Custom risk indicators

There are two types of risk indicators that you see in Citrix Analytics for Security:

• Default risk indicators: These risk indicators are based on the machine learning algorithm. For more information, see Citrix user risk indicators.

• Custom risk indicators: These risk indicators are created manually by the administrators.

When you create a custom risk indicator, you can define the triggering conditions and the parameters based on your use cases. If the user events match your defined criteria, Citrix Analytics triggers the custom risk indicator and displays it on the user’s risk timeline.

Create custom risk indicators for the following data sources:

• Citrix Gateway
• Citrix Secure Private Access
• Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops on-premises
• Citrix DaaS (formerly Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service)
• Citrix Secure Browser

Preconfigured custom risk indicators

Citrix also provides a few custom risk indicators with preconfigured conditions to help you monitor the security of your Citrix infrastructure. You can modify the preconfigured conditions based on your use cases. For more information, see Preconfigured custom risk indicators.

Custom risk indicators page

The Custom Risk Indicators page provides insights into all the custom risk indicators generated for a user, severity, data source, number of policies, risk category, status, and the last modified date and time of the indicator. To create a custom risk indicator, see Creating a custom risk indicator.

When you select the risk indicator, you are redirected to the Modify Risk Indicator page. For more information, see Modifying a custom risk indicator.

Analyzing a custom risk indicator

Consider a user whose action triggered a custom risk indicator that you have defined. Citrix Analytics displays the custom risk indicator on the user’s risk timeline.

When you select the custom risk indicator on the user’s risk timeline, the right pane displays the following information:

• Defined Condition(s): Shows a summary of the conditions that you define while creating a custom risk indicator.

• Description: Provides a summary of the description you provide while creating the custom risk indicator. If no description is provided while creating the custom risk indicator, this section reflects None.

• Trigger Frequency: Displays the option that you select in the Advanced options section while creating the custom risk indicator.

• Event Details: Displays the timeline and the details of the user events that triggered the custom risk indicator. You can click Event Search to view the user events on the self-service search page. The self-service search page displays the events associated with the user and the custom risk indicator. The search query shows the conditions defined for the custom risk indicator.

Note

Custom risk indicators are represented with a label on the user risk timeline.

Actions you can apply to the user

When a custom risk indicator is triggered for a user, you can apply an action manually or create a policy to apply an action automatically. For more information, see Policies and actions.

Custom risk indicator templates

You can create a custom risk indicator by using one of the predefined templates or proceed without using a template.

The templates act as a starting point for creating a custom risk indicator. It guides you to create a custom risk indicator by providing predefined queries and parameters that you can select based on your use cases.

You can use a template as is or modify it to meet your requirements. Using the templates, administrators can create risk indicators of interest with no additional training.

A template consists of the following information:

• Description: Indicates the purpose of the query defined in the template.

• Data source: Indicates the data source on which the template applies.

• Risk category: Indicates the risk category associated with the events searched by the query. There are four categories of risky events- Data exfiltration, Insider threats, Compromised users, and Compromise end points. For information, see risk categories.

• Frequency: Indicates the frequency at which the query triggers.

• Severity: Indicates the severity of the risk associated with the event. The risk can be high, medium, or low.

• Created by: Indicates the creator of the template. The templates are always system defined.

• Query: Indicates the conditions defined in the template. The query retrieves the user events that satisfy the conditions.

The following image shows the template for the use case-clipboard usage on SaaS apps.

If you don’t find a template for your use case or you want to define your own query, you can proceed without a template.

Creating a custom risk indicator

To create a custom risk indicator:

1. Navigate to Security > Custom Risk Indicators > Create Indicator.

   

2. Select a template to view the use case. If it meets your requirement, select Apply template to indicator.

   Note

   You can also modify the predefined conditions and the parameters of a template.

   

3. If you don’t find a desired template or want to create your own condition, select Proceed without a template.

   

4. Follow the onscreen instructions to create an indicator.

Notes

• You can create custom risk indicators up to a maximum limit of 50. If you reach this maximum limit, you must either delete or edit any existing custom risk indicator to create a custom risk indicator.

• When a custom risk indicator is triggered, it gets displayed on the user timeline immediately. However, the risk summary and the risk score of the user get updated after a few minutes (approximately 15- 20 minutes).

Defining a condition for a custom risk indicator

Use the query box to define your conditions for the custom risk indicator. Depending on the selected data source, you get the corresponding dimensions and the valid operators for defining your conditions.

When selecting certain dimensions like Event-Type and Clipboard-Operation along with a valid operator, the values of the dimension are shown automatically. You can choose a value from the suggested options or enter a new value depending on your requirements.

The following image shows the suggested values of the dimension Event-Type.

If you use a template, the condition is predefined. However, you can append or modify the predefined condition based on your use case.

Below the query box, you see the Estimated Triggers link. Click the link to predict the approximate instances of the custom risk indicator that would be triggered for the defined conditions. These instances are calculated based on the historical data that Citrix Analytics maintains and meets the defined conditions.

Ensure to click Estimated Triggers to predict the number of custom risk indicator occurrences for the last defined condition.

Using the advanced options

On the Advanced options section, select the frequency of the event to trigger the custom risk indicator. When you do not select any option, Citrix Analytics considers Every time: Generate the risk indicator every time the event(s) occur as the default option and generates the custom risk indicator. You can select one of the following options:

• Every time: The risk indicator is triggered whenever the events meet the defined conditions.

• First time: The risk indicator is triggered when the events meet the defined conditions for the first time.

  • First time for a new: Enable this option to detect events received from a new entity for the first time. Some examples of the entities are Client IP, Country, City, and Device-ID. You can select only one entity based on the data source. This option allows you to create a risk indicator without specifying an explicit value for the entities. For example, when you select the entity as “City”, you need not specify the city name. The risk indicator is triggered when events are received from a new city for the first time.

    The following table lists the entities corresponding to each data source and describes the trigger conditions.

    Data source	Entity	Trigger condition
    Secure Private Access	City	When a user logs on from a new city for the first time.
    	Client-IP	When a user logs on from a new IP address for the first time.
    	Country	When a user logs on from a new country for the first time.
    Apps and Desktops	App-Name	When a user opens a new virtual application or a SaaS application for the first time.
    	App-URL	When a user enters a new app URL on a browser in their Virtual desktop for the first time.
    	City	When a user launches apps or desktops from a new city for the first time.
    	Client-IP	When a user logs on from a new IP address for the first time.
    	Country	When a user launches apps or desktops from a new country for the first time.
    	Device-ID	When a user launches virtual apps or virtual desktops from a new device such as a mobile, laptop, or desktop machine for the first time.
    	Download-Device-Type	When a user uses a new storage media such as a USB drive for the first time.
    	Print-File-Format	Format of the printed file.
    	Print-File-Size	Size of the printed file in bytes.
    	Print-File-Name	Name of the printed file.
    	Printer-Name	Name of the printer used.
    	Total-Copies-Printed	Total number of copies printed by the user.
    	Total-Pages-Printed	Total number of the document pages printed by the user.
    Gateway	Client-IP	When a user logs on from a new IP address for the first time.
    Secure Browser	User-Name	The name of the user who initiated the event.
    	Access-Allowed	Whether the user is allowed or denied access to the host service.
    	Client-IP	The IP address of the user device.
    	Host-Name-Accessed	The host service accessed by the user over the network.
    	Session-ID	The unique number assigned to the user session.

    The following example shows a custom risk indicator created for the Apps and Desktops data source. The risk indicator is triggered when a user launches a virtual desktop or a virtual app from a new device for the first time.

    

    You can also add a condition along with the First time for a new option. In this case, the risk indicator is triggered when it detects the events from the new entity for the first time and when the events meet the defined condition.

    The following example shows a condition defined for the custom risk indicator and the First time for a new Device-ID option enabled. The risk indicator is triggered when a user located in India launches a virtual desktop session from a new device for the first time.

    

• Excessive: The risk indicator is triggered after the following conditions are met:

  • Events meet the defined conditions.

  • Events occur for a specified number of times during the specified period.

• Frequent: The risk indicator is triggered after the following conditions are met:

  • The events meet the defined conditions.

  • The events occur for the specified number of times during the specified period.

  • The event pattern repeats for the specified number of times.

Selecting the risk category

Select the risk category for your custom risk indicator.

Risk indicators are grouped based on the type of risk exposure of the custom risk indicator. For assistance on the risk category selection, see Risk Categories.

Selecting the severity

Severity indicates the level of seriousness of a risky event, which is detected by the risk indicator. When you create a custom risk indicator, select a severity-high, medium, or low.

If you apply a template, the severity option is preselected. You can modify this preselection depending on your use case.

Supported operators for defining a condition

You can use the following operators while defining a condition.

Note

For the NOT EQUAL operator, while entering the values for the dimensions in your condition, use the exact values available on the self-service search page for a data source. The dimension values are case-sensitive.

Modifying a custom risk indicator

1. Navigate to Security > Custom Risk Indicators.

2. Select the custom risk indicator that you want to modify.

3. On the Modify Indicator page, modify the information as required.

4. Click Save Changes.

Note

If you modify the attributes such as condition, risk category, severity, and name of an existing custom risk indicator, on the user timeline, you can still view the previous occurrences of the custom risk indicator (with the old attributes) that were triggered for the user.

For example, you have created a custom risk indicator with the condition Country != India. So, this custom risk indicator is triggered when a user logs on from outside the country India. Now, you modify the condition of the custom risk indicator to Country != “United States”. In this case, you can still view the previous occurrences of the custom risk indicator with the condition Country != India on the user timelines who triggered the risk indicator.

Deleting a custom risk indicator

1. Navigate to Security > Custom Risk Indicators.

2. Select the custom risk indicator that you want to delete.

3. Click Delete.

4. In the dialog, confirm your request to delete the custom risk indicator.

Note

If you delete a custom risk indicator, on the user timeline, you can still view the previous occurrences of the custom risk indicator that were triggered for the user.

For example, you delete an existing custom risk indicator with the condition Country != India. In this case, you can still view the previous occurrences of the custom risk indicator with the condition Country != India on the user timelines who triggered the risk indicator.