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Event Information

  • The google.monitoring.v3.MetricService.DeleteMetricDescriptor event in GCP for Monitoring indicates that a metric descriptor has been deleted.
  • This event signifies that a specific metric, which defines the characteristics and properties of a metric, has been removed from the Monitoring service.
  • The event can be used to track changes and updates to the metrics being monitored in GCP, providing visibility into the management and modification of metric descriptors.

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Examples

  1. Unauthorized deletion: If security is impacted with google.monitoring.v3.MetricService.DeleteMetricDescriptor in GCP for Monitoring, it could indicate that an unauthorized user or entity has gained access to the metric descriptor management functionality and is able to delete metric descriptors. This could lead to the loss of important monitoring data and potentially disrupt the monitoring and alerting capabilities of the system.
  2. Data loss: Deleting metric descriptors in GCP Monitoring can result in the loss of historical monitoring data associated with those metrics. This can impact the ability to analyze past performance, identify trends, and troubleshoot issues. It is important to have proper access controls and authentication mechanisms in place to prevent unauthorized deletion of metric descriptors.
  3. Compliance violations: Deleting metric descriptors without proper authorization and audit trails can lead to compliance violations, especially in regulated industries. Compliance standards such as GDPR, HIPAA, or PCI-DSS require organizations to have strict controls and auditability over data management processes. Unauthorized deletion of metric descriptors can result in non-compliance and potential legal consequences.

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Remediation

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Using Console

  1. Enable GCP Monitoring:
  • Log in to the GCP Console.
  • Navigate to the Monitoring page.
  • Click on “Enable Monitoring” to enable monitoring for your GCP resources.
  1. Set up Monitoring Alerts:
  • In the GCP Console, go to the Monitoring page.
  • Click on “Create Alerting Policy” to create a new alerting policy.
  • Define the conditions for the alert based on the specific event you want to monitor.
  • Specify the notification channels to receive alerts (e.g., email, SMS, etc.).
  • Save the alerting policy.
  1. Configure Monitoring Dashboards:
  • In the GCP Console, go to the Monitoring page.
  • Click on “Create Dashboard” to create a new dashboard.
  • Add the relevant charts and metrics to the dashboard based on the events you want to monitor.
  • Customize the layout and appearance of the dashboard as per your preference.
  • Save the dashboard for future reference.
Note: These steps provide a high-level overview of how to remediate the issues using GCP Monitoring. The actual steps may vary depending on the specific event and requirements. It is recommended to refer to the official GCP documentation for detailed instructions.

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Using CLI

  1. Enable GCP Monitoring for a specific project:
  • Use the gcloud command to enable Monitoring API: 
    gcloud services enable monitoring.googleapis.com --project [PROJECT_ID]
  1. Create a custom metric in GCP Monitoring:
  • Use the gcloud command to create a custom metric descriptor: 
    gcloud alpha monitoring metric-descriptors create --type=custom.googleapis.com/[METRIC_TYPE] --description="[DESCRIPTION]" --display-name="[DISPLAY_NAME]" --project=[PROJECT_ID]
  1. Create an alert policy in GCP Monitoring:
  • Use the gcloud command to create an alert policy: 
    gcloud alpha monitoring policies create --display-name="[DISPLAY_NAME]" --condition="[CONDITION]" --combiner="[COMBINER]" --project=[PROJECT_ID]
Note: Replace [PROJECT_ID] with the actual GCP project ID, [METRIC_TYPE] with the desired metric type, [DESCRIPTION] with a description for the metric, [DISPLAY_NAME] with a user-friendly name for the metric, [CONDITION] with the condition for the alert policy, and [COMBINER] with the combiner type for the condition.

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Using Python

To remediate GCP Monitoring issues using Python, you can utilize the following approaches:
  1. Automating Alerting Policies:
    • Use the Google Cloud Monitoring API to programmatically create, update, or delete alerting policies.
    • Write a Python script that interacts with the API to define alerting conditions, notification channels, and thresholds.
    • Schedule the script to run periodically to ensure that alerting policies are always up to date.
  2. Managing Metrics and Time Series Data:
    • Utilize the Google Cloud Monitoring API to fetch and analyze metrics and time series data.
    • Write a Python script that retrieves the required metrics and performs analysis or anomaly detection.
    • Use the script to generate reports or trigger actions based on the analyzed data.
  3. Custom Monitoring Checks:
    • Leverage the Google Cloud Monitoring API to create custom monitoring checks.
    • Write a Python script that performs specific checks or validations on resources or services.
    • Schedule the script to run at regular intervals and report any issues or inconsistencies found.
Please note that the provided examples are general guidelines, and the actual implementation may vary based on your specific requirements and the GCP services you are monitoring.