Install the Cortex® XDR™ Agent for Linux

Download the Cortex XDR agent Linux installer from Cortex XDR.
Copy the installer to the Linux server on which you want to install the Cortex XDR agent software.
For example, to copy the file securely from a local machine to the Linux server:
user@local ~
										
scp linux.sh.tar.gz root@centos.example.com:/tmp
						linux.sh.tar.gz                                100%   52MB   95.2MB/s   00:00
					
Log on to the Linux server.
For example:
user@local ~
       ssh root@centos.example.com
root@centos.example.com's password:
Last login: Thu May 19 05:17:04 2022 from 192.168.0.181
Install the Cortex XDR agent software.
You can install the Cortex XDR agent on the endpoint manually using the shell installer or using the Linux package manager for
.rpm
and
.deb
installers.
Unpack the installation archive by running.
tar xf filename.tar.gz
Copy the configuration file into
/etc/panw
directory.
sudo mkdir -p /etc/panw
sudo cp cortex.conf /etc/panw/
To deploy using package manager:
(
Optional
) For Linux distributions RHEL, CentOS, Oracle, or SUSE that have signature-checking configured or you would like to manually check the integrity of the Cortex XDR package:
Download the Cortex XDR Public Key.
Unzip the public key by running
unzip cortex-xdr-agent.zip
.
Import the public key by running
rpm --import cortex-xdr-agent.asc
.
Depending on your Linux distribution, install the Cortex XDR agent using one of the following commands:
Distribution	Install Command
RHEL, CentOS, or Oracle	yum install ./ filename .rpm or rpm -i ./ filename .rpm
Ubuntu or Debian	apt-get install ./ filename .deb or dpkg -i ./ filename .deb
SUSE	zypper install ./ filename .rpm or rpm -i ./ filename .rpm
Verify the agent was installed on the endpoint.
Enter the following command on the endpoint:
dpkg -l | grep cortex-agent
or
rpm -qa | grep cortex-agent
.
To deploy the shell installer:
Enable execution of the script using the
chmod +x
filename
command.
Run the install script as root or with root permissions.
For example on CentOS 7:
[root@centos]#
 cd /tmp
[root@centos tmp]#
 ls
cortex-7.7.0.59559.sh
cortex.conf
linux.sh.tar.gz 
README.md
[root@centos tmp]#
 chmod +x cortex-7.7.0.59559.sh
[root@centos tmp]#
 ./cortex-7.7.0.59559.sh
Verifying archive integrity... All good.
Uncompressing Cortex XDR 7.7.0.59559 installer  100%
[!] Path '/bin' is not in PATH
[!] Path '/sbin' is not in PATH
[ 1] Checking prerequisites
Verifying RHEL/CentOS 7 (rpm) packages:
  * openssl ... OK
  * ca-certificates ... OK
  * policycoreutils-python ... OK
  * selinux-policy-devel ... OK
Done
[ 2] Installing Cortex XDR [7.7.0.59559] at /opt/traps
Using packaged compatibility libraries
Done
[ 3] Creating runtime directory
Done
[ 4] Installing SELinux policies
  Compiling ... OK
  Installing ... OK
  Updating contexts ... OK
Done
[ 5] Verifying iptables prerequisite
Done
[ 6] Defining Cortex XDR local services (systemd)
Created symlink from /etc/systemd/system/multi-user.target.wants/traps_pmd.service to /etc/systemd/system/traps_pmd.service.
Done
[ 7] Creating/Verifying Cortex XDR auxiliary user
Done
[ 8] Configuring connection to server
Done
[ 9] Starting Cortex XDR security services
Redirecting to /bin/systemctl start traps_pmd.service
	      Name       PID           User                Status               Command
               pmd      6072           root               Running               /opt/traps/bin/pmd
         analyzerd       N/A            N/A               STOPPED               N/A
              dypd      6138           root               Running               /opt/traps/bin/dypd  -s -- 175
              lted       N/A            N/A               STOPPED               N/A
Done							
Additional options are available to help you customize your installation if needed. The following table describes common options and parameters that you can use but does not provide an exhaustive list. Use the --help option to print the help for the installer.
If you are using
rpm
or
deb
installers, you must also add these parameters to the
/etc/panw/cortex.conf
file prior to installation.
Make sure to remove the first couple of leading double dashes. For example, instead of :
-- --proxy-list ”
<proxyserver>
:
<port>
”
, add this:
--proxy-list="10.196.21.223:808"
.
Applies to:
--proxy-list="10.196.21.223:808"
--no-km
--restrict=live_terminal
Option	Description
--no-km	Without Kernel Module Installation Use the --no-km option if you do not want to install the Cortex XDR agent kernel module. If you install the agent without the Cortex XDR kernel module or your Linux server runs an unsupported kernel version, the Cortex XDR agent will operate in asynchronous mode.
--install-path= </custom/path>	Custom Agent Installation Directory ( Requires Cortex XDR agent 7.6 or a later release ) Install the Cortex XDR agent in a custom directory on the endpoint instead of using the default ./opt directory. Custom installation directory is a persistent change, and after you install the Cortex XDR to the custom path, all following upgrades and the removal of the agent from the endpoint are executed in the same location. Before you start, ensure the custom directory exists on the endpoint and has user and group executable permissions. SH installer —Run the following command for example: root@ubuntu:/tmp# ./linuxshell.sh -- --install-path= /home/customDir RPM and DEB installers — Create a cortex.conf file on the endpoint, under /ect/panw/ Add to the cortex.conf your custom directory parameter, for example: --install-path= /home/customDir
-- --proxy-list ” <proxyserver> : <port> ”	Proxy Communication Configure the Cortex XDR agent to communicate through an intermediary such as a proxy or the Palo Alto Networks Broker Service. To enable the agent to direct communication to an intermediary, you use this installation option to assign the IP address and port number you want the Cortex XDR agent to use. You can also configure the proxy by entering the FQDN and port number. When you enter the FQDN, you can use both lowercase and uppercase letters. Avoid using special characters or spaces. Use commas to separate multiple addresses. For example: -- --proxy-list "My.Network.Name:808, 10.196.20.244:8080" You can assign up to five different proxies per agent, and the proxy for communication is selected randomly with equal probability. To enable the agent to use the Broker Service, you must set up a broker VM in your network and use this option to assign the agent the Broker VM IP address with port number 8888. After the initial installation, you can change the proxy settings from Cortex XDR. The Cortex XDR agent does not support proxy communication in environments where proxy authentication is required.
VM Template --vm-template Temporary session --temporary-session	Virtual Installation Deploy Cortex XDR agents on virtual Linux endpoints as temporary instances, ensuring the Cortex XDR agent license returns back to the license pool after 90 minutes of session inactivity and improving your network temporary workloads. Choose your preferred workflow: Pre-install —Install the Cortex XDR agent only on the Linux endpoint you are using to create the VM template. Every instance you create using this template, will include the pre-installed Cortex XDR agent. For example: $ ./installer.sh -- --vm-template Fresh install —Install the Cortex XDR agent on the Linux VM after creating the VM template, as part of provisioning. For example: $ ./installer.sh -- --temporary-session
-- --restrict= <flag>	Disable Live Terminal, script execution, and file retrieval on the endpoint Use to permanently disable the option for Cortex XDR to perform all, or a combination, of the following actions on endpoints running a Cortex XDR agent: initiate a Live Terminal remote session on the endpoint, execute Python scripts on the endpoint, and retrieve files from the endpoint to Cortex XDR. Disabling any of these actions is an irreversible action, so if you later want to enable the action on the endpoint, you must uninstall the Cortex XDR agent and install a new package without this flag To disable all actions, use the corresponding flag: --restrict=all To disable a specific action, use the corresponding flag: --restrict=live_terminal —Use to disable Live Terminal. --restrict=script_execution —Use to disable script execution. --restrict=file_retrieval —Use to disable file retrieval. To disable more than one option, use any combination of these flags.
-- --endpoint-tags <tag>	Add Endpoint Tags Add tags to the endpoint tags list. SH installer —Run the following command for example: traps_linux.sh -- --endpoint-tags tag1,tag2,tag3 The double dash (--) before the --endpoint-tags argument is mandatory, and the argument and the value must be separated by a space. RPM and DEB installers — Create a cortex.conf file on the endpoint, under /ect/panw/ Add to the cortex.conf your custom directory parameter, for example: --endpoint-tags tag1,tag2,tag3 If one or more tags contains spaces, the entire tags string must be enclosed in quotes ("), for example: --endpoint-tags "tag1,tag multi word2,tag3" .
The script installs the files for the Cortex XDR agent for Linux in the
/opt/traps
folder with the Cytool utility available at
/opt/traps/bin/cytool
.
After the agent successfully connects to the server for the first time and retrieves a valid license, the agent begins protecting the Linux server.
If the Cortex XDR agent does not connect to Cortex XDR, verify your internet connection and perform a check-in on the endpoint. If the agent still does not connect, verify the installation package has not been removed from the Cortex XDR management console.
(
Optional for Kernel Mode only
) Load SecureBoot Certificates.
If you enabled the SecureBoot kernel, define the following in order to load the Cortex XDR kernel module certificates available for:
Redhat 8
Ubuntu 18, Unbuntu 20
SUSE 15
Oracle 8
On your server, navigate to
/opt/traps/download/content/km/modules/<os_name>/
and locate key name
xdr_kernel_cert.der
to access the public key.
Load the key to the MOK by running the command:
mokutil --import xdr_kernel_cert.der
Set a password.
Reboot the system.
During the machine reboot, the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) will ask you to
Enroll MOK
. When prompted whether to download the key, select
Yes
and enter the password you defined.
Verify the key was loaded by running the command
mokutil --list-enrolled
and locating the key with the
Palo Alto Networks
issuer.
See the Use the Cortex XDR Agent for Linux section for a list of available options, enter the
cytool
command without any arguments or with
-h
or
--help
..