Getting Started

Endpoints

Patch Management

Vulnerability Management

Software Deployment & IT Assets

Automation & Remote Desktop

Real-Time Reports & Alerts

Account Access & Management

SSO Authentication

Security Concerns

Integrations

Need Help?

Action1 5 Documentation 5 Getting Started with Action1

Patch Management in Minutes with Action1

Action1 reinvents patch management with a highly secure platform, real-time vulnerability discovery, automated remediation for operating systems and third-party applications, peer-to-peer patch distribution, and integrations with your IT ecosystem. It ensures continuous patch compliance and reduces security and ransomware risks – all while lowering costs. Action1 is certified for SOC 2/ISO 27001 and is trusted by thousands of enterprises managing millions of endpoints globally.

Introducing Endpoint Takeover Prevention

Action1 is introducing Endpoint Takeover Prevention (ETP) to help protect security-sensitive operations by requiring digital signatures for protected actions and configurations. Authorized administrators use their Action1 Keys to sign protected actions and configurations. Before execution, the Action1 agent verifies the signature and checks that the signed content has not been altered. ETP covers data sources, scripts, automations, Software Repository package versions, moving endpoints between organizations, agent uninstallation, and commands that initiate remote sessions.
To learn more, see Endpoint Takeover Prevention.

NOTE: This functionality is rolling out in stages and may not yet be available in all regions.

Unless explicitly marked as applying only to the ETP-enabled version, documentation articles apply to both versions of Action1.

Quick Start Guide

This guide will help you to get started with Action1: connect a test endpoint, review its missing updates, deploy selected patches, and verify the result. Before you begin:

Make sure you have access to your Action1 console as an Enterprise Admin and permission to install software on the test endpoint.
Choose an endpoint you can use for testing and restart if necessary. Confirm that its operating system is supported and that it can reach Action1.
Check System Requirements and Firewall Configuration before installing the agent.

Step 1: Install Action1 Agent on Target Endpoint
Step 2: Review and Deploy Patches
Step 3: Automate Deployment of Critical Updates
Step 4: View Patch Compliance Reports & Dashboard

Step 1. Install Action1 Agent on Target Endpoint

Before you can start patching, you need to install the Action1 agent on your target endpoint. It is a lightweight application with a minimal system footprint, which remains idle unless an endpoint needs patching or a status refresh.

Launch the Wizard

In the Action1 console, click Install Agent.

For standard deployment

The wizard offers you several delivery options for the Action1 agent targeting different operating systems. To get started, we’ll use interactive installation on your selected OS. Proceed to Select Operating System.

For ETP-enabled deployment

In the first step of the wizard, create and protect your Action1 Key. By default, your Action1 Key will be stored in Cloud Storage in encrypted form and protected by the Key passphrase. Copy the generated Key passphrase and save it in a secure location.

IMPORTANT! Make sure you copy and store the Key passphrase properly. After you close the wizard, the Key passphrase will no longer be available for copying. If you lose access to your Key passphrase, Action1 will not be able to recover it.

Select the checkbox to confirm that you saved the Key passphrase.
Confirm the operation by providing the Key passphrase you have saved.

Select Operating System

Select the operating system of the endpoint where you want to install the agent. Action1 provides the appropriate deployment packages:

For Windows endpoints: MSI
For macOS endpoints: shell script (SH) that downloads and installs the agent package (PKG)
For Linux endpoints: DEB and RPM

For standard deployment

Click Download to get the agent setup package for your target endpoint.

For ETP-enabled deployment

In the Choose Your First Endpoint step, select the target OS.

Proceed to the Install Your First Agent step and select Interactive installation as the installation option to get started.
Download the agent setup package for your target endpoint.

Run Agent Setup

Run the downloaded setup locally to install the agent.

Important! For ETP-enabled deployment, you will need to provide the installation token to the agent using the wizard (for Windows) or the respective command (for macOS and Linux).

You get the installation token in the Install Your First Agent step of the wizard when installing the first agent using the Action1 console.
Copy the installation token and store it securely, as it is required for subsequent agent installations. The console displays the token only when it is created.

On Windows endpoint

Follow the steps of the wizard.

For ETP-enabled deployment: provide installation token to the agent

For ETP-enabled deployment, you will need to provide the installation token to the agent using the setup wizard for your Windows endpoint. The Action1 console displays the token only when it is created. Make sure you copy it and store it securely, as you will need it for the first and next agent installations.

In the final step, the setup may prompt you to elevate privileges to complete the installation.

The agent is installed under the LOCAL SYSTEM account into %WinDir%\Action1 folder as a service called Action1 Agent. See also: Manual Agent Installation on Windows Endpoints

On macOS endpoint

Locate the downloaded SH script and copy the script name, including the extension. Then launch the Terminal app and run the following command, providing the script name:
bash <script_name>
The script downloads the agent installation package and starts the agent setup. Follow the steps of setup wizard.

When prompted for the destination and type, select Install for all users of this computer.
Don’t change the installation destination (/usr/local/action1).
When prompted, enter the administrative credentials to install the software and authorize macOS system updates.

For ETP-enabled deployment: provide installation token to the agent

After completing the setup, return to the agent installation wizard in the Action1 console. On the agent installation step, copy the generated Installation Token and save it to a secure location.
On the endpoint, run the following command to provide the installation token to the agent:

sudo /usr/local/action1/action1_agent inst_token:<Your Installation Token>

The agent is installed under the administrative account in the /usr/local/action1 directory and operates as a daemon. See also: Manual Agent Installation on macOS Endpoints.

On Linux endpoint

Locate the downloaded package and copy it to /tmp. Then run the appropriate command for your package manager to start the Action1 agent setup. Wait for the package manager to complete the installation.

For standard deployment

For DEB package targeting a Debian/Ubuntu endpoint, use APT and the following commands:

cp "action1_agent(<your_org_name>).deb" /tmp
cd /tmp
sudo apt install "./action1_agent(<your_org_name>).deb"

For RPM package targeting a RHEL/Fedora endpoint, use DNF and the following commands:

cp "action1_agent(<your_org_name>).rpm" /tmp
cd /tmp
sudo dnf install "./action1_agent(<your_org_name>).rpm"

For RPM package targeting a SUSE Linux endpoint, use Zypper and the following commands:

cp "action1_agent(<your_org_name>).rpm" /tmp
cd /tmp
sudo zypper install "./action1_agent(<your_org_name>).rpm"

For RPM package targeting Photon OS endpoint, use Tiny DNF and the following commands:

cp "action1_agent(<your_org_name>).rpm" /tmp
cd /tmp
sudo tdnf install "./action1_agent(<your_org_name>).rpm"

After the package manager completes the installation, return to the Action1 console and wait for the Action1 cloud connection check to complete.

For ETP-enabled deployment

For DEB package, use the following commands:

cp "action1_agent.deb" /tmp
cd /tmp
sudo apt install "./action1_agent.deb"

For RPM package targeting a RHEL/Fedora endpoint, use DNF and the following commands:
```
cp "action1_agent.rpm" /tmp
cd /tmp
sudo dnf install "./action1_agent.rpm"
```

For RPM package targeting a SUSE Linux endpoint, use Zypper and the following commands:
```
cp "action1_agent.rpm" /tmp
cd /tmp
sudo zypper install "./action1_agent.rpm"
```

For RPM package targeting a Photon OS endpoint, use Tiny DNF and the following commands:
```
cp "action1_agent.rpm" /tmp
cd /tmp
sudo tdnf install "./action1_agent.rpm"
```

After the package manager completes the installation, return to the agent installation wizard in the Action1 console. On the agent installation step, copy the generated installation token and save it to a secure location. On the endpoint, run the following command to provide the installation token to the agent:

sudo /opt/action1/action1_agent inst_token:<Your Installation Token>

The agent is installed under the administrative account and operates as a daemon. Its binary files are located in /opt/action1/. See also: Manual Agent Installation on Linux Endpoints

Verify the Installation

Return to the Action1 console and click Start Managing to open the Endpoints page. Locate the endpoint where you installed the agent and verify that its Status is Connected.

For ETP-enabled deployment: verify ETP status

Verify that the ETP column shows a green shield icon with a check mark. This indicates that the endpoint has an ETP-capable agent and is protected by the current ETP security configuration.

NOTE: A gray ETP icon indicates that the endpoint is not protected by ETP. The agent may need to be updated. For an explanation of the indicators, select the help icon next to the ETP column heading.

When you install the next agents, your Key passphrase and Action1 Key will be used to secure the deployment, and the installation token will be used to associate the new agents with the Action1 organization, so keep them safe. A similar wizard will guide you through the subsequent agent setup process.

Before continuing, configure a backup administrator and verify that both administrators have an Active Action1 Key. To learn more, see Configuring a Backup Administrator.

Try later: For bulk deployment on multiple endpoints, use Microsoft Intune, Group Policy, or another supported deployment method. See also: Action1 Agent Installation.

Step 2. Review and Deploy Patches

All endpoint information, including missing patches, installed software, and OS details, is refreshed in real time. You don’t need to schedule a periodic assessment to determine if any updates are missing.

To review and deploy patches:

In the Action1 console, navigate to the Endpoints page and click on the endpoint name.
Go to the Missing Updates tab and select the updates you want to deploy. All applicable updates for the operating system and third-party applications are shown in a single view, including the update type and security severity.
Click Deploy Update to start the update wizard. It will prepopulate the list of selected updates.
Adjust the Reboot Options as needed (currently supported for Windows and macOS endpoints).
In the Select Endpoints step, select the test endpoint.
In the Schedule step, for testing purposes, leave the default Run Now option selected and click Finish.

Action1 will begin deploying the selected updates and will report progress and results in real time. Review the deployment result and check whether a restart or further action is required. Confirm that the selected updates are no longer reported as missing after deployment (and any required restart).

Try later: Check out the Vulnerabilities view to remediate vulnerabilities.

For ETP-enabled deployment

You will be prompted to sign the automation. If you use Cloud Storage, enter your Key passphrase. If you use Local Storage, also select your Action1 Key file. Click Sign to complete the process.

OS updates and the latest application versions available in the Software Repository include built-in Action1 signatures and do not require an additional administrator signature. However, for a custom application that is not included in the Software Repository, make sure the version you want to deploy is signed by an authorized Enterprise Admin.
The deployment automation must be signed separately, even when the selected updates or application versions already have built-in Action1 signatures.

Action1 will begin deploying the selected updates and will report progress and results in real time.

Try later: Check out the Vulnerabilities page to remediate vulnerabilities.

Step 3. Automate Deployment of Critical Updates

Automate your patch and vulnerability management routines to ensure continuous compliance across your endpoints.

To automate the deployment of critical security patches for OS and apps:

Navigate to Automations, select New Automation, and click Deploy Updates.
In the Deploy Updates step, select Matching Filters.
Click Add filter, select Update severities, and select Critical.
Click Update approval options and select Do not require approval: deploy all matching non-declined updates. Set the deployment delay to 3 days.
Adjust the Reboot Options as needed.
In the Select Endpoints step, click Add Endpoints, then select Individual endpoints and choose your target endpoint to include in this automation.
In the Schedule step, specify when the automation should run — for example, weekly on Sundays and Saturdays at 2 AM. Then click Finish.

For ETP-enabled deployment

You will be prompted to sign the automation. If you use Cloud Storage, enter your Key passphrase. If you use Local Storage, also select your Action1 Key file. Click Sign to complete the process.

OS updates and the latest application versions available in the Software Repository include built-in Action1 signatures and do not require an additional administrator signature. However, for a custom application that is not included in the Software Repository, make sure the version you want to deploy is signed by an authorized Enterprise Admin.
The deployment automation must be signed separately, even when the selected updates or application versions already have built-in Action1 signatures.

Try later: Create another automation that requires manual approval of updates and use the Update Approval section to selectively approve or decline updates. Another option is to create a broader automation to include updates beyond critical severity.

Step 4. Generate Patch Compliance Reports & Dashboard

Action1 comes with a real-time patch compliance dashboard and live reports to facilitate periodic reviews of your security posture and assist with compliance audits.

Go to Dashboard for a bird’s-eye view of your endpoint health, including vulnerability remediation compliance, pending deployments, required reboots, etc.
Navigate to Built-in Reports | Patch Management to access detailed reports on daily and weekly patch statistics, missing updates, required reboots, and other patching metrics.
Click Tools | Subscribe within any report to schedule email delivery (e.g., every Monday).

Next Steps

Action1 offers a broad range of capabilities to further streamline your patch management workflows. Once you are familiar with the basics, consider exploring the following features:

Once you are ready to add more endpoints, continue with agent installation methods and endpoint grouping.
To establish recurring patching, proceed with automating patch management.
If you need to communicate patch status, continue with dashboard settings and reporting guidance.

Also, for ETP-enabled deployment, learn how to: