Set up a Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR connector

C1 provides identity governance and just-in-time provisioning for Cortex XDR. Integrate your Cortex XDR instance with C1 to run user access reviews (UARs) and enable just-in-time access requests.

Capabilities

Resource	Sync	Provision
Accounts
Roles
Groups

*Due to a limitation of the underlying API, the Cortex XDR Account Admin role cannot be granted or revoked by this connector.

Gather Cortex XDR credentials

Each setup method requires you to pass in credentials generated in Cortex XDR. Gather these credentials before you move on.

An Instance Administrator in Cortex XDR must perform this task.

Generate an API key

1. In Cortex XDR, navigate to Settings > Configurations > Integrations > API Keys.

2. Click + New Key.

3. Choose the type of API Key you want to generate based on your desired security level: Advanced or Standard.

4. Optional. If desired, set an expiration date and time for the API key and add a comment describing its use.

5. Give the key the Instance Administrator role.

6. Click Generate, then carefully copy and save the new API key.

Look up the API key ID

1. In the API keys table, locate the key you just created.

2. Find and copy the key’s ID.

Done. Next, move on to the connector configuration instructions.

Configure the Cortex XDR connector

To complete this task, you’ll need:

• The Connector Administrator or Super Administrator role in C1
• Access to the set of Cortex XDR credentials generated by following the instructions above

Cloud-hosted

Follow these instructions to use a built-in, no-code connector hosted by C1.

1. In C1, navigate to Apps > Connectors and click Add connector.

2. Search for Cortex XDR and click Add.

3. Choose where to add the connector: Create a new app, or Add to an existing app (then select the app).

   If you’re creating a new app, choose whether to link it to an application discovered from your identity provider: select Yes and pick the IdP application, or No to continue with just the connector.

4. Set the connector’s Name and, optionally, a Description.

5. Click the pencil icon next to Owners to choose who can configure and manage this connector.

6. Click Add. The connector is created and its configuration page opens.

7. Find the Settings area of the page and click Edit.

8. Enter the Cortex XDR credentials into the relevant fields.

9. Click Save.

10. The connector’s label changes to Syncing, followed by Connected. You can view the logs to ensure that information is syncing.

Done. Your Cortex XDR connector is now pulling access data into C1.

Self-hosted

Follow these instructions to use the Cortex XDR connector, hosted and run in your own environment.

When running in service mode on Kubernetes, a self-hosted connector maintains an ongoing connection with C1, automatically syncing and uploading data at regular intervals. This data is immediately available in the C1 UI for access reviews and access requests.

Resources

• Official download center: For stable binaries (Windows/Linux/macOS) and container images.

Step 1: Configure the Cortex XDR connector

1. In C1, navigate to Apps > Connectors and click Add connector.

2. Search for Baton and click Add.

3. Choose where to add the connector: Create a new app, or Add to an existing app (then select the app).

   If you’re creating a new app, choose whether to link it to an application discovered from your identity provider: select Yes and pick the IdP application, or No to continue with just the connector.

4. Set the connector’s Name and, optionally, a Description.

5. Click the pencil icon next to Owners to choose who can configure and manage this connector.

6. Click Add. The connector is created and its configuration page opens.

7. In the Settings area of the page, click Edit.

8. Click Rotate to generate a new Client ID and Secret.

   Carefully copy and save these credentials. We’ll use them in Step 2.

Step 2: Create Kubernetes configuration files

Create two Kubernetes manifest files for your Cortex XDR connector deployment:

Secrets configuration

# baton-palo-alto-cortex-secrets.yaml
apiVersion: v1
kind: Secret
metadata:
  name: baton-palo-alto-cortex-secrets
type: Opaque
stringData:
  # C1 credentials
  BATON_CLIENT_ID: <C1 client ID>
  BATON_CLIENT_SECRET: <C1 client secret>
  
  # Cortex XDR credentials
  BATON_CORTEX_API_KEY: <Cortex XDR API key>
  BATON_CORTEX_API_KEY_ID: <Cortex XDR API key ID>
  BATON_CORTEX_BASE_URL: <Base URL for your Cortex XDR instance>
  
  # Optional: Include if you want C1 to provision access using this connector
  BATON_PROVISIONING: true

See the connector’s README or run --help to see all available configuration flags and environment variables.

Deployment configuration

# baton-palo-alto-cortex.yaml
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: baton-palo-alto-cortex
  labels:
    app: baton-palo-alto-cortex
spec:
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: baton-palo-alto-cortex
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: baton-palo-alto-cortex
        baton: true
        baton-app: palo-alto-cortex
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: baton-palo-alto-cortex
        image: public.ecr.aws/conductorone/baton-palo-alto-cortex:latest
        imagePullPolicy: IfNotPresent
        env:
        - name: BATON_HOST_ID
          value: baton-palo-alto-cortex
        envFrom:
        - secretRef:
            name: baton-palo-alto-cortex-secrets

Step 3: Deploy the connector

1. Create a namespace in which to run C1 connectors (if desired), then apply the secret config and deployment config files.

2. Check that the connector data uploaded correctly. In C1, click Apps. On the Managed apps tab, locate and click the name of the application you added the Cortex XDR connector to. Cortex XDR data should be found on the Entitlements and Accounts tabs.

Done. Your Cortex XDR connector is now pulling access data into C1.