Configuring Microsoft SQL Server Connectors

Connectors allow Stellar Cyber to collect data from external sources and add it to the data lake. You can install a connector to retrieve data from a Microsoft SQL Server (MSSQL) database.

This Microsoft SQL Server connector collects either Klassify or Arotron logs stored in the database. The connector can run on a network/security/modular data sensor.

The supported data sources are Klassify and Arotron.

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: Microsoft SQL Server

Capabilities

  • Collect: Yes

  • Respond: No

  • Native Alerts Mapped: No

  • Runs on: Sensor

  • Interval: Configurable

Collected Data

Content Type

Index

Locating Records
 

For Klassify:

    

Classification Logs

Client agent status Logs

Email Logs

Reclassification and policy deviation Logs

Syslog

Assets (for Client agent status Logs)

 

msg_class:

klassify_classification

klassify_client

klassify_email

klassify_reclassification

msg_origin.source:

klassify_data_classification_suite

msg_origin.vendor

klassify

msg_origin.category:

dlp
For Arotron:    

Audit

Log

Login

Syslog

 

msg_class:

mssql_arotron_audit

mssql_arotron_log

mssql_arotron_login

msg_origin.source:

mssql_arotron

msg_origin.vendor

mssql

msg_origin.category:

database

Domain

<Server hostname or IP>

where <Server hostname or IP> is a variable from the configuration of this connector

Response Actions

N/A

Third Party Native Alert Integration Details

N/A

Required Credentials

  • Server hostname or IP, Username, Password, Database Name, and Data Source

Adding a MSSQL Connector

To add a MSSQL connector:

  1. Add the connector in Stellar Cyber
  2. Test the connector
  3. Verify ingestion

Adding the Connector in Stellar Cyber

To add a MSSQL 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 Database from the Category drop-down.

  5. Choose Microsoft SQL Server from the Type drop-down.

  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. The Interflow records created by this connector include this tenant name.

  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 Server hostname or IP. This is the hostname or IP address of the MSSQL server. If entering a hostname, do not include https.

  13. Enter the Username of a user with read access to the database.

  14. Enter the Password for that user.

    The password should not include non-ASCII special characters.

  15. Enter the Database Name. This is the user-defined name of the database you want to access on the above server.

  16. Choose the Data Source. Currently the data sources are Klassify and Arotron.

  17. Choose the Content Type you would like to collect.

    • For Klassfy, the logs for Classification Logs, Client agent status Logs, Email Logs, and Reclassification and policy deviation Logs are supported.

    • For Arotron, the logs for Audit, Log, and Login are supported.

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

  19. Click Next. The final confirmation tab appears.

  20. Click Submit.

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

  21. 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 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 Ingestion

To verify ingestion:

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

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

    • For Klassify content types, Classification Logs, Client agent status Logs, Email Logs, and Reclassification and policy deviation Logs, change the Indices to Syslog.

    • For Arotron content types, Audit, Log, and Login, change the Indices to Syslog.

    • For the Klassify content type, Client agent status Logs only, change the Indices to Assets.

    The table immediately updates to show ingested Interflow records.