Collect CIS Albert alert logs

Supported in:

This document explains how to ingest CIS Albert alert logs to Google Security Operations using the Bindplane agent.

CIS Albert is a managed intrusion detection service from the Center for Internet Security (CIS) designed for state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) government organizations. Albert sensors monitor network traffic and generate alerts about malicious activity, including IP-based and DNS-based threat detection with an average SOC response time of under five minutes.

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 CIS Albert sensor
  • If running behind a proxy, ensure firewall ports are open per the Bindplane agent requirements
  • An active CIS Albert subscription with access to the CIS Portal
  • Privileged access to configure syslog forwarding on the Albert sensor or CIS Portal

Get a Google SecOps ingestion authentication file

  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 Bindplane will be installed.

Get a 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.

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 the Bindplane agent installation guide.

Configure the 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

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

    receivers:
    udplog:
        listen_address: "0.0.0.0:514"

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

service:
    pipelines:
        logs/cis_albert_to_chronicle:
            receivers:
                - udplog
            exporters:
                - chronicle/cis_albert

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

    1. Verify the service is running:

      sudo systemctl status observiq-otel-collector

    2. 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 CIS Albert syslog forwarding

Albert sensors generate alerts that are analyzed by the CIS Security Operations Center (SOC). To forward these alerts to the Bindplane agent, coordinate with CIS to configure syslog output from your Albert sensor.

  1. Sign in to the CIS Portal.
  2. Navigate to My Organization > Manage Products, Services and Resources.
  3. Contact CIS SOC to request syslog forwarding configuration for your Albert sensor.
  4. Provide the following details to the CIS SOC:
    • Syslog Server: Enter the IP address of the Bindplane agent host (for example, 192.168.1.100).
    • Port: Enter 514.
    • Protocol: Select UDP.
    • Format: Request BSD (RFC 3164) syslog format.
  5. Request that all alert categories are forwarded, including:
    • IP-based alerts
    • DNS-based alerts
    • SOC alert notifications

  6. Verify logs are being received by checking the Bindplane agent logs.

UDM mapping table

Log Field UDM Mapping Logic
sensor intermediary.hostname Value copied directly
description metadata.description Value copied directly
event_id, has_principal, has_target, sourceip, src_ip metadata.event_type Set based on event_id values or presence of principals/targets
event_id metadata.product_log_id Value copied directly, converted to string
target_port network.application_protocol Set to "HTTP" if target_port == 80, "HTTPS" if == 443
analisys_extension network.http.user_agent Extracted from analisys_extension using grok pattern
protocol network.ip_protocol Value copied directly
hostname observer.hostname Value copied directly
src_ip, sourceip principal.asset.ip Value from src_ip if not empty, else sourceip
sensor principal.hostname Value copied directly
src_ip, sourceip principal.ip Value from src_ip if not empty, else sourceip
principal_port principal.port Value copied directly, converted to integer
logical_sensor_id principal.resource.id Value copied directly
category security_result.category Value from category, set based on event_id
analysis security_result.description Value copied directly
queue, activity_summary, siem_event_id, previous_escalations, status security_result.detection_fields Merged from labels created from queue, activity_summary, siem_event_id, previous_escalations, status
severity, event_id security_result.severity Set based on severity value or event_id
description security_result.summary Value copied directly
analisys_extension security_result.threat_id Extracted from analisys_extension using grok pattern
description, threat_name security_result.threat_name Value from threat_name if extracted, else description
extension, analisys_extension security_result.url_back_to_product Constructed from extracted URL
target_ip target.asset.ip Value copied directly
target_hostname target.hostname Value copied directly
target_ip target.ip Value copied directly
target_port target.port Value copied directly, converted to integer
metadata.vendor_name Set to "CIS"
metadata.product_name Set to "Albert"

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