Collect Armis Activities logs

Supported in:

This document explains how to ingest Armis Activities logs to Google Security Operations using Google Cloud Storage V2.

Armis Centrix is an enterprise-class asset intelligence platform designed to provide visibility and protection for managed, unmanaged, and IoT/OT devices. The Armis Activities data stream captures network activity events observed across monitored devices, including connection events, protocol usage, traffic patterns, and security-related activities. These activity logs can be exported through the Armis REST API and written to a GCS bucket for ingestion by Google SecOps.

Before you begin

Make sure you have the following prerequisites:

  • A Google SecOps instance
  • A GCP project with Cloud Storage API enabled
  • Permissions to create and manage GCS buckets
  • Permissions to create Cloud Run services, Pub/Sub topics, and Cloud Scheduler jobs
  • An Armis Centrix instance with API access
  • An Armis API secret key with permissions to read activity data

Generate ab Armis API secret key

  1. Sign in to your Armis Centrix console at https://<your-instance>.armis.com.
  2. Navigate to Settings > Asset Management & Security > API Management.
  3. Click Create to generate a new API secret key.
  4. A dialog displays the secret key.
  5. Copy and save the secret key securely.

Verify API access

  • Test your credentials before proceeding with the integration:

    ARMIS_INSTANCE="https://your-instance.armis.com"
    ARMIS_SECRET_KEY="your-secret-key"
    
    # Get access token
    ACCESS_TOKEN=$(curl -s -X POST "${ARMIS_INSTANCE}/api/v1/access_token/" \
        -d "secret_key=${ARMIS_SECRET_KEY}" \
        | python3 -c "import sys,json; print(json.load(sys.stdin)['data']['access_token'])")
    
    echo "Access Token: ${ACCESS_TOKEN}"
    
    # Test activity search
    curl -s "${ARMIS_INSTANCE}/api/v1/search/" \
        -H "Authorization: ${ACCESS_TOKEN}" \
        -G \
        --data-urlencode "aql=in:activity timeFrame:\"1 Hours\"" \
        --data-urlencode "length=1" \
        --data-urlencode "fields=title,type,time,site,sensor,protocol,content,activityUUID" \
        | python3 -m json.tool
    

Create a Google Cloud Storage bucket

  1. Go to the Google Cloud Console.
  2. Select your project or create a new one.
  3. In the navigation menu, go to Cloud Storage > Buckets.
  4. Click Create bucket.
  5. Provide the following configuration details:

    Setting Value
    Name your bucket Enter a globally unique name (for example, armis-activity-logs)
    Location type Choose based on your needs (Region, Dual-region, Multi-region)
    Location Select the location (for example, us-central1)
    Storage class Standard (recommended for frequently accessed logs)
    Access control Uniform (recommended)
    Protection tools Optional: Enable object versioning or retention policy
  6. Click Create.

Create a service account for the Cloud Run function

The Cloud Run function needs a service account with permissions to write to GCS bucket and be invoked by Pub/Sub.

Create the service account

  1. In the GCP Console, go to IAM & Admin > Service Accounts.
  2. Click Create Service Account.
  3. Provide the following configuration details:
    • Service account name: Enter armis-activities-collector-sa
    • Service account description: Enter Service account for Cloud Run function to collect Armis activity logs
  4. Click Create and Continue.
  5. In the Grant this service account access to project section, add the following roles:
    1. Click Select a role.
    2. Search for and select Storage Object Admin.
    3. Click + Add another role.
    4. Search for and select Cloud Run Invoker.
    5. Click + Add another role.
    6. Search for and select Cloud Functions Invoker.
  6. Click Continue.
  7. Click Done.

These roles are required for:

  • Storage Object Admin: Write logs to GCS bucket and manage state files
  • Cloud Run Invoker: Allow Pub/Sub to invoke the function
  • Cloud Functions Invoker: Allow function invocation

Grant IAM permissions on a GCS bucket

Grant the service account write permissions on the GCS bucket:

  1. Go to Cloud Storage > Buckets.
  2. Click your bucket name.
  3. Go to the Permissions tab.
  4. Click Grant access.
  5. Provide the following configuration details:
    • Add principals: Enter the service account email (for example, armis-activities-collector-sa@PROJECT_ID.iam.gserviceaccount.com)
    • Assign roles: Select Storage Object Admin
  6. Click Save.

Create a Pub/Sub topic

Create a Pub/Sub topic that Cloud Scheduler will publish to and the Cloud Run function will subscribe to.

  1. In the GCP Console, go to Pub/Sub > Topics.
  2. Click Create topic.
  3. Provide the following configuration details:
    • Topic ID: Enter armis-activities-trigger
    • Leave other settings as default
  4. Click Create.

Create a Cloud Run function to collect logs

The Cloud Run function will be triggered by Pub/Sub messages from Cloud Scheduler to fetch activity logs from the Armis REST API and write them to GCS.

  1. In the GCP Console, go to Cloud Run.
  2. Click Create service.
  3. Select Function (use an inline editor to create a function).
  4. In the Configure section, provide the following configuration details:

    Setting Value
    Service name armis-activities-collector
    Region Select region matching your GCS bucket (for example, us-central1)
    Runtime Select Python 3.12 or later
  5. In the Trigger (optional) section:

    1. Click + Add trigger.
    2. Select Cloud Pub/Sub.
    3. In Select a Cloud Pub/Sub topic, choose the topic armis-activities-trigger.
    4. Click Save.
  6. In the Authentication section:

    1. Select Require authentication.
    2. Check Identity and Access Management (IAM).
  7. Scroll down and expand Containers, Networking, Security.

  8. Go to the Security tab:

    • Service account: Select the service account armis-activities-collector-sa
  9. Go to the Containers tab:

    1. Click Variables & Secrets.
    2. Click + Add variable for each environment variable:
    Variable Name Example Value Description
    GCS_BUCKET armis-activity-logs GCS bucket name
    GCS_PREFIX armis-activities Prefix for log files
    STATE_KEY armis-activities/state.json State file path
    ARMIS_INSTANCE_URL https://your-instance.armis.com Armis instance URL
    ARMIS_SECRET_KEY your-secret-key Armis API secret key
    PAGE_SIZE 1000 Records per API page
    MAX_RECORDS 50000 Max records per run
    LOOKBACK_HOURS 2 Initial lookback period
  10. Scroll down in the Variables & Secrets section to Requests:

    • Request timeout: Enter 540 seconds (9 minutes)
  11. Go to the Settings tab:

    • In the Resources section:
      • Memory: Select 512 MiB or higher
      • CPU: Select 1
  12. In the Revision scaling section:

    • Minimum number of instances: Enter 0
    • Maximum number of instances: Enter 100 (or adjust based on expected load)
  13. Click Create.

  14. Wait for the service to be created (1-2 minutes).

  15. After the service is created, the inline code editor will open automatically.

Add function code

  1. Enter main in the Entry point field.
  2. In the inline code editor, create two files:

    • First file - main.py:

      import functions_framework
      from google.cloud import storage
      import json
      import os
      import urllib3
      import urllib.parse
      from datetime import datetime, timezone, timedelta
      import time
      
      # Initialize HTTP client with timeouts
      http = urllib3.PoolManager(
        timeout=urllib3.Timeout(connect=5.0, read=60.0),
        retries=False,
      )
      
      # Initialize Storage client
      storage_client = storage.Client()
      
      # Environment variables
      GCS_BUCKET = os.environ.get('GCS_BUCKET')
      GCS_PREFIX = os.environ.get('GCS_PREFIX', 'armis-activities').strip('/')
      STATE_KEY = os.environ.get('STATE_KEY') or f"{GCS_PREFIX}/state.json"
      ARMIS_INSTANCE_URL = os.environ.get('ARMIS_INSTANCE_URL', '').rstrip('/')
      ARMIS_SECRET_KEY = os.environ.get('ARMIS_SECRET_KEY')
      PAGE_SIZE = int(os.environ.get('PAGE_SIZE', '1000'))
      MAX_RECORDS = int(os.environ.get('MAX_RECORDS', '50000'))
      LOOKBACK_HOURS = int(os.environ.get('LOOKBACK_HOURS', '2'))
      
      ACTIVITY_FIELDS = [
        'title', 'type', 'time', 'site', 'sensor',
        'protocol', 'content', 'activityUUID'
      ]
      
      def parse_datetime(value):
        """Parse ISO datetime string to datetime object."""
        if not value:
          return None
        if value.endswith("Z"):
          value = value[:-1] + "+00:00"
        try:
          return datetime.fromisoformat(value)
        except Exception:
          try:
            return datetime.strptime(value, '%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S')
          except Exception:
            return None
      
      def get_access_token():
        """Obtain an access token from the Armis API."""
        url = f"{ARMIS_INSTANCE_URL}/api/v1/access_token/"
        body = urllib.parse.urlencode({'secret_key': ARMIS_SECRET_KEY})
        response = http.request(
          'POST', url,
          body=body,
          headers={'Content-Type': 'application/x-www-form-urlencoded'}
        )
        if response.status != 200:
          raise Exception(
            f"Failed to get access token: HTTP {response.status} - "
            f"{response.data.decode('utf-8')}"
          )
        data = json.loads(response.data.decode('utf-8'))
        return data['data']['access_token']
      
      @functions_framework.cloud_event
      def main(cloud_event):
        """
        Cloud Run function triggered by Pub/Sub to fetch
        Armis Activity records and write to GCS.
      
        Args:
          cloud_event: CloudEvent object containing Pub/Sub message
        """
      
        if not all([GCS_BUCKET, ARMIS_INSTANCE_URL, ARMIS_SECRET_KEY]):
          print('Error: Missing required environment variables')
          return
      
        try:
          bucket = storage_client.bucket(GCS_BUCKET)
      
          # Load state
          state = load_state(bucket, STATE_KEY)
      
          # Determine time window
          now = datetime.now(timezone.utc)
          last_time = None
      
          if isinstance(state, dict) and state.get("last_event_time"):
            try:
              last_time = parse_datetime(state["last_event_time"])
              # Overlap by 2 minutes to catch delayed events
              if last_time:
                last_time = last_time - timedelta(minutes=2)
            except Exception as e:
              print(f"Warning: Could not parse last_event_time: {e}")
      
          if last_time is None:
            last_time = now - timedelta(hours=LOOKBACK_HOURS)
      
          print(
            f"Fetching activity logs from "
            f"{last_time.isoformat()} to {now.isoformat()}"
          )
      
          # Get access token
          access_token = get_access_token()
          print("Successfully obtained Armis access token.")
      
          # Fetch activity logs
          records, newest_event_time = fetch_activity_logs(
            access_token=access_token,
            start_time=last_time,
            end_time=now,
          )
      
          if not records:
            print("No new activity records found.")
            save_state(bucket, STATE_KEY, now.isoformat())
            return
      
          # Write to GCS as NDJSON
          timestamp = now.strftime('%Y%m%d_%H%M%S')
          object_key = f"{GCS_PREFIX}/logs_{timestamp}.ndjson"
          blob = bucket.blob(object_key)
      
          ndjson = '\n'.join(
            [json.dumps(record, ensure_ascii=False) for record in records]
          ) + '\n'
          blob.upload_from_string(
            ndjson, content_type='application/x-ndjson'
          )
      
          print(
            f"Wrote {len(records)} records to "
            f"gs://{GCS_BUCKET}/{object_key}"
          )
      
          # Update state
          if newest_event_time:
            save_state(bucket, STATE_KEY, newest_event_time)
          else:
            save_state(bucket, STATE_KEY, now.isoformat())
      
          print(f"Successfully processed {len(records)} records")
      
        except Exception as e:
          print(f'Error processing activity logs: {str(e)}')
          raise
      
      def load_state(bucket, key):
        """Load state from GCS."""
        try:
          blob = bucket.blob(key)
          if blob.exists():
            state_data = blob.download_as_text()
            return json.loads(state_data)
        except Exception as e:
          print(f"Warning: Could not load state: {e}")
        return {}
      
      def save_state(bucket, key, last_event_time_iso):
        """Save the last event timestamp to GCS state file."""
        try:
          state = {'last_event_time': last_event_time_iso}
          blob = bucket.blob(key)
          blob.upload_from_string(
            json.dumps(state, indent=2),
            content_type='application/json'
          )
          print(f"Saved state: last_event_time={last_event_time_iso}")
        except Exception as e:
          print(f"Warning: Could not save state: {e}")
      
      def fetch_activity_logs(access_token, start_time, end_time):
        """
        Fetch activity logs from Armis REST API with pagination.
      
        Args:
          access_token: Armis API access token
          start_time: Start time for log query
          end_time: End time for log query
      
        Returns:
          Tuple of (records list, newest_event_time ISO string)
        """
        base_url = f"{ARMIS_INSTANCE_URL}/api/v1/search/"
        headers = {'Authorization': access_token}
      
        # Build AQL query with time filter
        start_str = start_time.strftime('%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S')
        aql_query = f'in:activity after:{start_str}'
      
        records = []
        newest_time = None
        page_from = 0
        backoff = 1.0
      
        while True:
          if len(records) >= MAX_RECORDS:
            print(f"Reached max_records limit ({MAX_RECORDS})")
            break
      
          params = {
            'aql': aql_query,
            'from': str(page_from),
            'orderBy': 'time',
            'length': str(PAGE_SIZE),
            'fields': ','.join(ACTIVITY_FIELDS),
          }
      
          try:
            response = http.request(
              'GET', base_url,
              fields=params,
              headers=headers
            )
      
            # Handle rate limiting with exponential backoff
            if response.status == 429:
              retry_after = int(
                response.headers.get(
                  'Retry-After', str(int(backoff))
                )
              )
              print(
                f"Rate limited (429). "
                f"Retrying after {retry_after}s..."
              )
              time.sleep(retry_after)
              backoff = min(backoff * 2, 30.0)
              continue
      
            # Handle token expiry
            if response.status == 401:
              print("Access token expired, refreshing...")
              access_token = get_access_token()
              headers = {'Authorization': access_token}
              continue
      
            backoff = 1.0
      
            if response.status != 200:
              print(f"HTTP Error: {response.status}")
              response_text = response.data.decode('utf-8')
              print(f"Response body: {response_text}")
              return records, newest_time
      
            data = json.loads(response.data.decode('utf-8'))
            result = data.get('data', {}).get('results', [])
            total = data.get('data', {}).get('total', 0)
            count = data.get('data', {}).get('count', 0)
            next_from = data.get('data', {}).get('next')
      
            if not result:
              print(f"No more results (empty page)")
              break
      
            print(
              f"Page from={page_from}: Retrieved {count} events "
              f"(total: {total})"
            )
            records.extend(result)
      
            # Track newest event time
            for event in result:
              try:
                event_time = event.get('time')
                if event_time:
                  if newest_time is None:
                    newest_time = event_time
                  else:
                    current_dt = parse_datetime(event_time)
                    newest_dt = parse_datetime(newest_time)
                    if (
                      current_dt and newest_dt
                      and current_dt > newest_dt
                    ):
                      newest_time = event_time
              except Exception as e:
                print(
                  f"Warning: Could not parse "
                  f"event time: {e}"
                )
      
            # Check pagination
            if next_from is None or count < PAGE_SIZE:
              print("Reached last page")
              break
      
            page_from = next_from
      
          except Exception as e:
            print(f"Error fetching activity logs: {e}")
            return records, newest_time
      
        print(f"Retrieved {len(records)} total activity records")
        return records, newest_time
      
    • Second file - requirements.txt:

      functions-framework==3.*
      google-cloud-storage==2.*
      urllib3>=2.0.0
      
  3. Click Deploy to save and deploy the function.

  4. Wait for deployment to complete (2-3 minutes).

Create a Cloud Scheduler job

Cloud Scheduler will publish messages to the Pub/Sub topic at regular intervals, triggering the Cloud Run function.

  1. In the GCP Console, go to Cloud Scheduler.
  2. Click Create Job.
  3. Provide the following configuration details:

    Setting Value
    Name armis-activities-collector-hourly
    Region Select same region as Cloud Run function
    Frequency 0 * * * * (every hour, on the hour)
    Timezone Select timezone (UTC recommended)
    Target type Pub/Sub
    Topic Select the topic armis-activities-trigger
    Message body {} (empty JSON object)
  4. Click Create.

Schedule frequency options

Choose frequency based on log volume and latency requirements:

Frequency Cron Expression Use Case
Every 10 minutes */10 * * * * High volume, near real-time
Every hour 0 * * * * Standard (recommended)
Every 2 hours 0 */2 * * * Lower volume

Test the integration

  1. In the Cloud Scheduler console, find your job.
  2. Click Force run to trigger the job manually.
  3. Wait a few seconds.
  4. Go to Cloud Run > Services.
  5. Click on the function name armis-activities-collector.
  6. Click the Logs tab.
  7. Verify the function executed successfully. Look for:

    Fetching activity logs from YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS+00:00 to YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS+00:00
    Successfully obtained Armis access token.
    Page from=0: Retrieved X events (total: Y)
    Wrote X records to gs://armis-activity-logs/armis-activities/logs_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.ndjson
    Successfully processed X records
    
  8. Go to Cloud Storage > Buckets.

  9. Click your bucket name.

  10. Navigate to the prefix folder armis-activities/.

  11. Verify that a new .ndjson file was created with the current timestamp.

If you see errors in the logs:

  • HTTP 400: Check that the AQL query syntax is correct. Verify the Armis instance URL does not have a trailing slash.
  • HTTP 401: The access token expired or is invalid. The function automatically refreshes the token on 401 errors.
  • HTTP 429: Rate limiting - function will automatically retry with backoff.
  • "Access token not found": Verify the Armis API secret key is correct.
  • Missing environment variables: Check all required variables are set.

Configure a feed in Google SecOps to ingest Armis Activities logs

  1. Go to SIEM Settings > Feeds.
  2. Click Add New Feed.
  3. Click Configure a single feed.
  4. In the Feed name field, enter a name for the feed (for example, Armis Activities).
  5. Select Google Cloud Storage V2 as the Source type.
  6. Select Armis Activities as the Log type.
  7. Click Get Service Account. A unique service account email will be displayed, for example:

    chronicle-12345678@chronicle-gcp-prod.iam.gserviceaccount.com
    
  8. Copy this email address for use in the next step.

  9. Click Next.

  10. Specify values for the following input parameters:

    • Storage bucket URL: Enter the GCS bucket URI with the prefix path:

      gs://armis-activity-logs/armis-activities/
      
      • Replace:
        • armis-activity-logs: Your GCS bucket name.
        • armis-activities: Optional prefix/folder path where logs are stored (leave empty for root).
    • Source deletion option: Select the deletion option according to your preference:

      • Never: Never deletes any files after transfers (recommended for testing).
      • Delete transferred files: Deletes files after successful transfer.
      • Delete transferred files and empty directories: Deletes files and empty directories after successful transfer.
    • Maximum File Age: Include files modified in the last number of days (default is 180 days)

    • Asset namespace: The asset namespace

    • Ingestion labels: The label to be applied to the events from this feed

  11. Click Next.

  12. Review your new feed configuration in the Finalize screen, and then click Submit.

Grant IAM permissions to the Google SecOps service account

The Google SecOps service account needs Storage Object Viewer role on your GCS bucket.

  1. Go to Cloud Storage > Buckets.
  2. Click your bucket name.
  3. Go to the Permissions tab.
  4. Click Grant access.
  5. Provide the following configuration details:
    • Add principals: Paste the Google SecOps service account email
    • Assign roles: Select Storage Object Viewer
  6. Click Save.

UDM mapping table

Log Field UDM Mapping Logic
activity_data_decision_client_offered_suites_list additional.fields Merged
activity_data_decision_src_device_id_label additional.fields Merged
activity_decision_data_category_label additional.fields Merged
activity_decision_data_client_device_id_label additional.fields Merged
activity_decision_data_connection_label additional.fields Merged
activity_decision_data_risk_factor_category_label additional.fields Merged
activity_decision_data_risk_factor_description_label additional.fields Merged
activity_decision_data_risk_factor_id_label additional.fields Merged
activity_decision_data_risk_factor_score_label additional.fields Merged
activity_type_label additional.fields Merged
policy_action_action_params_alert_classification_id additional.fields Merged
policy_action_action_params_alert_description additional.fields Merged
policy_action_action_params_emailRecipients_label additional.fields Merged
policy_action_action_params_endpoint additional.fields Merged
policy_action_action_params_timeBack_label additional.fields Merged
policy_action_action_params_title additional.fields Merged
policy_creation_time_label additional.fields Merged
policy_is_active_label additional.fields Merged
policy_is_boundary_label additional.fields Merged
policy_is_editable_label additional.fields Merged
policy_list_labels additional.fields Merged
policy_modification_time_label additional.fields Merged
policy_owner_label additional.fields Merged
policy_rules_and_list additional.fields Merged
selected_suite_label additional.fields Merged
source_list_boundaries additional.fields Merged
source_list_dataSources additional.fields Merged
source_sensor_name_label additional.fields Merged
source_sensor_type_label additional.fields Merged
token_vlunerabilities extensions.vulns.vulnerabilities Merged
type extensions.vulns.vulnerabilities Mapped: Risk Factor Updatedtoken_vlunerabilities
title metadata.description Directly mapped
time metadata.event_timestamp Parsed as yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ss.SSSZZ
timestamp metadata.event_timestamp Parsed as yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss ZZ
has_principal metadata.event_type Mapped: trueSTATUS_UPDATE
has_target metadata.event_type Mapped: trueNETWORK_CONNECTION
has_user metadata.event_type Mapped: trueUSER_UNCATEGORIZED
type metadata.product_event_type Directly mapped
activityUUID metadata.product_log_id Directly mapped
activity_uuid metadata.product_log_id Directly mapped
activity_type network.dns.answers Mapped: DNS_QUERYanswers_temp
answers_temp network.dns.answers Merged
activity_type network.dns.questions Mapped: DNS_QUERYquestions_temp
questions_temp network.dns.questions Merged
token_connection_id network.session_id Directly mapped
decision_data_version network.tls.version Directly mapped
deviceId principal.asset.asset_id Directly mapped
token_device_id principal.asset.attribute.labels Merged
token_device_name principal.asset.attribute.labels Merged
temp_principal_hostname principal.asset.hostname Directly mapped
decision_src_ip principal.asset.ip Merged
temp_principal_ip principal.asset.ip Merged
temp_principal_ipv6 principal.asset.ip Merged
temp_principal_asset_mac principal.asset.mac Merged
temp_principal_asset_mac principal.asset.product_object_id Directly mapped
temp_principal_hostname principal.hostname Directly mapped
decision_src_ip principal.ip Merged
temp_principal_ip principal.ip Merged
temp_principal_ipv6 principal.ip Merged
temp_principal_location_country principal.location.country_or_region Directly mapped
temp_principal_location_name principal.location.name Directly mapped
temp_principal_asset_mac principal.mac Merged
source_model_label principal.user.attribute.labels Merged
source_type_label principal.user.attribute.labels Merged
source_user principal.user.user_display_name Directly mapped
source_id principal.user.userid Directly mapped
decision_target_ip target.asset.hostname Directly mapped
decision_target_ip target.asset.ip Merged
decision_target_ip target.hostname Directly mapped
decision_target_ip target.ip Merged
target_ip target.ip Merged
token_interface_name target.labels Merged
decision_target_port target.port Directly mapped
N/A metadata.event_type Constant: NETWORK_CONNECTION
N/A metadata.product_name Constant: ARMIS
N/A metadata.vendor_name Constant: ARMIS
N/A network.application_protocol Constant: HTTPS

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