
to the Client computer with Windows Server
operating system. If the value is 1, the option
is enabled, if the value is 0 — disabled.
Disabled
NotificationMessage
The message that is displayed on user login
to the system.
Disabled
NotificationComment
Additional option that requires the user to
enter the comment to additional message
displayed on login to the system. If the value
is 1, the option is enabled, if the value is 0 —
disabled.
Disabled
Generating Windows Client Installation Package
To generate an installation package, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the Client installation and management
permission.
2. Click the Client Management navigation link to the left.
3. On the Clients page, click Install Clients.
4. On the Computers without Clients page, click Download installation file.
5. On the Installation File Download page, click Generate Client installation package
(*.ini + *.exe).
6. On the Generate Installation Package page, define the name/IP of the Server to which
the Clients will connect, and define the Client configuration to be applied to the Client
and then click Next.
105
Windows Clients
NOTE: The Server IP address has to be static for Clients to connect to it successfully.
Unique external IP addresses should be used for cloud-based Servers.
7. The installation package is successfully created and downloaded to your computer.
The download settings depend upon the settings of your browser.
Installing Windows Clients Locally with Custom Monitoring
Parameters
To install the Windows Client locally using the installation package, do the following:
1. Copy the package (the agent.exe installation file and the agent.ini file) to the target
computer.
2. Start the agent.exe installation file under the administrator account on the target computer.
3. After the package is deployed, the name of the required computer appears on the Client
Management page in the Management Tool.
Downloading Windows Client Installation File (.exe)
To download the file for Windows Client installation, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the Client installation and management
permission.
2. Click the Client Management navigation link to the left.
3. On the Clients page, click Install Clients.
4. On the Computers without Clients page, click Download installation file.
5. On the Installation File Download page, click Download default Client Installation
(*.exe).
6. File downloading starts. The download settings depend upon the settings of your
browser.
Installing Windows Clients Locally without .ini File
This type of installation allows you to install the Windows Clients with the default
configuration. This way you will need only an agent.exe file for Client installation. The agent.ini
file with the default parameters will be generated automatically.
To install the Windows Client locally using the installation package on the target computer:
1. Copy the downloaded agent.exe file to the target computer and do one of the following:

Start the agent.exe installation file under the administrator account on the target
computer. Then in the opened window, enter the name or IP address of the
computer on which the Server is installed and after that click Install.
106
Windows Clients

In the Command Prompt (cmd.exe) started under administrator, enter agent.exe
/ServerName=<Server Name>.
2. After the package is deployed, the installed Client appears in the list on the Client
Management page in the Management Tool.
Installation via Third Party Software
If you want to install the Windows Client via a third-party tool (e.g., via System Center
Configuration Manager, Active Directory, etc.), download the Client installation file and use the
following command: agent.exe /ServerName=<Server Name>. The Client will be installed with
a default configuration.
Cloning a Virtual Machine with Installed Client
Each Windows Client has its own unique ID, which it receives when it connects to the Server.
When you prepare a virtual machine which is to be monitored, for cloning, you need to remove
the Client ID to ensure the proper Client connection to Server.
To remove the Client ID, do the following:
1. Make sure the Client is offline (does not have any connection with the Server).
2. Open the Windows Registry Editor.
3. In the Registry Editor window, select the following key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\EkranSystem\Client.
4. Double-click the AgentGUID value, or select it and click Modify in the right-click menu.
5. Remove the ID from the Value Data box.
6. Click OK.
NOTE: You will not be able to edit the registry values in the Protected Mode.
Unassigning License on Virtual Machine Shutdown
If Ekran Windows Client is used on virtual machines, in some cases the master image might be
used multiple times. To prevent wasting Client licenses when this occurs, you can configure the
Client license to be unassigned on the virtual machine shutdown.
Before configuring a virtual machine image, you have to create a cmd file (for example,
uninstall_client.cmd) containing the following command-line command:
107
Windows Clients
start /wait <path to EkranClient.exe> -uninstwl <uninstallation key>
For example (default installation parameters used):
start /wait C:\Progra~1\EkranS~1\EkranS~1\Client\EkranClient.exe -uninstwl allowed
To configure the image of the virtual machine with the Client for the license to be unassigned
on shutdown:
1. Start your virtual machine image.
2. Configure the system and install the necessary software.
3. Install Ekran Client (via remote installation or locally) with the Protected Mode option
disabled.
4. Open the Windows Registry Editor.
5. In the Registry Editor window, select the following key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\EkranSystem\Client
6. Double-click the AgentGUID value, or select it and click Modify in the right-click menu.
7. Remove the ID from the Value Data box.
8. Click OK.
9. Copy uninstall_client.cmd to the target folder on your virtual machine.
10. Run the Command Prompt (cmd.exe) as administrator.
11. Enter the gpedit command.
12. In the Local Group Policy Editor window, select Computer Configuration -> Windows
Settings -> Scripts (Startup/Shutdown) -> Shutdown
13. In the Shutdown Properties window, click Add and select the uninstall_client.cmd file.
14. Click OK.
15. Create the master snapshot (gold image).
16. From now on, whenever you start the virtual machine using this image, the Client is
going to connect to the Server as a new Client and get a license assigned to it. Whenever
the virtual machine is shutdown, the license is going to be unassigned from the Client.
NOTE: If you need the license to be unassigned on Logoff, you have to edit the Logoff script in
a similar way in the Local Group Policy Editor (User Configuration -> Windows Settings ->
Scripts (Logon/Logoff) -> Logoff -> Properties).
Updating Windows Clients
The Client updating is performed automatically when a Windows Client connects to the Server
of a newer version.
When the Windows Client is updated, you will still be able to access its monitored data that
was received before the update.
NOTE: During the Windows Client updating, the Client status in the Management Tool is
offline.
In some cases, if you install a newer version of the Server, Windows Clients of very old versions
will not be able to update. In this case you need to uninstall the old Client and install a new
version of a Client manually.
108
Windows Clients
Reconnecting Windows Clients to Another Server
If you want to reconnect the Windows Clients to another Server, start the remote installation
from that Server. The Clients will be reconnected.
Please note that this way of reconnection can be used only for the Clients that work in the nonprotected mode. If your Clients work in the protected mode, first disable the protected mode
and then reconnect the Clients.
Uninstalling Windows Clients
About
Windows Clients can be uninstalled locally or remotely. It is possible to uninstall the
Windows Client locally only with the help of the Uninstallation key.
After remote uninstallation, the Client stops sending its data to the Server, but its data is
not deleted from the Server and the Client is displayed in the Management Tool.
After local uninstallation, the Client stops sending its data to the Server, but the Client is
not marked as uninstalled on the Server. That is why the Client status in the Management
Tool becomes offline after local uninstallation.
To delete the Client from the Server (with all its captured data) and from the
Management Tool, follow the steps described in the Deleting the Windows Client section.
Client Uninstallation Key
During the Server installation, it is possible to define the Client Uninstallation key. By
default, this key is allowed.
The Client Uninstallation key is used during the local Client uninstallation.
The user is able to view or change the Client Uninstallation key in the Management Tool.
If you change the Uninstallation key, the Windows Client will receive it after connection to
the Server. If the Client has not connected to the Server yet, then its Uninstallation key is
allowed. If the Client has not connected to the Server after the Uninstallation key has
been changed, the Client has to be uninstalled with the help of an old Uninstallation key.
To change the uninstallation key, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the Client uninstallation permission.
2. Click the Client Management navigation link to the left.
3. On the Clients page, click Edit Uninstallation Key.
4. On the Custom Uninstall Key page, enter the new uninstallation key in the New Key
field.
5. Re-enter the new uninstallation key in the Confirm Key field and then click Save.
6. The uninstallation key is changed.
109
Windows Clients
Uninstalling Windows Clients Remotely
To uninstall a Windows Client, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user that has the Client uninstallation permission.
2. Click the Client Management navigation link to the left.
3. On the Clients page, select the Client you want to uninstall and click Edit Client.
4. On the Editing Client page on the Properties tab, click Uninstall Client.
NOTE: This option is not displayed if the Client is already uninstalled or you do not
have the Client uninstallation permission for it.
5. In the confirmation message, click Uninstall.
6. The Client is uninstalled.
To uninstall several Windows Clients, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the Client uninstallation permission.
2. Click the Client Management navigation link to the left.
3. On the Clients page, select Uninstall Clients.
4. On the Client Uninstallation page, click Add Clients to list.
5. The page with the Clients for which you have the Client uninstallation permission
opens.
6. Select the Clients that you want to uninstall and click Next. To find a specific Client,
enter its name or a part of its name in the Contains box and click Apply Filters.
7. Make sure you have added all necessary Clients to the uninstallation list and click
Uninstall.
8. The selected Clients are uninstalled.
Uninstalling Windows Clients Locally
It is possible to uninstall the Windows Client locally only with the help of the Uninstallation key
that is defined during the Server installation or in the Management Tool.
To uninstall the Windows Client locally, do the following:
1. Run the Command Prompt (cmd.exe) as administrator.
2. In the Command Prompt, go to the Client installation folder. By default, it is located here:
C:\Program Files\Ekran System\Ekran System
3. Enter the following command: UninstallClient.exe /key=<uninstallation key> /s.
4. Press Enter.
5. The Client is successfully uninstalled.
NOTE: If you do not add the /s parameter to the uninstallation command, the confirmation
message for uninstalling the Client will be displayed on the Client computer.
110
Windows Clients
Viewing Windows Clients
Windows Clients are displayed in groups on the Client Management page. If the user has an
administrative Client installation and management permission, he/she will see all Clients. In
other case, the user will see only those Clients for which he/she has at least one Client
permission.
The lists of Clients contain the following information:

Client name

Status

Domain

IPv4

IPv6

Description
Please note, if there are several network cards on the Client computer, only those IPv4 and
IPv6 addresses used by Windows Clients will be displayed in the Management Tool.
You can filter Windows Clients in the following ways:

To sort Clients by operating system, click the OS column header.

To find Windows Clients only, select the Hide Linux Clients checkbox and click Apply
Filters.

To find Clients by their host name or description, enter the name/description or a part
of it in the Contains box and click Apply Filters.

To hide offline/online/uninstalled/licensed Clients, select the corresponding option in
the Filtering pane and click Apply Filters.
On the Client Management page you have the following options: Add Client Group, Install
Clients, Manage Licenses, Edit Uninstallation Key, Uninstall Clients, Delete Clients, Edit client
configuration and Edit Client Groups. The number of available options depends upon
permissions.
Windows Client Description
Client description is used as additional information about your Windows Clients, which makes
it easier to find a specific Client. You can filter your Clients by their descriptions as well as by
their names.
Client description can be defined on the Editing Client page on the Properties tab.
To edit the description for the Windows Client, enter it in the Description box and click Finish.
111
Windows Clients
Windows Client Configuration
About
Windows Client Configuration includes its monitoring parameters (screen capture creation,
keystrokes logging, Client mode, etc.).
The Client configuration can be defined in the .ini file, which is included to the installation
package. You can set the Client configuration during remote installation and during Client
editing.
NOTE: The Forced User Authentication and One-Time Password parameters can be set only
during Client editing.
Protected Mode Parameter
The Windows Client can work in two modes:

Non-protected mode: a regular mode without enhanced Client security.

Protected mode: a mode with enhanced Client security: the user is not able to edit
Client data (log files, generated screen captures), edit Client settings in the
registry, edit/remove/modify/rename Client files (*.exe and *.dlls).
The protected mode can be enabled when installing, updating, or editing the Client.
If the protected mode is enabled during Client installation, this change will come into
effect immediately.
If the protected mode is enabled during Client editing, this change will come into effect
after the computer is rebooted.
NOTE: It is impossible to reconnect the Client working in protected mode to another Server.
In such situation, you will have to uninstall the Client locally or change its mode to nonprotected.
Client Tray Icon Parameter
The Client tray icon is displayed to notify the users that their actions are being monitored when
they log into the Client computer and while they are working on it. This feature can be enabled
during Clients installation and editing in the Management Tool.
If the Display Client tray icon option is selected in the Management Tool, the licensed Client
will display a tray notification to inform the logged-in users that they are being monitored by a
Server.
112
Windows Clients
Screen Capture Creation Parameters
Screen captures are the main result of the Windows Client monitoring activity.
You can define the following parameters of Client screen captures:

Screen capture settings:
o

Bit depth: By default, screen captures are grayscale with 4 bit colour depth. This
guarantees the smallest database size with a normal screen capture quality. You
can also set colour depth to 8 bits or 24 bits.
o Capture active window only: By default, screen captures of the complete screen
are created. If this option is selected, only the current active window will be
displayed on a screen capture. This option is recommended to be used along with
the application filtering to fully prevent sensitive data from being monitored.
Screen capture frequency settings: These options allow you to define how often the
screen captures on the Client computer will be created. Screen capture creation can be
initiated by one of the following triggers:
o Time interval: Screen captures are created with a certain time interval,
irrespective to whether something changes on the screen or not. The minimal time
interval is 30 seconds.
o Active window change: Screen captures are created on the change of the active
window. For example, a new window opens (program starts), a new tab in the
browser opens, any secondary window opens, etc. (influences the keystroke
logging as well).
o Active window title change: Screen captures are created on the change of the
name of the active window (influences the keystroke logging as well).
o Clicking or key pressing: Screen captures are created on each mouse click or
keyboard key pressing. Please note, the screen captures in this mode are sent not
oftener than once in 3 seconds to avoid affecting the performance of the Client
computer and database size increasing.
o Each event without timeout: Screen captures are created on each mouse click or
keyboard key pressing without using data sending time out.
WARNING! The Capture screen on each event without timeout option affects
CPU usage on the Client computer and database size. It is not recommended to
use this option for a great number of Clients and for a long period of time.
Keystroke Logging Parameter
If keystroke logging is enabled, the Windows Client logs keystrokes along with the screen
capture creation.
The Windows Client logs the following types of keystrokes:

Character keys: Keys that contain alphabet symbols (upper or lower case), numerals (09), all kinds of punctuation symbols, and space.

Modifiers: This group of keys includes Control key, Shift key, Alt key, and Windows key.

Navigation and typing modes: The arrow keys, Home/End, Page Up/Page Down, Tab,
Insert, Delete/Backspace, Enter, and Lock keys (Num Lock, Scroll Lock, and Caps Lock).
113
Windows Clients

System commands: Print Screen, Menu, Escape, and Break/Pause key.

Function keys: Keys that perform some functions, such as printing or saving files.
Usually, they are labelled as F1- F12 and are located along the top of the keyboard.
Start Monitoring on Keyword Parameter
If the Start monitoring after detecting one of the following keywords option is enabled, the
Client starts recording the user activities only after the user enters one of the specified
keywords. The Client continues recording the user activities until the session is finished and
renews recording only after detecting one of the specified keywords again.
Monitoring Log Parameter
Monitoring logs are text files created on the Client computer. Monitoring logs can be of
two types:

User actions log: The log name is Client_<yyyy_mm_dd>.log. The log includes
information on all monitored activities on the Client computer. The following
information is written to this log: Activity time, Session ID, Client computer name (Host
name), User name, Activity title, and Application name.

User logging in log: The log name is Login_<yyyy_mm_dd>.log. The log includes
information on all user logs in on the Client computer. The following information is
written to this log: Login time, Client computer name (Host name), and User name.
NOTE: The monitoring log feature can be used for the integration with SIEM systems (e.g.,
ArcSight).
Both logs are created in the user defined location. You can use the environment variables
(%appdata%, %temp%, etc.) when defining the path. If this location is not accessible or
write-protected, logs are saved to <systemdisk>\ProgramData\Ekran System\MonLogs.
If you change the log files location via the Management Tool, the new log files will be
created in the defined location and the old log files (if any) will remain in the previous
location.
114
Windows Clients
NOTE: Please do not confuse monitoring logs with Client activity logs (service logs for
internal use) stored in <client installation folder>\ActivityLogs.
Parameters examples:
.ini File Parameters
Parameters Set in Management Tool
Do not create monitoring logs
[ActivityLogsParameters]
MonLogging=0
LogPath=
On the Monitoring options tab, make sure
that the Enable creating log files of the
monitored events check box is not
selected.
Create monitoring logs in the default location %ProgramData%\EKRAN\MonLogs
[ActivityLogsParameters]
MonLogging=1
LogPath=
On the Monitoring options tab, make sure
that the Enable creating log files of the
monitored events check box is selected.
Create monitoring logs in the C:\1\Logs folder
[ActivityLogsParameters]
MonLogging=1
LogPath=C:\1\Logs
On the Monitoring options tab, do the
following:
1. Select the Enable creating log files of
the monitored events check box.
2. In the Log files creation field, type
C:\1\Logs.
Create monitoring logs in the <current user profile>\AppData\EKRAN_Logs
[ActivityLogsParameters]
MonLogging=1
LogPath=%AppData%\EKRAN_Logs
On the Monitoring options tab, do the
following:
1. Select the Enable creating log files of
the monitored events check box.
2. In the Log files creation field, type
=%AppData%\EKRAN_Logs.
115
Windows Clients
URL Monitoring Parameters
The URL monitoring option enables recording the text entered in the browser address line
at the moment of screen capture creation and allows the investigator to receive
information about websites visited by the user of the Client computer. This feature also
allows you to set an alert to send notifications each time when the user opens the
forbidden URL.
The monitored URL addresses are displayed in the Management Tool on the Session
Viewer page in the URL column and in the Details pane.
NOTE: URL monitoring works with Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Opera, and with
some other browsers.
There are several restrictions for the URL monitoring option in the current version of the
program:

Only URLs from the standard browsers (Firefox, Chrome, Opera, and Internet Explorer)
are monitored.

URLs from Metro versions of browsers Chrome/Internet Explorer are not
monitored.

URLs entered in web anonymizers are not monitored. Please note that proxy server
anonymizers are supported.

If there is no address line in the browser (e.g., due to user’s settings), URLs are not
monitored.

Unicode symbols in domain names (e.g., Russian) are not monitored.
If the Enable URL monitoring option is selected in the Management Tool, you can also
select the Monitor top and second-level domain names only option. In this case only the
main part of the URL (e.g., example.com) will be monitored.
Parameters examples:
.ini File Parameters
Parameters Set in
Management Tool
Example of monitored
data (activity title)
[AgentParameters]
On the Editing Client
page, on the Monitoring
Options tab, clear the
Enable URL monitoring
check box.
John Doe - Google
Chrome
URLMonitoring=0
MonitorTopDomain=0
116
Windows Clients
[AgentParameters]
URLMonitoring=1
MonitorTopDomain=0
[AgentParameters]
URLMonitoring=1
MonitorTopDomain=1
On the Editing Client
page, on the Monitoring
Options tab, select the
Enable URL monitoring
check box.
John Doe - Google
Chrome (URL:
https://facebook.com/
John.doe)
On the Editing Client
page, on the Monitoring
Options tab, select the
Enable URL monitoring
check box, then select
the Monitor top and
second-level domain
names only check box.
John Doe - Google
Chrome (URL:
https://facebook.com)
Application Filtering Parameters
Application filtering allows you to reduce the amount of information received from the
Windows Client by defining applications whose data will be skipped during the
monitoring.
The Application filtering can be in one of three states:

Disabled: User activity in all applications is monitored (screen captures are created
and keystrokes are logged).

Include: User activity in predefined applications is monitored. Information on all
other activity is skipped. This mode allows you to enable monitoring only of the
important applications.

Exclude: User activity in all applications except predefined ones is monitored. This
mode allows you to skip information about user activity in non-suspicious
applications (for example, Word).
The applications are identified by name or window title. Both parameters are combined
with OR logic, i.e., if activity meets at least one of conditions, it’s recorded in the Include
mode or skipped in the Exclude mode.
Application filtering is recommended to be used along with the enabled Capture active window
only option to fully prevent sensitive data from being monitored.
117
Windows Clients
Parameters examples:
.ini File Parameters
Parameters Set in Management Tool
Monitor all data without applying filters
[FilterParameters]
FilterState=disable
On the Application Filtering tab, in the
Filter State box, select Disabled.
FilterAppTitle=
FilterAppName=
Monitor only data from all applications containing Facebook or Gmail in the title
[FilterParameters]
FilterState=include
FilterAppTitle=Facebook,Gmail
FilterAppName=
On the Application Filtering tab, do the
following:
 In the Filter State box, select Monitor
only activity matching defined
parameters.
 In the Active window title contains
box, type Facebook, Gmail.
Monitor only data from all applications containing Firefox or Internet in the application
names
[FilterParameters]
FilterState=include
FilterAppTitle=
FilterAppName=Firefox,Internet
On the Application Filtering tab, do the
following:
1. In the Filter State box, select Monitor
only activity matching defined
parameters.
2. In the Application name contains box,
type Firefox, Internet.
Monitor only data from applications containing Firefox, Chrome or Internet in the application
names (any title) and applications with the Facebook word in the title (any name)
118
Windows Clients
[FilterParameters]
FilterState=include
FilterAppTitle=Facebook
FilterAppName=Firefox,Chrome,Internet
On the Application Filtering tab, do the
following:
1. In the Filter State box, select Monitor
only activity matching defined
parameters.
2. In the Active window title contains
box, type Facebook.
3. In the Application name contains box,
type Firefox, Chrome, Internet.
Monitor all data except data from applications containing words Work or Doc in the title
[FilterParameters]
FilterState=exclude
FilterAppTitle=work,doc
FilterAppName=
On the Application Filtering tab, do the
following:
1. In the Filter State box, select Monitor
all activity except.
2. In the Active window title contains
box, type Work, doc.
Monitor all data except data from applications containing words Word or Excel in the
application names
[FilterParameters]
FilterState=exclude
FilterAppTitle=
FilterAppName=word,excel
On the Application Filtering tab, do the
following:
1. In the Filter State box, select Monitor
all activity except.
2. In the Application name contains box,
type Word, Excel.
Monitor all data except data from applications containing the Word word in the application
name or the doc word in the title
[FilterParameters]
FilterState=exclude
FilterAppTitle=doc
FilterAppName=word
On the Application Filtering tab, do the
following:
1. In the Filter State box, select Monitor
all activity except.
2. In the Active window title contains
box, type doc.
3. In the Application name contains box,
type Word.
119
Windows Clients
User Filtering Parameters
User filtering allows you to reduce the amount of information received from the
Windows Client by defining computer users whose data will be skipped during the
monitoring. User filtering affects both primary and secondary users.
The User filtering can be in one of three states:



Disabled: Activity of all users is monitored.
Include: Activity of predefined users is monitored. Information on the activity of
all other users is skipped.
Exclude: Activity of all users except predefined ones is monitored. This mode
allows you to skip information about the activity of particular users (for example,
administrator).
You can define user names for filtering entering them manually or by clicking Add Users
and selecting users from the list.
When you enter user names manually, they must be entered as <domain name>\<user
name> and separated with comma (,), semicolon (;), paragraph, or space. You can also use
asterisk (*) as name/domain mask (e.g., *\administrator or *\admin*).
When you click Add Users, the Adding Users page opens. Please note, only those users
whose activities have already been monitored are listed. Select the user names to be
added and click Add selected.
NOTE: If you select a user with the Forced User Authentication on the Adding Users
page e.g., WORK\janet (jan), you need to change parentheses in the User names box to
semicolon, i.e., WORK\janet;jan.
120
Windows Clients
Parameters examples:
.ini File Parameters
Parameters Set in Management Tool
Monitor all user activity without applying filters
[FilterParameters]
UserFilterState=disable
On the User Filtering tab, in the Filter
State box, select Disabled.
UserFilterNames=
Monitor only the activity of the janet user or joe user in the work domain
[FilterParameters]
UserFilterState=include
UserFilterNames=WORK\janet;WORK\joe
On the User Filtering tab, do the
following:
 In the Filter State box, select Monitor
only activity of selected users.
 In the User names box, enter
work\janet,work\joe manually or
select the users from the list.
Monitor the activity of all users except the users with administrator login (both local and
domain)
[FilterParameters]
UserFilterState=exclude
On the User Filtering tab, do the
following:
UserFilterNames=*\administrator

In the Filter State box, select Monitor
activity of all users except.

In the User names box, enter
*\administrator, using asterisk (*) as
a name/domain mask
Monitor only the activity of the janet Ekran system user name used for secondary
authentication
[FilterParameters]
UserFilterState=include
UserFilterNames=WORK\janet;janet
On the User Filtering tab, do the
following:
 In the Filter State box, select Monitor
only activity of selected users.
 In the User names box, enter
work\janet;janet manually or select
the user from the list.
121
Windows Clients
Forced User Authentication Parameter
Forced User Authentication provides a method for an additional identification of users that log
in to the Client computer. This feature can be enabled only for Clients installed on computers
with Windows Server operating system and it cannot be set during Client installation.
If the Enable secondary user authentication on log-in option is selected in the Management
Tool, the Client will display the secondary authentication window on the user login to Windows.
NOTE: Forced User Authentication can only be enabled during Client editing in the
Management Tool.
One-Time Password Parameter
One-time password option provides a possibility for a user to request a one-time password in
order to log into the Client computer. This feature can be enabled only for Clients installed on
computers with Windows Server operating system.
The Allow using one-time password option is available only if the Enable secondary user
authentication on log-in option is selected.
NOTE: The one-time password option is available only if you have an activated Enterprise
serial key.
For more information, see the Forced User Authentication on Clients chapter.
Additional Message on User Login Parameter
Additional message on user login allows you to inform the user that his/her session is
monitored and also inform him/her about the important issues related to the corporate policy
or the country laws.
If the Enable displaying additional message option is selected in the Management Tool, the
Client will display the additional notification message on the user login to Windows.
After the user confirms acknowledging the message, he/she will be allowed to log in and
continue working.
For more information, see the Additional message on user login chapter.
User’s Comment Parameter
User’s comment option allows you to require the user to enter the comment to additional
message displayed on login in order to allow the Ekran System administrator to be informed
about the user activity.
The user’s comment option is available only if the Enable displaying additional message option
is selected in the Management Tool.
If the Require user’s comment option is selected for the target Client computer in the
Management Tool, the Client will display the additional notification message on the user login
to Windows and will require the user to enter the comment.
After the user enters a comment, he/she will be allowed to log in and continue working.
122
Windows Clients
For more information, see the User’s comment chapter.
Editing Windows Client Configuration
You can edit the Client configuration for online and offline Clients. The configuration for online
Clients will be applied immediately. The configuration for offline Clients will be applied as soon
as the Client is online.
The newly installed Clients have Custom configuration that can be edited for each Client
individually. When the Clients are added to the group, they can either still have their Custom
configuration or they can inherit configuration from the group. If the group configuration is
changed, the Client configuration that is inherited from this group is changed as well.
To edit the Windows Client custom configuration, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the Client configuration management
permission.
2. Click the Client Management navigation link to the left.
3. On the Clients page, select the Windows Client for which you want to edit the
configuration, and click Edit Client. To find a specific Client, enter its name in the
Contains box and click Apply Filters.
NOTE: If you do not have the Client configuration management permission for this
Client, the configuration options will be disabled.
4. On the Editing Client page, on the Properties tab, do the following:
 Define the description for the Client (optionally).
 Select the type of license to be assigned to the Client.
 Select the type of settings to be applied to the Client:
o If the Custom settings type is selected, you can edit all Client settings.
o If the Inherited from <Client group> settings type is selected, the Client
settings are inherited from the selected Client group and these settings
cannot be changed.
123
Windows Clients
5. On the Screen Capture Options tab, do the following:



Define screen captures creation frequency.
WARNING! The Capture screen on each event without timeout option affects
CPU usage on the Client computer and database size. It is not recommended to
use this option for a great number of Clients and for a long period of time.
Define the required screen capture quality.
Select the Capture active window only option if you want the Client to create
screen captures of the active window only.
6. On the Monitoring Options tab, do the following:

Select the Enable keystroke logging check box to enable the keystroke
logging.

Select the Start monitoring after detecting one of the following keywords
option if you want the Client to start recording the user activities only after
the user enters one of the specified keywords on the Client computer.

Select the Enable creating log files of the monitored events check box to
enable creation of monitoring logs on the Client computer and define log
files location.

Select the Enable URL monitoring check box to receive information about
websites visited by the user of the Client computer.

Select the Monitor top and second-level domain names only check box to
monitor only the main part of the URL (e.g., example.com).
124
Windows Clients
7. On the Application Filtering tab, define the application filtering parameters for the
Client.
8. On the User Filtering tab, define the user filtering parameters for the Client.
125
Windows Clients
9. On the Authentication options tab, do the following:




For Clients installed on the computer with server operation system, select the
Enable secondary user authentication on log-in check box if you want to
enable the additional authorization for users that log in to the Client computer.
Select the Allow using one-time password checkbox if you want to allow users
to request a one-time password in order to get a temporary access to the
Client computer with Windows Server operating system.
Select the Enable displaying additional message check box if you want to
enable additional message on user login, and then enter the message to be
displayed to a user.
Select the Require user’s comment check box if you want the user to enter a
comment to the additional message displayed on login.
10. After defining the configuration, click Next to proceed to defining Client Groups to
which the Client belongs and permissions on working with it or click Finish to except
changes.
11. A new configuration will be immediately applied to the Client.
Viewing Windows Client Configuration
The Windows Client configuration can be viewed by a user that has an administrative
Client installation and management permission or any Client permission.
To view the Windows Client configuration, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool.
2. Click the Client Management navigation link to the left.
3. On the Clients page, select the required Client and click Edit Client.
4. On the opened page, you will see the tabs with the corresponding configuration
parameters.
Forced User Authentication on Clients
About
If the Client is installed on the computer with Windows Server operating system (Windows
Server 2012, Windows Server 2008, or Windows Server 2003) and several users may use the
same account to log in to this computer, it is important to identify the person using the
account. The identification can be performed by means of Forced User Authentication, which
requires the user to enter additional credentials in the pop-up dialog after logging in. The user
can either enter the credentials of the Ekran System user, which has a Login to Client computer
permission, or use his/her email and the generated one-time password (if such option is
enabled for the Client computer). The secondary login will then be displayed in the Monitored
Sessions list in brackets next to the primary login under which the user is logged in to Windows.
126
Windows Clients
NOTE: The one-time password feature is available only if you have an activated Enterprise
serial key.
The forced user authentication works only if there is a connection between the Client computer
and the Server computer. If the connection with the Server computer is lost (the Server is
unavailable), the pop-up dialog for entering secondary credentials will not be displayed.
NOTE: In some situations (e.g., after the forced restart) the Client service does not start
during one minute after the computer turning on. In these situations forced authentication
will not work.
Enabling Forced User Authentication on Client
The Forced User Authentication parameter can be set only during Client editing and is available
only for the Clients installed on the computers with Windows Server operating system.
To enable Forced User Authentication on the Client, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the Client configuration management
permission.
2. Click the Client Management navigation link to the left.
3. On the Clients page, select the Client for which you want to enable Forced User
Authentication, and click Edit Client. To find a specific Client, enter its name in the Contains
box and click Apply Filters.
4. On the Editing Client page, on the Authentication options tab, select the Enable secondary
user authentication on log-in check box.
5. Select the Allow using one-time password check box and enter the administrator email
address into the Send emails to box. The requests for the one-time passwords will be sent
on the specified email addresses. You can enter several email addresses, separating them
with semicolon.
127
Windows Clients
6. Click Finish.
7. If the Client is installed on Windows Server 2003, the computer must be restarted after
enabling or disabling the forced authentication mode. On Windows Server 2012 and
Windows Server 2008, the forced authentication mode is enabled immediately.
Granting the User Permission to Log In
To grant an Ekran System user a permission to log in to the Client computer with a server
operating system and enabled forced user authentication, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the administrative User management
permission.
2. Add the Active Directory or internal user which will log in to the Client computer, to the
system.
3. Click the User Management navigation link to the left.
4. On the Users page, click Edit User for the required user. To find a specific user, enter its
name in the Contains box and click Apply Filters.
5. Open the Client Permissions tab and click Edit Permissions for the required Client. To find a
specific Client, enter its name in the Contains box and click Apply Filters.
6. In the opened Client Permissions window, select the Login to Client computer check box
and then click Save.
Logging In
Logging in Using the Ekran System User Additional Credentials
The process of logging in to the Client computer with enabled forced user authentication is
performed as follows:
1. The user logs in to Windows in a common way (locally or remotely).
2. On the user login to Windows, the Client displays the secondary authentication window
requesting a user to enter his/her secondary credentials.
3. The user enters the credentials of the Ekran System user that has a Login to Client computer
permission.
4. These credentials are sent to the Server and the Server returns the response on whether
the access to this computer is allowed. If the user has the required permission for the Client
computer and his/her entered credentials are correct, the user is allowed to continue
working with the System. In other case, the user will receive a corresponding message.
5. As soon as the user starts working with the system, the Client will start writing his/her
activity and the user’s name will be displayed in the Management Tool on the Monitored
Sessions page in the User name column in brackets: <logged in Windows user> (<forced
authentication user>).
128
Windows Clients
Logging in Using a One-time Password
The process of logging in to the Client computer with enabled forced user authentication and
the one-time password option is performed as follows:
1. The user logs in to Windows in a common way (locally or remotely).
2. On the user login to Windows, the Client displays the secondary authentication window
requesting a user to enter his/her credentials or a one-time password.
3. The user enters his/her email address into the Login box and the one-time password
received via email into the Password box.
4. These credentials are sent to the Server and the Server returns the response on whether
the access to this computer is allowed. If the entered email address and a one-time
password are correct and the one-time password was generated for this Client computer
and for this primary Windows user, the user is allowed to continue working with the
System. In other case, the user will receive a corresponding message.
5. As soon as the user starts working with the system, the Client will start writing his/her
activity and the user’s email will be displayed in the Management Tool on the Monitored
Sessions page in the User name column in brackets: <logged in Windows user> (<user’s
email address>).
NOTE: After the one-time password has been used, it is automatically terminated and cannot
be used to log into the Client computer again.
Requesting a one-time password
While logging into the Client computer with the enabled forced user authentication and a onetime password option, the user can request a one-time password to get a temporary access to
the Client computer.
To request a one-time password, do the following:
1. In the secondary authentication window, click Request Password.
2. In the opened Request Password window, enter the email address and then optionally
enter a comment to be displayed to the administrator.
3. Click Request.
4. The request is sent to the Ekran System administrators’ email addresses defined on the
Authentication Options tab while turning on the one-time password option.
5. The administrator will generate a one-time password and the generated password will be
sent to the email address defined in the Request Password window.
6. In a while, check the email box for email with the generated password. In case you have not
received the email with the generated password, you can re-request it.
NOTE: The one-time password for the target Client computer cannot be requested more
often than once per hour.
The received one-time password can be used only once during 24 hours since its generation
and only for logging into the Client computer from which it has been requested. If the user does
not use a one-time password during 24 hours, it will be automatically expired.
129
Windows Clients
One-Time Password Management
About
The one-time password feature allows the user to use a valid for one-time use password in
order to get a temporary access to the Client computer with Windows Server operating system.
The one-time password can be generated either on user’s request or without it by the Ekran
System user with the Client configuration management permission.
The one-time password option can be enabled only along with the forced user authentication
option during Client editing in the Management Tool.
NOTE: The one-time password option is available only if you have an activated Enterprise
serial key.
Generating One-Time Password
Generating a One-Time Password on User Request
When the user requests a one-time password for logging into the Client computer with the
forced secondary authentication enabled, the administrator receives an email with the user
request. Also, on the One-time Password page, the target request is displayed with the
Requested state.
To generate a one-time password using the email link, open the received email with a request
for a one-time password and click the navigation link for the password generation. The onetime password will be generated automatically and sent to the user’s email address.
To generate a one-time password via the One-Time Passwords page, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the Client configuration management
permission.
2. Click the Client Management navigation link to the left.
3. On the Clients page, click One-Time Passwords.
4. The One-Time Passwords page opens. On this page, click the Generate link for the target
user request with the Requested state.
5. The one-time password is generated automatically and sent to the user’s email address.
Generating a One-Time Password without User Request
To generate a one-time password without user request, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the Client configuration management
permission.
130
Windows Clients
2. Click the Client Management navigation link to the left.
3.
4.
5.
6.
On the Clients page, click One-Time Passwords.
On the One-Time Passwords page, click Generate Password.
The One-Time Password Generation window opens.
Enter the following parameters and then click Generate:
 Client name: Select the needed Client from the list.
 User name: Optionally enter the user name.
 User’s confirmation email: Define the user’s email address, on which the generated
one-time password will be sent.
 Comment: Enter either your own comment or leave the default one. By default, the
comment text is “Generated without request”.
7. The one-time password is generated and sent to the specified email address.
One-Time Passwords Page
On the One-time Passwords page, the grid with the following information is displayed:










Time Requested: Displays the date and time the one-time password was requested. For
one-time passwords, which were generated without the user’s request, the N/A value is
displayed.
Time Generated: Displays the date & time the one-time password was generated.
Client Name: Displays the name of the Client computer for which the one-time
password was requested or generated.
User: Displays the user name of a user for which the one-time password was generated.
Login: Displays the name of the user who requested a one-time password to log into the
Client computer.
User’s Email: Displays the user’s email address for the one-time password to be sent to
it.
Generated by: Displays the name of the administrator who generated the one-time
password. It is empty for the one-time password with the Requested state.
State: Displays the current state of the one-time password. It can be Requested,
Generated & Sent, Sending Failed, Used, Expired, or Manually Expired.
Time Used: Displays the date & time when the one-time password was used. It is empty
for not used passwords that are not expired. For expired passwords, the N/A value is
displayed.
Comment: Displays the user’s comment entered in the Request Password window or
admin’s comment entered in the One-time Password Generation window.
The one-time password can have one of the following states:
State
Description
Requested
The user has requested a one-time
password in the secondary
authentication window and the
Possible Actions
 Generate: Allows autogenerating and sending of
the one-time password.
131
Windows Clients
administrator has not generated it
yet.
The administrator has generated a
one-time password for the target
user and the email has been sent
successfully but the user has not
used it yet and the password has
not auto-expired.

The administrator has generated a
one-time password for the target
user but the email sending has
failed.

Used
The administrator has generated a
one-time password for the target
user and the user has used it.

Expired
The administrator has generated a
one-time password for the target
user but the user has not used it
during 24 hours.
Manually Expired
The generated one-time password
has been manually terminated by
the administrator.
Generated &
Sent
Sending Failed


Expire: Allows terminating
a one-time password
manually.
Resend Email: Allows
resending the previously
sent email.
Expire: Allows expiring a
one-time password
manually.
Resend Email: Allows
resending the previously
sent email.
Open Session: Allows
opening a session of the
user logged into the Client
computer with a one-time
password.
Resending the Email
To resend email with the generated one-time password, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the Client configuration management
permission.
2. Click the Client Management navigation link to the left.
3. On the Clients page, click One-time Passwords.
4. On the One-Time Passwords page, click the Resend Email link for the target one-time
password.
5. In the confirmation message, click OK.
6. A new one-time password is generated and sent to the same user’s email address.
132
Windows Clients
NOTE: You can resend the emails with the one-time passwords with the Generated & Sent or
Sending Failed states only.
Terminating One-time Password Manually
In case, the one-time password has been generated for the wrong user or sent to the wrong
email address, you can terminate it manually.
To terminate a one-time password manually, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the Client configuration management
permission.
2. Click the Client Management navigation link to the left.
3. On the Clients page, click One-time Passwords.
4. On the One-time Passwords page, click the Expire link for the target one-time password.
NOTE: You can manually terminate the one-time passwords with the Generated & Sent or
Sending Failed states only.
5. In the confirmation message, click OK.
6. The state of the one-time password changes to Manually Expired and the user will not be
able to use it.
Informing about Monitoring
About
If you want the user to be informed that his/her session will be monitored, you can enable
displaying the Client tray icon option in Management Tool. You can also enable the additional
message option to set the message to be displayed to a user, who must confirm acknowledging
the message in order to log in to the computer.
The additional message is displayed when:



Windows is started, restarted, or shut down.
The user gets logged out or switched.
The user logs in via the remote connection.
In addition, you can enable the user’s comment option, which will require the user to enter a
comment to the additional message in order to log in to the computer. The entered comments
are displayed in the Monitored Sessions list.
If both forced user authentication and additional message features are enabled for the
Windows Client, the additional message will be displayed after the user enters the additional
credentials in the secondary authentication window.
The Client tray icon is always displayed to the user. The tray notification is displayed when:


The user logs in.
The user clicks on the icon.
133
Windows Clients
NOTE: The additional message and Client tray icon are not displayed for unlicensed Windows
Clients.
Enabling Displaying Additional Message
The additional message displaying can be enabled when editing Client/Client Group
configuration and defining the Client settings during the remote installation or Client
installation package generation for local installation.
By default, the additional message text is: “According to company policy you must agree to the
terms in order to continue working on this computer”. You can enter the custom message to
be displayed to users.
NOTE: The message can be up to 10 000 symbols.
To enable displaying the additional message when installing the Windows Client, select the
Enable displaying additional message check box on the Client configuration page (if the Client
is to be installed remotely) or on the Generate Installation Package page (if the Client is to be
installed via the installation package).
When the Client is installed, the user will receive the default notification message on his/her
login until the text of the message is changed when editing the Client.
To enable displaying the additional message when editing the Windows Client, do the
following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the Client configuration management
permission.
2. Click the Client Management navigation link to the left.
3. On the Clients page, select the Client for which you want to edit the configuration, and click
Edit Client. To find a specific Client, enter its name in the Contains box and click Apply
Filters.
4. On the Authentication options tab, select the Enable displaying additional message check
box, and then optionally enter the message to be displayed to a user.
5. Click Finish.
Enabling User’s Comment Option
The user’s comment option can be enabled when editing Client/Client Group configuration and
defining the Client settings during the remote installation or Client installation package
generation for local installation.
To enable the user’s comment option when installing the Windows Client, select the Enable
displaying additional message check box and then select the Require user’s comment check
box on the Client configuration page (if the Client is to be installed remotely) or on the
Generate Installation Package page (if the Client is to be installed via the installation package).
134
Windows Clients
To enable the user’s comment option when editing the Windows Client, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the Client configuration management
permission.
2. Click the Client Management navigation link to the left.
3. On the Clients page, select the Client for which you want to edit the configuration, and click
Edit Client. To find a specific Client, enter its name in the Contains box and click Apply
Filters.
4. On the Authentication options tab, select the Enable displaying additional message check
box, and then optionally enter the message to be displayed to a user. Select the Require
user’s comment check box.
5. Click Finish.
Enabling Displaying Client Tray Icon
The Client tray icon displaying can be enabled when editing Client/Client Group configuration
and defining the Client settings during the remote installation or Client installation package
generation for local installation.
When the option is enabled, the Client icon is displayed in the notification area of the Client
computer. When the user clicks the icon, the notification displayed is the following: “Your
actions are being monitored by <Server name>”
To enable displaying the Client tray icon when installing the Windows Client, select the Display
Client tray icon option on the Client configuration page (if the Client is to be installed remotely)
or on the Generate Installation Package page (if the Client is to be installed via the installation
package).
When the Client is installed, the notification message will be displayed to the user after his/her
login.
To enable displaying the Client tray icon when editing the Windows Client, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the Client configuration management
permission.
2. Click the Client Management navigation link to the left.
3. On the Clients page, select the Client for which you want to edit the configuration, and click
Edit Client. To find a specific Client, enter its name in the Contains box and click Apply
Filters.
4. On the Properties tab, select the Display Client tray icon check box.
5. Click Finish. The Client tray icon will be displayed on the next user login.
Logging In
The process of logging in to the Windows Client computer with enabled additional message
option is performed as follows:
1. The user logs in to Windows in a common way (locally or remotely).
2. On the user login to Windows, the notification message is displayed.
3. If the user’s comment option is enabled, the user will be required to enter the comment to
the additional message in order to login and continue working with the Windows Client
computer.
135
Windows Clients
4. If the user clicks I Agree, he/she is allowed to continue working with the system. If the user
clicks Cancel, he/she returns to the Windows login screen.
NOTE: If the user logs in to the computer with Server operation system on which forced
user authentication is enabled, he/she enters credentials in the additional authentication
form and then the additional message is displayed.
5. If the Client tray icon displaying option is enabled for the Client, the tray notification is
displayed to the user.
136
Linux Clients
Linux Clients
About
The Linux Client is a program that can be installed on the target computers to monitor the
activity of their users in the terminal. The monitored data is sent by the Linux Client to the
Server and can be viewed via the Session Viewer in the Management Tool.
Monitoring via Linux Clients
The Linux Client monitors the following actions:
1. User actions (input commands and responses from the terminal)
2. System calls in:
 SSH (local and remote)
 Telnet (local and remote)
 Local terminal sessions
3. Commands being executed in the running script.
A Client with a Linux license can monitor multiple sessions simultaneously, both remote and
local.
A new monitoring session is created each time the terminal is opened. There is no time
limitation for a Linux Client session.
The session status becomes Finished whenever the terminal is closed or the Linux Client is
disconnected from the Server. Whenever the Linux Client reconnects to the Server, the session
status changes from Finished back to Live.
Installing Linux Client
About
You can install the Linux Clients locally from the command line using the linux_agent_.tar.gz
package, respectively:


linux_agent_x64.tar.gz for the 64-bit system
linux_agent_x86.tar.gz for the 32-bit system
Downloading Linux Client Installation File
To download the file for Linux Client installation, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the Client installation and management
permission.
2. Click the Client Management navigation link to the left.
3. On the Clients page, click Install Clients.
4. On the Computers without Clients page, click Download installation file.
137
Linux Clients
5. On the Installation File Download page, click Download Linux x86 Client Installation
(.tar.gz) or Download Linux x64 Client Installation (.tar.gz).
6. File downloading starts. The download settings depend upon the settings of your
browser.
Installing Linux Clients
This type of installation allows you to install the Linux Clients locally from the command line
using the downloaded linux_agent_.tar.gz package.
To install the Linux Client on the target computer with a Linux operating system from the
command line:
1. Copy the installation package to any folder. Make sure you use the correct installation
package (x64 or x86).
2. Run the command-line terminal.
3. Using the terminal, go to the folder with the installation package by entering the
following command:
$ cd path/to/folder
4. Unpack the installation package using the following command:
$ tar xvfz <installation package name>
5. Go to the unpacked EkranClient folder using the following command:
$ cd EkranClient
The EkranClient folder contains the install.sh script used to install the Client.
138
Linux Clients
6. Run the Linux Client installation script specifying the Server name or Server IP address
and the port used for connection to the Server (9447 is recommended):
$ sudo ./install.sh <server_name/IP> <Agent_port>.
7. After the Client is installed, it starts monitoring the new terminal sessions. If you want
to monitor the older terminal sessions, restart them.
8. The installed Linux Client appears in the list on the Client Management page in the
Management Tool.
Uninstalling Linux Clients
To uninstall the Linux Client from the command line, do the following:
1. Run the command line terminal.
2. Navigate to the folder with the Linux Client by entering the command:
$ cd /opt/.Ekran
3. The .Ekran folder contains the uninstall.sh script used to uninstall the Client.
4. Run the uninstallation script by entering the following command: $ sudo ./uninstall.sh and
press Enter.
5. Enter the password of the superuser.
6. Linux Client is successfully uninstalled.
Viewing Linux Clients
The Linux Clients are displayed in the Management Tool in the Clients list along with the
Windows Clients. If the user has an administrative Client installation and management
permission, he/she will see all Clients. In other case, the user will see only those Clients for
which he/she has at least one Client permission.
The lists of Clients contain the following information:

Client name

Status

IPv4

IPv6

Description
The Domain column is empty for Linux Clients.
Please note, if there are several network cards on the Client computer, only the IPv4 and IPv6
addresses used by Linux Clients will be displayed in the Management Tool.
139
Linux Clients
You can filter Linux Clients in the following ways:

To sort Clients by operating system, click the column header.

To find Linux Clients only, select the Hide Windows Clients checkbox and click Apply
Filters.

To find Clients by their host name or description, enter the name/description or a part
of it in the Contains box and click Apply Filters.

To hide offline/online/uninstalled/licensed Clients, select the corresponding option in
the Filtering pane and click Apply Filters.
Linux Client Description
Client description is used as additional information about your Linux Clients, which makes it
easier to find a specific Client. You can filter your Clients by their descriptions as well as by their
names.
Client description can be defined on the Editing Client page on the Properties tab. Only users
with the Client configuration management permission can edit the Linux Client description.
To edit the description for the Linux Client, enter it in the Description box and click Finish.
140
User Blocking
User Blocking
About
Ekran System allows you to block users performing potentially harmful and forbidden actions
on the Clients installed on the computers with Windows Server operating system. You can add
the user to the blocked user list on the selected Client computer or all Client computers in the
system. A blocked user is forcedly logged out of the Client and is not allowed to log back in.
Blocking User
You can block a user while viewing his/her session, live or finished.
You need to have the Client installation and management permission to block users.
Blocking User from Live Session
To block a user while watching his/her live session, do the following:
1. Open the user session in the Session Viewer.
2. Click on the red lock in the Session Player.
NOTE: The Lock is disabled for the users already on the Blocked User list and Ekran System
users without the Client installation and management permission.
3. The Block User window opens.
4. Define the following settings:
o Select On all computers if you want this user to be blocked on all computers
with installed Clients.
o Select On computer if you want the user to be blocked only on a current Client
computer.
5. Define the forced log out time if necessary.
141
User Blocking
6.
7.
8.
9.
Enter the message to display to the user if necessary.
Click Block.
On the Client computer, the warning message is displayed and the desktop is blocked.
After the defined time interval, the user is forcedly logged out of the Client computer. If
the user tries to log in to the Client computer, the system does not allow him/her to do
so, and the following message is displayed: “You have been blocked. Contact your
system administrator.”
NOTE: If you have selected to block the user on all computers, he/she will be logged
out on all computers where he/she is logged in at the time of blocking.
Blocking User from Finished Session
To block the user while watching his/her finished session, do the following:
1. Open the user session in the Session Viewer.
2. Click on the red lock in the Session Player. If the user is logged into the Client computer
at that point, the blocking process is the same as for the Live sessions.
NOTE: The Lock is disabled for the users already on the Blocked User list and Ekran System
users without the Client installation and management permission.
3. The Block User window opens.
4. Define the following settings:
o Select On all computers if you want this user to be blocked on all computers
with installed Clients.
o Select On computer if you want the user to be blocked only on a current Client
computer.
5. Click Block.
6. The user blocked with the default parameters. If the user tries to log in to the Client
computer, the system does not allow him/her to do so, and the following message is
displayed: “You have been blocked. Contact your system administrator.”
NOTE: If you have selected to block the user on all computers, then he/she will be logged
out on all computers where he/she is logged in at the time of blocking.
142
User Blocking
Blocking User on Client with Secondary Authentication
If the Client has secondary user authentication enabled, the system blocks the primarysecondary user combination. After such user logs in to Windows, the Client displays the
secondary authentication window. When the blocked user enters his/her credentials and tries
to log in, the system does not allow him/her to do so, and the following message is displayed:
“You have been blocked. Contact your system administrator.”
Blocked User List
A blocked user is added to the blocked user list for the selected Client or all Clients in the
system (depending on your choice while blocking the user).
The list of blocked users is stored on the Server. If you edited the blocked user list, the Client
receives it from the Server immediately. If the connection with the Server computer is lost (the
Server is unavailable), the Client does not block users that are on the blocked user list. Once the
connection is re-established, the Client receives the latest edited list of blocked users from the
Server.
Viewing Blocked User List
To view the blocked user list, go to Client Management, and then click Blocked User List.
You need to have the Client installation and management permission to view the blocked user
list.
A list of blocked users is displayed, with the following information available for each record:




Windows User name: has one of the following formats:
o <domain>\<user name>
o <domain>\<primary user name>(<secondary user name>) (for Clients with
secondary user authentication enabled)
Blocked on: Displays a specific computer name or All computers.
Blocked by: Displays a specific Ekran user that has blocked the Windows user.
Date: Displays the date when the user was blocked.
143
User Blocking
Removing User from Blocked User List
You can remove users from the blocked user list, one by one or all at once.
The user removed from the Blocked User list can log in to his/her computer with installed
Client on again.
To remove a user from the blocked user list, do the following:


Click Remove in the corresponding blocked user record in the grid.
Click Remove in the confirmation message.
To remove all users from the blocked user list, do the following:


Click Remove All in the blocked user grid.
Click Remove in the confirmation message.
144
Client Group Management
Client Group Management
About Client Groups
Client Groups allow you to grant access to several Clients at the same time to your users
without the necessity to grant them access to all the Clients (both Windows and Linux).
By default, there is one Client Group in the system, which contains all installed Clients.
You cannot remove Clients from this group.
NOTE: One Client can belong to several groups.
Adding Client Groups
To add a new Client Group, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the administrative Client installation
and management permission.
2. Click the Client Management navigation link to the left.
3. On the Clients page, click Add Client Group.
4. On the Group Settings tab, define the name for the Client Group, its description
(optionally), and the configuration that can be applied to the Windows Clients the
same way as defining Client configuration. Click Next.
NOTE: The maximum length of the Client Group name and description is 200
characters.
5. On the Client Management tab, add Clients to the group. Click Next.
6. On the Permissions tab, select users/user groups which will have access to the Client
Group and define their permissions:

To find a specific user/user group, enter its name in the Contains box and click
Apply Filters.

To define user/user group permissions, click Define Permissions for the
required users/user groups and select the check boxes near the corresponding
permissions in the opened Client Permissions window. After you have defined
all permissions, click Save.
NOTE: Permissions inherited by the user from user groups to which he/she belongs
are displayed as disabled check boxes with a user group name near them.
7. Click Next.
8. On the Assigned Alerts tab, select the check boxes near the alerts that must be
assigned to the group.
9. Click Finish.
10. The Client Group is created.
145
Client Group Management
Editing Client Groups
To edit an existing Client Group, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the administrative Client installation and
management permission.
2. Click the Client Management navigation link to the left.
3. On the Clients page, click Edit Client Group for the required Client group.
4. Edit Client Group properties, permissions, and alerts on the corresponding tabs in the same
way as when adding a new Client group.
5. Click Next or Finish to save the changes on each tab.
Adding Clients to Groups
Adding Clients to Groups during Client Group Editing
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the administrative Client installation and
management permission.
2. Click the Client Management navigation link to the left.
3. On the Clients page, click Edit Client Group for the required Client group.
4. On the Editing Client Group page, on the Client Management tab, click Add Clients.
5. The drop-down list containing the Clients that have not been added to the Group
opens.
NOTE: Only first 10 Clients are displayed in the list. To view all Clients, click the link
in the bottom of the list.
6. Select the check boxes next to the Clients to be added to the Client Group. To find a
specific Client, enter its name, description or a part of it in the Find Clients field above
the Clients list. The list is filtered along with typing.
7. Select the Apply group settings to new Clients check box if you want the added
Clients to inherit Group settings.
8. Click Add.
9. The added Clients are displayed in the grid.
10. Click Finish.
Adding Clients to Groups during Client Editing
To add a Client to the group, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the administrative Client installation
and management permission.
2. Click the Client Management navigation link to the left.
3. On the Clients page, click Edit Client for the selected Client.
146
Client Group Management
4. On the Editing Client page, on the Client Groups tab, click Add to Group.
5. The drop-down list containing the groups to which the Client has not been added
opens.
NOTE: Only first 10 groups are displayed in the list. To view all groups, click the Click
to view all results link.
6. Select the check box next to the group to which you want to add the Client.
NOTE: To find a specific group, enter its name or a part of it in the Find Groups field.
The list is filtered along with typing.
7. Click Add.
8. The group to which the Client was added is displayed in the grid.
9. Click Finish.
Applying Group Settings to Client
When the Client belongs to the target Client Group, the Client settings can be inherited from
this Group. In this case the Client settings are changed together with the Group settings.
To edit the Windows Client configuration by changing the Client Group settings the Windows
Client belongs to, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the Client configuration management
permission.
2. Click the Client Management navigation link to the left.
3. On the Clients page, click Edit Client Group for the required Group. To find a specific
Client Group, enter its name in the Contains box and click Apply Filters.
4. Edit Client Group properties, permissions, and alerts on the corresponding tabs.
5. Click Finish.
To edit the Windows Client configuration by applying group settings to a Client, do the
following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the Client configuration management
permission.
2. Click the Client Management navigation link to the left.
3. On the Clients page, select the Windows Client for which you want to edit the
configuration, and click Edit Client. To find a specific Client, enter its name in the
Contains box and click Apply Filters.
NOTE: If you do not have the Client configuration management permission for this
Client, the configuration options editing will be disabled.
4. On the Editing Client page, on the Client Groups tab, add the Client to the group from
which you want the Client to inherit configuration.
5. Click the Apply link for the group.
6. The Client settings type changes to Inherited from <group name> and the Applied
value is displayed for this group in the grid.
7. Click Finish.
147
Client Group Management
Removing Clients from Groups
Removing Clients from Groups during Client Group Editing
To remove a Client from the group, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the administrative Client installation and
management permission.
2. Click the Client Management navigation link to the left.
3. On the Clients page, click Edit Client Group for the required Client group.
4. On the Client Management tab, click the Remove link for the corresponding Client or click
Remove all to remove all Clients from the group.
5. In the confirmation message, click OK.
6. The Client is removed from the Group.
NOTE: The Client can be removed from all Groups except the All Clients group.
7. If the settings type of removed Client was: “Inherited from this group”, it is changed to
Custom. The Client settings remain the same but they become editable.
Removing Clients from Groups during Client Editing
To remove a Client from the group, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the administrative Client installation
and management permission.
2. Click the Client Management navigation link to the left.
3. On the Clients page, click Edit Client for the selected Client.
4. On the Editing Client page, on the Client Groups tab, click the Remove link for the
corresponding Client group or click Remove from All to remove the Client from all
groups.
5. In the confirmation message, click OK.
6. The Client is removed from the Group.
NOTE: The Client can be removed from all Groups except the All Clients group.
7. If the settings type of the removed Client was: ”Inherited from <group name>”, it is
changed to Custom. The Client settings remain the same but they become editable.
Deleting Client Groups
If you delete a Client group, the Clients belonging to it will not be deleted, but the permissions
of users defined for the deleted Client Group will change.
The All Clients group cannot be deleted.
To delete a Client Group, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the administrative Client installation and
management permission.
148
Client Group Management
2. Click the Client Management navigation link to the left.
3. On the Clients page, click Edit Client Group for the required Client group.
4. On the Group Properties tab, click Delete Client Group.
5. In the confirmation message, click Delete.
6. The Client Group is deleted.
7. When the group is deleted, the configuration of all Clients that was inherited from this
group changes to Custom.
149
Alerts
Alerts
About
Alerts are instances that notify the investigator of a specific activity (potentially
harmful/forbidden actions) on the target computers with installed Clients and allow the
investigator to respond to such activity quickly without performing searches.
The notifications can be received via email or in the Tray Notifications application. Besides,
monitored activity associated with alert events is marked as alert in the Session Viewer.
Alert system can be used for two purposes:

Immediate response: This allows the investigator to get immediate information about
the forbidden action and respond to it quickly (almost at once).

Delayed response: This allows the investigator to get information on a batch of
forbidden actions on multiple Clients, analyse them, and then respond.
Viewing Alerts
The alerts are displayed on the Alert Management page in the Management Tool. The list of
alerts contains the following information:

Name

Description

Risk Level: Indicates the risk level of an alert, which can be Normal, High or Critical.

Clients/Client Groups to which the alert is assigned

Alert State: Indicates if the alert is enabled.

Notification Type: Indicates how the investigators are notified about alert events (by
emails or via Tray Notifications application).

Email Recipient: The email address of the investigator who will be notified about alert
events.
To view the latest 100 events for an alert in the Alert Viewer, click View alert events in the
corresponding entry.
To find a required alert, you can use a filtering option on the top of the page.
On the Alert Management page, you can add new alerts, edit existing alerts (including
deleting), and define Global Alert Settings.
150
Alerts
Default Alerts
The Ekran System contains a set of default alerts for the important Linux commands executed
on the Linux Client computers and for the potentially harmful or forbidden applications and
websites opened or visited on the Windows Client computers.
The default alerts are automatically added when the Ekran Server is installed or updated to a
new version. These alerts are enabled by default but there are no Clients to which they are
assigned. You can assign an alert to Clients by clicking Edit alert for the required alert and
selecting the needed Clients on the Assigned Clients tab. Default alerts have the High risk level
by default.
You can do the following with default alerts:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Enable/disable them.
Change the alert risk level.
Define the notification options.
Delete them.
Alerts Management
Adding Alerts
To add an alert, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the administrative Client installation
and management permission.
2. Click the Alert Management navigation link to the left and click Add Alert.
3. On the Add Alert page, on the Alert Properties tab, define the following alert
properties and then click Next:




Enter a unique name for an alert.
Optionally enter alert description.
Select the Enabled check box to enable an alert.
Select the alert risk level.
151
Alerts
4. On the Alert Rules tab, define the rules to be applied and then click Next:

Select the Parameter of the rule.

Select the Comparison operator.

Enter the Value to which Parameter will be compared.

Click Add Condition to create one more rule.

To delete a rule, clear its Value box.
5. On the Assigned Clients tab, select the Clients/Client Groups to which the alert will be
assigned and click Next. To find specific Clients/Client Groups, enter their names in the
Contains box and click Apply Filters.
152
Alerts
6. On the Notification Options tab, select how you would like to receive the alert
notifications:
 In the Emails field, enter the email address to which the notifications will be sent. You
can enter several email addresses, separating them with semicolon.
NOTE: To receive email notifications correctly, make sure that Email Sending
Settings contain correct parameters for email sending.

Select the Show warnings in Tray Notifications application check box to activate the tray
notifications. The alert notifications will then pop up from the tray.
7. Click Finish to save the created alert.
8. The alert is added.
Alert Risk Levels
Depending on the selected alert risk level, the alerts can be displayed in different colours.
 Critical: The alerts with the critical risk level will be highlighted in red colour in the
session list, session player, alert viewer, and on the recent alerts dashboard.
 High: The alerts with the high risk level will be highlighted in yellow colour in the
session list, session player, alert viewer, and on the recent alerts dashboard.
 Normal: The alerts with the normal risk level will be highlighted in blue colour in the
session list, session player, alert viewer, and on the recent alerts dashboard.
Rules
About Rules
Alert rules allow you to determine what events on the investigated computer will be
considered an alert. Each alert has to have at least one rule.
153
Alerts
Each rule consists of the Parameter, Comparison operator, and Value, to which the Parameter
will be compared.
The following parameters are available for rules:
Parameter
Description
Example
Parameters applied to both Windows and Linux Clients
Username
The name of the user whose work is to be monitored. Set
this parameter type for alert to be activated whenever the
specified user uses the computer on which the Client is
installed.
John
If forced user authentication is enabled and the secondary
user login matches the user name alert parameter, the
Client marks corresponding events as an alert.
For example:
The alert parameter is Login LIKE “John”. The user logs in
to Windows as Guest and then enters John as the
secondary login. Screen captures from this user (Guest
(John)) are marked as alert.
Parameters applied to Windows Clients
Applicatio
n
The name of the started application on the investigated
computer. Set this parameter type for alert to be activated
whenever the specified value is identified as the name of a
launched application.
skype.exe
Title/URL
The name that appears in the title of a window. Set this
parameter type for alert to be activated whenever the
specified value is identified in any title on the screen.
My document
or
facebook.com
If the URL monitoring option is enabled for the Client, the
Title/URL parameter will be applied not only to window
titles, but also to URL addresses.
Parameters applied to Linux Clients
Command
The command entered in the Linux terminal. Set this
parameter type for alerts to be activated whenever the
specified command is entered.
sudo
Parameter
The parameter of the entered Linux command. Set this
parameters type for alerts to be activated when the user
enters the command with specified parameters.
ImportantDoc
ument
154
Alerts
Comparison operators:

Equals: The defined value fully corresponds to the found result (e.g., John will find
John, but will not find Johny)

Like: The found result includes the defined value (e.g., John will find Johny,
Johnatan, but will not find Johan)
Rules defined for Windows and Linux parameters do not influence one another. Thus you can
have rules for Windows and Linux clients defined in one alert and the alert will work correctly.
For example:
Rule 1. Command is su.
Rule 2. URL is facebook.com.
The alert will be triggered by user entering the su command in the Linux terminal or visiting the
facebook.com site from the computer with Windows operating system.
When several rules are defined for the same parameter within one alert, the alert will work if
the conditions of at least one rule are met.
For example:
Rule 1. Application name is skype.exe
Rule 2. Application name is winword.exe
The alert will be triggered by user launching either Skype or Word.
When the rules are defined for the different parameters within one alert, the alert will work if
the conditions of all the rules are met.
For example:
Rule 1. Application name is skype.exe
Rule 2. User name is Nancy
The alert will be triggered by launching Skype by the user Nancy.
When you have multiple rules defined for one parameter and one rule defined for the other
parameter, the alert will work if conditions of any rule from the first group and the conditions
of the rule defined for a different parameter are met.
For example:
Rule 1. Application name is skype.exe
Rule 2. Application name is winword.exe
Rule 3. User name is Nancy
155
Alerts
The alert will by triggered by user Nancy launching Skype or Word.
Rule Examples
1. To set up the alert notification about any user opening the facebook.com site on the
investigated computer, select the Title/URL parameter and, in the Value field, enter
facebook.com.
NOTE: URL monitoring must be enabled.
2. To set up the alert notification about a specific user (e.g., Stefan) opening Facebook
on the investigated computer, enter the following parameters:
If you enter more than one name, the alert notification will then appear if any of them (Stefan
or Rick) opens Facebook.
156
Alerts
3. To set up the alert notification about any user launching skype.exe application on the
investigated computer, enter the following parameters:
4. To set up the alert notification about a specific user (e.g., Stefan) opening
facebook.com in Chrome, enter the following parameters:
157
Alerts
5. To set up the alert notification about USB-based storages plugging in, enter the
following parameters:
6. To set up the alert notification about entering any command with sudo or a command
su, enter the following parameters:
158
Alerts
Enabling/Disabling Alerts
If you do not need to receive notifications on a specific alert which you do not want to
delete, you can disable it in the Management Tool by clearing the Enabled check box on
the Alert Properties tab of the Edit alert page. This option can be enabled again later, by
selecting the Enabled check box on the same page. You can enable/disable multiple alerts
at once by clicking Manage Multiple Alerts on the Alert Management page.
Editing Alerts
Editing Single Alert
To edit a single alert, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the administrative Client installation
and management permission.
2. Click the Alert Management navigation link to the left.
3. Click Edit alert for the required alert.
4. Edit alert properties and rules on the corresponding tabs in the same way as when
adding a new alert.
NOTE: Click Next or Finish to save the changes on each tab.
5. The alert is edited.
Editing Multiple Alerts
To edit multiple alerts, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with an administrative Client installation and
management permission.
2. Click the Alert Management navigation link to the left.
3. Click Manage Multiple Alerts.
4. On the Alert Selection page, do the following:
 Click Enable to enable the required alert.
 Click Disable to disable the required alert.
5. On the Alert Selection page, select the alerts to be edited and click Next.
6. Edit alerts properties and rules on the corresponding tabs.
NOTE: Click Next or Finish to save the changes on each tab.
7. The alerts settings are edited.
159
Alerts
Assigning Alerts to Clients
Assigning Alerts to Clients during Alert Editing
To assign an alert to a specific Client, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with an administrative Client installation and
management permission.
2. Click the Alert Management navigation link to the left.
3. Click Edit alert for the required alert.
4. On the Assigned Clients tab, select the Clients or Client Groups to which the alert will be
assigned and click Next. To find a specific Client, enter its name in the Contains box and
click Apply Filters.
5. Click Finish to save the changes.
6. The alert is assigned to the selected Client.
Assigning Alerts to Clients during Editing Multiple Alerts
To assign an alert to a specific Client, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with an administrative Client installation and
management permission.
2. Click the Alert Management navigation link to the left.
3. Click Manage Multiple Alerts.
4. On the Alert Selection tab, select the alerts to be assigned to the Client.
5. On the Assigned Clients tab, select the Client to which the selected alerts will be assigned
and click Next. To find specific Client, enter its name in the Contains box and click Apply
Filters.
6. Click Finish to save the changes.
7. The selected alerts are assigned to the selected Client
8.
Assigning Alerts to Clients during Client/Client Group Editing
To assign an alert to a specific Client or Client Group, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with an administrative Client installation and
management permission.
2. Click the Client Management navigation link to the left.
3. On the Clients page, click Edit Client for the required Client or Edit Client Group for the
required Client Group.
4. On the Editing Client/Editing Client Group page, on the Assigned Alerts tab, select an alert
to be assigned to the Client/Client Group and click Finish.
160
Alerts
5. The selected alert is assigned to the Client/Client Group.
Exporting and Importing Alerts
Exporting Alerts
To export an alert, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the administrative Client installation
and management permission.
2. Click the Alert Management navigation link to the left and click Export Alerts.
3. Select the alerts to be exported and click Export.
4. The Alerts.xml file containing the selected alerts and their parameters is downloaded to
your computer.
Importing Alerts
To import an alert, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the administrative Client installation
and management permission.
2. Click the Alert Management navigation link to the left and click Import Alerts.
3. On the Import Alerts page, click Choose File.
4. In the opened window, select the required .xml file containing the alerts to be imported and
click Open.
5. The imported alerts are added. These alerts are enabled by default but there are no Clients
to which they are assigned. The name, description, risk level, and rules of the imported
alerts are defined according to the .xml file.
NOTE: If Ekran Server contains an alert that has the same ID as one of the imported alerts, it
will be updated.
6. Click Define Imported Alerts Settings to assign the imported alerts to Clients/Client Groups
and to define the notification options.
Deleting Alerts
To delete an alert, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the administrative Client installation
and management permission.
2. Click the Alert Management navigation link to the left.
3. Click Edit Alert for the required alert.
4. On the Alert Properties tab, click Delete Alert.
5. In the confirmation message, click Delete.
161
Alerts
6. The alert is deleted. All alert events that were detected by this alert are not marked as
alert anymore.
Defining Global Alert Settings
Global Alert Settings allow you to define notification settings for all alerts. Their editing is
available for users with the administrative Client installation and management permission.
These settings are applied to all alerts.
To define Global Alert Settings, click Global Alert Settings on the Alert Management page.
Frequency Settings
The Frequency settings group allows you to define how frequently the alert notifications will
appear in the Tray Notifications application and be sent via email.

Minimal interval between notifications sent for the same alert event. This option
defines how frequently the notifications about the same alert event will appear. For
example, if this parameter is set to 10 minutes and a user has started Skype and works
in it, the investigator will receive one notification every 10 minutes instead of receiving
10 notifications every minute or even more.

Define how often the notification will be sent:
-
Send notifications on every alert event option allows you to notify the
investigator on every alert event.
-
Send batch notification every (min) option allows you to notify the investigator
about all alert events that occurred during defined time interval. Time counting
starts when the Server starts if this option is selected. Notifications are then sent
with the defined frequency.
Receiving Information on Alert Events
You can receive information on alert events in the following ways:




In the Session Viewer, the alert events are marked with a special icon. The alerts are
highlighted in different colours depending on the detected alert risk level. The name of
an alert is displayed in the Alert/USB Rule column.
In the Session List, the sessions that contain alert events have a special icon, which you
can click to view the alert events in the Alert Viewer. The colour of the alert icon
depends on the detected alert risk level.
On the Recent Alerts dashboard containing information on alerts triggered within a
specific time period and a list of notifications for each alert. The colour of the alert bars
depends on the alert risk level.
If email notifications are enabled in the Alert Parameters, the information on alert
events will be sent to defined recipients. To receive notifications via email, define Email
Sending Settings. Each email contains metadata of the alert event (user name, Client
name, time, application name, alert risk level, and activity title) and the link for viewing
this alert in the Session Viewer.
162
Alerts

If the tray notifications are enabled in the Alert Parameters, the information on alert
events will be sent via Tray Notifications component. To receive alert notifications in
the Tray Notifications, do the following:
1. Install the Tray Notifications on the computer where alert notifications are to be
received.
2. Log in to the Tray Notifications as a user of the Ekran System.
3. Start receiving alert notifications in the Windows Tray.
4. Use the Tray Notifications journal to view the history of received tray
notifications and get more information on the alert event by opening the
session in the Session Viewer.
See the Tray Notifications application help file for more information.
163
Advanced Reports
Advanced Reports
About
The user activity can be analysed with the help of reports generated via the Management Tool.
These reports allow you to receive the information on the activity of multiple Clients, alert
events, detected URLs, and executed Linux commands, and get statistics on time spent by the
user in each application or on each web-page.
You can schedule the reports to be generated and sent via email at the specified time or
manually generate the reports, which can be saved or printed, via Report Generator.
The reports can be generated in any of the following formats: PDF (*.pdf), Web Page (*.html),
Single File Web Page (*.mht), Rich Text Format (*.rtf), Plain Text (*.txt), Excel Workbook
(*.xlsx), Excel 97-2003 Workbook (*.xls), XPS Document (*.xps), CSV Document (*.csv), and
XML (*.xml).
Report Types
The following types of reports are available in the Management Tool:
Report type
Contains the information about
Alert Grid
Report
All alert events on all selected
Clients for the defined users and
defined time interval.





Activity time
Alert name
Activity title
Application name
Keystrokes
Linux Grid
Report (for
Linux Clients)
All commands executed on Linux
Clients.




Time
Command
Parameters
Function
Kernel-level USB All USB-device-related events
Grid Report
detected by the kernel-level USB
monitoring rules.





Time
Rule Name
Action (Blocked/Detected)
Device Class
Device Details
USB Storage
Grid Report

Time (date and time of the USB
Storage event)
NOTE: Linux reports include
only exec* and sudo
commands.
All detected USB devices on all
selected Clients for the defined
users and defined time interval.
Consists of the following columns
164
Advanced Reports

Details (Description of the USB
devices plugged into the Client
computers)
Keystroke Grid
Report
All keystrokes for all selected
Clients for the defined users and
defined time interval.





Activity time
Activity title
Application name
Keystrokes (Smart)
Keystrokes (Raw)
Session Grid
Report
All sessions for all selected
Clients for the defined users and
defined time interval.





User name
Total time spent (hrs)
Session Start Time
Last Activity Time
Remote IP
User Statistics
Grid Report
The statistic information on the
user’s total working time, on all
the user’s sessions, and on all the
Client computers used by the
user.





User name
Total time spent (hrs)
Session Count
Computers
Remote IPs
Report type
Contains the information about
Activity
Summary
Report (for
Windows
Clients)


Time spent by the user in
each application (by
application name) for the
defined users and defined
time interval.
Idle time.
URL Summary
Report (for
Windows
Clients)

Report type
Contains
Activity Chart
Report (for
Windows
Clients)
The same information as in the
Activity Summary Report, but in
the form of a bar chart.
Time spent by the user on
each site (by domain name)
for the defined users and
defined time interval.
Consists of the following columns


Application
Time spent (hrs)

URL – only the main part of the
URL (e.g., example.com) will be
added to the report.
Time spent (hrs)

Consists of the following data


Application title
Total time spent (minutes)
165
Advanced Reports
Activity Pie
Chart Report
(for Windows
Clients)
The same information as in the
Activity Summary Report, but in
the form of a pie chart.


Application title
Time spent in the application (%)
URL Chart
Report (for
Windows
Clients)
The same information as in the
URL Summary Report, but in the
form of a bar chart.

URL – only the main part of the
URL (e.g., example.com) will be
added to the report.
Total time spent (minutes)
URL Pie Chart
Report (for
Windows
Clients)
The same information as in the
URL Summary Report, but in the
form of a pie chart.



URL – only the main part of the
URL (e.g., example.com) will be
added to the report.
Time spent on the website (%).
Scheduled Reports
About
The Management Tool allows creating reports via Report Scheduler and sending them the
defined email addresses with the defined time interval. The reports creation is available to the
user with the administrative Client installation and management permission.
The report creation and sending options are defined in rules, which include the following
parameters: rule name and description, report type and format, state (enabled or disabled),
generation frequency (daily, weekly, or monthly), Windows Clients/Client groups, and Users on
Clients to which the rule must be applied.
The created rules are displayed on the Scheduled Reports page in the grid with the following
columns:







Name
Description
Assigned To
Monitored Users
State
Frequency
Email Recipients
Adding Report Rules
To add a rule, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the administrative Client installation and
management permission.
2. Click the Scheduled Reports navigation link to the left and click Add rule.
166
Advanced Reports
3. On the Add rule page, on the Rule Properties tab, enter a unique name for the created rule
and then optionally enter its description and select the Enable scheduled report generation
check box. Click Next.
4. On the Report Options tab, do the following and then click Next:
 Select one or several Report Types.
 Define the Report Parameters:
o In the Report format field, select the format for the report.
o In the Generate report filed, select the frequency of report generation (Daily,
Weekly, or Monthly).
o In the Start report generation at field, define the time at which the report
generation must be started.
NOTE: Depending upon the Server load, the report generation can start a
few minutes later than the set time.
You can select the value from the drop-down list and edit it manually if you
need to set your own number of minutes. If the Weekly parameter is
selected in the Generate report field, select the day of the week on which
the report will be generated in the Day of week drop-down list. If the
Monthly parameter is selected in the Generate report filed, select the day of
the month on which the report will be generated in the Day of month dropdown list.
NOTE: If the Monthly parameter is selected and you want the report to be
generated on the 31st day of the month, it will be generated only in those
months where there are 31 days.
 Define the custom header and footer for the report in the Header text and Footer
text fields (the maximum length of the header and footer text is 1000 symbols).
 Enter the email addresses to which the report will be sent in the Emails field.
NOTE: Define the Email Sending Settings to receive the scheduled reports via
email.
5. On the Assigned Clients tab, select the Windows Clients/Client Groups to which the rule will
be applied and click Next. To find specific Windows Clients/Client Groups, enter their names
in the Contains box and click Apply Filters.
6. On the Monitored Users tab, define the users whose activity will be included in the report:
 Select the Any user option if you do not need to specify the user whose activity will be
added.
 In other case, select the Selected users option, click Add Users, and then do the
following:
1) Select the Display only users detected on selected Clients check box
above the grid in order to view only the list of users on Clients selected in
the Clients section.
2) Select the check boxes next to the corresponding users on the opened
page.
3) Once the users are selected, click Add selected.
NOTE: Only those users whose activities have already been monitored
are listed.
7. Click Finish.
8. The rule is added.
NOTE: The scheduled report rule can also be created by clicking Create Scheduled Report
Rule on the Report Generator page.
167
Advanced Reports
Editing Report Rules
To edit a rule, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the administrative Client installation and
management permission.
2. Click the Scheduled Reports navigation link to the left.
3. Click Edit Rule for the required rule.
4. Edit rule properties, report options, and define assigned Windows Clients and monitored
users on the corresponding tabs in the same way as when adding a new rule.
NOTE: Click Next or Finish to save the changes on each tab.
5. The rule is edited.
Deleting Report Rules
To delete a rule, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the administrative Client installation and
management permission.
2. Click the Scheduled Reports navigation link to the left.
3. Click Edit Rule for the required rule.
4. On the Rule Properties tab, click Delete Rule.
5. In the confirmation message, click Delete.
6. The rule is deleted.
Generating Reports from the Scheduled Report Rule
Once the scheduled report rule is created, you can generate a report from the Rule Properties
tab any time.
To generate a report from the Scheduled Report Rule, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the administrative Client installation and
management permission.
2. Click the Scheduled Reports navigation link to the left.
3. Click Edit Rule for the required rule.
4. On the Rule Properties tab, click Generate Report.
5. The generation of the report starts.
6. The report can be viewed on the Scheduled Reports Generation Log page as soon as it is
generated. If the Emails field contains one or more email addresses defined in the rule, the
report will be sent to those addresses.
NOTE: If the generated report is not displayed on the Scheduled Reports Generation Log
page, it is still being generated. Reload the page by pressing the F5 key until the report is
displayed.
168
Advanced Reports
Frequency and Time Interval for Report Creation
The time interval of the data that is added to the report depends upon the report generation
frequency.
If the report is generated on a daily basis, it will include the data that was monitored starting
from the specified time of the previous day up till the specified time of the current day.
For example:
If the Daily parameter is set and the report is to be generated on June, 13, at 17:00, the time
interval of the data for this report will start on June, 12, at 17:00 and end on June, 13, at 17:00.
If the report is generated on a weekly basis, it will include the data that was monitored starting
from the specified time and day of the previous week up till the specified time and day of the
current week.
For example:
If the Weekly parameter is set and the report is to be generated on Monday at 18:00, the time
interval of the data for this report will start on Monday of the previous week at 18:00 and end
on Monday of the current week at 18:00.
If the report is generated on a monthly basis, it will include the data that was monitored
starting from the specified time and day of the previous month up till the specified time and
day of the current month.
For example:
If the Monthly parameter is set and the report is to be generated on January, 20, at 19:00, the
time interval of the data for this report will start on December, 20, at 19:00 and end on January,
20, at 19:00.
NOTE: If the Monthly parameter is selected and you want the report to be generated on the
31st day of the month, it will not be generated in those months where there are 30 days or
less.
If the monthly report is set to be generated on the 31st day of month, but there were less than
31 days in the previous month, the time interval of the data for this report will start on the last
day of the previous month and end on the 31st day of the current month.
For example:
If the report is generated on March, 31, the time interval of the data for this report will start
February, 28, or February, 29, and end on March, 31.
If the report is generated from the scheduled report rule, the time interval of the data for the
report will depend upon the current date and time.
For example:

If the Daily parameter is set in the rule and the Start report generation parameter is set
to 15:00, and you want to generate the report at 14:00, the time interval of the data for
the report will start from 14:00 of the previous day and end at 14:00 of the current day.
169
Advanced Reports


If the Weekly parameter is set in the rule and the Day of week parameter is set to
Wednesday, and you want to generate the report on Friday at 12:00, the time interval
of the data for the report will start from Friday of the previous week at 12:00 and end
on the current day at 12:00.
If the Monthly parameter is set in the rule and the Day of month parameter is set to the
15th day of month, and you want to generate the report on May, 10, at 10:00, the time
interval of the data for the report will start from April, 10, at 10:00 and end on the
current day at 10:00.
NOTE: If there are too many activities in the defined time interval, the report may become
too large. The generated report file cannot exceed the size of allowed SMTP server
attachments.
Viewing Logs
For each rule, the user can see the log which contains the information on time when the report
was generated, report name (file name) and type, report generation result (status), number of
results in the report, and the emails to which the report was sent.
NOTE: Only 100 last records are stored.
To view the logs, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the administrative Client installation and
management permission.
2. Click the Scheduled Reports navigation link to the left.
3. Click View Log for the required rule.
4. On the Scheduled Reports Generation Log page the logs are displayed in the grid with the
following columns:
 Generated (Time when the report was generated)
 File Name (Report name)
 Report Type
 Status (Finished, In Progress, or an error reason in case the error occurred during
report generation)
 Results Count (Number of results in the report)
 Sent To
5. Click the Download link to download the report to your computer.
6. Click the Delete link to delete the report from the log and from the Server.
170
Advanced Reports
Report Generator
About
The reports can be generated on the Report Generator page by the user with the Viewing
monitoring results permission and can be previewed before printing.
The main difference between Report Scheduler and Report Generator is that Report Generator
allows you to create reports for the time interval of any length. Though it may take you much
time to generate a report for a long time interval and for a big number of Windows Clients.
NOTE: You can generate only one type of report at a time via Report Generator.
Report Parameters
The following parameters are defined in the Management Tool when creating a report:
1. Report parameters
This option allows you to select the type of the report and enter its custom Footer text and
Header text.
2. Date filters
This option allows you to define the time interval for which the report will be generated.
3. Clients
This option allows you to select the Clients/Client groups, whose monitored data will be added
to the report.
NOTE: Only Clients for which the user has the Viewing monitoring results are displayed.
4. Users
This option allows you to select the users of Client computers whose activity will be included in
the report.
Generating Report
To generate a report, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the Viewing monitoring results permission.
2. Click the Report Generator navigation link to the left.
3. Define the report parameters:
 Select the type of the report and enter its Footer and Header text.
 In the From and To fields, enter the dates and time within which the data of the
monitored Clients should be added.
 Click Add Clients and on the opened Adding Clients page select the check boxes
next to the corresponding Clients/Client groups. Once the Clients are selected, click
Add selected.
171
Advanced Reports

Define the users whose activity will be included in the report:
o Select the Any user option if you do not need to specify the user whose
activity will be added.
o In other case, select the Selected users option, click Add Users, and then do
the following:
1) Select the Display only users detected on selected Clients check box
above the grid in order to view only the list of users on Clients selected in
the Clients section.
2) Select the check boxes next to the corresponding users on the opened
page.
3) Once the users are selected, click Add selected.
NOTE: Only those users whose activities have already been monitored
are listed.
4. Click Generate Report.
5. On the opened Report Preview page, click the corresponding icons located on the toolbar
above the report to perform the following actions:

Print the report



Print the current page
Export a report and save it to the disk
Export a report to *.xml format and save it to the disk
You can also navigate between the pages of the report by clicking the blue arrows
and choose the format of the report by clicking the black
arrow that opens a drop-down list with all supported formats
.
Creating a Scheduled Report Rule from the Report Generator
Page
Once the parameters for the report are defined, you can create a scheduled report rule basing
on the defined parameters.
To create a rule, do the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the Viewing monitoring results permission.
Click the Report Generator navigation link to the left.
Define the report parameters.
On the Report Generator page, click Create Scheduled Report Rule.
The Editing Rule page opens.
On the Rule Properties tab, enter a unique name for the created rule and then optionally
enter its description. The default name of the rule is GeneratorRule<number of rule>.
7. Click Next.
8. On the Report Options tab, enter the corresponding values in the Report Parameters fields
and the Emails field the same as when adding a new report rule. The other parameters like
Report Type, Header and Footer text, Clients, and Users were defined in Report Generator,
but you can edit them if you want.
9. Click Finish.
172
USB Monitoring & Blocking
USB Monitoring & Blocking
About
When the USB device is plugged into the computer on which the Client is installed, the
following options are available for a user:

USB-based storage monitoring allows you to view information on the devices detected
by Windows as mass storage and receive alert notifications by adding the
corresponding alert rules.

Kernel-level USB monitoring: provides you with the means for an in-depth analysis of
plugged-in devices and for performing the following actions:
o Monitoring – allows you to view information on the detected devices in the
Session Viewer.
o Sending notifications – allows you to receive notifications (by email or in the
Tray Notifications app) when a new device is connected to the Client computer.
o Blocking – allows you to block the USB device from using. In this case, the user
may be informed that the device on his computer is blocked with a balloon
notification in the system tray.
It is also possible to create a list of exceptions of devices that must not be
monitored or blocked.
WARNING! It is recommended to add all the allowed USB devices to
exceptions in order not to block them from using accidentally.
Monitored Devices
For USB-based storage monitoring: the following mass storage devices are automatically
monitored and alerted – external magnetic hard drives, external optical drives
(including CD and DVD reader and writer drives), portable flash memory devices, solid-state
drives, adapters between standard flash memory cards and USB connections, digital cameras,
digital audio and portable media players, card readers, PDAs, and mobile phones.
For kernel-level USB monitoring: the following classes of devices are monitored, blocked, and
alerted:



Mass storage devices – external magnetic hard drives, external optical drives
(including CD and DVD reader and writer drives), portable flash memory devices, solid-state
drives, adapters between standard flash memory cards and USB connections, digital
cameras, digital audio and portable media players, card readers, PDAs, and mobile phones.
Windows portable devices – audio players, phones, and other devices that use
nonstandard identifier.
Wireless connection devices – Bluetooth adapter, Microsoft RNDIS.
173
USB Monitoring & Blocking







Modems and Network adapters – network interface controllers.
Audio devices – speakers, microphones, sound cards, MIDIs, etc.
Video devices – web cameras.
Human interface devices – keyboards, computer mouse devices, joysticks.
Printer devices – laser printers, inkjet printers, CNC machines.
Composite devices – devices that consist of one or a few more devices (e.g. keyboards with
USB ports).
Vendor-specific devices – devices which require vendor-specific drivers and whose class is
defined by the vendor.
WARNING! Selecting this type of device might result in blocking any USB device.
174
USB Monitoring & Blocking
Each class has its own name (e.g., 00, 01, 02, etc.), which can be viewed in the device
properties. The name of class allows you to define to what class the detected device belongs.
For more information, check these links: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB,
http://www.usb.org/developers/defined_class.
To view the name of the USB device class, do the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Plug the device into your computer.
Right-click Computer and select Manage.
The Computer Management window opens.
Expand the Device Manager node.
Expand the node with the name of the computer in the central pane.
Select the Universal Serial Bus controllers node in the list and expand it.
Find the device, the class of which you want to view, right-click it and select
Properties.
8. In the opened window, select the Details tab, then select Compatible Ids in the
Property drop-down list, and view the necessary information in the Value field.
9. Click OK or Cancel to close the window.
Kernel-Level USB Monitoring Rules
About
In order to monitor and block the devices which are plugged into the computer, the user needs
to create rules in the Management Tool. The rules can be created and assigned to the Clients by
the user with the administrative Client installation and management permission.
The created USB Monitoring rules are displayed on the USB Monitoring Management page in
the Management Tool in a grid with the following columns:






Name
Description
Risk
State
Action
Assigned to (Clients group)
175
USB Monitoring & Blocking
Adding USB Monitoring Rules
To add a new rule, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the Client installation and management
permission.
2. Click the USB Monitoring Management navigation link to the left.
3. On the USB Monitoring Management page, click Add Rule.
4. On the Add USB Rule page, on the USB Rule Properties tab, define the following properties
and then click Next:
 Enter a unique name for the rule.
 Optionally enter the rule description.
 Select the Enable USB rule check box to enable the rule.
 Select the risk level.
5. On the Rule Conditions tab, do the following:
 Add the classes of devices to be monitored to the Monitored Devices list.
 Define the exceptions for the devices to be skipped while monitoring.
6. On the Action tab, define what happens when a device from the list of monitored devices is
used on target computer by selecting the following check boxes:
 Block USB device – allows you to prevent the user from using the USB device from
the Monitored Devices list on the target computer. This option affects all the users,
regardless of the user filtering settings.
 Notify the user on target computer about device blocking – allows you to define
the custom text to be displayed in a balloon notification on the Client computer
(maximum 250 characters).
 Send email notification to – allows you to receive an alert notification on USB device
detection via email.
NOTE: Define the Email Sending Settings to receive notifications on USB device
detection via email.
 Display tray notification – allows you to receive an alert notification on USB device
detection via the Tray Notification app.
176
USB Monitoring & Blocking
If you do not select any of the actions, the detected USB devices will be monitored and
displayed in the Session Viewer only.
7. On the Assigned Clients tab, select the Clients/Client Groups, to which the rule will be
applied, and click Next. To find specific Clients/Client Groups, enter their names in the
Contains box and click Apply Filters.
8. Click Finish.
9. The rule is added.
Editing USB Monitoring Rules
To edit a rule, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the Client installation and management
permission.
2. Click the USB Monitoring Management navigation link to the left.
3. On the USB Monitoring Management page, click Edit Rule for the required rule.
4. Edit rule properties on the corresponding tabs in the same way as when adding a new rule
and click Finish.
5. The rule is edited.
177
USB Monitoring & Blocking
NOTE: The existing rules can also be edited by a user with the Client configuration
management permission.
Deleting USB Monitoring Rules
To delete a rule, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the administrative Client installation and
management permission.
2. Click the USB Monitoring Management navigation link to the left.
3. On the USB Monitoring Management page, click Edit Rule for the required rule.
4. On the USB Rule Properties tab, click Delete Rule.
5. In the confirmation message, click Delete.
6. The rule is deleted. In case some plugged-in devices were blocked in accordance with the
rule, the user will have to remove the devices and plug them back in.
Defining Exceptions for USB Rules
The list of exceptions for USB devices includes the devices are not monitored or blocked. Unlike
the Monitored Devices list that contains the classes of devices, the exceptions include the
separate devices added individually. The exceptions can be added on the Rule Conditions tab
when adding or editing the rule. In case you want to block vendor-specific devices, make sure
you have added all allowed user devices to the list of exceptions.
To add an exception, do the following:
1. On the Rule Conditions tab, click Add.
2. On the Add Exception page, select one of the following radio buttons:
 Quick selection – allows you to enter your Device Hardware ID.
 Custom selection – allows you to enter the Vendor ID (VID), Product ID (PID),
Revision, and Serial in the corresponding fields.
NOTE: The Vendor ID (VID) and the Product ID (PID) are required fields, Revision
and Serial are optional fields.
3. Optionally, enter a description in the Description field.
178
USB Monitoring & Blocking
4.
5.
6.
7.
Click Add.
The specified device is added to the list of exceptions.
Click Finish to save the USB monitoring rule.
The rule is edited.
Viewing Device Hardware ID
To view the Device hardware ID, do the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Plug the device into your computer.
Right-click Computer and select Manage.
The Computer Management window opens.
Expand the Device Manager node.
Expand the node with the name of the computer in the central pane.
Select the Universal Serial Bus Controllers node in the list and expand it.
Find the device, the information of which you want to view, right-click it and select
Properties.
8. In the opened window, select the Details tab, then select Hardware Ids in the
Property drop-down list, and view the necessary information in the Value field.
9. Click OK or Cancel to close the window.
179
Configuration
Configuration
Defining Email Sending Settings
Email sending settings allow you to define the options of sending email notifications for all
alerts, USB monitoring, and reports via email. Their editing is available for users with the
administrative Client installation and management permission.
To define email sending settings, click the Configuration navigation link to the left and open
the Email sending settings tab.
The settings include:
1. Email Connection Settings
 Server: This option allows you to define an existing SMTP mail server.
NOTE: The delivery of email notifications via mail servers with only NTLM
authentication, such as Microsoft Exchange Server, is not supported.


Port: This option allows you to define the email server port number via which the emails
will be sent.
Encrypted connection type: This option allows you to define the type of encrypted
connection via which the email notifications will be sent. You can choose between:
- None
- SSL
- TLS
2. Email Connection Credentials
This option allows you to define the login details (User and Password) of an existing email
account from which the email notifications will be sent.
If the mail server does not require entering any credentials, you can select the No
authentications check box.
3. Email Connection Test
This option allows you to send a test email to a specified email address to check if all email
connection settings are correctly defined.
Defining Player Link Settings
This option allows you to define the Management Tool domain name that will be used in the
link to the Session Viewer in alert notifications, in Tray Notifications application journal, and
emails.
The domain name must be entered in the following format:
https://<Management Tool computer name or IP>/EkranSystem.
180
Configuration
Defining CEF Log Settings
CEF log settings allow you to define the options of creating a CEF log file. CEF log files can be
viewed and analysed with the help of the Splunk and ArcSight monitoring software.
The editing of CEF log settings is available for users with the administrative Database
management permission.
NOTE: The SIEM Integration functionality is available only if you have an activated Enterprise
serial key.
To define CEF log settings, click the Configuration navigation link to the left and open the
ArcSight Integration tab.
The settings include:
1. CEF Log Settings
 Create a log file: This option allows you to enable a CEF log file creation.
 Log file location: This option allows you to define the location to store a CEF log file.
 Date format: This option allows you to define the date format to be used in a CEF log
file.
2. CEF Log Contents
In this section, you can define the data to be written to a CEF log file.

Windows and Linux Client records: This option allows adding all the session records of
Windows and Linux Clients to a CEF log file.
 Alert events: This option allows adding all the alert events of Windows and Linux Clients
to a CEF log file.
3. CEF Log Cleanup Settings
In this section, you can define the parameters for the cleanup operation.



Cleanup daily at: This option allows you to define the time to execute the cleanup
operation on a daily basis.
Cleanup every: This option allows you to define the frequency of the cleanup
operation.
Maximum file size (GB): This option allows you to define the maximum size of a CEF
log file.
181
Viewing Monitored Data
Viewing Monitored Data
Session List
About Sessions
Monitored data received from Windows and Linux Clients is organized in the session.
The Windows Client session includes screen captures and metadata associated with them
(application name, activity title, captured keystrokes, and URLs). Windows Clients start
recording screen captures in a new session every time the computer is restarted. The
maximum duration of one session can be 24 hours. At 00:00 all live sessions are terminated.
After their termination (their status changes from live to finished), new live sessions
automatically start.
The Linux Client session contains the list of executed commands, their parameters, and
functions. Linux Clients start recording a new monitoring session each time the terminal is
opened. There is no time limitation for a Linux Client session.
Monitored Sessions List
To view monitored sessions, click the Monitored Sessions navigation link to the left. The
Monitored Session page is divided into two panes:


Search & Filtering pane
Sessions grid
The search pane allows you to perform search in the session data.
The list of all sessions is displayed in the form of grid. The grid includes the following
information:








Alerts: Allows opening all alert events for the session in the Alert viewer. The colour of
the alert icon corresponds to the highest alert risk level detected in the session.
User name: Displays the name of the user logged in to the Client computer.
NOTE: If Forced User Authentication is enabled on the Client installed on the computer
with Windows Server operating system, the user name is displayed as: <logged in
Windows user> (<secondary authentication user> or <user’s email>).
Client Name: Displays the name of the computer on which the Client is installed.
OS: Displays the operating system type (Windows or Linux).
Type: Displays the session type (Live or Finished).
Start: Displays the date and time when the session started.
Last Activity: Displays the date and time of the last made screen capture or
executed Linux command.
Finish: Displays the date and time when the session finished. If the session has the
Live status, this field is empty.
182
Viewing Monitored Data

IPv4: Displays the address used to connect the Client to the Server.






IPv6: Displays the address used to connect the Client to the Server.
Remote IP: Displays the address used to log into the Client computer from.
Domain: Displays the name of the domain to which the Client belongs.
User’s comment: Displays user’s comment entered on the login to the Client computer.
Client Description: Displays the custom Client description.
Client Group: Displays the name of the Client Group to which the Client belongs. If the
Client belongs to the All Clients group only, the column is empty.
Filtering Sessions
A user can filter out sessions by metadata on the Monitored Sessions page in one of the
following ways:


By specific parameters
By searching in session data
Filtering by Specific Parameters
This type of filtering allows you to filter sessions by a set of specific parameters. The filtering
parameters are applied instantly.
You can filter sessions by multiple criteria. For each non-date filter, you can select more than
one filtering parameter. With each selected parameter, the session list is re-filtered.
By default, the following filters are displayed:



Who: Allows filtering sessions by a specific user logged into the Client computer.
Where: Allows filtering sessions by a specific Client.
When: Allows filtering sessions by the time period. The result session list includes all
sessions containing the activities for the set period.
To set the time period, select one of the following:
- Define the number of latest hours, days, or weeks.
- Define the start date and the end date of the time period.
To add other filters, click More criteria and select a filter from the opened list:







Type: Allows filtering sessions by their type (Live or Finished).
OS: Allows filtering sessions by the operating system type (Windows or Linux).
Start: Allows filtering sessions by the date and time the session started.
Last Activity: Allows filtering sessions by the date and time of the last screen capture or
executed Linux command.
Finish: Allows filtering sessions by the date and time the session finished. If the session
has the Live status, this field is empty.
IPv4: Allows filtering sessions by the address used to connect the Client to the Server.
IPv6: Allows filtering sessions by the address used to connect the Client to the Server.
183
Viewing Monitored Data





Remote IP: Allows filtering sessions by the IP address of the computer from which the
remote connection to the Client computer was established.
Domain: Allows filtering sessions by the name of the domain to which the Client
belongs.
Client Description: Allows filtering sessions by the custom Client description.
Client Group: Allows filtering sessions by the name of the Client Group to which the
Client belongs.
User’s Comment: Allows filtering sessions by the comment entered to the additional
massage.
To remove the extra filter from the filtering pane, click X on the filter button.
Searching in the Session Data
You can search for sessions using a search expression (keyword). You can find sessions
containing the search expression in:







Application names
Activity titles
Keystrokes
URLs
Linux commands and parameters
Alert names
USB rule names
NOTE: The search cannot be perform for the sensitive data (passwords entered to the
Windows password forms) as this information is stored in the form of asterisks.
In the dropdown list, you can define the number of sessions to perform search in.
The search is performed in the sessions displayed in the Session grid in accordance with the
session sorting order.
Sorting Sessions
To sort sessions in the Session grid, click the required column header. You can change column
sort order from ascending to descending, and vice versa. To do this, click the Sort arrow near
the column header.
If data is not sorted by this column, the Sort arrow is hidden.
184
Viewing Monitored Data
Playing Sessions
About
The Session Viewer is a part of the Management Tool that provides the possibility to view
monitored data within one selected session.
To open the Session Viewer, select one of the sessions in the Sessions grid on the Monitored
Sessions page and click on it.
Session Viewer Interface
By default, the Session Viewer interface is divided into the following areas:



Session Player pane: Allows viewing screen captures made from the computer on which
the Windows Client is installed, or visually recreated interactive data of the recorded
Linux terminal (input and output as the user sees them in the terminal). The navigation
section allows you to manage the playback of the video of screen captures or
commands.
[Windows Client] Details pane: Allows you to view the keystrokes associated with the
selected screen capture, USB device information, and URL addresses of websites visited
by a user.
Metadata pane: Displays the session data in the form of grid, which includes:
o Activity time, Activity title, Application name, Keystrokes, Alert/USB rule name,
and URLs for Windows Clients;
o Activity time, Command, Function, Parameters, and Alert name for Linux Clients.
185
Viewing Monitored Data
Session Player
The Session Player allows viewing screen captures made from the computer on which the
Windows Client is installed, or graphic representation of the recorded Linux terminal (input and
output as the user sees them in the terminal).
You can view them separately by selecting the required record from the Metadata grid or play
all monitored data in the form of video.
The following actions are available:

To play/pause the video playback, click Play/Pause.

To move from one record to another, click To the beginning, To the end, Previous, or
Next.

To open the Player to the full-screen mode, double-click the Player or


To return from the full-screen mode, double-click the Player or
.
To move from one monitor to another in the Client sessions with multiple monitors,
click All, 1, 2, etc.

To define the speed with which monitored data changes in the Player area, click
.
. The available speed options are 1/2/4/8/16 frame(s) per second.

To block the user, click

To view the list of alert events for this session in the Alert viewer, click

To receive the link to a certain position in the session, click

To download a displayed screen capture, click

To perform forensic export, click

To view the Live session in the real-time, click
.
.
.
.
.
.
Magnifier
If you need to view data displayed in the Player in detail, use the Magnifying Glass option.
To enlarge the certain part of the played data, do the following:
1. Click the Magnifying Glass
.
2. The Magnifier window opens on the right.
3. Move the rectangle across the displayed data.
To turn off the Magnifying Glass, click the Magnifying Glass
again.
186
Viewing Monitored Data
Getting Data URL
The Get data URL feature allows receiving the link of the certain position of the session. You
can use this URL to:


Open the Session Viewer for playing the required session from the same position;
Bookmark certain position in the session using the browser bookmarking mechanism.
To get data URL, do the following:
1. Click
on the Navigation pane under the Player.
2. The URL Data window opens.
3. Copy the URL and click Close.
4. Enter the copied URL into the browser address bar.
5. The Session Viewer opens.
NOTE: If you are logged out, the login page opens before Session Viewer.
6. The Player starts playing records from the selected position in the session.
Metadata Grid
Metadata grid is located to the right of the Player. It contains detailed information on
monitored user activity. Information is displayed in the grid with the following columns:
[Windows Client]






Activity Time: Displays the date and time when the screen capture was executed.
Activity Title: Displays the name of the active window that is associated with the screen
capture.
Application Name: Displays the name of the application started on the Client computer.
URL: Displays the top and second-level domain name of the visited web resource.
Text data: Displays the keystrokes typed by the user.
Alert/USB Rule: Displays the name of the triggered alert or USB rule. The colour of an
alert highlighting corresponds to the alert risk level.
o The alerts with the critical risk level will be highlighted in red colour.
o The alerts with the high risk level will be highlighted in yellow colour.
o The alerts with the normal risk level will be highlighted in blue colour.
[Linux Client]



Activity Time: Displays the date and time when the command was executed.
Command: Displays the command being executed.
Function: Displays the system call made.
187
Viewing Monitored Data


Parameters: Displays the full parameters of the executed command.
Alert: Displays the name of the triggered alert. The colour of an alert highlighting
corresponds to the alert risk level.
o The alerts with the critical risk level will be highlighted in red colour.
o The alerts with the high risk level will be highlighted in yellow colour.
o The alerts with the normal risk level will be highlighted in blue colour.
By default, the data is sorted by Activity Time. You can change the order and size of the
columns.
Player and Metadata Synchronization
The Session Viewer can work in two modes:


In the Synced View mode, data in the Metadata grid and Player are synchronized while
session playing, i.e., metadata associated with the data being currently played is
highlighted in the Metadata grid. This mode is available unless any filtering and
searching is performed in the Metadata grid.
In the Filtered View mode, data in the Metadata grid and Player are not synchronized
while session playing. In this mode, the Player displays all data in the session, whereas
data is Metadata grid is being filtered and searched.
After selecting the session on the Monitored Sessions page without previous searching, the
Player opens in the Synced View mode. As soon as you perform any filtering or searching, the
Synced View mode is automatically changed to the Filtered View mode.
To switch the modes, click Back to Synced View/Back to Filtered View above the Metadata
grid.
Filtering Data
You can filter the metadata in the Metadata grid on the Player page in one of the following
ways:


Via searching
Via filtering by column
After data filtering, the Session Player switches to the Filtered View mode.
Filtering via searching
The Search field allows you to find metadata containing search expression in:

Activity title

Application Name

Keystrokes

USB Device Info

URL
188
Viewing Monitored Data

Linux Command

Linux Command Parameters

Linux Functions
To find the required metadata, enter the keyword into the Search field and press Enter. Data in
the Metadata grid is filtered according to the search expressions.
Filtering by Column
You can filter sessions using the dropdown menu near the column header in the Sessions grid.
To filter sessions by the not date field (Client name, OS, User name, etc.), click
required column name, select one or several check boxes, and then click OK.
near the
To filter sessions by the date field (Start, Last Activity, or Finish), click
near the required
column name, select the From and To dates in the dropdown menu, and then click OK.
You can filter data by multiple fields.
Sorting Data
To sort metadata in the Metadata grid, click the required column header. You can change
column sort order from ascending to descending, and vice versa. To do this, click the Sort arrow
next to the column header.
If the data is not sorted in this column, the Sort arrow is hidden.
Live Sessions
The Session Viewer allows you to view Client Live sessions in the real time, i.e., while the
monitoring of the Client computer is still in progress.
To play a live session, do the following:
1. Click on the session with the type Live in the Monitored Sessions grid.
2. The Session Player opens in the full screen mode. The Metadata grid is hidden.
3. Data in the Player will be refreshed as soon as a new monitored data is received from the
Client.
4. To stop playing the Live session, click
. After this, data stops auto-updating and
the session can be played in the same way as Finished sessions.
5. To resume playing the Live session, click
.
189
Viewing Monitored Data
NOTE: If you are viewing the session of the Windows Client with the enabled Capture screen
on each event without timeout option, it may affect CPU usage and cause performance
slowdown due to the great number of received screen captures.
Windows Client Sessions
Playing Windows Sessions
A user starts playing Windows Session by clicking Play on the Monitored Sessions page. The
session is opened in the new tab or new window depending on your browser settings. While
playing Windows sessions, you can view screenshots in the Player pane and associated
metadata (Application name, Activity title, URL, and keystrokes) in the Metadata grid. If data
containing keystrokes is selected in the Metadata grid, the detailed information on keystrokes
is displayed in the Details pane.
Viewing Keystrokes
Viewing keystrokes is available only to the users with the Viewing keystrokes permission for
the Client.
When you select a screen capture or a row in the Metadata grid, the keystrokes associated
with it are displayed in the Details pane below the Player pane. By default, only text characters
are displayed. You can enable displaying all keystrokes logged (e.g., navigation keys, functions
keys, etc.) by clearing the Show only text characters check box. Then any other keys and key
combinations will be displayed in square brackets. If a key was pressed repeatedly, it will be
displayed with an "x" sign and the number of reiterations (e.g., [F12 x 24]).
If the user types the text, using arrows (left/right) and Backspace or Delete keys, these keys are
processed by the system to edit the logged keystrokes. When the keystrokes are edited, only
the end result of text that was meant to be typed by the user is displayed in the Details pane.
To see this result, the Show only text characters check box must be selected.
For example:
If the user types “Helo” and then uses the left arrow to go back and correct the word by typing
another “l”, the word “Hello” will be displayed in the Details pane, with “Helol”.
Presentation of keystrokes with the selected Show only text characters check box.
190
Viewing Monitored Data
Presentation of keystrokes with the unselected Show only text characters check box.
Please note that if the SmoothMode parameter (a screenshot creation on each event without
timeout) is enabled for the Client, the keystrokes are not edited.
If the user corrects the word using a mouse, the keystrokes are not edited.
For example:
If the user types “Fried” and then uses the mouse to go back and correct the word by typing
letter “n”, the word “Friedn” will be displayed in the Details pane, instead of “Friend”.
If the user types the text in different applications, the logged keystrokes are split according to
screen captures.
For example:
If the user types “Hello” in Skype and then opens Word and types “Ok”, the word “Hello” will
be displayed next to the screen capture associated with Skype, and the word “Ok” will be
displayed next to the screen capture associated with Word, instead of “HelloOk”.
NOTE: If the Enter key was pressed during input, the log will be split in the list of screen
captures. Though to maintain text integrity, in the keystrokes box, the keystrokes lines
having the same Title-Application pair will be put together.
Viewing USB Device Info
If you are using rules for kernel-level USB monitoring according to which the devices are
detected or blocked, each time the alert event occurs, a screen capture is created. In the
Metadata grid, this is indicated by highlighting the activity in the grid.
When you select a USB-device-related screen capture or a row in the Metadata grid, the USB
device info associated with it is displayed in the Details pane below the Player pane.
If the device was blocked, it is marked as BLOCKED in the parentheses.
191
Viewing Monitored Data
During the monitoring process, a screen capture is created every time the mass storage USB
device is plugged in. Along with the screen capture, the information on the plugged in device is
displayed in the Metadata grid as follows:


Activity title: USBStorage - <device details>
Application name: [Monitoring event]
Viewing URLs
If the URL monitoring option is enabled for the Windows Client, then each time the screen
capture is created while the user is working in the browser, the URL address is saved and
displayed in the URL column in the Metadata grid. If there are several screenshots created
while the user is viewing one page on a certain website, then all of them contain the same URL
information.
The URL column contains only top and second-level domain names even if the parameter is not
selected in the URL monitoring settings for the Windows Client. The full URL address is
displayed in the Details pane.
NOTE: As getting a URL address to be monitored may take about 600 milliseconds, there is a
possibility that the screen capture and its activity title along with URL address may be not
properly synchronized in the Session Viewer (e.g., the user may see a screen capture with a
URL address that belongs to the previous one).
Viewing Idle State
Windows Client activity will be marked as Idle if there has been no activity on the target
computer for a long time.
The activity is displayed as Idle in the Metadata grid in two cases:

On computers with Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows
Server 2012, and Windows Server 2008: If the user is inactive for more than 15 minutes,
192
Viewing Monitored Data
computer is in sleep or hibernation modes, or the screen is set to be turned off
automatically.

On computers with Windows XP and Windows Server 2003: If the computer is in sleep
or hibernation modes, or the screen is set to be turned off automatically.
Linux Client Sessions
Playing Linux Sessions
A user starts playing Linux Session by clicking Play on the Monitored Sessions page. The
session is opened in the new tab or new window depending on your browser settings. While
playing Linux sessions, you can view all visually recreated interactive data in a form of a video
in the Player pane and function and system calls, as well as the executed commands with
parameters in the metadata grid.
Filtering EXEC Commands
By default, the commands are filtered by ‘exec’ function to display only the command executed
after user input.
To display the list of all commands, including system ones, discard the filtering by clearing the
Show only execution commands checkbox.
Viewing Alerts
About
The Alert viewer is a part of the Management Tool which allows viewing detailed information
on alert events.
You can open the Alert Viewer from the following places:


The Session Player: The Alert viewer displays all alert events for the session.
The list of monitored sessions: The Alert viewer displays all alert events for the
selected session.
193
Viewing Monitored Data


The Recent Alerts dashboard: The Alert viewer displays all alert events that happened
within the defined time interval for the selected alert.
The Alert Management page: The Alert viewer displays the latest 100 events for the
selected alert.
Alert Viewer Interface
The Alert viewer displays the following information for each alert notification:




Alert Risk Level: The colour of the alert icon in the upper left corner of the Alert Viewer
corresponds to the alert risk level.
o The alerts with the critical risk level will be highlighted in red colour.
o The alerts with the high risk level will be highlighted in yellow colour.
o The alerts with the normal risk level will be highlighted in blue colour.
Alert name: The name of the alert that has triggered the event.
Alert viewing pane: A screen capture made from the computer on which the Windows
Client is installed, or graphic representation of the recorded Linux data (input and
output as the user sees them in the terminal).
Metadata information:
o Who: The name of the user associated with the alert event.
o Where: The name of the Client for which the alert was triggered.
o When: The time and date of the alert event.
o What:
 For Windows Clients: The activity title, the application name, and the
URL (if available)
 For Linux Clients: The command name and the parameters
 For USB events: The device class, the status (detected/blocked), and the
device details.
194
Viewing Monitored Data
Using Alert Viewer
You can do the following in the Alert Viewer:






To display/hide the metadata associated with the alert event, click
below the
metadata information.
To move between the alert events, use the Previous, Next, First, and Last buttons.
To enlarge a certain part of the played data, click the Magnifying Glass
. The
Magnifier window opens on the right. Move the rectangle across the displayed data.
To open the session in the Session Player, click Open Session. The Session Player opens
in a new tab. The session playback starts with the selected alert event.
To view the Alert events for the Windows Clients, select Windows Events tab.
To view the Alert events for the Linux Clients, select Linux Events tab.
Archived Sessions
About
During the archiving & cleanup operation all the old Client sessions are archived and then
deleted from the current Ekran database. This allows saving the monitored data in a secure
storage and viewing the archived sessions in the Session Viewer any time.
Changing Investigated Database
To change the archive database, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the administrative Viewing archived data
permission.
2. Click the Database Management navigation link to the left.
3. On the Database Management page, select the Archived Sessions tab.
4. On the Archived Sessions tab, click Change Investigated Database.
5. In the Change Investigated Database window, select the Use current archive database
option if you want to view sessions from the current database or the Use another database
option if you want to view sessions from another archive database.
6. Define the following parameters:
 For My SQL database, define the instance of the SQL server, the name of archive
database, and the user name and password.
 For Firebird database, define the location of an archive database and the location of
binary data.
NOTE: You can attach the archive database only with the same type as your current one.
7. If necessary, click Test Database Connection to check that there is a connection with the
archive database.
8. Click Save.
195
Viewing Monitored Data
Viewing Archived Sessions
To play an archived session, do the following:
1. Log in to the Management Tool as a user with the administrative Viewing archived data
permission.
2. Click the Database Management navigation link to the left.
3. On the Database Management page, select the Archived Sessions tab.
4. On the Archived Sessions tab, a list of sessions of an archive database is displayed.
5. Click on the target session to open it in the Session Viewer.
6. Work with sessions from the archive databases is the same way as with Monitored Sessions.
196
Dashboards
Dashboards
About
Ekran System allows viewing certain types of information using dashboards displayed on the
Home page. Dashboards provide you with convenient real-time view of the most important
data. The following dashboards are available:








Licenses
Clients
Database Storage Usage
Recent Alerts
Latest Live Sessions
Sessions out of Work Hours
Rarely Used Computers
Rarely Used Logins
With the dashboards, you can see several types of data grouped in one place.
The dashboards are customizable, with the customization settings stored on the Server. Thus, if
you log into the Management Tool from any other computer, your dashboards will look the
same way as you have previously customized them.
You can choose which dashboards to show or hide, rearrange the dashboards on the screen,
add several dashboards of the same type to see the same data in different variations, and
more.
Dashboard Types
Licenses
The Licenses dashboard allows you to view statistics on the number of available licenses, free
licenses, and unlicensed computers. The dashboard is updated every 5 minutes.
197
Dashboards
The dashboard contains the following elements:


Three pie charts:
o Workstation Licenses, where you can see the number of Clients with a
Workstation license, the number of free Workstation licenses, and the number
of Clients without a Workstation license.
o Server Licenses, where you can see the number of Clients with a Server license,
the number of free Server licenses, and the number of Clients without a Server
license.
o Linux Licenses, where you can see the number of Clients with a Linux license, the
number of free Linux licenses, and the number of Clients without a Linux license.
The Assign Licenses to Clients button that redirects you to the License Management
page where you can assign licenses to Clients.
You can define the following settings for the Licenses dashboard:



Used Licenses sector colour.
Free Licenses sector colour.
Not Licensed Clients sector colour.
To view the dashboard, you need to have the administrative Serial Key Management
permission. If you do not have this permission, you will see an empty dashboard with the text
saying you do not have the permissions for viewing this data. Also, the dashboard will not be
displayed in the Add dashboard drop-down list.
Clients
The Clients dashboard allows you to view statistics on the number of Clients which are
currently online and offline. The dashboard is updated every minute.
198
Dashboards
The Clients dashboard contains the following elements:


A pie chart that presents statistics on the number of Clients which are currently online
and offline.
The Install More Clients button that redirects you to the Computers without Clients
page where you can install Clients on the computers.
You can define the following settings for the Clients dashboard:


Online Clients sector colour.
Offline Clients sector colour.
To view the dashboard, you need to have one of the following permissions:


The administrative Client Installation and Management permission. With this
permission, you can see information on all the clients in the system.
At least one of the Client permissions. In this case, you will see only the Clients for which
you have the Client permission(s).
If you do not have the administrative Client Installation and Management permission or any
Client permissions, you will see an empty dashboard with the text saying you do not have the
permissions for viewing this data. Also, the dashboard will not be displayed in the Add
dashboard drop-down list.
Database Usage Storage
The Database Usage Storage dashboard allows you to view statistics on the disk space used by
the binary data. By default, your binary files are stored in the same place as the database.
However, you can store them in a separate location.
The Database Storage Usage dashboard contains the following elements:


A pie chart that displays statistics on how much space is used and free on the disk the
binary files are stored at.
The Database Cleanup button that redirects you to the Database Cleanup page.
199
Dashboards
You can define the following settings for this dashboard:




Critical free space size: the free size limit at which you are alerted that available space
is running low.
Used storage size sector colour (indicating how much storage space is used).
Total storage size sector colour.
Warning storage size sector colour (indicating that the free space size has fallen below
the critical free space size threshold).
To view the dashboard, you need to have the administrative Database Management
permission. If you do not have this permission, you will see an empty dashboard with the text
saying you do not have the permissions for viewing this data. Also, the dashboard will not be
displayed in the Add dashboard drop-down list.
Recent Alerts
The Recent Alerts dashboard contains a bar chart that presents information on alerts triggered
within a specific time period. The dashboard is updated every 15 minutes.
Each bar in the graph corresponds to an enabled alert. The length of each bar corresponds to
the number of notifications received within a specific time interval. The colour of each bar
corresponds to the alert risk level.



The alerts with the critical risk level are highlighted in red colour.
The alerts with the high risk level are highlighted in yellow colour.
The alerts with the normal risk level are highlighted in blue colour.
To see the list of alert events, click on the bar with the alert name. In the opened window, the
following information is displayed:



Time
Client name
User name
To open a corresponding session in the Session Viewer, click Play.
To view the alert events in the Alert Viewer, click Open Alert Viewer.
200
Dashboards
You can define the following settings for the Recent Alerts dashboard:



Time interval: the period for which the alerts are selected.
Colour: the colour for the alert risk levels.
Alphabetic sort: the order in which the alerts are listed.
Only information about the Clients the user has Client Viewing Monitoring Results permission
for is displayed in the dashboard.
If you do not have this permission for any of the Clients, you will see an empty dashboard with
the text saying you do not have the permissions for viewing this data. Also, the dashboard will
not be displayed in the Add dashboard drop-down list.
Latest Live Sessions
The Latest Live Sessions dashboard contains a grid that displays the list of the sessions which
are currently live and were the latest to start. The dashboard is updated every 5 minutes.
The grid has the following columns:



Start
Client name
User name
To open the session in the Session Viewer, click Play.
In the settings, you can define the number of sessions to be displayed in the list.
Only information about the Clients the user has Client Viewing Monitoring Results permission
for is displayed in the dashboard.
If you do not have this permission for any of the Clients, you will see an empty dashboard with
the text saying you do not have the permissions for viewing this data. Also, the dashboard will
not be displayed in the Add dashboard drop-down list.
201
Dashboards
Sessions out of Work Hours
The Sessions out of Work Hours dashboard contains a column chart that displays the statistics
on the computers used during non-work hours and days for a defined time period. The
dashboard is updated every hour.
Each column corresponds to the day with the sessions out of work hours. The height of the
columns corresponds to the number of sessions recorded on the date.
To see the number of sessions recorded on a specific date, hover over the corresponding
column.
To see the list of sessions recorded on a specific date, click the corresponding column. In the
opened window, the following information is displayed:





Client Name
User Name
Start
Last Activity
Finish
To see the session in the Session Viewer, click Play.
You can define the following settings for the Sessions out of Work Hours dashboard:



Period: set the specific time period for which the alerts are selected.
Colour: set the specific colour for the columns.
Work hours & Work days: set the hours and days of the week to be considered as a
working schedule.
Only the sessions with the activities out of the defined schedule are displayed in the
dashboard.
To view the dashboard, you need to have the administrative Client Installation and
Management permission. If you do not have this permission, you will see an empty dashboard
with the text saying you do not have the permissions for viewing this data. Also, the dashboard
will not be displayed in the Add dashboard drop-down list.
202
Dashboards
Rarely Used Computers
The Rarely Used Computers dashboard contains a grid with statistics on the Client computers
that have the fewest sessions for the defined time interval. The dashboard is updated every
hour.
The grid has the following columns:


Client Name
Sessions
To view detailed information on the sessions, click the target Client Name link. In the opened
window, the following information is displayed:




User Name
Start
Last Activity
Finish
To open a session in the Session Viewer, click Play.
You can define the following settings for the Rarely Used Computers dashboard:


Period: the period for which the sessions are selected.
Sessions fewer than: the number of sessions the computer must have not to be
considered rarely used.
Only information about the Clients the user has Client Viewing Monitoring Results permission
for is displayed in the dashboard. If you do not have this permission, you will see an empty
dashboard with the text saying you do not have the permissions for viewing this data. Also, the
dashboard will not be displayed in the Add dashboard drop-down list.
Rarely Used Logins
The Rarely Used Logins dashboard contains a grid with statistics on the users that have the
fewest logins for the defined time interval. If Forced User Authentication is enabled, the
<logged in Windows user> (<secondary authentication user>) pair is accounted for.
The dashboard is updated every hour.
203
Dashboards
The grid has the following columns:


User Name
Sessions
To view detailed information on the sessions, click the target Client Name link. In the opened
window, the following information is displayed:




Client Name
Start
Last Activity
Finish
To open a session in the Session Viewer, click Play.
You can define the following settings for the Rarely Used Computers dashboard:


Period: the period for which the sessions are selected.
Sessions fewer than: the number of sessions the user must have not to be considered
rarely logging in.
Only information about the Clients the user has Client Viewing Monitoring Results permission
for is displayed in the dashboard. If you do not have this permission, you will see an empty
dashboard with the text saying you do not have the permissions for viewing this data. Also, the
dashboard will not be displayed in the Add dashboard drop-down list.
Customizing Dashboards
The dashboard layout is customizable. You can choose which dashboards you want to see on
the Home page. The following options are available:



Add a dashboard. Click Add dashboard over the dashboard area and then select the
desired dashboard from the drop-down list. You can add several dashboards of the
same type to view the desired information in different variations. You can have up to
eight dashboards on the Home page.
Hide a dashboard. Click the icon in the top right corner to hide the dashboard.
Collapse/expand a dashboard. Use the and icons in the top left corner of the
dashboard to collapse or expand it.
You can also choose what your dashboards will look like. The following options are available:



Rearrange the dashboards. Click on the dashboard you want to move and drag it to a
new location.
Resize a dashboard. Click on one of the bottom corners of the dashboard and drag the
border of the dashboard.
Define the settings for a dashboard. Click the icon in the top right corner of the
dashboard to change its settings.
The customization settings are user-specific and are stored on the Server.
To restore the default settings, click Restore Layout over the dashboard area.
204
Interactive Monitoring
Interactive Monitoring
About
Interactive Monitoring allows viewing the detailed information on the total time spent by the
user in each application/on each website.
Viewing Data
The information on all applications and URL monitored data is displayed in the form of two
column charts (Applications Monitoring chart and URL Monitoring chart). The number of
columns corresponds to the number of applications used and websites visited. Only
information on the Clients the user has Client Viewing Monitoring Results permission for is
displayed.
To view the monitored data, do the following:
1. Define the specific parameters to filter out the data:
 Who: filter by a specific user logged into the Client computer.
 Where: filter by a specific Client.
 When: filter by the time period.
To set the time period, select one of the following:
- Define the number of latest days or weeks.
- Define the start date and the end date of the time period.
2. Click Generate.
3. The filtered out monitored data is displayed in both charts.
To zoom in and out of the Application Monitoring and URL Monitoring charts, use mouse
scroll.
Applications Monitoring Chart
The Applications Monitoring chart displays information on the applications the users have
worked with on Client computers.
Each column in the chart corresponds to an application. The length of a column corresponds to
the amount of time spent in that application within a specified time interval.
The total time spent by the user in all applications is displayed in the top right corner of the
chart.
To set the order of application bars being displayed, in the Applications filter select one of the
following:




20 least used: 20 least used applications sorted in the ascending order.
20 most used: 20 most used applications sorted in the descending order.
All (descending): all bars in the descending order.
All (ascending): all bars in the ascending order.
205
Interactive Monitoring
To see the list of application entries, click on the column with the application name. In the
opened window, the following information is displayed:




Client Name: the name of the Client computer on which the target application was
launched.
User Name: the name of the user logged in to the Client computer.
NOTE: If Forced User Authentication is enabled on the Client computer with Windows
Server operating system, the user name is displayed as: <logged in Windows user>
(<secondary authentication user>).
Start: the start time of a session.
Last Activity: the date and time of the last made screen capture or executed Linux
command.
To open a corresponding session in the Session Viewer, click Play.
URL Monitoring Chart
The URL Monitoring chart displays information on the websites users have visited on Client
computers.
The URL monitored data is grouped by top domain names even if the parameter is not selected
in the URL monitoring settings for the Windows Client.
Each column in the chart corresponds to a website. The length of a column corresponds to the
amount of time spent on that website within a specified time interval.
The total time spent by the user on all websites is displayed in the top right corner of the chart.
To set the order of URL bars being displayed, in the URLs filter select one of the following:




20 most visited: 20 most visited sites sorted in the descending order.
20 least visited: 20 least visited sites sorted in the ascending order.
All (descending): all bars in the descending order.
All (ascending): all bars in the ascending order.
To see the list of website entries, click on the column with the website name. In the opened
window, the following information is displayed:




Client Name: the name of the Client computer on which the target application was
launched.
User Name: the name of the user logged in to the Client computer.
NOTE: If Forced User Authentication is enabled on the Client computer with Windows
Server operating system, the user name is displayed as: <logged in Windows user>
(<secondary authentication user>).
Start: the start time of a session.
Last Activity: the date and time of the last made screen capture or executed Linux
command.
To open a corresponding session in the Session Viewer, click Play.
206
Forensic Export
Forensic Export
About
Forensic Export allows exporting the session in the encrypted form for viewing monitored
session on any computer, even without access to the Management Tool. The session is
exported into the signed executable file, which contains the embedded player for displaying
graphical information and metadata. The validity of forensic export results can be checked via
Management Tool. The results of export are stored on the Server until you delete them.
Exporting Session Fragment
To export the session fragment, do the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Open the Session Viewer page for the selected session.
In the Player, select the start point of the session fragment.
Click Session Forensic Export under the Player.
The Session Forensic Export window opens.
5. Select the Export session fragment from current Player position option and enter the
required fragment length in minutes.
6. Select the Include keystrokes option if necessary.
7. Click Export.
8. The Forensic Export History page opens, displaying export progress.
9. As soon as export process finishes, the resulting file become available for downloading.
10. Click Download to download the file with Forensic Export results.
Exporting Full Session
To export the session, do the following:
1. On the Session Viewer page for the selected session, click Session Forensic Export
under the Player.
2. The Session Forensic Export window opens.
3. Select the Export full session option and the Include keystrokes option if necessary.
4. Click Export.
207
Forensic Export
5. The Forensic Export History page opens, displaying export progress.
6. As soon as export process finishes, the resulting file become available for downloading.
7. Click Download to download the file with Forensic Export results.
Viewing Forensic Export History
The Forensic Export History page displays the grid with all results of export for Clients you have
permissions for. You can see exports performed both by you and other users.
The Forensic Export History grid contains the following information:








Export Date: Displays the date and time when the session was exported.
Client Name: Displays the name of the computer on which the Client is installed.
User: Displays the name of the user logged in to the Client computer.
Session Start Date: Displays the date and time when the session started.
Session End Date: Displays the date and the time when the session finished.
Export Type: Displays the export type, which can be one of the following:
o Full: For the full exported session.
o Full (no keystrokes): For the full exported session without keystrokes.
o Truncated Full: For the exported session that has more than 20000 activities and
while exporting has been truncated to 1 GB.
o From – To: For the time interval included in the exported session.
Status: Displays the status of session export (Generated or Generation failed).
Full Size: Displays the size of the resulting file (n/a for failed session exporting).
To download the exported session, click Download in the Forensic Export History grid.
To delete the exported session from Server, click Delete in the Forensic Export History grid.
Playing Exported Session
To view exported data, download it and start the downloaded executable file.
NOTE: To view exported data on computers with Linux or Mac operating system, you need to
install Mono Framework on them. Follow the instructions at http://www.monoproject.com/docs/ to install Mono Framework on your computer.
Sessions are played in the Forensic Export Player.
208
Forensic Export
The Forensic Export Player interface is divided into the following parts:



Player pane: Allows viewing screen captures made from the computer on which the
Windows Client is installed, or visually recreated interactive data of the recorded Linux
terminal (input and output as the user sees them in the terminal). The navigation
section allows you to manage the playback of the video of screen captures or
commands.
[Windows Client] Details pane: Allows you to view the keystrokes associated with the
selected screen capture, USB device information, and URL addresses of websites visited
by a user.
Metadata pane: Displays the session data in the form of grid, which includes:
o Activity time, Activity title, Application name, Keystrokes, and URLs for Windows
Clients;
o Activity time, Command, Function, and Parameters for Linux Clients.
NOTE: If the user performing export does not have the Viewing keystrokes permission for
this Client, Forensic Export results will contain no keystrokes.
You can do one of the following while viewing:

To play/pause the video, click Play/Pause in the Player pane.

To move from one record to another, use the control buttons in the Player pane.

To open the monitored data to the full-screen mode, double-click the monitored data

in the Player pane or
.
To define the speed with which monitored data will change in the Player pane, click
. The available speed options are 1/2/4/8/16 frame(s) per second.

To enlarge a certain part of the played data, click the Magnifying Glass
.
209
Forensic Export

To move from one monitor to another in the Client session with multiple monitors,
click All, 1, 2, etc.
Validating Exported Data
Using Management Tool, you can check that exported data is valid and its integrity has not
been altered. Please note that data validity must be checked only in the Management Tool
connected to the Server via which data has been exported. Any other Server will consider data
not valid.
To validate exported data, do the following:
1. Click the Forensic Export History navigation link to the left and then click Validate
Export Results.
2. On the Forensic Export Results validation page, click Choose File to select the .exe file
with forensic export results.
3. The file is uploaded to the Server and validated.
4. If file validity is confirmed, you will see a message: “The file is validated successfully!”
210
Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting
Quick Access to Log Files
Log files contain information that might be useful for administrator for detecting problems in the
system if any.
You can either analyse the log files yourself to get more information on what is happening in
your system or send them to the Support team to help them in detecting the source of problems
in your system.
In case the log files contain the information on some errors, the warning message will be
displayed on the Diagnostics page.
To download the Server log file, login as the user with the Database Management permission,
click the Diagnostics navigation link to the left and then click Download Server log file. The log
file will be downloaded to your computer.
To download the Management Tool log file, login as the user with the Database Management
permission, click the Diagnostics navigation link to the left and then click Download
Management Tool log file. The log file will be downloaded to your computer.
Database/Server
Database/Server Related Issues
Issue
Cause/Solution
I cannot start the Server from the
Server tray.
To start the Server, the Server tray service must be
started under the administrator account.
There are too many records in the
database.
Use the automatic or manual database
cleanup feature to remove the old records
from the database. To do this, in the
Management Tool, click the Database
Management navigation link and define the
cleanup settings on the corresponding tabs.
I have defined a new database, what
happened to the old one?
The old database remains in place and is not
changed.
I need to transfer the data from an old
database to a new one/I want to change
the type of the database without losing
data.
Unfortunately, the data cannot be
transferred from one database to another.
I have transferred the SQL database to
another computer.
Unfortunately, you can’t relocate the SQL database
to another computer. Though you can move it to
another location on the same PC with SQL means.
211
Troubleshooting
I have changed the location of the
Firebird database.
To redefine the location of the Firebird
database, move it to another location and
change its values in the Windows Registry
Editor. See Moving the Server Database
chapter for more details.
I have installed a new version of the
Server and I want to use the old
database.
If you have updated the Server, your old
database will remain. If you have reinstalled
the Server, you need to use a new database.
I have used the database cleanup
feature, but the size of the database
didn’t change.
The cleanup feature only removes data from
the database, but does not change the size
reserved by it. To reduce the size of the
database, click Shrink database on the
Database Options tab on the Database
Management page of the Management Tool.
I have accidentally removed the
database from the MS SQL Server.
You need to define a new database. To do
this, you need to reinstall the Server.
I cannot shrink the database: the Shrink
database button is absent in the
Management Tool on the Database
Options tab.
My anti-virus blocks
uninstallation/update.
the
Server

Make sure you use the MS SQL Server
database.

The shrinking cannot be performed if
the cleanup procedure is in progress.
Due to the uninstaller specifics some anti-viruses
might detect it as a false positive during virus scan.
In this case, it is recommended to disable your antivirus during Server uninstallation/update.
Database/Server Related Error Messages
The following table provides the list of error messages related to databases and the Server and
their causes and possible solutions. These messages may appear in the Management Tool, from
the Server tray service, or during the installation of the Server.
Message
If you get the following message in the
Management Tool: "Connection with
MS SQL database is lost. Please check
that the database is accessible and try
again."
Cause/Solution

The Server has lost the connection to
the MS SQL Server. Please make sure
that the MS SQL Server is running and
it is online and accessible. To check
that the MS SQL Server computer is
accessible, enter the following
command in the Windows command
line:
212
Troubleshooting
ping <name of the MS SQL Server
computer>

If you get the following message when
trying to restart the Server service:
“Not enough permissions to restart the
Server.”
If you get the following error while
trying to clean up the database: "Error
occurred while clearing the database.
Please try again."
If you get the following message from
the Server tray service: "The Server
connection with the database has
been lost. Click to view logs."
The connection to the MS SQL Server
is blocked by the Firewall. Try
disabling the Firewall on the MS SQL
Server side.
You can restart the Server service only under
the administrator account.

The program encountered an
unexpected error while trying to clear
the database. Try clearing the
database again.

Make sure the Server service is
running.

There was a problem with connection
to the database. Please make sure
that the computer on which the
database is installed is online and
accessible. To check that the
computer is accessible, enter the
following command in the Windows
command
line:
ping <name of the computer with
installed
database>
If the problem comes up again,
please, send us logs (the Server
Service file), which you can find in the
Server sub-folder of the Ekran System
installation folder.

The Server has lost the connection to
the database. Please make sure that
the computer on which the database
is installed is online and accessible. To
check that the computer is accessible,
enter the following command in the
Windows
command
line:
ping <name of the computer with
installed database>
If the problem comes up again,
please, send us logs (the Server
Service file), which you can find in the
213
Troubleshooting
Server sub-folder of the Ekran System
installation folder.
If you get one of the following messages
while trying to perform an action with
database:


"An error occurred when
shrinking database. Please try
again."

The program encountered an unexpected
error while trying to perform an action with
database. Please try performing the action
again.

There was a problem with connection
to the database. Please make sure
that the computer on which the
database is installed is online and
accessible. To check that the
computer is accessible, enter the
following command in the Windows
command
line:
ping <name of the computer with
installed
database>
If the problem comes up again,
please, send us logs (the Server
Service file), which you can find in the
Server sub-folder of the Ekran System
installation folder.
"Error occurred while retrieving
database info. Please try again."
Management Tool
Management Tool Related Issues
Issue
Cause/Solution
HTTP 500 Internal Server error is
displayed when I try to connect to the
Management Tool.
For Windows 7, follow these instructions:
1. Make sure that all the following check boxes are
selected in the Windows Features window: Net
Framework 3.5> Windows Communication
Foundation HTTP Activation and Windows
Communication
Foundation
non-HTTP
Activation.
2. Run the Command
administrator:
Prompt
(cmd.exe)
as
Enter
%windir%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.xxxxx\
aspnet_regiis.exe –iru (for 32 bit machine) or
%windir%\Microsoft.NET\Framework64\v4.0.xxx
xx\aspnet_regiis.exe –iru (for 64 bit machine).
214
Troubleshooting
Example:
C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework64\v4.0.
30319\aspnet_regiis.exe –iru
3. Press Enter.
For Windows 8.0 or 8.1, make sure that all the
following check boxes are selected in the Windows
Features window: Net Framework 3.5> Windows
Communication Foundation HTTP Activation and
Windows Communication Foundation non-HTTP
Activation.
The license management function is
unavailable and I cannot add
server/workstation
licenses
to
Clients.
Make sure you have the administrative Client
installation and management permission. If you have
this permission, but the license management function
is still unavailable, then your copy of the program is not
licensed. Please purchase serial keys and activate them
online or activate them on your vendor’s license site
and add them offline.
I have no Internet connection on the
computer with the installed Server
and cannot activate serial keys.
You can activate the serial on the license site of your
vendor and then add activated keys on the computer
with the installed Server.
I have reinstalled/updated the Server
and now there are no activated serial
keys in it.

If you activated serial keys online, after you
reinstall or update the Server, activated serial
keys will be automatically synchronized. For
this purpose, you need to have an active
Internet connection during the first start of the
Server.

If you used an offline activation (added
activated serial keys), you need to add them in
the Management Tool again.
The list of the domain computers is
empty during the Client installation.
This problem can be caused by network or Windows
issues (e.g., your computer cannot connect to the local
network). If there are no network problems, try
searching for computers via the Add computers by IP
option. To install Clients in such a way, on the
Computers without Clients page click Add computers
by IP.
The list of the domain computers is
not complete during the Client
installation.
Ekran System obtains the list of domain computers
using standard Windows methods, which do not always
provide the full list of computers.
215
Troubleshooting
The target computer is out of the
domain.
If DNS settings of your computer network allow, you
can:

Search for computers using the Add computers
by IP option. To install Clients in such a way, on
the Computers without Clients page, click Add
computers by IP.

Create an installation package and install a
Client locally on the target computer. To
generate an installation package, on the
Computers without Clients page, click
Download installation file and then select the
type of the installation file you want to
download. When the installation file is
downloaded to your computer, you can start
the installation process.
I have assigned a server license
instead of a workstation license to
the Client or I have assigned a license
to the wrong Client.
Any license can be unassigned from a Client anytime.
There are some Clients that I did not
install.
These may be old Clients that were installed earlier. You
can uninstall them remotely via the Management Tool
or locally on the Client computer.
I do not receive email notifications,
although the parameters are correct.
Make sure you do not use Microsoft Exchange Server
2010, which is not supported.
Some of the Management Tool
functions are unavailable.
Make sure that you have the
permissions for these functions.
I do not want to provide the user with
access to all Clients.
By defining the Client permissions for the user in the
Management Tool, you can define which Clients the
user will have the access to.
I forgot the password of the internal
user.
Contact the administrator and ask him/her to change
the password.
The user is able to perform actions
that are supposed to be prohibited for
him/her (e.g., the user sees the
Clients that he/she does not have a
permission for).
Check the groups which the user belongs to. He/she
might have inherited some new permissions from these
groups.
I haven’t received any reports or alert
notifications by email.
Check the Spam folder.
corresponding
216
Troubleshooting
Management Tool Error Messages
The following table provides the list of error messages that you may see while working in the
Management Tool and their causes and possible solutions.
Message
Cause/Solution
If you get the following message when
trying to connect to the Management
Tool: “Server is unavailable. Please
contact administrator.”
The program encountered an unexpected error
while trying to perform an action.

Please refresh the Management Tool.

Please make sure that the Server is running.

Please restart the Server and try again.
If the problem comes up again, please contact the
support.
If you get the following message when
trying to connect to the Management
Tool: “Wrong password or username.”
Please make sure that your login and the password
are correct. If you are logging in as a Windows user,
do not forget to enter <domain name>\<login>.
Viewing Monitored Data
Issue
Cause/Solution
I have successfully logged into the
Management Tool but I cannot see any
captured data from the Windows
Client.

Please check the section “Possible
Problems with Receiving Data from
Clients”.

Contact the administrator and check if you
have the Viewing monitoring results
permission for the Client.
An alert event does not trigger an alert
notification and is not displayed as alert
in the Management Tool.

Please check that the defined alert
parameters are correct on the Alert Rules
tab on the Edit alert page of the
Management Tool (e.g., Process name may
be defined instead of Window title). To do
this, open the Alert Management page of
Management Tool, click Edit alert for the
required alert and select the Alert Rules
tab.

The alert might be disabled. Please make
sure the alert is enabled on the Alert
properties tab in the Management Tool.
I don’t receive alert notifications about
all the events that correspond to
notification settings.
Please check the Minimal interval between
notifications sent for the same alert event
parameter. If less time than defined in the settings
has passed since the moment when the last
217
Troubleshooting
notification for the same alert event had been
received, you will not receive the notification.
Some screen captures are blank.
Some screen captures look like they
consist of two parts.
The Keystrokes field is empty, although
the text was entered on the Client
computer.

If a user types something continuously,
stops typing, and then switches the window
during the 3 seconds period, the keystrokes
will be attached to a blank screen capture.

If a user accesses the Client computer via
the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) and
minimizes the Remote Desktop Connection
window, a blank screen capture is created.
There are two monitors on the Client computer and
you see the screen captures from both of them.

Check that you have Viewing keystrokes
permission for this Client.

Please check that you have enabled the
keystroke
logging
in
the
Client
configuration.

The keystrokes are logged only after the
user presses Enter or switches to another
window. So they might be attached to
another screen capture.
The screen captures are sent more
frequently than I defined.
If in the Client configuration you have enabled
options other than Capture screen periodically, the
screen captures may be created more frequently
depending on the user activity. Check the Client
configuration.
Screen capture image is blurry.
The Client computer may have smooth interface
animation – the screen capture may have been
taken when the animation was in progress.
The screen capture image is black and
white.
The Client is configured to capture screen in
greyscale images. Please check the Client
configuration in the Management Tool.
The screen capture time does not
correspond to time on my computer.
The screen capture time corresponds to the time
displayed on the Client computer.
The screen capture time does not
correspond to the time that should be
displayed on Client computer.
Please check that the Client computer time settings
have not been changed.
218
Troubleshooting
Windows Client
Checking that the Client Is Installed
If the Client is successfully installed, it will appear on the Clients page of the Management Tool
in the Data View pane.
If there is no Client in the Management Tool, you have to check whether the Client has been
installed.
You can check if the Client is installed on the investigated computer in one of the following ways:

The EkranService.exe process is running.

The EkranClient and EkranController services are started.

There is a <system disk>:\Program Files\Ekran System\Ekran System\Client\ folder
with executable files.
 The HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\EkranSystem\Client key has the following
values:
219
Troubleshooting
Clients Installation/Uninstallation Issues and Error Messages
The common reasons of issues with remote installation or uninstallation of Clients are the
inadequate network configuration or system settings. If you are sure that a user has
administrative rights on the Client computer, please check whether all of the conditions for
successful installation are met.
Remote Installation Error Messages
During remote Client installation you can get the following error messages:

The user does not have enough permission on the remote host.

The network name cannot be found.

Client machine must be rebooted before agent installation.

The host is unavailable now or turned off. Try again later.
220
Troubleshooting
Solving Remote Installation Issues
If you receive the following error message during the remote Client installation: “The User
doesn’t have enough permission on the remote host”, as a rule, such issue may be caused by
the following reasons:

There is no access to network shares.

DNS service is unavailable.

UAC is enabled (Windows 7/8/Vista).

Errors in Active Directory.

Issues with the Service Principle Name for the domain.

Two computers have the same computer name.
Issue: There is No Access to Network Shares
For successful remote installation, Ekran System needs to access the administrative shares on
the target computers. At first, please check that you have access to administrative shares and if
there is no access, enable it.
How to Check:
To check the administrative shares availability, do the following:
1. Open Windows Explorer.
2. In the address bar type \\<target_computer_IP/Name>\admin$ and press Enter.
3. When the Enter Network Password window opens, enter administrator credentials and
click OK.
4. If the login credentials are accepted, the system folder opens (by default, C:\Windows).
221
Troubleshooting
If you get an error after performing step 2, try the following:

Open the Command Prompt (cmd.exe). Enter and execute
<target_computer_name or IP> command. Check the following:
the
ping
1. If you do not get ping replies, network may be down. Check the network
connection and try again.
2. If the network is up, but you do not get the ping reply, check the firewall
on the remote computer. Disable the firewall on the target remote
computer.

If you are receiving ping replies, but the administrative share is still unavailable, check
that the Sharing Wizard or the Simple file sharing are disabled.

If you are receiving ping replies and the sharing options are good, but you still cannot
access the administrative shares, check that the Server system service is running on the
remote computer.
If you get a login error after performing step 3, try the following:

Make sure that the credentials you enter are correct. You have to enter the credentials
of a domain administrator or a local administrator account on the remote computer.

Verify that the account password is not empty. Accounts with empty passwords cannot
be used for remote connection.

Try typing the username as <domain_name>\<username> if the remote computer is in
a domain, or <computer_name>\<username> if the PC belongs to a workgroup.
How to Fix:
To enable access to administrative shares, you need to enable the Local Account Token
Filter Policy.
NOTE: This is a known Windows issue that might block remote application installation.
To enable Local Account Token Filter Policy:
1. Open the Windows Registry Editor.
2. In
the
Registry
Editor
window,
select
the
following
key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Syste
m.
3. Double-click the LocalAccountTokenFilterPolicy value, or select it and click Modify in the
right-click menu.
4. In the Value data box, type 1, and then click OK.
5. Close the Windows Registry Editor.
If the LocalAccountTokenFilterPolicy registry value does not exist, follow these steps:
1. In the Windows Registry Editor in the Edit menu, click New, and then click DWORD Value.
2. Type LocalAccountTokenFilterPolicy and then press ENTER.
222
Troubleshooting
3. In the Value data box, type 1, and then click OK.
4. Close the Windows Registry Editor.
Issue: DNS Service is Unavailable
DNS service may be unavailable in your network. Try using the remote computer's IP address if
you cannot access it by the name.
How to check:
To check the DNS Service availability, please execute the following command in the Command
line (cmd.exe): ping <Computer name>.
If the command does not respond, you have to enable the DNS Service.
How to fix:
To enable the DNS Service, please follow the instructions of the Windows Troubleshooting. In
the Windows Server 2003, you can use the netdiag.exe tool.
Issue: UAC is Enabled (Windows 7/8/Vista)
If you access the administrative shares normally on the remote PC running Window Vista or
Windows 7/8, but the Client remote installation fails, try disabling the User Account Control on
the remote computer.
How to check:
By default, UAC is enabled in Windows 7/8/Vista.
How to fix:
To disable UAC, do the following:
1. Open the Windows Registry Editor.
2. Select
the
following
key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System.
3. Double-click the EnableLUA value, or select it and click Modify in the right-click menu.
4. In the opened window, in the Value data filed, enter 0 and click OK.
5. Close the Windows Registry Editor window and then reboot the Client computer.
Issue: Active Directory Errors
Errors in Active Directory may be caused by the absence of the critical object that represents the
trust relationship between the two Active Directory domains, which have a parent/child or tree
root trust relationship.
223
Troubleshooting
How to Check:
Errors in Active Directory may occur when you have two or more replicated domains.
How to Fix:
To resolve errors in Active Directory, do the following:
1. Open the Active Directory Users > Computer Tools.
2. Open the System Container.
3. If there is no TDO object (trusted domain object) in the System container, please reset
the trust between parent and child relationships between domain controllers of
different domains with netdom.
Issue: Errors in Service Principal Name for the Domain
Issues with Service Principle Name (SPN) for the domain which is hosting the replica, can occur
when it has not been propagated to the domain that contains the account which you use when
you run the Dcpromo.exe file. This propagation may have been delayed because of replication
latencies.
How to Fix:
To resolve issues with SPN, do one of the following:

Login with domain admin of the child domain.

Wait for replication to complete and use the root admin account.
Issue: Two Computers Have the Same Computer Name
The computer in the child domain has the same name as the computer in the parent domain.
How to Fix:
To resolve this issue, rename the computer in the parent domain which has the same name
as the computer in the child domain.
If you get a message at the end of the remote Client installation: “The network name
cannot be found”, it can be caused by the following reasons:

There is no access to the remote computer.

There is no access to Network Shares.
Issue: There is No Access to the Remote Computer
How to Check:
Please check that you have access to the remote computer. To do this, enter the following
command in the Windows command line: ping <name of the remote computer>
224
Troubleshooting
If you do not receive any response, the access might be blocked by the remote computer
Firewall.
How to Fix:
Try enabling the Local Account Token Filter Policy on the target computer.
Issue: There is No Access to Network Shares
Please follow the instructions described above.
If you get a message at the end of the remote Client installation: “Client machine must be
rebooted before agent installation”, please, reboot the computer because if the Client has been
recently uninstalled, the Client computer must be rebooted first.
If you get a message after clicking Uninstall Ekran System Client: “The host is unavailable now
or turned off. Try again later.”, this means that the Client may be offline or may not be able to
connect to the Server. Please do one of the following:

Wait until the Client appears online.

If the Client does not appear online, uninstall it locally on the Client computer via the
Windows command line by executing the following command: UninstallClient.exe
/key=<uninstallation key>
By default, the UninstallClient.exe file is located here: C:\Program Files\Ekran System\Ekran
System\.
Possible Problems with Receiving Data from Clients
If an installed Client does not appear online, do the following:

Make sure that the Client is installed and its services are running.

Make sure that there are no network connection problems:


On the Server machine, in the Command line (cmd.exe), execute the following
command: ping <Client computer name>. If the command displays network issues,
resolve them.
Make sure the Client processes/services are not blocked by the antivirus software.
If you changed the name of the Server computer, you have to change it on the Client computer
through the registry.
To change the Server name:
1. Open the Windows Registry Editor.
2. Select the following key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/EkranSystem/Client.
3. Double-click the RemoteHost value, or select it and click Modify in the right-click menu.
225
Troubleshooting
4. Enter the new name or IP address of the Server to which the Client must connect.
5. Reboot the Client computer.
NOTE: If the Client works in the non-protected mode, you can change the name of the
Server to which it connects, by installing the Client remotely via the Management Tool once
more.
If a Client is online and not sending any data, do the following:

Make sure the screen capturing is enabled in the Client configuration.

Make sure a license is assigned to the Client.

Make sure there is more than 500MB on the disk on which the Client is installed.

Make sure the database is not full: there may be no free space left on the disk where the
database is located in the Server database.
If an installed Client has stopped sending data, it may be caused by the following issues:

The Client processes on the Client computer may have been terminated. Make sure the
Client processes are running on the Client computer (see Checking that the Client is
installed topic in the help file).

The Client service (EkranClient) might have been stopped. Please make sure it is started.

The Client computer may be offline. Make sure it is online and has no network connection
problems.

The sending of data is prevented by antivirus software. Make sure the Client
processes/services are not blocked by the antivirus software.

The connection might be blocked by Firewall. Try unblocking the connection.
Possible USB Monitoring Problems
If an installed Client with the USB monitoring/blocking option enabled does not detect the USB
devices, do the following:
1. Check if the USB drivers are installed. To do this, on the Client computer, in the Command
line (cmd.exe), execute the following command:
UninstallClient.exe /usbcheck
2. Install the drivers if they are not installed. To do this, execute the following command:
UninstallClient.exe /usb=true /key=<uninstall key>
3. Uninstall the drivers to reinstall them afterwards. To do this, execute the following
command:
UninstallClient.exe /usb=false /key=<uninstall key>
226
Troubleshooting
Linux Client
Possible Problems with Receiving Data from Clients
If an installed Client does not appear online, do the following:

Make sure that the Linux Client is installed and running by checking the state of the Client.

Make sure that there are no network connection problems:
On the Server machine, in the Command line (cmd.exe), execute the following command:
ping <Client computer name>. If the command displays network issues, resolve them.
If a Linux Client is online and not sending any data, do the following:

Make sure a license is assigned to the Client.

Make sure there is enough free space on the disk on which the Client is installed.

Make sure the database is not full: there may be no free space left on the disk where the
database is located in the Server database.
If an installed Client has stopped sending data, it may be caused by the following issues:

The Linux Client might have been stopped. Please make sure it is started.

The Client computer may be offline. Make sure it is online and has no network connection
problems.
Checking the State of the Linux Client
If the Linux Client is successfully installed, it will appear on the Clients page of the Management
Tool in the Data View pane.
If there is no Linux Client in the Management Tool, you have to check whether the Client has
been installed.
To check the status of the Linux Client, run the command-line terminal and enter the following
command:
$ service Ekran status
Restarting Linux Client
To restart the Linux Client, use the following command in the terminal of the Client computer:

$ sudo service Ekran restart
Alternatively, stop and restart the Linux Client using the following commands:


$ sudo service Ekran stop
$ sudo service Ekran start
227
Appendix
Appendix
Default Alerts
The Management Tool contains the default alerts, which are triggered on the different kinds of
potentially harmful or forbidden actions performed on the computers with installed Clients.
Fraud Activity
Cleanup applications
This alert is triggered when the user on the Windows Client computer is opening the PC
cleanup applications such as Ccleaner, PC Decrapifier, etc.
Command prompt
This alert is triggered when the user on the Windows Client computer is executing the
command prompt.
Date/Time changing
This alert is triggered when the user changes the Date and Time settings on the
Windows Client computer.
Editing Windows Registry
This alert is triggered when the user on the Windows Client computer is editing the
Windows registry.
File Download from Internet browser
This alert is triggered when the user on the Widows Client computer is downloading files
via the internet browser.
File Upload via Internet browser
This alert is triggered when the user on the Windows Client computer is uploading files
via the Internet Browser.
Hacking software
This alert is triggered when the user on the Windows Client computer is using the
different kinds of hacking software such as Angry IP Scanner, HashCat, etc.
IIS Binding Settings
This alert is triggered when the user on the Windows Client computer is changing IIS
binding settings.
Internet Explorer proxy settings
This alert is triggered when the user on the Windows Client computer is changing the
Internet Explorer Proxy Settings.
Remote desktop connection
This alert is triggered when the user on the Windows Client computer is initiating RDP
connection to another computer.
Windows user creation/editing
228
Appendix
This alert is triggered when the user on the Windows Client computer is adding or
editing the Windows users.
[Linux] Installation detection
This alert is triggered when the user on the Linux Client computer is utilizing commands
for installation.
[Linux] Root privileges
This alert is triggered when the user on the Linux Client computer is gaining the Root
privileges.
[Linux] User adding
This alert is triggered when the user on the Linux Client computer is adding users.
Data Leakage
Cloud backup
This alert is triggered when the user on the Windows Client computer is opening a cloud
backup service such as ADrive, Backblaze, etc.
Cloud file sharing
This alert is triggered when the user on the Windows Client computer is sharing the files
using the cloud based services 2Big2Send, Digital Pigeon, etc.
Cloud storages
This alert is triggered when the user on the Windows Client computer is visiting the
following cloud storage websites: Dropbox.com; drive.google.com; onedrive.live.com;
Otixo; box.com; Fluxiom; spideroak.com; Uploadingit; amazon.com; justcloud.com;
livedrive.com; sugarsync.com; code42.com/crashplan; zipcloud.com;
sosonlinebackup.com; carbonite.com; eSnips; Fileshare; mozy.com; mega.nz;
adrive.com; bitcasa.com; icloud.com; Memonic; Doxo.
Desktop email clients
This alert is triggered when the user on the Windows Client computer is opening the
desktop email clients such as Outlook, Post-box, etc.
FTP access
This alert is triggered when the user on the Windows Client computer is visiting the FTP
websites.
[Linux] Mounting device
This alert is triggered when the user on the Linux Client computer is opening the
mounting storages on the Linux servers.
Online email services
This alert is triggered when the user on the Windows Client computer is using the
following online email services: mail.google.com; login.live.com; login.yahoo.com;
my.screenname.aol.com; zoho.com; mail.com; inbox.com; gmx.com; icloud.com;
mail.lycos.com; hushmail.com; mail.yandex.com.
229
Appendix
Screen sharing applications
This alert is triggered when the user on the Windows Client computer is opening the
screen sharing application such as TeamViewer, Deskhop, etc.
Potentially Illicit Activity
Adult sites
This alert is triggered when the user on the Windows Client computer is visiting the
following websites with illicit content for adults: flirt4free.com; ebaumsworld.com;
imlive.com; freeones.com; redtube.com; cam4.com; adultfriendfiner.com;
youporn.com; xnxx.com; livejasmin.com; G.e-hentai.org; Nudevista.com;
Adam4adam.com; Literotica.com. Also, this alert is triggered on any website, which
contains the words xxx or porn in its URL.
BitTorrent clients
This alert is triggered when the user on the Windows Client computer is opening the
BitTorrent Client applications such as Utorrent, Vuze, etc.
BitTorrent sites
This alert is triggered when the user on the Windows Client computer is visiting the
following BitTorrent websites: thepiratebay; kat.cr; torrentz.eu; extratorrent; yts;eztv;
1337x; isohunt; bitsnoop; rarbg.
Gambling sites
This alert is triggered when the user on the Windows Client computer is visiting the
following online gambling websites: grosvenorcasinos.com; leovegas.com; 777.com;
casino.com; foxycasino.com; casino.betway.com; bet365.com; titanbet.com;
888casino.com; europacasino.com. Also, this alert is triggered on any website, which
contains the words casino or poker in its URL.
Proxy anonymizers
This alert is triggered when the user on the Windows Client computer is visiting the
following proxy anonymizer websites: proxify.com; Anonymouse.org; hidemyass.com;
the-cloak.com; bind2.com; maskedip.com; anonymizer.com; proxy.org; newipnow.com;
zophar.net; proxysite.com; dontfilter.us; uas2.com; blewpass.com; kproxy.com; alterip.com; proxy.my-addr.com; megaproxy.com; proxfree.com; fresh-proxy.appspot.com;
youhide.com; proxywebsite.org; Tor Browser.
Not Work-related Activity
Dating sites
This alert is triggered when the user on the Windows Client computer is visiting the
following dating websites: match.com; okcupid.com; gotinder.com; meetup.com;
pof.com; zoosk.com; eharmony.com; badoo.com; christianmingle.com; ourtime.com;
230
Appendix
datehookup.com; howaboutwe.com; seniorpeoplemeet.com; speeddate.com;
chemistry.com; jdate.com.
Desktop media players
This alert is triggered when the user on the Windows Client computer is opening the
desktop media players such as Windows Media Player, BS.Player, etc.
Instant messengers
This alert is triggered when the user on the Windows Client computer is opening the
instant messengers Skype, Pidgin, etc.
Job search
This alert is triggered when the user on the Windows Client computer is visiting the
following job search websites: indeed.com; monster.com; glassdoor.com;
jobsearch.com/careerbuilder.com; simplyhired.com; aol-careers.com; jobdiagnosis.com;
beyond.com; ziprecruiter.com; snagajob.com; theladders.com; dice.com;
elance.com/upwork.com; linkedin.com; peopleperhour.com; linkup.com;
careerarc.com; freelancer.com; usajobs.gov.
Online games
This alert is triggered when the user on the Windows Client computer is visiting the
following online games websites: eune.leagueoflegends; battle.net;
steampowered.com; dota2; trionworlds; hirezstudios; minecraft; worldoftanks;
swtor.com; kongregate.com; armorgames; addictinggames.com; newgrounds.com;
popcap.com; crazymonkeygames.com; pch.com; zynga.com; totaljerkface.com;
deadwhale.com; plarium.com.
Online video
This alert is triggered when the user on the Windows Client computer is visiting the
following online video websites: Youtube; dailymotion.com; vimeo; gopro.com;
ted.com; on.aol.com; mtv.com; funnyordie.com; break.com; metacafe.com; veoh.com.
Social networks
This alert is triggered when the user on the Windows Client computers is visiting the
following social network websites: facebook; twitter; linkedin; pinterest;
plus.google.com; tumblr; instagram; vk.com; flickr; vine.co; meetup.com; tagged.com;
ask.fm; meetme.com; classmates.com; foursquare; tripadvisor; weeworld.com; mixi.jp;
myspace.com; myheritage.com; schtik.com.
231
Appendix
Standard and Enterprise Edition Comparison Chart
The enterprise Ekran System features are available only if you have an activated Enterprise
serial key.
Feature
Standard Edition
Enterprise Edition
High Availability
No
Yes
Two types of database (Firebird, MS
SQL)
Yes
Yes
ArcSight Integration
No
Yes
Storing screenshots in the form of
deltas
Yes
Yes
NAS support for binary file storing
Yes
Yes
Database cleanup
Yes
Yes
Database archiving
No
Yes
Client offline work mode
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Ekran System technical features
Ekran System Client features
Client installation


Remote [Windows Clients]
Local [Windows & Linux Clients]
Client protection


Client mode (protected, nonprotected)
Protection from uninstallation
(uninstallation key)
Alert management
232
Appendix
Windows Client monitoring
Screen capturing
Yes
Yes
Keystroke logging
Yes
Yes
Monitoring triggered by keyword
Yes
Yes
URL monitoring
Yes
Yes
USB monitoring & blocking
Yes
Yes
Application filtering
Yes
Yes
User filtering
Yes
Yes
Client monitoring logs creation
Yes
Yes
User interaction on the Client computer with server operating system
Secondary Authentication
Yes
Yes
One-time Password
No
Yes
Displaying additional message on login
Yes
Yes
User’s comment to additional message
on login
Yes
Yes
Displaying Client tray icon
Yes
Yes
User interaction on the Client computer
Linux Client monitoring
233
Appendix
User actions monitoring
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Client group management
Yes
Yes
User management
Yes
Yes
User group management
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Interactive Monitoring
Yes
Yes
USB Monitoring & Blocking
Yes
Yes
Reports (Report Generator &
Scheduled Reports)
Yes
Yes


Input commands
Terminal responses
System calls monitoring
Management features
Monitoring results display
Investigator interaction



Displaying notifications about
the Server state (Server Tray)
Displaying notifications on alert
events (Tray Notifications app)
Sending email notifications
Web-based Player




Searching monitored sessions
by metadata
Playing monitored sessions (live
and finished)
Forensic Export
Forensic Export results
validation
234