GCP Responder Deployment: Technical Details

This page provides in-depth technical information about how XDR Forensics deploys Responders to Google Cloud Platform assets. For basic GCP setup and configuration, see Cloud Forensics.

When you deploy a Responder to a GCP asset, XDR Forensics generates a unique deployment script and stores it in your GCS bucket. The script filename is generated using a SHA-256 hash (truncated to 16 characters) of key deployment parameters:

• Console address and version
• Responder package version
• Organization ID and deployment token
• Relay server details (if configured)
• Connection route information (if applicable)

GCS path format:

If a script with identical parameters already exists, it is reused rather than re-uploaded.

The deployment uses GCP OS Config to execute the script on the target VM:

1. ExecStep Configuration — References the GCS object with bucket name, object path, and generation number
2. Interpreter Selection — PowerShell for Windows, Shell for Linux
3. Patch Job Creation — A patch job is created targeting the specific VM instance

Patch job naming:

• Display name: binalyze-air-responder-deploy-<instanceName>
• Description: XDR Forensics Responder deployment on <instanceName>

The patch job is configured with rebootConfig: NEVER to prevent automatic reboots after deployment.

XDR Forensics monitors the patch job via the OS Config API, tracking:

• Job status (started, patching, succeeded, failed)
• Error messages
• Progress percentage

Deployment logs are retrieved from Cloud Logging to surface command output and error details.