AlienVault Open Threat Exchange (OTX)

Introduction

This guide explains how to authenticate the AlienVault Open Threat Exchange (OTX) connector in Swimlane using API Key authentication. You will create or retrieve your OTX API key, collect the required connection details, and configure the connector in Swimlane Turbine.

Prerequisites

OTX Access Requirements

You must have access to an AlienVault OTX account with permissions to:

Access the OTX threat intelligence platform

Generate or retrieve an API key

Query indicators such as domains, IP addresses, URLs, and file hashes

Required Credentials

During setup you will collect:

OTX API Base URL

OTX API Key

Authentication Method Overview

The AlienVault OTX connector authenticates using API Key authentication. The API key is included in requests using the header X-OTX-API-KEY.

AlienVault OTX API Setup

Take the following steps to obtain your OTX API key:

Navigate to https://otx.alienvault.com/

Click Sign Up to create a new account, or log in to an existing account.

After logging in, open your user profile menu.

Navigate to Account Settings.

Locate the API Key section in the account settings page.

Copy the API key value.

Store the API key securely for use in Swimlane.

Connector Configuration in Swimlane

Take the following steps to configure the AlienVault OTX connector asset in Swimlane.

From the left-hand navigation pane click ORCHESTRATION and then Assets.

The Asset homepage opens.

Click the plus icon to open the Configure your Connector Asset window.

Select AlienVault Open Threat Exchange from the Asset type list.

Fill in the Asset Settings and Asset Input as shown below.

Click Create.

Configuration Parameters

Field	Description	Required
url	Base URL for the AlienVault OTX API (for example https://otx.alienvault.com/api)	Required
X-OTX-API-KEY	API key generated from your OTX account	Required
verify_ssl	Enable or disable SSL certificate verification	Optional
http_proxy	Proxy configuration if requests must go through a proxy	Optional

Troubleshooting

If authentication fails:

Ensure the API key is copied correctly from the OTX account settings page.

Verify the base URL is correct and does not include trailing spaces.

Confirm that the API key has not been regenerated or revoked.

Check SSL verification settings if using internal proxies or inspection.

Validate proxy configuration if outbound API traffic is routed through a proxy.

Sources

AlienVault OTX API Documentation: https://otx.alienvault.com/api/

AlienVault Open Threat Exchange Platform: https://otx.alienvault.com/

Result

You have successfully authenticated the AlienVault Open Threat Exchange connector in Swimlane.