Depending on your Google Workspace edition, you might have access to the security investigation tool, which has more advanced features. For example, super admins can identify, triage, and take action on security and privacy issues. Learn more
As your organization's administrator, you can run searches and take action on security issues related to Chrome log events. For example, you can view a record of actions to track events related to managed Chrome browsers and ChromeOS devices. You can also see when there has been an unsafe site visit.
Before you begin
To see all Chrome events:
- The browser must be managed by Chrome Browser Cloud Management, a ChromeOS device that’s enrolled with your organization, or a user profile managed in Chrome browser.
- You must set up reporting for Chrome security events. For details, go to Manage Chrome Enterprise reporting connectors.
- To review Chrome data-protection events, you must set up Chrome Enterprise Premium . For details, go to Protect Chrome users with Chrome Enterprise Premium threat and data protection.
Forward log event data to Google Cloud
You can opt in to share log event data with Google Cloud. If you turn on sharing, data is forwarded to Cloud Logging where you can query and view your logs and control how you route and store your logs.
The type of log event data you can share with Google Cloud depends on your Google Workspace, Cloud Identity, or Essentials account.
Run a search for Chrome log events
Your ability to run a search depends on your Google edition, your administrative privileges, and the data source. You can run a search on all users, regardless of their Google Workspace edition.
To run a search for log events, first choose a data source. Then choose one or more filters for your search.
-
Sign in to your Google Admin console.
Sign in using your administrator account (does not end in @gmail.com).
-
In the Admin console, go to Menu
Reporting
Audit and investigation
- Click Add a filter, and then select an attribute.
- In the pop-up window, select an operator
- (Optional) To create multiple filters for your search, repeat this step.
- (Optional) To add a search operator, above Add a filter, select AND or OR.
- Click Search.
Note: Using the Filter tab, you can include simple parameter and value pairs to filter the search results. You can also use the Condition builder tab, where the filters are represented as conditions with AND/OR operators.
To run a search in the security investigation tool, first choose a data source. Then, choose one or more conditions for your search. For each condition, choose an attribute, an operator, and a value.
-
Sign in to your Google Admin console.
Sign in using your administrator account (does not end in @gmail.com).
-
In the Admin console, go to Menu
Security
- Click Data source and select Chrome log events.
- Click Add Condition.
Tip: You can include one or more conditions in your search or customize your search with nested queries. For details, go to Customize your search with nested queries. - Click Attribute
For a complete list of attributes, go to the Attribute descriptions section (later on this page). - Select an operator.
- Enter a value or select a value from the list.
- (Optional) To add more search conditions, repeat steps 4–7.
- Click Search.
You can review the search results from the investigation tool in a table at the bottom of the page. - (Optional) To save your investigation, click Save
Notes
- In the Condition builder tab, filters are represented as conditions with AND/OR operators. You can also use the Filter tab to include simple parameter and value pairs to filter the search results.
- If you gave a user a new name, you will not see query results with the user's old name. For example, if you rename [email protected] to [email protected], you will not see results for events related to [email protected].
Attribute descriptions
For this data source, you can use the following attributes when searching log event data:
| Attribute | Description |
|---|---|
| Actor group name |
Group name of the actor. For more information, go to Filtering results by Google Group. To add a group to your filtering groups allowlist:
|
| Actor organizational unit | Organizational unit of the actor. |
| Application name | Name of the extension from the Chrome Web Store. |
| Browser version | Number assigned to the version of Chrome browser, such as 123.0.6312.59 |
| Client type |
Managed Chrome surface where the event happened.
|
| Content hash | The SHA256 hash of the content. |
| Content name | The name of the content downloaded, such as a file name. |
| Content size* | The size of the downloaded content, in bytes. |
| Content type | The media (MIME) type of content downloaded, such as text/html. |
| Date | Date and time of the event, displayed in your browser's default time zone. |
| Destination | The destination file system for file transfer events. For data control events, the destination file system or destination URL for file uploads or copy and paste actions. |
| Device name | The name of the device. |
| Device platform | The OS that the browser is running. |
| Device user | The user's name as reported by the OS. |
| Directory API ID | Device ID returned by the directory API. |
| Domain* | The domain where the action occurred. |
| Extension action type | The type of chrome extension action that triggers the event. Can be Install, Uninstall, or Update. |
| Extension source | The source from where the chrome extension was installed. Can be Chrome Web Store, External, or Unspecified. |
| Extension version | The version of the extension. |
| Event | The logged event action, such as Content unscanned, Unsafe site visit, Password reuse , Sensitive data transfer, Malware transfer, or Content transfer. |
| Event reason* | Details about the action, such as File is password protected. |
| Event result | The result of the event based on the policies and rules set. Can be Bypassed, Blocked, Warned, Allowed, or Detected. |
| Profile user | The Chrome browser profile username. |
| Scan ID | Scan ID of the content analysis scan that triggered the event. |
| Source | The source file system for file transfer events. For data control events, the source URL for file uploads or copy and paste actions. |
| Tab URL |
The URL that the tab redirects to when downloading a file. This URL can trigger the File downloaded data loss prevention (DLP) rule. For example, when a user downloads a file from Google Drive, the tab URL (drive.google.com) or the download URL (googleusercontent.com) can trigger the rule. Note: Tab URL and URL are identical, except for downloads. |
| Trigger type | The user action that triggered the event, such as Unknown, Page printed, File upload, File download, Web content upload, or File transfer. |
| Trigger user | The username relating to the event:
|
| URL | The URL that generated the event. |
| URL category | The content category of the URL that generated the event. |
| User agent | The user agent string of the browser used to access the content. For example, Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; Intel Mac OS X 10_14_6) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/84.0.4140.0 Safari/537.36. |
| Virtual device ID* | The ID of the device. The value is platform-specific. |
Filter data by Threat or Data Protection events
- Open the log events as described above in Access Chrome log event data.
- Click Add a filter
- Select the operator.
- From the drop-down list, select an option.
- Click Apply.
Chrome Threat event descriptions
| Event value | Description | Reporting connector support |
|---|---|---|
| Crash events | A crash, for either a tab or the browser, is detected. | Supported on Chrome browser version 112 and later |
| Extension install | A browser extension was installed, either by user action or by the administrator. | Supported on Chrome browser version 110 and later |
| Malware transfer | The content uploaded or downloaded by the user is considered to be malicious, dangerous, or unwanted. | Supported on Chrome browser version 104 and later |
| Login events |
Note: For this event to be reported, Password Manager must be enabled. A successful user sign-in to a domain with the URL specified in the Reporting Connector settings. You can see the event in the Google Security Center. Unsuccessful sign-ins are not reported. |
Supported on Chrome browser version 105 and later |
| Password breach |
Note: For this event to be reported, Password Manager must be enabled. When a user types their username and password into a website, Chrome warns them if they have been compromised in a data breach on some site or app. For more details, see Change unsafe passwords in your Google Account. Chrome also suggests that the user changes them everywhere they were used. For the specified URLs in the Admin console, the breach also is displayed in the Google Security Center window if the password was saved in Password Manager. Each URL is displayed as a separate record. |
Supported on Chrome browser version 105 and later |
| Password changed |
The user resets their password for the first-signed-in user account. |
Supported on Chrome browser version 104 and later |
| Password reuse | The user has entered a password into a URL that’s outside of the list of allowed enterprise login URLs. | Supported on Chrome browser version 104 and later |
| Unsafe site visit | The URL visited by the user is considered to be deceptive or malicious. | Supported on Chrome browser version 104 and later |
Chrome Data Protection event descriptions
Chrome Data Protection events are available only for customers who have purchased Chrome Enterprise Premium .
For more information about Chrome Enterprise Premium and how to set it up, go to Protect Chrome users with Chrome Enterprise Premium threat and data protection.
| Event value | Description | Reporting connector support |
|---|---|---|
| Content transfer | Content was uploaded, downloaded, or printed from Chrome and sent for Malware or Sensitive data scanning |
Supported on Chrome browser version 104 and later Requires Chrome Enterprise Premium |
| Content unscanned | There are multiple reasons why a file is unscanned, including
|
Supported on Chrome browser version 104 and later Requires Chrome Enterprise Premium |
| Sensitive data transfer | The content uploaded, downloaded, printed, or pasted by the user is considered to contain sensitive data, as detected by the Data Protection rules. |
Supported on Chrome browser version 104 and later Requires Chrome Enterprise Premium |
| URL filtering | The user tried to access a URL that matched a Data Protection rule set by the admin |
Supported on Chrome browser version 113 and later Requires Chrome Enterprise Premium |
ChromeOS Security event descriptions
- For managed guest, kiosk, or unaffiliated user sessions, user email addresses are not collected. For more details on user affiliation, see Understand user affiliation.
- To collect data for these events, you must enable all reporting or the specific options as detailed below. For details, see Set ChromeOS device policies > Report device telemetry, Set ChromeOS device policies > Report device OS information, and Set Chrome policies for users or browsers > Data controls reporting.
| Event value | Description | Reporting connector support | Required policy |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChromeOS login failure | The user failed to sign in to their ChromeOS device. | Supported | Report device telemetry |
| ChromeOS login success | The user successfully signed in to their ChromeOS device. | Supported | |
| ChromeOS logout | The user successfully signed out of their ChromeOS device. | Supported | |
| ChromeOS user added | A user account was added to a ChromeOS device. | Supported | |
| ChromeOS user removed | A user account was removed from a ChromeOS device. | Supported | |
| ChromeOS lock success | The screen of a ChromeOS device was locked. | Not supported | |
| ChromeOS unlock success | The screen of a ChromeOS device was unlocked. | Not supported | |
| ChromeOS unlock failure | There was a failed attempt to unlock a ChromeOS device. | Not supported | |
| ChromeOS device boot state change |
A ChromeOS device’s boot state has been switched to either Developer or Verified mode.
|
Not supported | Report device OS information |
| ChromeOS USB device added |
A USB device was added to a ChromeOS device. This event is only reported for affiliated users. |
Supported | Report device OS information |
| ChromeOS USB device removed | A USB device was removed from a ChromeOS device. This event is only reported for affiliated users. | Supported | |
| ChromeOS USB status change | An affiliated user signs into the device all existing USB connections will be reported. | Supported | |
| ChromeOS CRD host started | An affiliated user initiated a Chrome Report Desktop (CRD) host session on a managed device. | Supported | Report device OS information |
| ChromeOS CRD client connected |
A user connected to the Chrome Report Desktop (CRD) session. |
Supported | |
| ChromeOS CRD client disconnected | A user disconnected from the Chrome Report Desktop (CRD) session. | Supported | |
| ChromeOS CRD host stopped | An affiliated user stopped a Chrome Report Desktop (CRD) host session on a managed device. | Supported | |
| ChromeOS rollback successful | A ChromeOS device completed an OS rollback. | Not supported | Report device OS information |
| ChromeOS version update successful | A user successfully updated a ChromeOS device to the target ChromeOS version. | Not supported | |
| ChromeOS version update failure | A ChromeOS device failed to update to the target ChromeOS version. | Not supported | |
| Chrome OS device powerwash initiated | A ChromeOS device initiated a powerwash. | Not supported | |
| Data access control | A user has triggered ChromeOS data control rules applied by the admin. | Supported | Data controls reporting |
Manage log event data
Manage search results column data
You can control which data columns appear in your search results.
- At the top-right of the search results table, click Manage columns
.
- (Optional) To remove current columns, click Remove
.
- (Optional) To add columns, next to Add new column, click the Down arrow
and select the data column.
Repeat as needed. - (Optional) To change the order of the columns, drag the data column names.
- Click Save.
Export search result data
You can export search results to Google Sheets or to a CSV file.
- At the top of the search results table, click Export all.
- Enter a name
The export displays below the search results table under Export action results. - To view the data, click the name of your export.
The export opens in Google Sheets.
Export limits vary:
- The total results of the export are limited to 100,000 rows (except for Gmail message searches, which are limited to 10,000 rows).
- Supported editions for this feature: Frontline Standard; Enterprise Standard and Enterprise Plus; Education Standard and Education Plus; Enterprise Essentials Plus; Cloud Identity Premium. Compare your edition
If you have the security investigation tool, the total results of the export are limited to 30 million rows (except for Gmail message searches, which are limited to 10,000 rows).
For more information, see Export search results.
When and how long is data available?
Take action based on search results
- You can set up alerts based on log event data using reporting rules. For instructions, see Create and manage reporting rules.
- Supported editions for this feature: Frontline Standard; Enterprise Standard and Enterprise Plus; Education Standard and Education Plus; Enterprise Essentials Plus; Cloud Identity Premium. Compare your edition
To help prevent, detect, and remediate security issues efficiently, you can automate actions in the security investigation tool and set up alerts by creating activity rules. To set up a rule, set up conditions for the rule, and then specify what actions to perform when the conditions are met. For details and instructions, see Create and manage activity rules.
Supported editions for this feature: Frontline Standard; Enterprise Standard and Enterprise Plus; Education Standard and Education Plus; Enterprise Essentials Plus; Cloud Identity Premium. Compare your edition
After you run a search in the security investigation tool, you can act on your search results. For example, you can run a search based on Gmail log events and then use the tool to delete specific messages, send messages to quarantine, or send messages to users' inboxes. For more details, go to Take action based on search results.
Manage your investigations
Supported editions for this feature: Frontline Standard; Enterprise Standard and Enterprise Plus; Education Standard and Education Plus; Enterprise Essentials Plus; Cloud Identity Premium. Compare your edition
View your list of investigationsTo view a list of the investigations that you own and that were shared with you, click View investigations . The investigation list includes the names, descriptions, and owners of the investigations, and the date last modified.
From this list, you can take action on any investigations that you own—for example, to delete an investigation. Check the box for an investigation and then click Actions.
Note: Directly above your list of investigations, under Quick access, you can view recently saved investigations.
As a super administrator, click Settings to:
- Change the time zone for your investigations. The time zone applies to search conditions and results.
- Turn on or off Require reviewer. For more details, go to Require reviewers for bulk actions.
- Turn on or off View content. This setting allows admins with the appropriate privileges to view content.
- Turn on or off Enable action justification.
For instructions and details, go to Configure settings for your investigations.
To save your search criteria or share it with others, you can create and save an investigation, and then share, duplicate, or delete it.
For details, go to Save, share, delete, and duplicate investigations.
Chrome extension telemetry data
Available only for customers who have purchased a Google Security Operations license.
You can capture Chrome extension telemetry data in Google Security Operations. Collect extension telemetry data from within Chrome, and send it to Google Security Operations to provide instant analysis and context on risky activity.
-
Sign in to your Google Admin console.
Sign in using your administrator account (does not end in @gmail.com).
-
In the Admin console, go to Menu
Chrome browser
- Go to Browser reporting.
- Click Event reporting and select Enable event reporting.
- Click Additional settings and check the Extension telemetry reports box.
- Click Save.
-
In the Admin console, go to Menu
- Open a Google Security Operations configuration
- Go to User & browser events, and for Optional event types check the Extension telemetry reports box. Alternatively, click New provider configuration to create a new configuration where you want to receive extension telemetry events.
- Click Save.
For more information about Google Security Operations and how to set it up, contact Google Cloud Security.
Chrome extension telemetry data
|
Chrome extension value
|
Description
|
Reporting connector support
|
|---|---|---|
| chrome.cookies.get |
Retrieves information about a single cookie. API that allows for manipulation of cookies. The telemetry service tracks API calls and arguments to expose cookie theft. |
Supported on Chrome browser version 129 and later. Requires a Google Security Operations license to view the telemetry data. |
| chrome.cookies.get(All) |
A Chrome extension telemetry signal. Retrieves all cookies from a single cookie store that match the given information. API that allows for manipulation of cookies. The telemetry service tracks API calls and arguments to expose cookie theft. |
Supported on Chrome browser version 129 and later. Requires a Google Security Operations license to view the telemetry data. |
| chrome.tabs | A Chrome extension telemetry signal. This API provides controls over tabs. The telemetry service tracks usage of the API methods of create, update, and remove to expose search or browser hijacking. |
Supported on Chrome browser version 129 and later. Requires a Google Security Operations license to view the telemetry data. |
| Remote hosts contacted | A Chrome extension telemetry signal. The telemetry service records a list of any remote hosts that are contacted using http(s) and websocket(s). |
Supported on Chrome browser version 129 and later. Requires a Google Security Operations license to view the telemetry data. |
| Off-store extensions | A Chrome extension telemetry signal. The telemetry service tracks file names and hashes from extensions that are not installed from the Chrome Web Store. |
Supported on Chrome browser version 129 and later. Requires a Google Security Operations license to view the telemetry data. |
