Collect Cisco Router logs

Supported in:

Google secops SIEM

This document explains how to ingest Cisco Router logs to Google Security Operations using the Bindplane agent.

Cisco routers generate syslog messages for network events, ACL matches, authentication, and system operations. The parser extracts fields using grok patterns and maps them to the Unified Data Model (UDM).

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 Cisco router
If running behind a proxy, ensure firewall ports are open per the Bindplane agent requirements
Privileged access to the Cisco router CLI

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

service:
    pipelines:
        logs/cisco_router_to_chronicle:
            receivers:
                - udplog
            exporters:
                - chronicle/cisco_router

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
```

Configure syslog on a Cisco Router

Sign in to the Cisco Router.
Escalate privileges:
```
enable
```
Switch to configuration mode:
```
conf t
```
Configure syslog:
```
logging host <BINDPLANE_IP> transport <tcp/udp> port <PORT>
logging source-interface <INTERFACE>
```
- Replace <BINDPLANE_IP> with the Bindplane agent IP address.
- Replace <tcp/udp> with the configured listening protocol (for example, udp).
- Replace <INTERFACE> with the Cisco interface ID (for example, Ethernet1/1).

Set the priority level:

logging trap Informational
logging console Informational
logging severity Informational

Set the syslog facility:
```
logging facility local6
```
Enable timestamps:
```
service timestamps log datetime
```
Save and exit.
Save the configuration to survive restart:
```
copy running-config startup-config
```

UDM mapping table

Log field	UDM mapping	Logic
`client_ip`	target.ip, target.asset.ip	The value is taken from the `client_ip` field extracted by the grok parser.
`client_mac`	target.mac	The value is taken from the `client_mac` field extracted by the grok parser.
`dst_ip`	target.ip, target.asset.ip	The value is taken from the `dst_ip` field extracted by the grok parser.
`dst_port`	target.port	The value is taken from the `dst_port` field extracted by the grok parser and converted to an integer.
`duration`	-	This field is not mapped to the UDM.
`host_ip`	target.ip, target.asset.ip	The value is taken from the `host_ip` field extracted by the grok parser.
`local_proxy`	intermediary.ip	The value is taken from the `local_proxy` field extracted by the grok parser.
`message_data`	metadata.description	The value is taken from the `message_data` field extracted by the grok parser.
`protocol`	network.ip_protocol	The value is taken from the `protocol` field extracted by the grok parser and converted to uppercase.
`received_bytes`	network.received_bytes	The value is taken from the `received_bytes` field extracted by the grok parser and converted to an unsigned integer.
`referral_url`	network.http.referral_url	The value is taken from the `referral_url` field extracted by the grok parser.
`remote_proxy`	intermediary.ip	The value is taken from the `remote_proxy` field extracted by the grok parser.
`send_bytes`	network.sent_bytes	The value is taken from the `send_bytes` field extracted by the grok parser and converted to an unsigned integer.
`sent_bytes`	network.sent_bytes	The value is taken from the `sent_bytes` field extracted by the grok parser and converted to an unsigned integer.
`server_host`	target.hostname, target.asset.hostname	The value is taken from the `server_host` field extracted by the grok parser.
`server_ip`	target.ip, target.asset.ip	The value is taken from the `server_ip` field extracted by the grok parser.
`src_ip`	principal.ip, principal.asset.ip	The value is taken from the `src_ip` field extracted by the grok parser.
`src_port`	principal.port	The value is taken from the `src_port` field extracted by the grok parser and converted to an integer.
`user_ip`	target.ip, target.asset.ip	The value is taken from the `user_ip` field extracted by the grok parser.
`user_mail`	principal.user.userid, principal.user.email_addresses	The value is taken from the `user_mail` field extracted by the grok parser.
`username`	target.user.userid	The value is taken from the `username` field extracted by the grok parser.
-	metadata.event_timestamp	The value is taken from the `create_time` field.
-	metadata.event_type	The value is set to `GENERIC_EVENT` by default, and changed to specific event types based on the parsed log message.
-	metadata.log_type	The value is set to `CISCO_ROUTER`.
-	metadata.product_event_type	The value is taken from the `message_type` field, which is generated by combining the `facility`, `priority`, and `mnemonics` fields.
-	metadata.product_name	The value is set to `Router`.
-	metadata.vendor_name	The value is set to `Cisco`.
-	network.application_protocol	The value is set to `HTTP` or `HTTPS` if the `protocol` field is `http` or `https`, respectively.
-	extensions.auth.type	The value is set to `AUTHTYPE_UNSPECIFIED` by default, and changed to specific authentication types based on the parsed log message.
-	security_result.action	The value is set to `ALLOW` for successful logins and `BLOCK` for failed logins.
-	security_result.category	The value is set to `NETWORK_SUSPICIOUS` for events with IP options and `AUTH_VIOLATION` for failed logins.
-	security_result.description	The value is set to specific messages for different events.
-	security_result.severity	The value is set to `LOW` for successful logins, `MEDIUM` for failed logins, and `INFORMATIONAL` for other events.
-	security_result.severity_details	The value is taken from the `fail_reason` field for failed logins, and set to `Informational message` for events with IP options.
-	security_result.summary	The value is set to specific messages for different events.

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