Collect ThreatLocker Platform logs

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This document explains how to ingest ThreatLocker Platform logs to Google Security Operations using Google Cloud Storage V2.

ThreatLocker is a zero-trust endpoint security platform that provides application whitelisting, ringfencing, and storage control. A Cloud Run function polls the ThreatLocker API on a schedule, writes logs to a GCS bucket in NDJSON format, and Google SecOps ingests them through a GCS V2 feed.

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 manage IAM policies on GCS buckets
  • Permissions to create Cloud Run services, Pub/Sub topics, and Cloud Scheduler jobs
  • Privileged access to the ThreatLocker portal with administrator permissions
  • ThreatLocker API key and regional API URL from ThreatLocker support

Create 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, threatlocker-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.

Collect ThreatLocker API credentials

Obtain API key

  1. Contact ThreatLocker support or your ThreatLocker Account Manager to obtain API credentials.
  2. You will receive:
    • API Key: The bearer token for API authentication.
    • API Base URL: The regional API hostname (for example, https://api.g.threatlocker.com).
  3. Save these credentials in a secure location.

Verify permissions

To verify the account has the required permissions:

  1. Sign in to the ThreatLocker portal with an administrator account.
  2. Go to Unified Audit in the left-hand menu.
  3. If you can see audit data, you have the required administrator permissions.
  4. If you cannot see this option, contact your ThreatLocker administrator to grant administrator access.

Test API access

  • Test your credentials before proceeding with the integration:

    # Replace with your actual credentials
    API_KEY="your-api-key"
    API_BASE="https://api.g.threatlocker.com"
    
    # Test API access
    curl -v -H "Authorization: Bearer ${API_KEY}" \
      -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
      "${API_BASE}/audit/v1/events?startDate=2024-01-01&endDate=2024-01-02&limit=1"
    

Create service account for 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 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 threatlocker-collector-sa.
    • Service account description: Enter Service account for Cloud Run function to collect ThreatLocker Platform 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 GCS bucket

Grant the service account write permissions on the GCS bucket:

  1. Go to Cloud Storage > Buckets.
  2. Click your bucket name (for example, threatlocker-logs).
  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, threatlocker-collector-sa@your-project.iam.gserviceaccount.com).
    • Assign roles: Select Storage Object Admin.
  6. Click Save.

Create 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 threatlocker-trigger.
    • Leave other settings as default.
  4. Click Create.

Create Cloud Run function to collect logs

The Cloud Run function will be triggered by Pub/Sub messages from Cloud Scheduler to fetch logs from ThreatLocker 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 threatlocker-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 threatlocker-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 threatlocker-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 threatlocker-logs GCS bucket name
    GCS_PREFIX threatlocker Prefix for log files
    STATE_KEY threatlocker/state.json State file path
    TL_API_KEY your-api-key ThreatLocker API key
    TL_API_BASE https://api.g.threatlocker.com ThreatLocker regional API URL
    MAX_RECORDS 10000 Max records per run
    PAGE_SIZE 1000 Records per page
    LOOKBACK_HOURS 24 Initial lookback period
  10. Scroll down in the Variables & Secrets tab to Requests:

    • Request timeout: Enter 600 seconds (10 minutes).
  11. Go to the Settings tab in Containers:

    • In the Resources section:
      • Memory: Select 512 MiB or higher.
      • CPU: Select 1.
    • Click Done.
  12. Scroll down to Execution environment:

    • Select Default (recommended).
  13. In the Revision scaling section:

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

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

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

Add function code

  1. Enter main in Function entry point.
  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
    from datetime import datetime, timezone, timedelta
    import time
    
    # Initialize HTTP client with timeouts
    http = urllib3.PoolManager(
        timeout=urllib3.Timeout(connect=5.0, read=30.0),
        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', 'threatlocker')
    STATE_KEY = os.environ.get('STATE_KEY', 'threatlocker/state.json')
    API_KEY = os.environ.get('TL_API_KEY')
    API_BASE = os.environ.get('TL_API_BASE', 'https://api.g.threatlocker.com')
    MAX_RECORDS = int(os.environ.get('MAX_RECORDS', '10000'))
    PAGE_SIZE = int(os.environ.get('PAGE_SIZE', '1000'))
    LOOKBACK_HOURS = int(os.environ.get('LOOKBACK_HOURS', '24'))
    
    def parse_datetime(value: str) -> datetime:
        """Parse ISO datetime string to datetime object."""
        if value.endswith("Z"):
            value = value[:-1] + "+00:00"
        return datetime.fromisoformat(value)
    
    @functions_framework.cloud_event
    def main(cloud_event):
        """
        Cloud Run function triggered by Pub/Sub to fetch ThreatLocker Platform
        audit logs and write to GCS.
    
        Args:
            cloud_event: CloudEvent object containing Pub/Sub message
        """
    
        if not all([GCS_BUCKET, API_KEY, API_BASE]):
            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"])
                    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 logs from {last_time.isoformat()} to {now.isoformat()}")
    
            # Fetch logs
            records, newest_event_time = fetch_logs(
                start_time=last_time,
                end_time=now,
                page_size=PAGE_SIZE,
                max_records=MAX_RECORDS,
            )
    
            if not records:
                print("No new log 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 gs://{GCS_BUCKET}/{object_key}")
    
            # Update state with newest event time
            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 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: str):
        """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_logs(start_time: datetime, end_time: datetime, page_size: int, max_records: int):
        """
        Fetch audit logs from ThreatLocker API with pagination and rate limiting.
    
        Args:
            start_time: Start time for log query
            end_time: End time for log query
            page_size: Number of records per page
            max_records: Maximum total records to fetch
    
        Returns:
            Tuple of (records list, newest_event_time ISO string)
        """
        base_url = API_BASE.rstrip('/')
        endpoint = f"{base_url}/audit/v1/events"
    
        headers = {
            'Authorization': f'Bearer {API_KEY}',
            'Accept': 'application/json',
            'Content-Type': 'application/json',
            'User-Agent': 'GoogleSecOps-ThreatLockerCollector/1.0'
        }
    
        records = []
        newest_time = None
        page_num = 0
        backoff = 1.0
        offset = 0
    
        start_date = start_time.strftime('%Y-%m-%d')
        end_date = end_time.strftime('%Y-%m-%d')
    
        while True:
            page_num += 1
    
            if len(records) >= max_records:
                print(f"Reached max_records limit ({max_records})")
                break
    
            current_limit = min(page_size, max_records - len(records))
            url = f"{endpoint}?startDate={start_date}&endDate={end_date}&limit={current_limit}&offset={offset}"
    
            try:
                response = http.request('GET', url, 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). Retrying after {retry_after}s...")
                    time.sleep(retry_after)
                    backoff = min(backoff * 2, 30.0)
                    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 [], None
    
                data = json.loads(response.data.decode('utf-8'))
    
                page_results = data if isinstance(data, list) else data.get('events', data.get('data', []))
    
                if not page_results:
                    print(f"No more results (empty page)")
                    break
    
                print(f"Page {page_num}: Retrieved {len(page_results)} events")
                records.extend(page_results)
    
                # Track newest event time
                for event in page_results:
                    try:
                        event_time = event.get('timestamp') or event.get('dateTime') or event.get('createdAt')
                        if event_time:
                            if newest_time is None or parse_datetime(event_time) > parse_datetime(newest_time):
                                newest_time = event_time
                    except Exception as e:
                        print(f"Warning: Could not parse event time: {e}")
    
                # Check for more results
                if len(page_results) < page_size:
                    print(f"Reached last page (size={len(page_results)} < limit={page_size})")
                    break
    
                offset += len(page_results)
    
            except Exception as e:
                print(f"Error fetching logs: {e}")
                return [], None
    
        print(f"Retrieved {len(records)} total records from {page_num} pages")
        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 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 threatlocker-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 threatlocker-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 5 minutes */5 * * * * High-volume, low-latency
Every 15 minutes */15 * * * * Medium volume
Every hour 0 * * * * Standard (recommended)
Every 6 hours 0 */6 * * * Low volume, batch processing
Daily 0 0 * * * Historical data collection

Test the integration

  1. In the Cloud Scheduler console, find your job (threatlocker-collector-hourly).
  2. Click Force run to trigger manually.
  3. Wait a few seconds and go to Cloud Run > Services > threatlocker-collector > Logs.
  4. Verify the function executed successfully. Look for:

    Fetching logs from YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS+00:00 to YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS+00:00
    Page 1: Retrieved X events
    Wrote X records to gs://threatlocker-logs/threatlocker/logs_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.ndjson
    Successfully processed X records
    
  5. Check the GCS bucket (threatlocker-logs) to confirm logs were written.

If you see errors in the logs:

  • HTTP 401: Check API key in environment variables
  • HTTP 403: Verify account has administrator permissions in ThreatLocker portal
  • HTTP 429: Rate limiting - function will automatically retry with backoff
  • Missing environment variables: Check all required variables are set

Configure a feed in Google SecOps to ingest ThreatLocker Platform 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, ThreatLocker Logs).
  5. Select Google Cloud Storage V2 as the Source type.
  6. Select ThreatLocker Platform 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. You will use it 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://threatlocker-logs/threatlocker/
      
      • Replace:
        • threatlocker-logs: Your GCS bucket name.
        • threatlocker/: Prefix/folder path where logs are stored.
    • 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 (threatlocker-logs).
  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
rp extensions.auth.mechanism Set to "REMOTE" if rp is present
n metadata.description Value copied directly
at, src_ip, dest_ip, ip_protocol, fp, pn metadata.event_type Set to NETWORK_CONNECTION if at == "network" or (src_ip, dest_ip, ip_protocol present); PROCESS_UNCATEGORIZED if fp and pn present; PROCESS_LAUNCH if at in ["execute","install"]; PROCESS_OPEN if at == "newprocess"; FILE_MODIFICATION if at in ["write","move"]; FILE_READ if at == "read"; FILE_DELETION if at == "delete"; REGISTRY_UNCATEGORIZED if at == "registry"
p metadata.product_event_type Value copied directly
metadata.product_name Set to "THREATLOCKER"
metadata.vendor_name Set to "THREATLOCKER"
sn network.ip_protocol Set to "TCP" if sn matches Tcp
computerId principal.asset.asset_id Concatenated as "ComputerId: %{computerId}"
dt principal.asset.category Value copied directly
hostname principal.hostname Value copied directly
fp principal.ip Extracted src_ip using grok pattern if at == "network"
pn principal.process.file.full_path Value copied directly
pid principal.process.pid Converted to string
organizationId principal.resource.id Value copied directly
u principal.user.user_display_name Value copied directly
u principal.user.userid Extracted user part using grok pattern after domain
e, mid, rf security_result.about.resource.attribute.labels Merged labels for encryption status (e), maintenance id (mid), ring fence (rf)
a security_result.action Set to "ALLOW" if a=1, "BLOCK" if a=2, "CHALLENGE" if a=3, "ALLOW_WITH_MODIFICATION" if a=4, "UNKNOWN_ACTION" if a=5, "QUARANTINE" if a=6
at security_result.action_details Value copied directly
mo security_result.outcomes Set to monitor mode status ("monitor mode on" if mo == "true", "monitor mode off" if mo == "false")
pyid security_result.rule_id Value copied directly
p security_result.rule_name Value copied directly
ap, dan target.application Value from dan if dan not empty, else ap
fp target.file.full_path Set if at in ["write","read","delete","move"]
h target.file.sha1 Lowercased and set if matches hexadecimal pattern
s256 target.file.sha256 Lowercased and set if matches hexadecimal pattern
s target.file.size Converted to string then to uinteger
fp target.hostname Extracted dest_host using grok pattern if at == "network"
fp target.ip Extracted dest_ip using grok pattern if at == "network"
fp target.port Extracted dest_port using grok pattern if at == "network", converted to integer
fp target.process.file.full_path Set if at in ["execute","install","newprocess"]
s256 target.process.file.sha256 Lowercased and set if matches hexadecimal pattern
fp target.registry.registry_key Set if at == "registry"

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