Configuring Trend Micro Apex Central Connectors

This connector allows you to discover Trend Micro Apex Central’s managed product servers and security agents assets, and add those to the Stellar Cyber data lake for analysis and threat hunting.

This topic refers to configuring a Trend Micro Apex Central connector. Also see: 

Stellar Cyber connectors with the Collect function (collectors) may skip collecting some data when the ingestion volume is large, which potentially can lead to data loss. This can happen when the processing capacity of the collector is exceeded.

Connector Overview: Trend Micro Apex Central

Capabilities

  • Collect: Yes

  • Respond: No

  • Native Alerts Mapped: No

  • Runs on: DP

  • Interval: Configurable

Collected Data

Content Type

Index

Locating Records

Agents

Servers

Syslog

msg_class:

trendmicro_apexcentral_agents

trendmicro_apexcentral_servers

msg_origin.source:

trendmicro_apexcentral

msg_origin.vendor:

trendmicro

msg_origin.category:

endpoint

Domain

<User URL>

where <User URL> is a variable from the configuration of this connector

Response Actions

N/A

Third Party Native Alert Integration Details

N/A

Required Credentials

  • Application ID, API Key, User URL

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Adding a Trend Micro Apex Central Connector

To add a Trend Micro Apex Central connector:

  1. Obtain Authentication details for Stellar Cyber integration
  2. Add the connector in Stellar Cyber
  3. Test the connector
  4. Use the connector

Use our example as a guideline, as you might be using a different software version.

Obtaining Authentication Details for Stellar Cyber Integration

Before you add a Trend Micro Connector, you must obtain information that allows the Stellar Cyber connector to authenticate correctly.

  1. Log in to the Trend Micro Apex Central console as the user who will be associated with the Stellar Cyber app (http://manage.trendmicro.com).

  2. When the console has loaded, make note of the redirected URL associated with that user's login: 

  3. Navigate to Administration > Settings > Automation API Access Settings.

  4. Click Add. The Application Access Settings pane displays.

    • Application Name: This is to identify the application as being for use with Stellar Cyber

    • Application ID: Used by Trend Micro Apex Central to identify Stellar Cyber

    • API key: Used by the Stellar Cyber to sign requests sent to Trend Micro Apex Central

    • API type: Indicates the API functions that the Stellar Cyber will be using (Isolate/Restore endpoints)

  5. Ensure that the checkbox for Enable application integration using Apex Central Automation APIs is selected.

  6. Configure the following settings.

    • Application name: Specify an easily identifiable name for the application.

    • Communication time-out: Optionally adjust the number of seconds allowed for a request to reach Trend Micro Apex Central (default is 120 seconds).

  7. Note all the information for use later. Click Save.

    The Automation API Access Settings screen appears and displays the newly added application in the table.

Adding the Connector in Stellar Cyber

After you have noted the authentication information from the Trend Micro app integration steps, you can add the Trend Micro Apex Central connector in Stellar Cyber:

  1. Log in to Stellar Cyber.

  2. Click System | Integration | Connectors. The Connector Overview appears.

  3. Click Create. The General tab of the Add Connector screen appears. The information on this tab cannot be changed after you add the connector.

    The asterisk (*) indicates a required field.

  4. Choose Endpoint Security from the Category drop-down.

  5. Choose the Trend Micro Apex Central connector.

  6. For this connector, the supported Function is Collect, which is enabled already.

  7. Enter a Name.

    This field does not accept multibyte characters.

  8. Choose a Tenant Name for the tenants who will have access to this connector.

  9. Choose the device on which to run the connector.

    • Certain connectors can be run on either a Sensor or a Data Processor. The available devices are displayed in the Run On menu. If you want to associate your collector with a sensor, you must have configured that sensor prior to configuring the connector or you will not be able to select it during initial configuration. If you select Data Processor, you will need to associate the connector with a Data Analyzer profile as a separate step. That step is not required for a sensor, which is configured with only one possible profile.

    • If the device you're connecting to is on premises, we recommend you run on the local sensor. If you're connecting to a cloud service, we recommend you run on the DP.

  10. (Optional) When the Function is Collect, you can create Log Filters. For information, see Managing Log Filters.

  11. Click Next. The Configuration tab appears.

    The asterisk (*) indicates a required field.

  12. Enter the Application ID. This is the ID associated with the application you created in Trend Micro Apex Central.

  13. Enter the API Key. This is the key associated with the application you created in Trend Micro Apex Central.

  14. Enter the User URL. This is the URL unique to the user whose account was used to create the application in Trend Micro Apex Central.

    For release versions prior to v4.3.4, ensure the URL does not include a trailing "/" symbol.

  15. Choose the Interval (min). This is how often the logs are collected.

  16. Choose the Content Type you would like to collect. The logs for Agents and Servers are supported.

  17. Click Next. The final confirmation tab appears.

  18. Click Submit.

    To pull data, a connector must be added to a Data Analyzer profile if it is running on the Data Processor.

  19. If you are adding rather than editing a connector with the Collect function enabled and you specified for it to run on a Data Processor, a dialog box now prompts you to add the connector to the default Data Analyzer profile. Click Cancel to leave it out of the default profile or click OK to add it to the default profile.

    • This prompt only occurs during the initial create connector process when Collect is enabled.

    • Certain connectors can be run on either a Sensor or a Data Processor, and some are best run on one versus the other. In any case, when the connector is run on a Data Processor, that connector must be included in a Data Analyzer profile. If you leave it out of the default profile, you must add it to another profile. You need the Administrator Root scope to add the connector to the Data Analyzer profile. If you do not have privileges to configure Data Analyzer profiles, a dialog displays recommending you ask your administrator to add it for you.

    • The first time you add a Collect connector to a profile, it pulls data immediately and then not again until the scheduled interval has elapsed. If the connector configuration dialog did not offer an option to set a specific interval, it is run every five minutes. Exceptions to this default interval are the Proofpoint on Demand (pulls data every 1 hour) and Azure Event Hub (continuously pulls data) connectors. The intervals for each connector are listed in the Connector Types & Functions topic.

    The Connector Overview appears.

The new connector is immediately active.

Testing the Connector

When you add (or edit) a connector, we recommend that you run a test to validate the connectivity parameters you entered. (The test validates only the authentication / connectivity; it does not validate data flow).

  1. Click System | Integrations | Connectors. The Connector Overview appears.

  2. Locate the connector that you added, or modified, or that you want to test.

  3. Click Test at the right side of that row. The test runs immediately.

    Note that you may run only one test at a time.

Stellar Cyber conducts a basic connectivity test for the connector and reports a success or failure result. A successful test indicates that you entered all of the connector information correctly.

To aid troubleshooting your connector, the dialog remains open until you explicitly close it by using the X button. If the test fails, you can select the  button from the same row to review and correct issues.

The connector status is updated every five (5) minutes. A successful test clears the connector status, but if issues persist, the status reverts to failed after a minute.

Repeat the test as needed.

ClosedDisplay sample messages...

Success !

Failure with summary of issue:

Show More example detail:

 

Using the Connector to Investigate

When an event has occurred on a host known to the Trend Micro connector, you can use this connector to investigate further.

  1. Click Investigate | Threat Hunting. The Interflow Search tab appears.
  2. Change the Indices to Syslog. The table immediately updates to show ingested Interflow records.