Collect CA LDAP logs

Parser Version: 2.0

Supported in:

Google SecOps SIEM

This document explains how to ingest CA LDAP logs to Google Security Operations using Bindplane agent.

CA Directory (formerly Symantec Directory) is an LDAP v2/v3 compliant directory server based on X.500 standards. It provides enterprise-level directory services with comprehensive logging capabilities including alarm, trace, warn, query, summary, connection, diagnostic, update, and statistics logs for monitoring directory operations and security events.

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 CA Directory server
• If running behind a proxy, ensure firewall ports are open per the Bindplane agent requirements
• Privileged access to the CA Directory server (root or administrator)
• CA Directory installed and configured with logging enabled

Get Google SecOps credentials for the Bindplane agent

To authenticate the Bindplane agent to Google SecOps, choose one of the following methods:

• New deployments: Use the Chronicle API (Option 1).
• Legacy deployments: Continue using the ingestion authentication file (Option 2) until the Ingestion API is discontinued on July 20, 2027.

Option 1: Create a service account for the Chronicle API (recommended)

1. Sign in to the Google Cloud console and select the Google Cloud project that is linked to your Google SecOps instance.
2. Go to IAM & Admin > Service Accounts.
3. Click Create service account.
4. Provide the following configuration details:
   • Service account name: Enter a name for the account (for example, bindplane-ingest).
   • Service account description: Enter a description (for example, Bindplane agent log ingestion).
5. Click Create and continue.
6. In the Grant this service account access to project section, click Select a role and select Chronicle Editor.
7. Click Continue, and then click Done.
8. Click the service account you created, and then go to the Keys tab.
9. Click Add key > Create new key.
10. Select JSON and click Create. The key file is downloaded to your computer.
11. Save the key file as ingestion-auth.json in the Bindplane collector directory (/opt/observiq-otel-collector/ingestion-auth.json on Linux or C:\Program Files\observIQ OpenTelemetry Collector\ingestion-auth.json on Windows), or update creds_file_path in config.yaml to match the path where you save it.
12. Go to IAM & Admin > Settings and copy the Project number. You'll need it for the exporter configuration.

Note: The JSON key is a credential. Restrict access to the file on the Bindplane host and rotate the key according to your organization's policy.

Option 2: Download the ingestion authentication file (legacy)

1. Sign in to the Google SecOps console.
2. Go to SIEM Settings > Collection Agents.
3. Download the ingestion authentication file.
4. Save the file securely on the system where the Bindplane agent will be installed.

Note: This file authenticates the agent to the legacy Ingestion API (malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com), which Google has scheduled for end of life on July 20, 2027. Plan to move to Option 1 before that date.

Get Google SecOps customer ID

1. Sign in to the Google SecOps console.
2. Go to SIEM Settings > Profile.

3. 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

  1. Open Command Prompt or PowerShell as an administrator.

  2. Run the following command:

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

  3. Wait for the installation to complete.

  4. Verify the installation by running:

     sc query observiq-otel-collector
     

     The service should show as RUNNING.

• Linux installation

  1. Open a terminal with root or sudo privileges.

  2. Run the following command:

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

  3. Wait for the installation to complete.

  4. 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.

Note: The Chronicle API exporter configuration requires Bindplane collector v1.106.0 or later. The previous commands install the latest release. If you're updating an existing installation, upgrade the collector before changing the configuration.

Configure Bindplane agent to ingest syslog and send to Google SecOps

Locate the configuration file

• Linux:

  sudo nano /opt/observiq-otel-collector/config.yaml
  

• Windows:

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

Edit the configuration file

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

   receivers:
     udplog:
       listen_address: "0.0.0.0:514"
   
   exporters:
     chronicle/ca_directory:
       protocol: https
       # Region of your instance, for example us, europe, asia-southeast1
       location: <LOCATION>
       # Project number of the Google Cloud project linked to the instance
       project: '<PROJECT_NUMBER>'
       compression: gzip
       creds_file_path: '/opt/observiq-otel-collector/ingestion-auth.json'
       customer_id: 'YOUR_CUSTOMER_ID'
       endpoint: chronicle.googleapis.com
       log_type: CA_LDAP
       raw_log_field: body
       ingestion_labels:
         env: production
         source: ca_directory
   
   service:
     pipelines:
       logs/ca_directory_to_chronicle:
         receivers:
           - udplog
         exporters:
           - chronicle/ca_directory
   

2. Replace the following placeholders:

   • Receiver configuration:

     • listen_address: Set to 0.0.0.0:514 to listen on all interfaces on UDP port 514

       • For Linux non-root installations, use port 1514 or higher
       • Ensure the port matches the port configured in rsyslog forwarding

   • Exporter configuration:

     • creds_file_path: Full path to the service account JSON key file (Option 1):

       • Linux: /opt/observiq-otel-collector/ingestion-auth.json
       • Windows: C:\Program Files\observIQ OpenTelemetry Collector\ingestion-auth.json

     • customer_id: Replace YOUR_CUSTOMER_ID with your customer ID. For details, see Get Google SecOps customer ID.

     • location: Replace <LOCATION> with the region of your Google SecOps instance (for example, us, europe, or asia-southeast1). The exporter prefixes chronicle.googleapis.com with this value. See Regional Endpoints for the complete list.

     • project: Replace <PROJECT_NUMBER> with the project number from IAM & Admin > Settings.

     • endpoint: Keep set to chronicle.googleapis.com.

     • log_type: Set to CA_LDAP (Chronicle ingestion label for CA Directory)

     • ingestion_labels: Optional labels for filtering and organization

Legacy ingestion API exporter

• If you use the ingestion authentication file from Option 2, replace the exporters block with the following. Set creds_file_path to the path to the ingestion authentication file, and if your instance is outside the US, replace malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com with your regional endpoint (for example, europe-malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com).

  exporters:
    chronicle/ca_directory:
      compression: gzip
      creds_file_path: '/opt/observiq-otel-collector/ingestion-auth.json'
      customer_id: 'YOUR_CUSTOMER_ID'
      endpoint: malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com
      log_type: CA_LDAP
      raw_log_field: body
      ingestion_labels:
        env: production
        source: ca_directory
  

Note: This exporter will stop working when the Ingestion API is discontinued on July 20, 2027.

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:

  1. Run the following command:

     sudo systemctl restart observiq-otel-collector
     

  2. Verify the service is running:

     sudo systemctl status observiq-otel-collector
     

  3. Check logs for errors:

     sudo journalctl -u observiq-otel-collector -f
     

• To restart the Bindplane agent in Windows:

  1. 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.

  2. Verify the service is running:

     sc query observiq-otel-collector
     

  3. Check logs for errors:

     type "C:\Program Files\observIQ OpenTelemetry Collector\log\collector.log"
     

Configure CA LDAP syslog forwarding using rsyslog

This section describes how to configure rsyslog on the CA Directory server to forward logs to the Bindplane agent.

Identify CA Directory log file locations

CA Directory stores log files in the following locations:

• Linux: /opt/CA/Directory/dxserver/logs/
• Windows: C:\Program Files\CA\Directory\dxserver\logs\

The log files follow naming patterns based on the DSA name (for example, democorp_alarm, democorp_warn, democorp_trace).

Available log types

CA Directory generates the following log types:

• Alarm log: Critical events (always enabled)
• Warn log: Errors and warnings
• Trace log: Detailed operation tracing
• Query log: Detailed operation information with timestamps
• Summary log: Operation summaries
• Connection log: Connection and disconnection events
• Diagnostic log: Rejected operations
• Statistics log: Per-minute operational statistics
• Update log: Add, modify, rename, and delete operations
• Time log: Operation timing information

Configure rsyslog on Linux

1. Sign in to the CA Directory server as root or with sudo privileges.

2. Install rsyslog if not already installed:

   sudo yum install rsyslog
   

   Or for Debian/Ubuntu:

   sudo apt-get install rsyslog
   

3. Create a new rsyslog configuration file for CA Directory:

   sudo nano /etc/rsyslog.d/ca-directory.conf
   

4. Add the following configuration to forward CA Directory logs:

   # Load the imfile module for file monitoring
   module(load="imfile" PollingInterval="10")
   
   # Monitor CA Directory alarm logs
   input(type="imfile"
       File="/opt/CA/Directory/dxserver/logs/*_alarm*"
       Tag="ca-directory-alarm"
       Severity="error"
       Facility="local0")
   
   # Monitor CA Directory warn logs
   input(type="imfile"
       File="/opt/CA/Directory/dxserver/logs/*_warn*"
       Tag="ca-directory-warn"
       Severity="warning"
       Facility="local0")
   
   # Monitor CA Directory trace logs
   input(type="imfile"
       File="/opt/CA/Directory/dxserver/logs/*_trace*"
       Tag="ca-directory-trace"
       Severity="info"
       Facility="local0")
   
   # Monitor CA Directory query logs
   input(type="imfile"
       File="/opt/CA/Directory/dxserver/logs/*_query*"
       Tag="ca-directory-query"
       Severity="info"
       Facility="local0")
   
   # Monitor CA Directory connection logs
   input(type="imfile"
       File="/opt/CA/Directory/dxserver/logs/*_connection*"
       Tag="ca-directory-connection"
       Severity="info"
       Facility="local0")
   
   # Monitor CA Directory update logs
   input(type="imfile"
       File="/opt/CA/Directory/dxserver/logs/*_update*"
       Tag="ca-directory-update"
       Severity="info"
       Facility="local0")
   
   # Forward all CA Directory logs to Bindplane agent
   if $syslogtag contains 'ca-directory' then @@BINDPLANE_AGENT_IP:514
   & stop
   

5. Replace BINDPLANE_AGENT_IP with the IP address of the Bindplane agent host:

   • If Bindplane agent is on the same server: 127.0.0.1
   • If Bindplane agent is on a different server: Enter the IP address (for example, 192.168.1.100)
   Note: The @@ prefix indicates TCP forwarding. Use @ for UDP forwarding (for example, @BINDPLANE_AGENT_IP:514).

6. Save the configuration file:

   Press Ctrl+O, then Enter, then Ctrl+X

7. Verify the rsyslog configuration syntax:

   sudo rsyslogd -N1
   

8. Restart the rsyslog service:

   sudo systemctl restart rsyslog
   

9. Verify rsyslog is running:

   sudo systemctl status rsyslog
   

10. Check rsyslog logs for errors:

    sudo tail -f /var/log/messages
    

Configure rsyslog on Windows

1. Download and install rsyslog for Windows from the rsyslog website.

2. Open the rsyslog configuration file:

   notepad "C:\Program Files\rsyslog\rsyslog.conf"
   

3. Add the following configuration:

   # Load the imfile module for file monitoring
   module(load="imfile" PollingInterval="10")
   
   # Monitor CA Directory alarm logs
   input(type="imfile"
       File="C:\\Program Files\\CA\\Directory\\dxserver\\logs\\*_alarm*"
       Tag="ca-directory-alarm"
       Severity="error"
       Facility="local0")
   
   # Monitor CA Directory warn logs
   input(type="imfile"
       File="C:\\Program Files\\CA\\Directory\\dxserver\\logs\\*_warn*"
       Tag="ca-directory-warn"
       Severity="warning"
       Facility="local0")
   
   # Monitor CA Directory trace logs
   input(type="imfile"
       File="C:\\Program Files\\CA\\Directory\\dxserver\\logs\\*_trace*"
       Tag="ca-directory-trace"
       Severity="info"
       Facility="local0")
   
   # Forward all CA Directory logs to Bindplane agent
   if $syslogtag contains 'ca-directory' then @@BINDPLANE_AGENT_IP:514
   & stop
   

4. Replace BINDPLANE_AGENT_IP with the IP address of the Bindplane agent host.

5. Save the configuration file.

6. Restart the rsyslog service:

   net stop rsyslog
   net start rsyslog
   

Enable CA Directory logging

Ensure that the required log types are enabled in CA Directory:

1. Edit the DSA configuration file:

   • Linux: /opt/CA/Directory/dxserver/config/servers/democorp.dxc
   • Windows: C:\Program Files\CA\Directory\dxserver\config\servers\democorp.dxc
   Note: Replace democorp with your DSA name.

2. Verify or add the following logging settings:

       set alarm-log = true;
       set warn-log = true;
       set trace-log = true;
       set query-log = true;
       set connection-log = true;
       set update-log = true;
   

3. Save the configuration file.

4. Restart the CA Directory DSA:

   • Linux:

     dxserver stop democorp
     dxserver start democorp
     

   • Windows:

     net stop "CA Directory DSA - democorp"
     net start "CA Directory DSA - democorp"
     

Verify log forwarding

1. Generate test activity in CA Directory by performing LDAP queries or authentication attempts.

2. Check the Bindplane agent logs to verify logs are being received:

   • Linux:

     sudo journalctl -u observiq-otel-collector -f
     

   • Windows:

     type "C:\Program Files\observIQ OpenTelemetry Collector\log\collector.log"
     

3. Sign in to the Google SecOps console and verify that CA Directory logs are appearing in the log viewer.

For more information about CA Directory logging, see the Broadcom CA Directory documentation.

For detailed rsyslog configuration examples, see the Broadcom Knowledge Base article on centralized logging.

UDM mapping table

Log Field	UDM Mapping	Logic
agent.ephemeral_id, logstash.irm_region, logstash.irm_environment, logstash.irm_site, host.os.name	additional.fields	Merged as labels with keys "ephemeral_id", "irm_region", "irm_environment", "irm_site", "os_name" respectively
host.architecture	hardware.cpu_platform	Value copied directly
logstash.process.host	intermediary.hostname	Value copied directly
logstash.collect.timestamp	metadata.collected_timestamp	Parsed as timestamp using date filter
msg	metadata.description	Value copied directly
	metadata.event_type	Set to "STATUS_UPDATE"
agent.type, agent.version	observer.application	Concatenated as "%{agent.type} %{agent.version}" if both not empty, else "%{agent.type}"
agent.type, agent.id	observer.asset_id	Concatenated as "%{agent.type}: %{agent.id}"
agent.hostname	observer.hostname	Value copied directly
host.id	principal.asset.asset_id	Concatenated as "CA_LDAP:%{host.id}"
hardware	principal.asset.hardware	Merged from hardware object
host.hostname	principal.hostname	Value copied directly
host.ip	principal.ip	Merged from host.ip array
host.mac	principal.mac	Merged from host.mac array
host.os.family	principal.platform	Set to "LINUX" if matches "(rhel|redhat)"
host.os.kernel	principal.platform_patch_level	Value copied directly
host.os.version	principal.platform_version	Value copied directly
log.file.path	principal.process.file.full_path	Value copied directly
syslog_severity	security_result.severity	Set to "INFORMATIONAL" if matches "(?i)(DEFAULT|DEBUG|INFO|NOTICE)", "ERROR" if matches "(?i)ERROR", "MEDIUM" if matches "(?i)WARNING", "HIGH" if matches "(?i)(CRITICAL|ALERT|EMERGENCY)"
syslog_severity	security_result.severity_details	Value copied directly
	metadata.product_name	Set to "CA_LDAP"
	metadata.vendor_name	Set to "CA_LDAP"

Change Log

View the Change Log for this parser

Need more help? Get answers from Community members and Google SecOps professionals.