Collect Aruba Wireless Controller and Access Point logs

Supported in:

Google secops SIEM

This document explains how to ingest Aruba Wireless Controller and Access Point logs to Google Security Operations using the Bindplane agent.

Aruba Wireless Controllers and Access Points generate syslog messages for wireless events, client associations, authentication, access control, and system operations. The parser processes syslog messages, extracting fields related to observer, intermediary, and access point details.

Before you begin

Make sure you have the following prerequisites:

A Google SecOps instance
Windows Server 2016 or later, or Linux host with systemd
Network connectivity between the Bindplane agent and the Aruba Wireless Controller
If running behind a proxy, ensure firewall ports are open per the Bindplane agent requirements
Privileged access to an Aruba Wireless Controller

Get Google SecOps ingestion authentication file

Sign in to the Google SecOps console.
Go to SIEM Settings > Collection Agents.
Download the Ingestion Authentication File
Save the file securely on the system where the Bindplane agent will be installed.

Note: This JSON file contains credentials for authenticating the Bindplane agent to Google SecOps.

Get Google SecOps customer ID

Sign in to the Google SecOps console.
Go to SIEM Settings > Profile.
Copy and save the Customer ID from the Organization Details section.

Note: The customer ID is required for configuring the Bindplane agent exporter.

Install the Bindplane agent

Install the Bindplane agent on your Windows or Linux operating system according to the following instructions.

Windows installation

Open Command Prompt or PowerShell as an administrator.

Run the following command:

msiexec /i "https://github.com/observIQ/bindplane-agent/releases/latest/download/observiq-otel-collector.msi" /quiet

Wait for the installation to complete.
Verify the installation by running:
```
sc query observiq-otel-collector
```
The service should show as RUNNING.

Linux installation

Open a terminal with root or sudo privileges.

Run the following command:

sudo sh -c "$(curl -fsSlL https://github.com/observiq/bindplane-agent/releases/latest/download/install_unix.sh)" install_unix.sh

Wait for the installation to complete.
Verify the installation by running:
```
sudo systemctl status observiq-otel-collector
```
The service should show as active (running).

Additional installation resources

For additional installation options and troubleshooting, see Bindplane agent installation guide.

Configure the Bindplane agent to ingest syslog and send to Google SecOps

Locate the configuration file

Linux:

sudo nano /etc/bindplane-agent/config.yaml

Windows:

notepad "C:\Program Files\observIQ OpenTelemetry Collector\config.yaml"

Edit the configuration file

Replace the entire contents of config.yaml with the following configuration:

receivers:
    udplog:
        listen_address: "0.0.0.0:514"

exporters:
    chronicle/aruba_wireless:
        compression: gzip
        creds_file_path: '/etc/bindplane-agent/ingestion-auth.json'
        customer_id: '<customer_id>'
        endpoint: malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com
        log_type: ARUBA_WIRELESS
        raw_log_field: body

service:
    pipelines:
        logs/aruba_wireless_to_chronicle:
            receivers:
                - udplog
            exporters:
                - chronicle/aruba_wireless

Configuration parameters

Replace the following placeholders:

Receiver configuration:
- listen_address: IP address and port to listen on:
  - 0.0.0.0 to listen on all interfaces (recommended)
  - Port 514 is the standard syslog port (requires root on Linux; use 1514 for non-root)
Exporter configuration:
- creds_file_path: Full path to ingestion authentication file:
  - Linux: /etc/bindplane-agent/ingestion-auth.json
  - Windows: C:\Program Files\observIQ OpenTelemetry Collector\ingestion-auth.json
- customer_id: Customer ID copied from the Google SecOps console
- endpoint: Regional endpoint URL:
  - US: malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com
  - Europe: europe-malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com
  - Asia: asia-southeast1-malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com
  - See Regional Endpoints for complete list

Save the configuration file

After editing, save the file:
- Linux: Press Ctrl+O, then Enter, then Ctrl+X
- Windows: Click File > Save

Restart the Bindplane agent to apply the changes

To restart the Bindplane agent in Linux, run the following command:

sudo systemctl restart observiq-otel-collector

Verify the service is running:

sudo systemctl status observiq-otel-collector

Check logs for errors:

sudo journalctl -u observiq-otel-collector -f

To restart the Bindplane agent in Windows, choose one of the following options:
- Command Prompt or PowerShell as administrator:
```
net stop observiq-otel-collector && net start observiq-otel-collector
```
- Services console:
  1. Press Win+R, type services.msc, and press Enter.
  2. Locate observIQ OpenTelemetry Collector.
  3. Right-click and select Restart.
  4. Verify the service is running:
```
sc query observiq-otel-collector
```
  5. Check logs for errors:
```
type "C:\Program Files\observIQ OpenTelemetry Collector\log\collector.log"
```

Configure Aruba Wireless Controller and Access Point

Sign in to the Aruba controller web UI.
Go to the top menu and select Configuration > System.
Select Logging to open the logging configuration page.
In the Syslog servers section, click + Add to add a new syslog server.
Enter the following details:
- Name: Enter a unique name for the syslog server; for example, Google SecOps Syslog.
- IP Address: Enter the Bindplane IP address.
- Port: Enter the Bindplane port number (typically 514 for UDP).
- Logging Facility: Select local 6 (commonly used for network devices).
- Logging Level: Select Informational to capture information logs.
- Format: Select bsd-standard format (this is the default syslog format used by Aruba controllers).
Click Submit to save your settings.
Click Pending Changes.
Click Deploy Changes to apply the new syslog server configuration.

Note: After deploying the changes, configure the logging level for specific categories of logs.
Go to the Logging Level settings and set the Logging Level to Informational for each of the following categories:
- Network
- All
- Cluster
- DHCP
- GP
- Mobility
- Packet-Dump
- SDN

UDM mapping table

Log Field	UDM Mapping	Logic
`Additional Info`	`read_only_udm.security_result.description`	The value of `Additional Info` from the raw log is mapped to the UDM field `security_result.description`.
`AP`	`read_only_udm.target.hostname`	When present in the raw log, the value after `AP:` is extracted and mapped to the UDM field `target.hostname`.
`BSSID`	`read_only_udm.target.mac`, `read_only_udm.principal.resource.name` (when resource type is BSSID)	The BSSID value from the raw log is mapped to `target.mac`. It's also used as the resource name when the `principal.resource.type` is `BSSID`.
`COMMAND`	`read_only_udm.principal.process.command_line`	The command value from the raw log is mapped to the UDM field `principal.process.command_line`.
`Dst-MAC`	`read_only_udm.target.mac`	When present, the Dst-MAC value from the raw log is mapped to the UDM field `target.mac`.
`SERVER`	`read_only_udm.target.hostname`	When present, the server name from the raw log is mapped to the UDM field `target.hostname`.
`SERVER-IP`	`read_only_udm.target.ip`	When present, the server IP from the raw log is mapped to the UDM field `target.ip`.
`Src-MAC`	`read_only_udm.principal.mac`	When present, the Src-MAC value from the raw log is mapped to the UDM field `principal.mac`.
`SSID`	`read_only_udm.target.resource.name` (when resource type is SSID)	The SSID value from the raw log is used as the resource name when the `target.resource.type` is `SSID`.
`USER`	`read_only_udm.target.user.userid`	When present, the user ID from the raw log is mapped to the UDM field `target.user.userid`.
`USERIP`	`read_only_udm.principal.ip`, `read_only_udm.observer.ip`	When present, the user IP from the raw log is mapped to the UDM field `principal.ip` and `observer.ip`.
`USERMAC`	`read_only_udm.principal.mac`	When present, the user MAC from the raw log is mapped to the UDM field `principal.mac`.
`USERNAME`	`read_only_udm.principal.user.userid`	When present, the username from the raw log is mapped to the UDM field `principal.user.userid`.
`action`	`read_only_udm.security_result.action`	The action value from the raw log (e.g., `permit`, `deny`) is mapped to the UDM field `security_result.action`.
`apname`	`read_only_udm.target.hostname`	When present, the AP name from the raw log is mapped to the UDM field `target.hostname`.
`bssid`	`read_only_udm.target.mac`	When present, the BSSID value from the raw log is mapped to the UDM field `target.mac`.
`collection_time.seconds`	`read_only_udm.metadata.event_timestamp.seconds`	The seconds value of the collection time from the raw log is mapped to the UDM field `metadata.event_timestamp.seconds`.
`device_ip`	`read_only_udm.intermediary.ip`	The device IP from the raw log or from `logstash` is mapped to the UDM field `intermediary.ip`.
`dstip`	`read_only_udm.target.ip`	When present, the destination IP from the raw log is mapped to the UDM field `target.ip`.
`dstport`	`read_only_udm.target.port`	When present, the destination port from the raw log is mapped to the UDM field `target.port`.
`event_id`	`read_only_udm.metadata.product_event_type`	The event ID from the raw log is used to construct the `metadata.product_event_type` field in the UDM, prefixed with `Event ID:`.
`event_message`	`read_only_udm.security_result.summary`	The event message from the raw log is mapped to the UDM field `security_result.summary`.
`log.source.address`	`read_only_udm.observer.ip`	The log source address is mapped to the UDM field `observer.ip`.
`log_type`	`read_only_udm.metadata.log_type`	The log type from the raw log is mapped to the UDM field `metadata.log_type`.
`logstash.collect.host`	`read_only_udm.observer.ip` or `read_only_udm.observer.hostname`	The logstash collect host is mapped to either `observer.ip` if it's an IP address, or `observer.hostname` if it's a hostname.
`logstash.ingest.host`	`read_only_udm.intermediary.hostname`	The logstash ingest host is mapped to the UDM field `intermediary.hostname`.
`logstash.process.host`	`read_only_udm.intermediary.hostname`	The logstash process host is mapped to the UDM field `intermediary.hostname`.
`program`	`read_only_udm.target.application`	The program name from the raw log is mapped to the UDM field `target.application`.
`serverip`	`read_only_udm.target.ip`	When present, the server IP from the raw log is mapped to the UDM field `target.ip`.
`servername`	`read_only_udm.target.hostname`	When present, the server name from the raw log is mapped to the UDM field `target.hostname`.
`srcip`	`read_only_udm.principal.ip`	When present, the source IP from the raw log is mapped to the UDM field `principal.ip`.
`srcport`	`read_only_udm.principal.port`	When present, the source port from the raw log is mapped to the UDM field `principal.port`.
`syslog_host`	`read_only_udm.intermediary.hostname`	The syslog host from the raw log is mapped to the UDM field `intermediary.hostname`.
`timestamp`	`read_only_udm.metadata.event_timestamp`	The timestamp from the raw log is parsed and mapped to the UDM field `metadata.event_timestamp`.
`userip`	`read_only_udm.principal.ip`, `read_only_udm.observer.ip`	When present, the user IP from the raw log is mapped to the UDM field `principal.ip` and `observer.ip`.
`usermac`	`read_only_udm.principal.mac`	When present, the user MAC from the raw log is mapped to the UDM field `principal.mac`.
`username`	`read_only_udm.principal.user.userid`	When present, the username from the raw log is mapped to the UDM field `principal.user.userid`. Derived from the `event_id` and logic within the parser. Determined by the parser based on the event ID and log message content. Hardcoded to `Wireless`. Hardcoded to `Aruba`. Determined by the parser based on the event ID and log message content. Determined by the parser based on the event ID and log message content. Extracted from the raw log message using regex. Determined by the parser based on the event ID and log message content. An empty object is added when the event_type is USER_LOGIN or a related authentication event. Determined by the parser based on the network protocol used in the event (e.g., TCP, UDP, ICMP, IGMP). Contains additional fields extracted from the raw log based on specific conditions. For example, the `ap_name` is added as a key-value pair when present. Set to `BSSID` when a BSSID is present in the principal's context. Set to `SSID` when an SSID is present in the target's context. Contains key-value pairs of relevant detection information extracted from the raw log, such as BSSID or SSID.

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