Collect Barracuda WAF logs

Supported in:

Google secops SIEM

This document explains how to ingest Barracuda Web Application Firewall (WAF) logs to Google Security Operations using the Bindplane agent.

Barracuda WAF generates logs for web traffic (TR) and web firewall events (WF) in JSON and syslog formats. The parser normalizes fields and maps them to the Unified Data Model (UDM), handling IP address resolution, directionality mapping, and severity normalization.

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 Barracuda WAF
If running behind a proxy, ensure firewall ports are open per the Bindplane agent requirements
Privileged access to the Barracuda WAF

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:
    tcplog:
        listen_address: "0.0.0.0:514"

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

service:
    pipelines:
        logs/barracuda_waf_to_chronicle:
            receivers:
                - tcplog
            exporters:
                - chronicle/barracuda_waf

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:

```bash
sudo systemctl status observiq-otel-collector
```

Check logs for errors:

```bash
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 Barracuda WAF

Sign in to the Barracuda WAF console using administrator credentials.
Click the Advanced tab > Export logs.
In the Export logs section, click Add export log server.
Provide the following values:
- Name: Enter a name for the log server.
- Log server type: Select Syslog.
- IP Address or hostname: Enter the Bindplane IP address.
- Port: Enter the Bindplane port.
- Connection type: Select TCP (recommended; UDP or SSL can also be used).
- Validate server certificate: Select No.
- Client certificate: Select None.
- Log timestamp and hostname: Select Yes.
Click Add.

UDM mapping table

Log Field	UDM Mapping	Logic
`action`	`security_result.action`	If `action` is `DENY`, set to `BLOCK`. Otherwise, set to `ALLOW` (specifically for `WF` log type). Also used for generic firewall events.
`appProtocol`	`network.application_protocol`	If `appProtocol` matches `TLSv`, set to `HTTPS`. Otherwise, use the value of `appProtocol`.
`attackDetails`	`security_result.description`	Extracted from the raw log for `WF` log type.
`attackType`	`security_result.summary`	Part of the `security_result.summary`, combined with `ruleType`.
`bytesReceived`	`network.received_bytes`	Converted to unsigned integer and mapped for `TR` log type.
`bytesSent`	`network.sent_bytes`	Converted to unsigned integer and mapped for `TR` log type.
`hostName`	`target.hostname`	If `hostName` is not an IP address, use its value. Otherwise, it's merged into `target.ip`.
`httpMethod` `loginId`	`principal.user.userid`	Mapped for `TR` log type when not equal to `emptyToken`.
`logType`	`metadata.product_event_type`	If `TR`, set `metadata.product_event_type` to `Barracuda Access Log`. If `WF`, set to `Barracuda Web Firewall Log`.
`message`	`metadata.description`	Used when `desc` is not empty.
`referrer`	`network.http.referral_url`	Mapped for `TR` log type when not equal to `emptyToken`.
`responseCode`	`network.http.response_code`	Converted to integer and mapped for `TR` log type.
`rule`	`security_result.rule_name`	Mapped for `WF` log type.
`ruleType`	`security_result.summary`	Part of the `security_result.summary`, combined with `attackType`.
`sec_desc`	`security_result.rule_name`	Used for generic firewall events.
`server`	`target.ip`	Merged into `target.ip`.
`serv`	`target.ip`	Merged into `target.ip`.
`severity`	`security_result.severity`	For `WF` log type: Converted to uppercase. If `EMERGENCY`, `ALER`, or `CRITICAL`, set `security_result.severity` to `CRITICAL`. If `ERROR`, set to `HIGH`. If `WARNING`, set to `MEDIUM`. If `NOTICE`, set to `LOW`. Otherwise, set to `INFORMATIONAL`.
`src`	`principal.ip`	Also used for generic firewall events and some status updates.
`srcPort`	`principal.port`	Converted to integer.
`target` `targetPort`	`target.port`	Converted to integer.
`time`	`metadata.event_timestamp.seconds`, `metadata.event_timestamp.nanos`, `timestamp.seconds`, `timestamp.nanos`	Combined with `tz` and parsed to create the event timestamp. The seconds and nanos are extracted and populated in the respective fields.
`url` `urlParams`	`target.url`	Appended to `url` if not equal to `emptyToken` for `TR` log type.
`userAgent` `userName`	`target.user.userid`, `target.user.user_display_name`	Used for generic firewall events. If not equal to `emptyToken` for `TR` log type, mapped to `target.user.user_display_name`. Hardcoded to `Barracuda`. Set to `NETWORK_HTTP` if both `src` and `target` are present. Set to `STATUS_UPDATE` if only `src` is present. Set to `GENERIC_EVENT` as a default or for other scenarios like CEF parsing. Hardcoded to `BARRACUDA_WAF`.

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