Contrast ADR for Google Security Operations

Contrast Security has announced the availability of a new integration between Contrast ADR and Google Security Operations. This collaboration provides security operations centers (SOCs) with high-fidelity runtime application intelligence to accelerate detection and response to sophisticated application-layer threats.

As organizations modernize, the application layer has become the primary source of initial compromise. According to the Mandiant M-Trends 2025 report, the exploitation of vulnerabilities is now the leading initial infection vector, accounting for 33% of observed intrusions. Defending this surface requires a shift in perspective. Defenders must move from observing traffic at the perimeter to observing execution within the runtime.

How logic attacks work: Unsafe deserialization explained

To understand the necessity of runtime visibility within Google Security Operations, it is helpful to examine logic attacks. These exploits abuse the legitimate functionality of an application rather than simply sending a known malicious signature. A prime example is unsafe deserialization.

Serialization is a standard process in which an application converts data objects into a stream of bytes for storage or transmission over a network. Deserialization is the reverse process of rebuilding the object from the byte stream. In an unsafe deserialization attack, a threat actor manipulates the serialized data. When the application rebuilds this data innocently, it inadvertently instantiates a malicious object or executes an unauthorized command.

For traditional security tools, detecting this activity is exceptionally difficult. The malicious payload is often encoded, binary, and unique to the application's internal logic. To an external observer, the traffic appears valid. There is no standard signature to match because the danger lies not in the data itself, but in how the application processes it.

Availability and getting started

The Contrast ADR integration is now generally available for all Google Security Operations customers. To activate the feed, users navigate to the Integrations page of their Organization Settings in the Contrast console. Configuration is completed by providing the following Google Security Operations credentials:

• Google Security Operations Customer ID
• GCP Project ID
• GCP Region
• Google Security Operations authentication token

Within the Contrast console, customers can further filter the data to send based on environments, specific applications, or the attack outcome. This granular control allows teams to pinpoint the depth of visibility and telemetry that best suits their operational needs.

Because the integration is built natively on Google’s Unified Data Model (UDM), the downstream experience is seamless. No custom parsers or regex maintenance are required; runtime events are pre-mapped to UDM entities, ensuring events are populated with verified context the moment the integration is enabled.

The positive feedback loop: graph, prioritization and agentic fixes

Detecting an active exploit in Google Security Operations is a critical first step, but a complete defense requires closing the loop between the SOC and the development team. The Contrast platform leverages its Graph architecture to simultaneously empower the SOC as the first line of defense and drive permanent remediation in engineering.

The workflow operates as a continuous, parallel feedback loop as illustrated in the diagram:

1. Simultaneous intelligence (Defense and triage): When an attack occurs, runtime telemetry is sent to Google Security Operations in real time. Because this data includes the "Outcome Verification" (showing if an attack was blocked or successful), it allows the Agentic SOC to confidently execute a response without human intervention.
2. Dynamic prioritization: At the same time, the Contrast Graph maps the active threat back to the specific vulnerability in the code. This moves the issue to the top of the engineering backlog, as it is no longer a "theoretical" risk but a "targeted" one.
3. Continuous resilience (Convergence): The loop closes as Contrast AI SmartFix generates a verified code fix and delivers it directly as a Pull Request in GitHub. This tactical containment from the SOC and strategic fix from engineering converge to slash Mean Time to Respond (MTTR) from days to minutes.

Native UDM integration: Zero parsing, verified context

This is where the integration of runtime instrumentation becomes critical for the modern SOC. Because Contrast operates from within the application, it monitors the code execution directly. For deserialization, the platform observes the application attempting to instantiate an unauthorized class or trigger a command shell from a serialized stream.

The integration maps this deep runtime telemetry directly to Google’s Unified Data Model (UDM), transforming abstract application events into structured security evidence.

Zero operational overhead: Contrast Security ADR’s alerts are natively normalized to Google UDM. This removes the risks associated with out-of-date parsers, changing log formats, and the associated maintenance headaches for SOC admins.

Verified context: Beyond the operational ease, this normalization maps critical runtime context deterministically to structured security fields:

• Event categorization: The exact vulnerability type (e.g., Deserialization of Untrusted Data) is mapped to

  security_result

   fields. This allows analysts to distinguish between a generic probe and a specific logic exploit.
• Target identification: The specific application and asset under attack are clearly identified within

  target

   

   UDM entities. This reduces the time analysts spend correlating IP addresses to business services.
• Outcome verification: Runtime instrumentation determines if an attack was successful or blocked. This status is fed into Google Security Operations, allowing the SOC not be distracted by attacks that never hit an actual vulnerability.

Verified runtime context in action

This integration provides the actionable evidence required for the SOC to validate threats and execute a precise response.

As shown in the screenshot, Contrast provides clarity by confirming the exploit reached a vulnerable line of code and that abnormal behavior was observed in the runtime. This verified status eliminates the need for the SOC to investigate every exploit attempt on an application, allowing them to ignore thousands of harmless probes and focus exclusively on confirmed threats.

Context-aware remediation workflows: The runtime telemetry accessible Google Security Operations acts as the definitive trigger for a downstream remediation workflow. By utilizing the verified outcome and stack trace, customers can automate reporting and remediation tasks. In this workflow, a confirmed incident in Google Security Operations automatically prioritized a Contrast AI SmartFix, generating a context-aware Pull Request in GitHub that enables developers to remediate the root cause immediately without additional triaging.

Conclusion

By integrating Contrast’s runtime intelligence with the speed and scale of Google Security Operations, organizations can unify their defense strategy. This approach empowers the SOC to detect complex logic attacks like unsafe deserialization with precision while simultaneously driving a more efficient, risk-based workflow for application security teams. The result is a smaller attack surface and a security organization that moves faster than the adversary.

Key Takeaways

• Application-layer attacks such as unsafe deserialization exploit legitimate code execution and often evade perimeter-based security controls.
• Runtime instrumentation exposes these logic-based exploits by observing how applications actually execute in production.
• Contrast maps verified runtime execution data directly into Google Security Operations via the Unified Data Model (UDM), eliminating the need for custom parsers and providing SOC teams with precise, actionable context like attack success or failure.

This runtime context enables faster, more accurate investigations while supporting coordinated response and remediation across SOC and engineering teams.