Forcepoint Data Loss Prevention with AWS Security Hub

Table of contents
  1. Forcepoint Data Loss Prevention with AWS Security Hub
  2. Summary
    1. Demo
    2. Source Code
    3. Caveats
  3. Implementation
    1. Step 1 – Unpack DLP Incident Exporter and setup AWS Security Hub
      1. Step 1.1 – Activate Security Hub using a CloudFormation template
      2. Step 1.2 – Create an IAM user that has access to Security Hub
    2. Step 2 – Installing the DLP Incident Exporter
  4. Appendix A - Description of config.json settings
  5. Appendix B - Manual export of DLP incidents
  6. Appendix C – Service scripts
  7. Appendix D – Logs of DLP Incident Exporter
    1. Example message
    2. Log structure
  8. Troubleshooting
    1. Validate the prerequisites
    2. Check network connectivity
    3. Check all components are configured and running properly
License

These contents are licensed under Apache License, Version 2.0. http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, THE SITE AND ITS CONTENT IS PROVIDED TO YOU ON AN “AS IS,” “AS AVAILABLE” AND “WHERE-IS” BASIS. ALL CONDITIONS, REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE SITE OR ITS CONTENT, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, STATUTORY OR OTHERWISE, INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT OF THIRD PARTY RIGHTS, ARE HEREBY DISCLAIMED

Document Revision
Version Date Author Notes
0.1 15 December 2019 Michael Nevin First draft
0.2 19 December 2019 Mattia Maggioli Review
0.3 1 January 2020 Michael Nevin Update
0.4 21 January 2020 Mattia Maggioli Review
0.5 30 January 2020 Jonathan Knepher Review
0.6 17 February 2020 Mattia Maggioli Removed references to ARN
0.7 23 March 2020 Neelima Rai Added troubleshooting chapter
0.8 31 March 2020 Mattia Maggioli Updated references and file name after ASFF format update on 13 March 2020

Summary

This guide provides step by step instructions to configure Forcepoint DLP and AWS Security Hub to export DLP incidents, transform data across different formats, and ingest them into AWS Security Hub.

The code and instructions provided enable system administrators to:

  • Export incident data from Forcepoint DLP automatically in real-time or manually for batch exports

  • Transform incident data into the ASFF format required by AWS Security Hub

  • Ingest the data as “Findings” into AWS Security Hub and visualize events in groups as “Insights”

This interoperability enables customers to use AWS Security Hub as SIEM tool for incident data provided by Forcepoint DLP, and to correlate incident events with other Findings from multiple sources including AWS workloads.

A description of the workflow between the components involved in this POC is depicted in this diagram:

Demo

Source Code

fp-bd-dlp-aws

Caveats

The integration described in this document is tested with the following product versions:

  • Forcepoint DLP with Forcepoint Security Manager 8.5.x

  • AWS Security Hub – API schema 2018-10-08 with ASFF format update on 12 March 2020

Implementation

The solution described in this chapter requires the following files available at this link: https://github.com/Forcepoint/fp-bd-dlp-aws/releases

  • fp-dlp-exporter-aws-azure-v1.8.x.zip

The archive fp-dlp-exporter-aws-azure-v1.8.x.zip contains all files necessary to setup and run all the services which enable the integration between Forcepoint DLP and AWS Security Hub:

  • FSM DB connection: provides real-time export of DLP incidents, extracted from the database of Forcepoint Security Manager

  • Incident XML transformation: provides manual and batch export capabilities via the remediation script feature available in Forcepoint Security Manager

The solution allows for customizable levels of granularity (High, Medium, and Low severity levels) and performs the transformation and upload tasks, with minimal impact on the underlying storage.

We suggest deploying the solution on the machine which hosts Forcepoint Security Manager, the instructions provided in this document are based on this scenario. The machine hosting the Forcepoint Security Manager will be referenced in the rest of this document by the name “FSM”.

The following software will be automatically installed by the install.bat script provided inside fp-dlp-exporter-aws-azure-v1.8.x.zip:

  • Nssm 2.24

    using the following command

    START /WAIT powershell -command “[Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [Net.SecurityProtocolType]::Tls12; Invoke-WebRequest “https://nssm.cc/release/nssm-2.24.zip” -Method Get -OutFile .\Resources\nssm.zip”

Step 1 – Unpack DLP Incident Exporter and setup AWS Security Hub

Interoperability with AWS Security Hub requires the activation of the service within AWS and the creation of credentials that will be used to send data using the BatchImportFinding API. If both requirements are already satisfied skip to Step 2.

Step 1.1 – Activate Security Hub using a CloudFormation template

Note: Skip this step if Security Hub is already enabled in the region, otherwise the stack creation would rollback.

  1. Login to the FSM machine and unzip fp-dlp-exporter-aws-azure-v1.8.x.zip into C:\fp-dlp-exporter-aws-azure-v1\

  2. Browse to AWS and from the header of the Management Console select the AWS Region where you want to activate Security Hub, for performance we suggest picking a region close to the logs source

  3. Take note of the region code (e.g. eu-west-3) next to the region name since this will be necessary in Step 2 of this guide

  4. In the AWS Management Console, search for “cloudformation”, it will suggest some options as you type: click CloudFormation from the drop-down list

  5. In the CloudFormation console click Create stack in the top right corner

  6. In the next page select Upload a template file, click Choose file and navigate to the EnableSecurityHub.json located in C:\fp-dlp-exporter-aws-azure-v1\CloudFormationTemplate

  7. Click Next once the file is uploaded, enter a name for the new stack and then click Next, Next again and in the last page Create stack

One that is complete, return to the AWS Management Console and search for “Security Hub”, it will be enabled and ready for use.

Step 1.2 – Create an IAM user that has access to Security Hub

  1. From the AWS Management Console type “iam” in the search area and select it form the drop-down list

  2. Select Users from the navigation pane on the left then click Add user

  3. Enter a name for the new user and make sure to select the option Programmatic access, then click Next: Permissions

  4. Select Attach existing policies directly, search for AWSSecurityHUBFullAccess and tick the box next to it then click Next: Tags. Since no tags are needed by our integration package click Next: Review then Create User.

  5. Click Download .csv and store the file in a secure location: this will be needed in the next chapter of this guide.

Step 2 – Installing the DLP Incident Exporter

  1. Install The ODBC Connector from this link: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=56567

    If the installation of the connector prompts you to install the c++ redistributable, use this link: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/the-latest-supported-visual-c-downloads-2647da03-1eea-4433-9aff-95f26a218cc0

  2. If not already done at step 1.1, login to the FSM machine and unzip fp-dlp-exporter-aws-azure-v1.8.x.zip into C:\fp-dlp-exporter-aws-azure-v1\

  3. Move to C:\fp-dlp-exporter-aws-azure-v1, open config.json with a text editor and add/edit the settings that will be used by the DLP Incident Exporter: refer to Appendix A:

    { 
      "AwsAccountId": "0123456789", 
      "aws_access_key_id": "123ABC123ABC123ABC", 
      "aws_secret_access_key": " abc123abc123abc123abc123abc123abc123abc123abc123", 
      "region_name": "eu-west-1", 
      "file_location": "/XMLFileCopy ", 
      "HIGH": true, 
      "MEDIUM": false, 
      "LOW": false, 
      "Database_Connection":  
    { 
        "Server": "sqlserver-hostname", 
        "Database": "database-name", 
        "Trusted_Connection": "yes", 
        "UID": "username"
      }, 
      "LogName": "ForcepointDLPEvents" 
    } 
    

    Once config.json is edited with all necessary values, double click install.bat to run it: the installer will display a few messages as it progresses through the installation steps.

  4. The installer will pause at Creating Service: DLPExporter and wait for user input:

  • Please enter your username: enter the username of an account with administrator access to the FSM machine. Username must be entered according to the format

    DOMAIN\username if using a domain account

    .\username if using a local account

  • Please enter your administrator password: enter the password of the account with administrator access

Once both values are entered the installer will progress until a successful completion.

Once completed, the DLP Incident Exporter will run as a service on the FSM machine and DLP incidents will be exported to AWS Security Hub automatically.

Appendix A - Description of config.json settings

PARAMETER DESCRIPTION CHANGE REQUIRED
AwsAccountId ID of the AWS account used to post data into AWS Security Hub using the BatchImportFinding API YES
aws_access_key_id Located inside the .csv file downloaded as explained in step 1.2 of this document YES
aws_secret_access_key Located inside the .csv file downloaded as explained in step 1.2 of this document
region_name The AWS Region where Security Hub was activated at step 1.1 YES
file_location Location used by the DLP Incident Exporter to store XML files with incident data before upload to AWS. Used when log export is done using the manual method based on remediation script NO

HIGH

MEDIUM

LOW

These parameters allow filtering of DLP incidents, uploading only logs whose severity matches the levels set to TRUE. YES
Database_Connection

These parameters are needed to connect to the SQL database used by Forcepoint Security Manager to store data of DLP incidents.

Server: hostname or IP address of the SQL database

Database: name of the database hosting the FSM data

Trusted_Connection: only “yes” or “no” are possible

  • yes - if it is a trusted connection

  • no - if username and password will be used to connect

UID: username used to login to the database

YES
LogName Name of the file storing logs of the DLP Incident Exporter NO

Appendix B - Manual export of DLP incidents

Note: This is a legacy feature and is no longer actively supported.

The integration package provides also a method to export DLP incidents manually, either one by one or in batches, using a Remediation Script.

  1. Login into the FSM machine, then login into the web interface of Forcepoint Security Manager

  2. Using the left navigation bar, go to Policy Management > Resources > Remediation Scripts

  3. Select New… from the top left corner and from the drop-down menu select Incident Management Script

  4. Name the remediation script you are about to import, click Choose file and navigate to C:\fp-dlp-exporter-aws-azure-v1\Remediation_script, select runScript.bat

  5. Click Additional Files to reveal Choose File: select the zip file CopyFiles.zip and click OK once done

    Now that the script is imported, DLP incidents can be exported simply using this Remediation Script selecting one or multiple DLP incidents from the Reporting area of Forcepoint Security Manager.

Appendix C – Service scripts

The DLP Incident Exporter service is managed by the NSSM tool.

Navigate to C:\fp-dlp-exporter-aws-azure-v1\ServiceScripts. There are four scripts provided.

PARAMETER DESCRIPTION
changePassword This script opens the UI of NSSM to provide an easy way to change or update the password. The password is editable from the Log on tab of NSSM (see below)
removeService This script will remove the DLPExporter service from the server and stop it from running
restart Restarts the DLPExporter service
stopService Stops the DLPExporter service (Note this has not removed the service only stopped it from running)

Appendix D – Logs of DLP Incident Exporter

Logs of DLP Incident Exporter operations are stored into C:\fp-dlp-exporter-aws-azure-v1\logs\ForcepointDLPEvents.

Example message

2019-12-13 17:56:35 - DLPSecurityHub - INFO - Database Connection established

Log structure

Service Name Message Type Date and time message
2019-12-13 17:56:35 DLPSecurityHub

INFO

DEBUG

CRITICAL

ERROR

WARNING

Database Connection established

Troubleshooting

Follow these steps to identify issues impacting the normal operation of the integration described in this document.

Validate the prerequisites

Make sure the prerequisites described in the Summary chapter are all satisfied:

  • Check the versions of Forcepoint DLP with Forcepoint Security Manager and 3rd party products/services in use are listed as compatible

    Forcepoint DLP with Forcepoint Security Manager 8.5.x
    Amazon web services Security Hub – API schema 2018-10-08
    
  • Verify the integration component is hosted on a Windows 10 or Windows Server machine

  • User must have administrator access to the Windows machine in order to run and complete the installation successfully. Username and password will be requested at the time of install.

  • The machine running the DLPExporter must have network connectivity to the SQL server

  • Check the user has permissions to Invoke-WebRequest and Expand-Archive in Powershell

Check network connectivity

Make sure firewalls or other security appliances are not impacting the network connectivity necessary for the operation of all components involved into this integration:

  • Check the windows machine has network connectivity to AWS:

    The user can check this from the logs created in C:\fp-dlp-exporter-aws-azure-v1\logs in the log file named ForcepointDLPEvents

and check the log file has a message similar to below:

2020-02-28 13:09:34 - DLPExporter - INFO - AWS is configured on

  • Check the windows machine has network connectivity to the SQL server:

    The user can check this from the logs created in C:\fp-dlp-exporter-aws-azure-v1\logs in the log file named ForcepointDLPEvents

and check the log file has a message similar to below:

2020-02-28 13:06:06 - DLPExporter - INFO - Database Connection established

Check all components are configured and running properly

Make sure the products and services involved into this integration are configured as expected and they are running:

  • Check SQL connectivity: If you get messages similar to below, that means you either have no SQL connectivity or are entering wrong credentials:

    2020-02-28 13:04:21 - DLPExporter - ERROR - \[08001\] > \[Microsoft\]\[ODBC SQL Server Driver\]\[DBNETLIB\]SQL Server does not
    exist or access denied. (17) (SQLDriverConnect); \[08001\] > \[Microsoft\]\[ODBC SQL Server Driver\]\[DBNETLIB\]ConnectionOpen
    (Connect()). (53)
    Traceback (most recent call last):
      File "DLPExporter.py", line 135, in \<module\>
    KeyboardInterrupt
    \[18468\] Failed to execute script DLPExporter
    2020-02-28 13:09:35 - DLPExporter - ERROR - \[28000\] > \[Microsoft\]\[ODBC SQL Server Driver\]\[SQL Server\]Login failed for
    user 'g'. (18456) (SQLDriverConnect); \[28000\] \[Microsoft\]\[ODBC
    SQL Server Driver\]\[SQL Server\]Login failed for user 'g'. (18456)
    
  • In case the user provided wrong credentials for SQL server connection, you can follow the following steps:

    1. Go to C:\fp-dlp-exporter-aws-azure-v1 and edit the configs.json file to add the correct SQL Server connection credentials

    2. Go back to C:\fp-dlp-exporter-aws-azure-v1\ServiceScripts and double click on restart script. This will restart the DLPExporter

    3. Check the ForcepointDLPEVents log in C:\fp-dlp-exporter-aws-azure-v1\logs and see if the database connection is established.

  • The install.bat file should only be run once. If anything goes wrong, you need to go back to the Service scripts to make changes.

  • If a wrong password for the administrator account was entered during the first run of the install.bat file to install DLPExporter, use the following the steps to change it:

    1. Go to C:\fp-dlp-exporter-aws-azure-v1\ServiceScripts and double click on changePassword script. A window will pop up where the user can enter the correct password

    2. Go back to C:\fp-dlp-exporter-aws-azure-v1\ServiceScripts and double click on restart script. This will restart the DLPExporter.

  • If the install.bat file was run multiple times, the DLPExporter service might still be running in the background (even if removeService script was run afterwards). Follow the steps below in order to remove the service completely:

    1. Open the cmd prompt as administrator.

    2. Go to the C:\fp-dlp-exporter-aws-azure-v1\Resources folder

    3. Execute the command: nssm

    4. Execute the command: nssm stop DLPExporter

    5. Execute the command: nssm remove DLPExporter confirm

    6. Execute the command: nssm status DLPExporter