Collect Palo Alto Cortex XDR alerts logs

Supported in:

Google SecOps SIEM

Note: This feature is covered by Pre-GA Offerings Terms of the Google Security Operations Service Specific Terms. Pre-GA features might have limited support, and changes to pre-GA features might not be compatible with other pre-GA versions. For more information, see the Google Security Operations Technical Support Service guidelines and the Google Security Operations Service Specific Terms.

This document describes how you can collect Palo Alto Cortex XDR alerts logs by setting up a Google Security Operations feed.

For more information, see Data ingestion to Google Security Operations.

An ingestion label identifies the parser which normalizes raw log data to structured UDM format. The information in this document applies to the parser with the CORTEX_XDR ingestion label.

Configure Palo Alto Cortex XDR alerts

To configure Palo Alto Cortex XDR alerts, complete the following tasks:

• Get the Palo Alto Cortex XDR alerts API key.
• Get the Palo Alto Cortex XDR alerts API key ID.
• Get the fully qualified domain name (FQDN).

Get the Palo Alto Cortex XDR alerts API key

1. Sign in to the Cortex XDR portal.
2. In the Settings menu, click Settings.
3. Select +New key.
4. In the Security level section, select Advanced.
5. In the Roles section, select Viewer.
6. Click Generate.
7. Copy the API key, and then click Done. The API key represents your unique authorization key and is displayed only at the time of creation. It is required when you configure the Google Security Operations feed.

Get the Palo Alto Cortex XDR alerts API key ID

In the Configurations section, navigate to API keys > ID. Note your corresponding ID number, which represents the x-xdr-auth-id:{key_id} token.

Get FQDN

1. Navigate to API keys.
2. Click Copy URL. Save the URL, which is required when you configure the Google Security Operations feed.

Configure a feed in Google Security Operations to ingest Palo Alto Cortex XDR alerts logs

1. Go to SIEM Settings > Feeds.
2. Click Add New.
3. Enter a unique name for the Field Name.
4. Select Third party API as the Source Type.
5. Select Palo Alto Cortex XDR Alerts as the Log Type.
6. Click Next.
7. Configure the following mandatory input parameters:
   • Authentication HTTP headers: provide the authorization key and authorization key ID that you obtained previously.
   • API hostname: provide the URL that you obtained previously.
   • Endpoint: specify the endpoint.
8. Click Next and then click Submit.

For more information about Google Security Operations feeds, see Google Security Operations feeds documentation. For information about requirements for each feed type, see Feed configuration by type. If you encounter issues when you create feeds, contact Google Security Operations support.

Field mapping reference

This parser extracts security logs from Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR in either JSON or SYSLOG (key-value) format, normalizes fields, and maps them to the UDM. It handles both JSON and key-value formats, performs date extraction, enriches the data with metadata, and structures the output for ingestion into Google SecOps.

Enable REST API requests on Cortex XDR and configure a Google SecOps feed

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for enabling REST API requests on Cortex XDR and configuring a corresponding feed in Google SecOps.

Part 1: Enable REST API requests on Cortex XDR

Cortex XDR uses API keys for authentication. Follow these steps to generate an API key:

1. Log in to the Cortex XDR management console.
2. Go to Settings.
3. Access API Keys.
4. Generate a new key.
5. Provide a key name (for example, "SecOps Integration").
6. Assign the API key the necessary permissions to access the required data. This is crucial for security and ensures the key only has access to what it needs. Consult the Cortex XDR documentation for the specific permissions required for your use case.
7. Securely store the API key. You will need it for the Google SecOps feed configuration. This is the only time you will see the full key, so make sure to copy it now.
8. (Optional) Configure an expiration date for the API key for enhanced security.

Part 2: Configure the feed in Google SecOps

After you generate the API key, configure the feed in Google SecOps to receive data from Cortex XDR:

1. Go to SIEM Settings > Feeds.
2. Click Add new.
3. Select Third Party API as the Source type.
4. Select the required log type that corresponds to the data you want to ingest from Cortex XDR.
5. Click Next.
6. Configure the following input parameters:
   • API Endpoint: Enter the base URL for the Cortex XDR API. This can be found in the Cortex XDR API documentation.
   • API Key: Paste the API key that you generated earlier.
   • Other Parameters: Depending on the specific Cortex XDR API that you are using, you might need to provide additional parameters, such as specific data filters or time ranges. Refer to the Cortex XDR API documentation for details.
7. Click Next and then click Submit.

Important considerations:

• Rate limiting: Be aware of any rate limits imposed by the Cortex XDR API. Configure the feed accordingly to avoid exceeding these limits.
• Error handling: Implement proper error handling in your Google SecOps configuration to manage situations where the Cortex XDR API is unavailable or returns errors.
• Security: Securely store the API key and follow security best practices. Regularly rotate API keys to minimize the impact of potential compromises.
• Documentation: Refer to the official Cortex XDR API documentation for detailed information on available endpoints, parameters, and data formats.

UDM Mapping Table

Log Field	UDM Mapping	Logic
action	security_result.action	If action contains "BLOCKED", set to "BLOCK".
action	security_result.action_details	If act is not empty, null or "none", use the value of act. Otherwise, if action is not "BLOCKED", use the value of action.
action_country	security_result.about.location.country_or_region	Direct mapping. Also used in nested events field.
action_file_path	target.resource.attribute.labels	Creates a label with key "action_file_path" and value from the log field.
action_file_sha256	target.file.sha256	Converts to lowercase.
action_local_port	principal.port	Converts to integer.
action_remote_ip	target.ip	Merged into the target.ip array.
action_remote_ip	target.asset.ip	Merged into the target.asset.ip array.
action_remote_port	target.port	Converts to integer.
act	security_result.action_details	Used if not empty, null, or "none".
agent_data_collection_status	Not Mapped	Although present in the raw log, this field is not mapped to the IDM object in the final UDM.
agent_device_domain	target.administrative_domain	Direct mapping.
agent_fqdn	Not Mapped	Although present in the raw log, this field is not mapped to the IDM object in the final UDM.
agent_install_type	Not Mapped	Although present in the raw log, this field is not mapped to the IDM object in the final UDM.
agent_is_vdi	Not Mapped	Although present in the raw log, this field is not mapped to the IDM object in the final UDM.
agent_os_sub_type	target.platform_version	Direct mapping.
agent_os_type	target.platform	If "Windows", set to "WINDOWS".
agent_version	Not Mapped	Although present in the raw log, this field is not mapped to the IDM object in the final UDM.
alert_id	security_result.rule_id	Direct mapping.
app	target.application	Direct mapping.
cat	security_result.category_details	Merged into the security_result.category_details field.
category	security_result.category	If "Malware", set to "SOFTWARE_MALICIOUS".
category	security_result.category_details	Merged into the security_result.category_details field.
cn1	network.session_id	Direct mapping.
cn1Label	Not Mapped	Although present in the raw log, this field is not mapped to the IDM object in the final UDM.
contains_featured_host	Not Mapped	Although present in the raw log, this field is not mapped to the IDM object in the final UDM.
contains_featured_ip	Not Mapped	Although present in the raw log, this field is not mapped to the IDM object in the final UDM.
contains_featured_user	Not Mapped	Although present in the raw log, this field is not mapped to the IDM object in the final UDM.
creation_time	metadata.event_timestamp	Converted to timestamp.
cs1	security_result.rule_name	Concatenated with cs1Label to form the security_result.rule_name.
cs1Label	security_result.rule_name	Concatenated with cs1 to form the security_result.rule_name.
cs2	additional.fields	Creates a key-value pair in additional.fields with key from cs2Label and string value from cs2.
cs2Label	additional.fields	Used as the key for the cs2 value in additional.fields.
cs3	additional.fields	Creates a key-value pair in additional.fields with key from cs3Label and string value from cs3.
cs3Label	additional.fields	Used as the key for the cs3 value in additional.fields.
cs4	additional.fields	Creates a key-value pair in additional.fields with key from cs4Label and string value from cs4.
cs4Label	additional.fields	Used as the key for the cs4 value in additional.fields.
cs5	additional.fields	Creates a key-value pair in additional.fields with key from cs5Label and string value from cs5.
cs5Label	additional.fields	Used as the key for the cs5 value in additional.fields.
cs6	additional.fields	Creates a key-value pair in additional.fields with key from cs6Label and string value from cs6.
cs6Label	additional.fields	Used as the key for the cs6 value in additional.fields.
CSPaccountname	additional.fields	Creates a key-value pair in additional.fields with key "CSPaccountname" and string value from the log field.
description	metadata.description	Direct mapping. Also used for security_result.description if event_type is not GENERIC_EVENT.
destinationTranslatedAddress	target.ip	Merged into the target.ip array.
destinationTranslatedAddress	target.asset.ip	Merged into the target.asset.ip array.
destinationTranslatedPort	target.port	Converted to integer if not empty or -1.
deviceExternalId	security_result.about.asset_id	Prefixed with "Device External Id: ".
dpt	target.port	Converted to integer if destinationTranslatedPort is empty or -1.
dst	target.ip	Merged into the target.ip array.
dst	target.asset.ip	Merged into the target.asset.ip array.
dst_agent_id	target.ip	Converted to IP address and merged into the target.ip array if valid IP.
dst_agent_id	target.asset.ip	Converted to IP address and merged into the target.asset.ip array if valid IP.
dvchost	principal.hostname	Direct mapping.
dvchost	principal.asset.hostname	Direct mapping.
endpoint_id	target.process.product_specific_process_id	Prefixed with "cor:".
event_id	Not Mapped	Although present in the raw log, this field is not mapped to the IDM object in the final UDM.
event_sub_type	Not Mapped	Although present in the raw log, this field is not mapped to the IDM object in the final UDM.
event_timestamp	metadata.event_timestamp	Converted to timestamp. Also used in nested events field.
event_type	metadata.event_type	Mapped to a UDM event type based on logic. Also used in nested events field.
event_type	metadata.product_event_type	Direct mapping.
event_type	security_result.threat_name	Direct mapping.
events	Nested Events	Fields within the events array are mapped to corresponding UDM fields within nested events objects. See individual field mappings for details.
external_id	Not Mapped	Although present in the raw log, this field is not mapped to the IDM object in the final UDM.
fileId	target.resource.attribute.labels	Creates a label with key "fileId" and value from the log field.
fileHash	target.file.sha256	Converted to lowercase. Sets metadata.event_type to FILE_UNCATEGORIZED.
filePath	target.file.full_path	Direct mapping. Sets metadata.event_type to FILE_UNCATEGORIZED.
fw_app_category	Not Mapped	Although present in the raw log, this field is not mapped to the IDM object in the final UDM.
fw_app_id	Not Mapped	Although present in the raw log, this field is not mapped to the IDM object in the final UDM.
fw_app_subcategory	Not Mapped	Although present in the raw log, this field is not mapped to the IDM object in the final UDM.
fw_app_technology	Not Mapped	Although present in the raw log, this field is not mapped to the IDM object in the final UDM.
fw_device_name	Not Mapped	Although present in the raw log, this field is not mapped to the IDM object in the final UDM.
fw_email_recipient	Not Mapped	Although present in the raw log, this field is not mapped to the IDM object in the final UDM.
fw_email_sender	Not Mapped	Although present in the raw log, this field is not mapped to the IDM object in the final UDM.
fw_email_subject	Not Mapped	Although present in the raw log, this field is not mapped to the IDM object in the final UDM.
fw_interface_from	Not Mapped	Although present in the raw log, this field is not mapped to the IDM object in the final UDM.
fw_interface_to	Not Mapped	Although present in the raw log, this field is not mapped to the IDM object in the final UDM.
fw_is_phishing	Not Mapped	Although present in the raw log, this field is not mapped to the IDM object in the final UDM.
fw_misc	Not Mapped	Although present in the raw log, this field is not mapped to the IDM object in the final UDM.
fw_rule	Not Mapped	Although present in the raw log, this field is not mapped to the IDM object in the final UDM.
fw_rule_id	Not Mapped	Although present in the raw log, this field is not mapped to the IDM object in the final UDM.
fw_serial_number	Not Mapped	Although present in the raw log, this field is not mapped to the IDM object in the final UDM.
fw_url_domain	Not Mapped	Although present in the raw log, this field is not mapped to the IDM object in the final UDM.
fw_vsys	Not Mapped	Although present in the raw log, this field is not mapped to the IDM object in the final UDM.
fw_xff	Not Mapped	Although present in the raw log, this field is not mapped to the IDM object in the final UDM.
host_ip	principal.ip	Split by comma and merged into the principal.ip array.
host_ip	principal.asset.ip	Split by comma and merged into the principal.asset.ip array.
host_name	principal.hostname	Direct mapping.
host_name	principal.asset.hostname	Direct mapping.
hosts	target.hostname	Extracts hostname from the first element of the hosts array.
hosts	target.asset.hostname	Extracts hostname from the first element of the hosts array.
hosts	target.user.employee_id	Extracts user ID from the first element of the hosts array.
incident_id	metadata.product_log_id	Direct mapping.
is_whitelisted	Not Mapped	Although present in the raw log, this field is not mapped to the IDM object in the final UDM.
local_insert_ts	Not Mapped	Although present in the raw log, this field is not mapped to the IDM object in the final UDM.
mac	principal.mac	Split by comma and merged into the principal.mac array.
matching_status	Not Mapped	Although present in the raw log, this field is not mapped to the IDM object in the final UDM.
metadata.description	security_result.description	Used if event_type is GENERIC_EVENT.
metadata.event_type	metadata.event_type	Set based on logic using event_type, host_ip, and other fields.
metadata.log_type	metadata.log_type	Set to "CORTEX_XDR".
metadata.product_name	metadata.product_name	Set to "Cortex".
metadata.vendor_name	metadata.vendor_name	Set to "Palo Alto Networks".
msg	security_result.description	Direct mapping.
name	security_result.summary	Direct mapping.
PanOSDGHierarchyLevel1	security_result.detection_fields	Creates a key-value pair in security_result.detection_fields with key "PanOSDGHierarchyLevel1" and value from the log field.
PanOSDestinationLocation	target.location.country_or_region	Direct mapping.
PanOSDynamicUserGroupName	principal.group.group_display_name	Direct mapping if not empty or "-".
PanOSSourceLocation	principal.location.country_or_region	Direct mapping.
PanOSThreatCategory	security_result.category_details	Merged into the security_result.category_details field.
PanOSThreatID	security_result.threat_id	Direct mapping.
principal.asset.attribute.labels	principal.asset.attribute.labels	Creates a label with key "Source" and value from the source field.
proto	network.ip_protocol	Converted to uppercase. Sets metadata.event_type to NETWORK_CONNECTION.
request	network.http.referral_url	Direct mapping.
rt	metadata.event_timestamp	Converted to timestamp.
security_result.severity	security_result.severity	Set to uppercase value of severity.
severity	security_result.severity	Converted to uppercase.
shost	principal.hostname	Direct mapping. Sets metadata.event_type to STATUS_UPDATE.
shost	principal.asset.hostname	Direct mapping. Sets metadata.event_type to STATUS_UPDATE.
source	principal.asset.attribute.labels	Used as the value for the "Source" label.
source	security_result.summary	Used if not_json and grok filter matches.
sourceTranslatedAddress	principal.ip	Merged into the principal.ip array.
sourceTranslatedAddress	principal.asset.ip	Merged into the principal.asset.ip array.
sourceTranslatedPort	principal.port	Converted to integer if not empty or -1.
spt	principal.port	Converted to integer.
sr_summary	security_result.summary	Used if not_json and grok filter matches.
src	principal.ip	Merged into the principal.ip array.
src	principal.asset.ip	Merged into the principal.asset.ip array.
suser	principal.user.user_display_name	Direct mapping.
tenantCDLid	additional.fields	Creates a key-value pair in additional.fields with key "tenantCDLid" and string value from the log field.
tenantname	additional.fields	Creates a key-value pair in additional.fields with key "tenantname" and string value from the log field.
users	target.user.userid	Uses the first element of the users array.
xdr_url	metadata.url_back_to_product	Direct mapping.

Changes

2024-07-05

• Mapped "isInteractive" to "security_result.detection_fields".

2024-04-02

• Mapped "properties.createdDateTime" to "metadata.event_timestamp".
• Mapped "properties.resourceServicePrincipalId" and "resourceServicePrincipalId" to "target.resource.attribute.labels".
• Mapped "properties.authenticationProcessingDetails", "authenticationProcessingDetails", and "properties.networkLocationDetails" to "additional.fields".
• Mapped "properties.userAgent" to "network.http.user_agent" and "network.http.parsed_user_agent".
• Mapped "properties.authenticationRequirement" to "additional.fields".

2024-04-17

• Mapped "action_local_port" to "principal.port".
• Mapped "dst_agent_id" to "principal.ip".
• Mapped "action_remote_ip" to "target.ip".
• Mapped "action_remote_port" to "target.ip".
• Added check if "target_device" is present prior setting "metadata.event_type" to "NETWORK_CONNECTION".

2024-03-15

• Added a Grok to retrieve "source" and "sr_summary" from the message header.
• Mapped "sr_summary" to "security_result.summary".

2024-03-11

• Added support for CEF format logs.
• Mapped "rt" to "metadata.event_timestamp".
• Mapped "category" and "cat" to "security_result.category_details".
• Mapped "cs2Label", "cs2", "tenantname", "tenantCDLid", and "CSPaccountname" to "additional.fields".
• Mapped "shost" to "principal.hostname" and "principal.asset.hostname".
• Mapped "spt" to "principal.port".
• Mapped "src" to "principal.ip" and "principal.asset.ip".
• Mapped "suser" to "principal.user.user_display_name".
• Mapped "dpt" to "target.port".
• Mapped "dst" to "target.ip" and "target.asset.ip".
• Mapped "fileHash" to "target.file.sha256".
• Mapped "filePath" to "target.file.full_path".
• Mapped "request" to "network.http.referral_url".
• Mapped "msg" to "security_result.description".

2024-01-18

• Changed "action_file_path" mapping from "target.file.full_path" to "target.resource.attribute.labels".
• Mapped "domain" to "target.asset.hostname".
• Mapped "destinationTranslatedAddress" to "target.asset.ip".
• Mapped "host_name" to "principal.asset.hostname".
• Mapped "dvchost" to "principal.asset.hostname".
• Mapped "ip" to "principal.asset.ip".
• Mapped "sourceTranslatedAddress" to "principal.asset.ip".

2023-11-10

• When "event_type" is "RPC Call", then mapped "metadata.event_type" to "STATUS_UPDATE".
• Mapped "events.action_country" to "security_result.about.location.country_or_region".
• Mapped "events.actor_process_command_line" to "target.process.command_line".
• Mapped "events.actor_process_image_md5" to "target.file.md5".
• Mapped "events.actor_process_image_path" to "target.file.full_path".
• Mapped "events.actor_process_image_sha256" to "target.file.sha256".
• Mapped "events.actor_process_instance_id" to "target.process.pid".
• Mapped "events.os_actor_process_command_line" to "principal.process.command_line".
• Mapped "events.os_actor_process_image_path" to "principal.file.full_path".
• Mapped "events.os_actor_process_image_sha256" to "principal.file.sha256".
• Mapped "events.os_actor_process_instance_id" to "principal.process.pid".
• Mapped "events.causality_actor_process_command_line" to "intermediary.process.command_line".
• Mapped "events.causality_actor_process_image_path" to "intermediary.file.full_path".
• Mapped "events.causality_actor_process_image_sha256" to "intermediary.file.sha256".
• Mapped "events.causality_actor_process_instance_id" to "intermediary.process.pid".
• Mapped "events.causality_actor_process_image_md5" to "intermediary.file.md5".
• Mapped "events.event_type" to "metadata.product_event_type".
• Mapped "events.user_name" to "principal.user.user_display_name".

2023-10-16

• Mapped "source" to "principal.asset.attribute.labels".
• Set "metadata.event_type" to "NETWORK_CONNECTION" if "event_type" in "Network Connections" or "Network Event".

2022-11-03

• Mapped "PanOSConfigVersion" to "security_result.detection_fields".
• Mapped "PanOSContentVersion" to "security_result.detection_fields".
• Mapped "PanOSDGHierarchyLevel1" to "security_result.detection_fields".
• Mapped "PanOSDestinationLocation" to "target.location.country_or_region".
• Mapped "PanOSDynamicUserGroupName" to "principal.group.group_display_name".
• Mapped "PanOSSourceLocation" to "principal.location.country_or_region".
• Mapped "PanOSThreatCategory" to "security_result.category_details".
• Mapped "PanOSThreatID" to "security_result.threat_id".
• Mapped "app" to "target.application".
• Mapped "cs1" to "additional.fields".
• Mapped "cs3" to "additional.fields".
• Mapped "cs4" to "additional.fields".
• Mapped "cs5" to "additional.fields".
• Mapped "cs6" to "additional.fields".
• Mapped "cn1" to "additional.fields".
• Mapped "sourceTranslatedPort" to "principal.port".
• Mapped "sourceTranslatedAddress" to "principal.ip".
• Mapped "destinationTranslatedAddress" to "target.ip".
• Mapped "destinationTranslatedPort" to "target.port".
• Mapped "act" to "security_result.action_details".
• Mapped "deviceExternalId" to "security_result.about.asset_id".
• Mapped "dvchost" to "principal.hostname".
• Mapped "proto" to "network.ip_protocol".
• Mapped "fileId" to "target.resource.attribute.labels".