Untitled

Here's a professional report outline based on the log metric filter issues highlighted in the image.


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Report: Missing Log Metric Filters for Critical Changes


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Observation

It was observed that several critical GCP configurations lack appropriate log metric filters. Specifically, log metric filters do not exist for the following categories:

1. Audit Configuration Changes


2. Cloud Storage IAM Permission Changes


3. Custom Role Changes


4. Project Ownership Assignments/Changes


5. SQL Instance Configuration Changes


6. VPC Network Changes


7. VPC Network Firewall Rule Changes


8. VPC Route Changes



The absence of these log metric filters indicates that modifications in these areas are not being adequately monitored.


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Impact

Without log metric filters for these critical configurations, unauthorized or unintentional changes may go undetected, increasing the risk of:

Security breaches: Unmonitored IAM, role, or project ownership changes could result in privilege escalation or unauthorized access.

Data exposure: Changes in VPC firewall rules, network configurations, or storage permissions could expose sensitive data.

Compliance issues: For many organizations, regulatory requirements mandate monitoring changes to critical infrastructure configurations.

Operational disruptions: Undetected configuration changes could lead to application or service outages.



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Remediation

To enhance monitoring and reduce security risks, it is recommended to implement the following steps:

1. Create Log Metric Filters: Set up log metric filters for each category identified. This includes:

Audit Configuration Changes: Monitor for any modifications to audit configurations, which could signal attempts to cover malicious activities.

Cloud Storage IAM Permission Changes: Track changes to IAM permissions for cloud storage, ensuring unauthorized users don’t gain access.

Custom Role Changes: Implement filters to detect changes in custom roles, which could be exploited for privilege escalation.

Project Ownership Assignments/Changes: Monitor ownership assignments to detect potential insider threats or unauthorized ownership transfers.

SQL Instance Configuration Changes: Watch for configuration changes in SQL instances, as they can impact data security and availability.

VPC Network Changes, Firewall Rule Changes, and Route Changes: Create log metric filters for network modifications to secure the network perimeter and prevent unauthorized access.



2. Enable Alerts: Configure alerts for each of these log metric filters to notify relevant personnel when a critical change occurs.


3. Review and Test: Regularly review and test the filters to ensure they are capturing relevant logs and providing timely notifications.




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References

Google Cloud Documentation: Creating and Managing Logs-based Metrics

Google Cloud IAM Permissions Monitoring

Google Cloud Network Security Best Practices



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This report should serve as a guide for implementing enhanced monitoring and alerting for critical GCP infrastructure changes. Implementing these changes will strengthen the security posture and ensure compliance with industry standards.