Cisco Secure Access Setup

Cisco Secure Access Setup

Prerequisites

Workflow Overview

┌───────────┐   ┌──────────────────┐   ┌───────────────────┐   ┌────────────────────┐
│ Preflight │ → │ Install app + TA │ → │ Configure account │ → │ Validate dashboards │
└───────────┘   └──────────────────┘   └───────────────────┘   └────────────────────┘

When to Activate

• Install or configure the Cisco Secure Access Splunk app and event add-on.
• Provision investigate, private-app, or app-discovery indexes.
• Diagnose missing Secure Access events or empty dashboards.

Scope

This skill configures documented Splunk app and account surfaces. It does not change Secure Access policy, collect credentials in chat, or claim completion until event ingestion and shipped dashboards are validated.

Examples

Install the app and required event add-on:

bash skills/cisco-secure-access-setup/scripts/setup.sh --install

Expected output: the reviewed package and index plan is applied or a clear manual handoff is emitted for the target Splunk topology.

Validate a configured organization account:

bash skills/cisco-secure-access-setup/scripts/validate.sh \
  --completion --org-id example-org-id

Expected output: package, account, index, event, macro, and dashboard checks report [PASS]; incomplete collection exits nonzero.

Troubleshooting

TA Completion Gate

For every TA/add-on or dashboard companion run, satisfy the shared TA completion gate: configure and enable the data ingest path owned by this skill or its required companion, validate events or metrics in the target indexes/source types, and verify any pre-built/package-shipped dashboards are visible, macro-aligned, and returning data. If the package ships no dashboards, record that evidence explicitly and hand off dashboard use to the consuming app, ES/ITSI/ARI content, or readiness doctor.

Automates installation and core account configuration of the Cisco Secure Access App for Splunk (cisco-cloud-security) plus the required Cisco Secure Access Add-on for Splunk (TA-cisco-cloud-security-addon).

Package Model

Pull from Splunkbase first (latest version), fall back to splunk-ta/. Use the setup script with --install to install add-on ID 7569 and app ID 5558. The shared installer falls back to local packages cisco-secure-access-add-on-for-splunk_* and cisco-secure-access-app-for-splunk_* when needed.

The app hosts dashboards and account/settings endpoints. The add-on is required for Secure Access, Umbrella, and Cloudlock event-log ingestion and index settings.

Agent Behavior — Credentials

The agent must NEVER ask for API keys, secrets, or tokens in chat.

Splunk credentials are read from the project-root credentials file (falls back to ~/.splunk/credentials). If neither exists, guide the user to create it:

bash skills/shared/scripts/setup_credentials.sh

For Secure Access API secrets, instruct the user to write them to temp files:

bash skills/shared/scripts/write_secret_file.sh /tmp/secure_access_api_key
bash skills/shared/scripts/write_secret_file.sh /tmp/secure_access_api_secret

Environment

This app supports standalone and distributed deployments and can be used on Splunk Enterprise or Splunk Cloud.

Setup Workflow

Step 1: Install The Add-On And App

bash skills/cisco-secure-access-setup/scripts/setup.sh --install

Step 2: Configure One Org Account

bash skills/cisco-secure-access-setup/scripts/configure_account.sh \
  --org-id example-org-id \
  --base-url https://api.us.security.cisco.com \
  --timezone UTC \
  --storage-region us \
  --api-key-file /tmp/secure_access_api_key \
  --api-secret-file /tmp/secure_access_api_secret \
  --investigate-index cisco_secure_access_investigate \
  --privateapp-index cisco_secure_access_private_apps \
  --appdiscovery-index cisco_secure_access_app_discovery

The account configurator can auto-create the supplied indexes. The app’s own org_accounts endpoint provisions the Private Apps and App Discovery modular inputs when those indexes are provided.

If you need to discover the org ID first:

bash skills/cisco-secure-access-setup/scripts/configure_account.sh \
  --discover-org-id \
  --base-url https://api.us.security.cisco.com \
  --api-key-file /tmp/secure_access_api_key \
  --api-secret-file /tmp/secure_access_api_secret

Step 3: Configure App Settings For Dashboard Readiness

bash skills/cisco-secure-access-setup/scripts/configure_settings.sh \
  --org-id example-org-id \
  --bootstrap-roles \
  --accept-terms \
  --apply-dashboard-defaults

You can also configure optional dashboard-side settings such as:

• Cloudlock settings
• selected destination lists
• S3-backed dashboard indexes
• explicit refresh rate overrides

Step 4: Validate

bash skills/cisco-secure-access-setup/scripts/validate.sh --completion

To validate one specific org:

bash skills/cisco-secure-access-setup/scripts/validate.sh --completion --org-id example-org-id

Dashboards

The app ships dashboards in the package. They appear in Splunk Web automatically after installation.

To access them: Apps → Cisco Secure Access App for Splunk

Prerequisites for dashboards to show data:

1. Org account must be created (Step 2) so the app has a valid API connection.
2. App settings must be configured for dashboard readiness (Step 3), including terms acceptance and optional role bootstrap.
3. The required add-on must be installed so event-log ingestion and log-index settings are present.
4. Modular inputs must be running and delivering events to the configured indexes (investigate_index, privateapp_index, appdiscovery_index, and the Secure Access event indexes configured in the add-on).

The --apply-dashboard-defaults flag in Step 3 initializes the app's stored dashboard settings (refresh rate, Cloudlock, destination lists, S3 index wiring) so the UI starts in a consistent state rather than falling back to defaults on first load.

On Splunk Cloud, dashboards are available immediately after ACS installs the app. All post-install configuration (account creation, settings) runs over search-tier REST.

What This Automation Covers

The current skill automates:

• OAuth/org account creation and update
• required add-on and app installation
• investigate index registration
• private app index registration
• app discovery index registration
• automatic creation or update of the corresponding modular inputs
• app bootstrap steps such as terms acceptance and optional role creation
• dashboard settings, destination lists, Cloudlock settings, and S3-backed dashboard index wiring

Key Learnings / Known Issues

1. Custom API surface: This app stores configuration through custom REST endpoints and KV store records rather than simple static conf edits.
2. Core account fields move together: apiKey, apiSecret, and baseURL are treated as a credential set.
3. Org-aware indexes: privateapp_index and appdiscovery_index create or update matching modular inputs for the same organization.
4. Terms gate the UI: The app UI stores a TOC acceptance record before some settings views become available.
5. Dashboard defaults exist in the UI: If no dashboard interval is stored, the frontend falls back to 12 hours. This skill can write those settings explicitly so the app is initialized consistently.

Additional Resources

• reference.md — endpoint behavior and payload fields
• template.example — non-secret intake worksheet

Validation Modes

Run scripts/validate.sh for diagnostics. Use --completion (alias --strict) to require an org/global-org configuration, dashboard views, and events in at least one configured org or S3-backed index using a current cisco:cloud_security:* or cisco:secure_access:* sourcetype. Strict mode rejects --skip-data-flow because it cannot prove completion without typed event evidence. See reference.md for the source-backed current sourcetype ledger and retired-alias migration note.