Configuring CrowdStrike (Hosts/Events) Connectors

Stellar Cyber's CrowdStrike connector integrates CrowdStrike's streaming API to collect detections and events with the existing connector capability that collects host information.

Integration with CrowdStrike enhances Stellar Cyber's threat detection and response capabilities by providing real-time visibility into endpoint security events and enabling automated incident response workflows to contain and mitigate threats. Combining CrowdStrike's endpoint protection with Stellar Cyber's advanced security analytics and machine learning algorithms provides a comprehensive security solution for organizations.

With the CrowdStrike connector, you can also perform response actions (contain or hide hosts) on the assets that CrowdStrike Falcon manages.

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: CrowdStrike

Capabilities

  • Collect: Yes

  • Respond: Yes

  • Native Alerts Mapped: Yes

  • Runs on: DP

  • Interval: Configurable (Applicable only to Hosts)

Collected Data

Content Type

Index

msg_class

Host

Syslog, Assets

crowdstrike_host

Detection Summary Event

Syslog, Alerts

crowdstrike_detection_summary

Event:

  • AuthActivityAuditEvent

  • CSPMIOAStreamingEvent

  • CSPMSearchStreamingEvent

  • CustomerIOCEvent

  • FirewallMatchEvent

  • HashSpreadingEvent

  • IdentityProtectionEvent

  • IDPDetectionSummaryEvent

  • IncidentSummaryEvent

  • MobileDetectionSummaryEvent

  • ReconNotificationSummaryEvent

  • RemoteResponseSessionEndEvent

  • RemoteResponseSessionStartEvent

  • ScheduledReportNotificationEvent

  • UserActivityAuditEvent

Syslog

crowdstrike_audit (prior to v4.3.5)

crowdstrike_<Event label>
(example: crowdstrike_FirewallMatchEvent)

 

Other

Syslog

crowdstrike_<event type from metadata in streaming API>

Domain

<Base URL>

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

Response Actions

Action

Required Fields

API

Contain (Isolate) Host

Hide Host

dstip, srcip, or hostip

https://api.crowdstrike.com//devices/entities/devices-actions/v2 with parameters of

host ID or device ID and an action which is one of contain, lift_containment, hide_host or unhide_host.

Third Party Native Alert Integration Details

Detection Summary Event

For Detection Summary Event, CrowdStrike's DetectionSummaryEvent and PatternDisposition records are used to derive certain fields for populating the alert into the Stellar Cyber alert index. The Tactic and Technique fields in the record are more directly mapped to Stellar Cyber's XDR Kill Chain.

Host

This content type is not applicable for alerts.

Event and other data

This content type is not mapped.

 For details, see Integration of Third Party Native Alerts.

Required Credentials

  • Base URL, Client ID, and Client Secret

  • The API Key must have the following:

    • For Hosts: Enable Read and Write to collect and to contain or hide hosts as a response action.

    • For Audit Events and Detections, enable Read for those as well as Read for Event Streams.

Locating Records

Use the following to query for records:

  • msg_origin.vendor: crowdstrike

  • msg_origin.category: endpoint

  • msg_origin.source: crowdstrike

  • msg_class: crowdstrike_host, crowdstrike_detection_summary, crowdstrike_<event label> or crowdstrike_<eventtype> (see above content table)

To search the alerts in the Alerts index or to search the Original Records in the Syslog index, use the query: msg_origin.source:crowdstrike AND msg_class:crowdstrike_detection_summary AND _exists_: event.tactic

Adding a CrowdStrike Connector

To add a CrowdStrike connector in Stellar Cyber:

  1. Generate the CrowdStrike Falcon API key you will use in Stellar Cyber
  2. Add the connector in Stellar Cyber
  3. Test the connector
  4. Verify that assets are received from CrowdStrike

Generating the CrowdStrike Falcon API Key

With streaming APIs enabled, you can generate the CrowdStrike Falcon API key:

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

  1. Log in to CrowdStrike Falcon at https://falcon.crowdstrike.com/.

  2. Click API Clients and Keys.

    The API Clients and Keys page appears.

  3. Click Add new API client.

    The Add new API client window appears.

  4. Enter the Client Name.

  5. Enable Read and Write for Hosts to contain or hide hosts as a response action.

    Enable Read for Event Streams and the following content, if you also want to collect the corresponding data: Audit Events and Detections.

    Read for Event Streams is required for the content other than Hosts, as of v4.3.5.

  6. Click Add. The API client created window appears.

  7. Copy the Client ID and Secret and note the Base URL. You will need these in the next section.

Adding the Connector in Stellar Cyber

With the configuration information handy, you can add the CrowdStrike connector in Stellar Cyber:

  1. Log in to Stellar Cyber.

  2. Click System | Connectors (under Integrations). 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 CrowdStrike from the Type drop-down.

  6. Choose the Function. If you want to collect logs, click the Collect check-box. If you want to contain or hide hosts, click the Respond check-box.

  7. Enter a Name.

    Notes:
    • This field does not accept multibyte characters.
    • It is recommended that you follow a naming convention such as tenantname-connectortype.

  8. Choose a Tenant Name. Use of the connector is restricted to the tenant you select.

  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 apply Log Filters. For information, see Managing Log Filters.

  11. Click Next. The Configuration tab appears.

    The asterisk (*) indicates a required field.

  12. Enter the Base URL. This is the URL of your CrowdStrike portal, and can be:

    • US: api.crowdstrike.com

    • US-2: api.us-2.crowdstrike.com

    • EU-1: api.eu-1.crowdstrike.com

    • US-GOV-1: api.laggar.gcw.crowdstrike.com

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

  13. Enter the Client ID you copied earlier.

  14. Enter the Client Secret you copied earlier.

  15. Enter the Interval (min) if you chose Collect. This is how often the logs are collected for Host content.

    Interval is applicable only to Host content because the other types are collected with a streaming API.

  16. Select the Content Type for which you enabled the API key. You can filter the event types you want to include or exclude, using these content tags

    DetectionSummaryEvent (these events are mapped to the Alert Index)

    Assorted Audit events:

    • AuthActivityAuditEvent

    • CSPMIOAStreamingEvent*

    • CSPMSearchStreamingEvent*

    • CustomerIOCEvent

    • DetectionSummaryEvent

    • FirewallMatchEvent

    • HashSpreadingEvent

    • Host

    • IdentityProtectionEvent

    • IDPDetectionSummaryEvent

    • IncidentSummaryEvent

    • MobileDetectionSummaryEvent

    • ReconNotificationSummaryEvent

    • RemoteResponseSessionEndEvent

    • RemoteResponseSessionStartEvent

    • ScheduledReportNotificationEvent

    • UserActivityAuditEvent

    Other Events: (Use this tag if you want to collect event types not specifically listed above)

     

    You can optionally add the type Other Events to collect any remaining content types.

  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. You can now contain or hide hosts from the event display, and view or edit those actions on the Endpoint Actions page.

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 authentication and connectivity).

  1. Click System | Connectors (under Integrations). The Connector Overview appears.

  2. Locate the connector by name 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:

If the test fails, the common HTTP status error codes are as follows:

HTTP Error Code HTTP Standard Error Name Explanation Recommendation
400 Bad Request This error occurs when there is an error in the connector configuration.

Did you configure the connector correctly?
401 Unauthorized

This error occurs when an authentication credential is invalid or when a user does not have sufficient privileges to access a specific API.

Did you enter your credentials correctly?

Are your credentials expired?

Are your credentials entitled or licensed for that specific resource?
403 Forbidden This error occurs when the permission or scope is not correct in a valid credential.

Did you enter your credentials correctly?

Do you have the required role or permissions for that credential?

404 Not Found This error occurs when a URL path does not resolve to an entity. Did you enter your API URL correctly?
429 Too Many Requests

This error occurs when the API server receives too much traffic or if a user’s license or entitlement quota is exceeded.

The server or user license/quota will eventually recover. The connector will periodically retry the query.

If this occurs unexpectedly or too often, work with your API provider to investigate the server limits, user licensing, or quotas.

For a full list of codes, refer to HTTP response status codes.

Verifying Content

To verify Stellar Cyber is receiving content from CrowdStrike:

For Host:

  1. Click Investigate | Asset Analytics.

  2. Click the MAC-Identified Assets tab.

  3. Enter crowdstrike in the Search field. The results list is updated.

For other content: 

  1. Click Investigate | Threat Hunting. The Interflow Search tab appears.

  2. Change the Indices for the type of content you collected:

    • For all content types, change the Indices to Syslog.

    • For Host only, change the Indices to Assets.

  3. Search for the desired msg_class as listed in the Collected Data table above.