Collect ThreatX WAF logs

Supported in:

This document explains how to ingest ThreatX WAF logs to Google Security Operations using Google Cloud Storage V2.

ThreatX WAF is an API and web application firewall that provides behavioral threat detection and bot protection. It monitors and analyzes traffic patterns to identify and block malicious requests targeting web applications and APIs. The ThreatX REST API provides programmatic access to event and entity logs.

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 ThreatX console with administrator permissions
  • A ThreatX API key and customer name

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, threatx-waf-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 ThreatX WAF API credentials

Obtain API key

  1. Sign in to the ThreatX console as an administrator.
  2. Go to Settings > API Keys.
  3. Click Generate API Key.
  4. Enter a name for the API key (for example, Google SecOps Integration).

  5. Copy and save the following details in a secure location:

    • API Key: The generated API key value
    • Customer Name: Your ThreatX customer name (visible in the console URL or Settings page)

Determine API base URL

The ThreatX API base URL:

Environment API Base URL
Production https://provision.threatx.io/tx/api/v2

Test API access

  • Test your credentials before proceeding with the integration:

    # Replace with your actual credentials
THREATX_API_KEY="your-api-key"
THREATX_CUSTOMER="your-customer-name"

# Test API access - list entities
curl -s -X POST "https://provision.threatx.io/tx/api/v2/entities/list" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d "{\"api_key\": \"${THREATX_API_KEY}\", \"customer_name\": \"${THREATX_CUSTOMER}\", \"command\": {\"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 threatx-waf-logs-collector-sa
    • Service account description: Enter Service account for Cloud Run function to collect ThreatX WAF 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 on your bucket name (for example, threatx-waf-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, threatx-waf-logs-collector-sa@PROJECT_ID.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 threatx-waf-logs-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 the ThreatX 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 threatx-waf-logs-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 threatx-waf-logs-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 threatx-waf-logs-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 threatx-waf-logs GCS bucket name
    GCS_PREFIX threatx Prefix for log files
    STATE_KEY threatx/state.json State file path
    THREATX_API_KEY your-api-key ThreatX API key
    THREATX_CUSTOMER your-customer-name ThreatX customer name
    THREATX_API_BASE https://provision.threatx.io/tx/api/v2 ThreatX API base URL
    MAX_RECORDS 5000 Max records per run
    PAGE_SIZE 1000 Records per page
    LOOKBACK_HOURS 24 Initial lookback period

  10. In the Variables & Secrets section, scroll down to Requests:

    • Request timeout: Enter 600 seconds (10 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
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', 'threatx')
STATE_KEY = os.environ.get('STATE_KEY', 'threatx/state.json')
THREATX_API_KEY = os.environ.get('THREATX_API_KEY')
THREATX_CUSTOMER = os.environ.get('THREATX_CUSTOMER')
THREATX_API_BASE = os.environ.get('THREATX_API_BASE', 'https://provision.threatx.io/tx/api/v2')
MAX_RECORDS = int(os.environ.get('MAX_RECORDS', '5000'))
PAGE_SIZE = int(os.environ.get('PAGE_SIZE', '1000'))
LOOKBACK_HOURS = int(os.environ.get('LOOKBACK_HOURS', '24'))

def to_unix_millis(dt: datetime) -> int:
    """Convert datetime to Unix epoch milliseconds."""
    if dt.tzinfo is None:
        dt = dt.replace(tzinfo=timezone.utc)
    dt = dt.astimezone(timezone.utc)
    return int(dt.timestamp() * 1000)

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 ThreatX WAF
    event logs and write to GCS.

    Args:
        cloud_event: CloudEvent object containing Pub/Sub message
    """

    if not all([GCS_BUCKET, THREATX_API_KEY, THREATX_CUSTOMER]):
        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 any delayed events
                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 event logs from ThreatX REST 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)
    """
    api_base = THREATX_API_BASE.rstrip('/')
    endpoint = f"{api_base}/logs/list"

    headers = {
        'Accept': 'application/json',
        'Content-Type': 'application/json',
        'User-Agent': 'GoogleSecOps-ThreatXCollector/1.0'
    }

    records = []
    newest_time = None
    page_num = 0
    offset = 0
    backoff = 1.0

    start_epoch = int(start_time.timestamp())
    end_epoch = int(end_time.timestamp())

    while True:
        page_num += 1

        if len(records) >= max_records:
            print(f"Reached max_records limit ({max_records})")
            break

        body = json.dumps({
            'api_key': THREATX_API_KEY,
            'customer_name': THREATX_CUSTOMER,
            'command': {
                'from': start_epoch,
                'to': end_epoch,
                'limit': min(page_size, max_records - len(records)),
                'offset': offset
            }
        })

        try:
            response = http.request('POST', endpoint, body=body, 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.get('Ok', {}).get('logs', data.get('Ok', []))
            if isinstance(page_results, dict):
                page_results = page_results.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_ts = event.get('timestamp') or event.get('time')
                    if event_ts:
                        if isinstance(event_ts, (int, float)):
                            event_dt = datetime.fromtimestamp(event_ts, tz=timezone.utc)
                            event_time = event_dt.isoformat()
                        else:
                            event_time = str(event_ts)
                        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("No more pages (last page not full)")
                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 threatx-waf-logs-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 threatx-waf-logs-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.
  2. Click Force run to trigger the job manually.
  3. Wait a few seconds.
  4. Go to Cloud Run > Services.
  5. Click on threatx-waf-logs-collector.
  6. Click the Logs tab.

  7. 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://threatx-waf-logs/threatx/logs_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.ndjson
Successfully processed X records

  8. Go to Cloud Storage > Buckets.

  9. Click on your bucket name (threatx-waf-logs).

  10. Navigate to the threatx/ folder.

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

If you see errors in the logs:

  • HTTP 401: Check API key and customer name in environment variables
  • HTTP 403: Verify API key has required permissions in ThreatX console
  • 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 ThreatX WAF 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, ThreatX WAF Logs).
  5. Select Google Cloud Storage V2 as the Source type.
  6. Select ThreatX WAF 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.

  9. Click Next.

  10. Specify values for the following input parameters:

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

      gs://threatx-waf-logs/threatx/
      • Replace:
        • threatx-waf-logs: Your GCS bucket name.
        • threatx: 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 on 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
action additional.fields.action_label Additional vendor-specific event data
args additional.fields.args_label Additional vendor-specific event data
content_length additional.fields.content_length_label Additional vendor-specific event data
content_type additional.fields.content_type_label Additional vendor-specific event data
cookie additional.fields.cookie_label Additional vendor-specific event data
count additional.fields.count_label Additional vendor-specific event data
entity.codename additional.fields.entity_codename_label Additional vendor-specific event data
entity.hash additional.fields.entity_hash_label Additional vendor-specific event data
facility additional.fields.facility_label Additional vendor-specific event data
js_fingerprint additional.fields.js_fingerprint_label Additional vendor-specific event data
msg_type additional.fields.msg_type_label Additional vendor-specific event data
new_value additional.fields.new_value_label Additional vendor-specific event data
old_value additional.fields.old_value_label Additional vendor-specific event data
postblock_event additional.fields.postblock_event_label Additional vendor-specific event data
random_id additional.fields.random_id_label Additional vendor-specific event data
response_length additional.fields.response_length_label Additional vendor-specific event data
ssl additional.fields.ssl_label Additional vendor-specific event data
tenant_name additional.fields.tenant_name_label Additional vendor-specific event data
tls_fingerprint additional.fields.tls_fingerprint_label Additional vendor-specific event data
upstream_response_time additional.fields.upstream_response_time_label Additional vendor-specific event data
version additional.fields.version_label Additional vendor-specific event data
data.classification, rule.classification security_result.detection_fields.classification_label, security_result.detection_fields.rule_classification_label Security classification or action
data.contrib_score, rule.contrib_score security_result.detection_fields.contrib_score_label, security_result.detection_fields.rule_contrib_score_label Security classification or action
data.description, rule.description security_result.detection_fields.description_label, security_result.detection_fields.rule_description_label Security classification or action
data.id, rule.id security_result.detection_fields.id_label, security_result.detection_fields.rule_id_label Security classification or action
data.risk, rule.beta security_result.detection_fields.risk_label, security_result.detection_fields.rule_beta_label Security classification or action
data.state, rule.state security_result.detection_fields.state_label, security_result.detection_fields.rule_state_label Security classification or action
data.contrib_score security_result.detection_fields.contribscore%{index}_label Security classification or action
data.description security_result.detectionfields.description%{index}_label Security classification or action
data.classification security_result.detectionfields.classification%{index}_label Security classification or action
data.id security_result.detectionfields.id%{index}_label Security classification or action
data.risk security_result.detectionfields.risk%{index}_label Security classification or action
data.state security_result.detectionfields.state%{index}_label Security classification or action
rule.blocking security_result.detection_fields.rule_blocking_label Security classification or action
metadata.description Description of the event
metadata.event_type Type of event (e.g., USER_LOGIN, NETWORK_CONNECTION)
msg_id metadata.product_log_id Unique identifier for the log entry
metadata.product_name Product name
metadata.vendor_name Vendor/company name
network.http.method network.http.method HTTP method used in the request
status_code network.http.response_code HTTP response code
user_agent network.http.parsed_user_agent, network.http.user_agent Parsed user agent string
entity.ip_address, ip principal.asset.ip, principal.ip Source IP address of the connection
hostname principal.asset.hostname, principal.hostname Source hostname
user_email principal.email Email address of the user
msg1 principal.url URL associated with the principal
user_id principal.user.userid Unique identifier for the user
request_id target.resource.attribute.labels.request_id_label Resource attributes
subscription_id target.resource.attribute.labels.subscription_ID_label Resource attributes
uri target.resource.attribute.labels.uri_label Resource attributes
dst_domain, dst_host, username target.asset.hostname, target.hostname Destination hostname
action security_result.action Action taken by the security product
category security_result.category_details Security category details
priority security_result.priority Priority level of the security event
risk security_result.risk_score Risk score assigned to the event
severity security_result.severity Severity level of the security event

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