Limiting access to GRR UI/API with API routers

GRR has a notion of API call routers. Every API request that GRR server handles is processed in a following fashion:

  1. A username of a user making the request is matched against rules in the router configuration file (as defined in the API.RouterACLConfigFile config option).
    • If router configuration file is not set, a default router is used. Default router is specified in the API.DefaultRouter configuration option.
    • If one of the rules in the API.RouterACLConfigFile matches, then a router from the matching rule is used.
  2. The API router is used to process the request.

GRR has a few predefined API routers:

  • DisabledApiCallRouter - a router that will return an error for all possible requests.
  • ApiCallRouterWithoutChecks (default) - a router that performs no access checks and just gives blanket access to the system.
  • ApiCallRouterWithApprovalChecks - a router that enables GRR approvals-based workflow for better auditing. See Approval-based auditing for more details.
  • ApiCallRobotRouter - a router that provides limited access to the system that is suitable for automation. Normally used together with ApiCallRouterWithApprovalChecks so that scripts and robots can perform actions without getting approvals.

Various configuration scenarios

All GRR users should have unrestricted access (default)

In GRR server configuration file:

API.DefaultRouter: ApiCallRouterWithoutChecks

All GRR users should follow audit-based workflow

In GRR server configuration file:

API.DefaultRouter: ApiCallRouterWithApprovalChecks

GRR users should follow audit-based workflow, but user “john” should have blanket access.

In GRR server configuration file:

API.RouterACLConfigFile: /etc/grr_api_acls.yaml
API.DefaultRouter: ApiCallRouterWithApprovalChecks

In /etc/grr_api_acls.yaml:

router: "ApiCallRouterWithoutChecks"
users:
  - "john"

NOTE: for example, you can set up user ‘john’ as a robot user, so that his credentials are used by scripts talking to the GRR API.

Sample api_acls.yaml:

router: "ApiCallRobotRouter"
users:
   - "serviceAccount1"

router: "ApiCallRouterWithApprovalChecks"
users:
  - "test"
  - "test2"

router: "ApiCallRouterWithoutChecks"
users:
  - "adminuser1"
  - "adminuser2"