Collect BlueCat Edge DNS Resolver logs

Supported in:

Google secops SIEM

This document explains how to ingest BlueCat Edge DNS Resolver logs to Google Security Operations using the Bindplane agent.

BlueCat Edge DNS Resolver is a DNS security and management solution that generates logs for DNS queries, responses, and threat detection events. The parser normalizes fields and maps them to the Unified Data Model (UDM), handling both JSON and non-JSON log formats.

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 BlueCat BDDS server
If running behind a proxy, ensure firewall ports are open per the Bindplane agent requirements
Privileged access to the BlueCat BDDS web UI

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

service:
    pipelines:
        logs/bluecat_edge_to_chronicle:
            receivers:
                - udplog
            exporters:
                - chronicle/bluecat_edge

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 syslog on BlueCat Edge DNS Resolver

Sign in to the BDDS web UI.
Go to Configuration > Servers tab.
Select the name of a BDDS to open the Details tab for the server.
Click the server name menu > Service Configuration.
Click Service Type > Syslog.
Provide the following configuration details:
- Select the ISO 8601 Timestamp checkbox to use the ISO 8601 timestamp format for locally logged messages.
- Server: Enter the Bindplane agent IP address.
- Port: Enter the Bindplane agent port number.
- Level: Select Informational.
- Select the Use RFC5424 Syslog Protocol checkbox to use the RFC 5424 syslog protocol for syslog messages.
- Select the ISO 8601 Timestamp checkbox to use the ISO 8601 timestamp format for syslog messages redirected to a remote syslog server.
- Under Service Type, select DNS, DHCP, and All Other Services.
- Transport: Select UDP.
- Click Add.
Click Update.

UDM mapping table

Log Field	UDM Mapping	Logic
answer.domainName	network.dns.answers.name	The domain name from the `answer` section of the DNS response. The trailing `.` is removed.
answer.recordTypeId	network.dns.answers.type	The record type ID from the `answer` section of the DNS response, converted to an unsigned integer.
answer.ttl	network.dns.answers.ttl	The Time to Live (TTL) value from the `answer` section of the DNS response, converted to an unsigned integer.
customerId	target.user.userid	The customer ID from the log, representing the user who initiated the DNS request.
domain.domainName	network.dns.authority.data	The domain name from the `authority` or `additional` sections of the DNS response. The trailing `.` is removed.
hostname	principal.hostname	The hostname extracted from the `Host` header in the raw log, only if the log is not in JSON format.
method	network.http.method	The HTTP method extracted from the raw log, only if the log is not in JSON format.
parentDomain	principal.administrative_domain	The parent domain of the queried DNS name. The trailing `.` is removed.
port	principal.port	The port number extracted from the `Host` header in the raw log, only if the log is not in JSON format, converted to an integer.
question.domainName	network.dns.questions.name	The domain name from the `question` section of the DNS request. The trailing `.` is removed.
question.questionTypeId	network.dns.questions.type	The question type ID from the `question` section of the DNS request, converted to an unsigned integer.
responseData.header.aa	network.dns.authoritative	Whether the DNS response is authoritative, extracted from the `responseData` section.
responseData.header.id	network.dns.id	The DNS message ID, extracted from the `responseData` section, converted to an unsigned integer.
responseData.header.opcode	network.dns.opcode	The DNS message opcode, extracted from the `responseData` section, converted to an unsigned integer.
responseData.header.ra	network.dns.recursion_available	Whether recursion is available, extracted from the `responseData` section.
responseData.header.rcode	network.dns.response_code	The DNS response code, extracted from the `responseData` section, converted to an unsigned integer.
responseData.header.rd	network.dns.recursion_desired	Whether recursion is selected, extracted from the `responseData` section.
responseData.header.tc	network.dns.truncated	Whether the DNS message is truncated, extracted from the `responseData` section.
servicePointId	additional.fields.value.string_value	The service point ID from the log.
siteId	additional.fields.value.string_value	The site ID from the log.
socketProtocol	network.ip_protocol	The network protocol used for the DNS request (TCP or UDP).
sourceAddress	principal.ip	The IP address of the DNS client.
sourcePort	principal.port	The port number of the DNS client, converted to an integer.
threat.indicators	security_result.category_details	The indicators associated with a detected threat.
threat.type	security_result.threat_name	The type of detected threat.
time	metadata.event_timestamp.seconds	The timestamp of the DNS event, extracted from the `time` field and converted from milliseconds to seconds.
User-Agent	network.http.user_agent	The user agent string extracted from the raw log, only if the log is not in JSON format.
	additional.fields.key	`servicePointId` or `siteId` or `Content-Type` or `Content-Length`, depending on the content of the raw log.
	metadata.event_type	The event type, set to `NETWORK_DNS` if a DNS question is present, otherwise set to `GENERIC_EVENT`.
	metadata.log_type	The log type, always set to `BLUECAT_EDGE`.
	network.application_protocol	The application protocol, set to `DNS` if a DNS question is present, otherwise set to `HTTP` if an HTTP method is extracted, or left empty.

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