Home/ Questions/Q 6880473
In Process

The Archive Base Latest Questions

Editorial Team
  • 0
Asked: 2026-05-27T04:58:42+00:00

I would like to write an application to manage files, directories and processes on

  • 0

I would like to write an application to manage files, directories and processes on hundreds of remote PCs. There are measurement programs running on these machines, which are currently managed manually using TightVNC / RealVNC. Since the number of machines is large (and increasing) there is a need for automatic management. The plan is that our operators would get a scriptable client application, from which they could send queries and commands to server applications running on each remote PC.

For the communication, I would like to use a TCP-based custom protocol, but it is administratively complicated and would take very long to open pinholes in every firewall in the way. Fortunately, there is a program with a built-in TinyWeb-based custom web server running on every remote PC, and port 80 is opened in every firewall. These web servers serve requests coming from a central server, by starting a CGI program, which loads and sends back parts of the log files of measurement programs.

So the plan is to write a CGI program, and communicate with it from the clients through HTTP (using GET and POST). Although (most of) the remote PCs are inside the corporate intranet, they are scattered all over the country, I would like to secure the communication. It would not be wise to send commands, which manipulate files and processes, in plain text. Unfortunately the program which contains the web server cannot be touched, so I cannot simply prepare it for HTTPS. I can only implement the security layer in the client and in the CGI program. What should I do?

I have read all similar questions in SO, but I am still not sure what to do in this specific situation. Thank you for your help.

Share

Leave an answer

You must login to add an answer.

Need An Account,

1 Answer

  1. Editorial Team

    There are several webshells but as far as I can see ( http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mressl/webshell/features.html ) they run on the top of an existing SSL/TLS layer.

    There is also S-HTTP.

    There are several ways of authenticating to an server (username/passwort) in a protected way, without SSL. http://www.switchonthecode.com/tutorials/secure-authentication-without-ssl-using-javascript . But these solutions are focused only on sending a username/password to the server.

    • 0