Collect Cisco Wireless LAN Controller (WLC) logs

Supported in:

This document explains how to ingest Cisco Wireless LAN Controller (WLC) logs to Google Security Operations using the Bindplane agent.

The parser extracts fields from Cisco WLC syslog messages using grok patterns, handling various log formats including DHCP, authentication, and network events. It maps extracted fields to the Unified Data Model (UDM) and determines the event type based on the mnemonic and message content.

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

Get 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 the Bindplane agent will be installed.

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.

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

service:
    pipelines:
        logs/cisco_wireless_to_chronicle:
            receivers:
                - udplog
            exporters:
                - chronicle/cisco_wireless

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 syslog on Cisco WLC

  1. Sign in to the WLC web UI.
  2. Go to Management > Logs > Config.
  3. Enter the Bindplane agent IP address in the Syslog Server IP Address field.
  4. Click Add.
  5. Provide the following configuration details:
    • Syslog Severity: Select Informational.
    • Syslog Facility: Select Local Use 0.
  6. Click Apply.

  7. Click Save Configuration.

UDM mapping table

Log Field UDM Mapping Logic
action_data read_only_udm.security_result.action_details Directly mapped from the action_data field.
data read_only_udm.metadata.description Directly mapped from the data field after some processing (e.g., removing timestamps, extra characters). Extracted from the timestamp at the beginning of the log message. Various formats are handled by the parser. Determined based on the mnemonic and messageToProcess fields using complex logic within the cisco_wireless.include file. Set to "CISCO_WIRELESS". Concatenation of facility, cisco_severity, and mnemonic fields. Extracted from the log message when available. Set to "CISCO_WIRELESS". Extracted from the version field when available. Set to "CISCO". Set to "DHCP" when the event relates to DHCP. Set to "BROADCAST" for broadcast network events. Set to "UDP" for UDP network events. Extracted from the description when available. Extracted from the description when available. Mapped from wlc_controller or hostname fields, depending on the log format. Extracted from the description or MessageSourceAddress when available. Mapped from wlc_controller or hostname fields, depending on the log format. Extracted from the description or MessageSourceAddress when available. Extracted from the description when available. Extracted from the description when available. Created from SourceModuleName and SourceModuleType fields when available. Mapped from read_only_udm.principal.user.userid when the userid looks like an email address. Extracted from the description when available. Extracted from the description when available. Determined based on the event type and description. Determined based on the event type and description. Created from specific fields within the description when available. Extracted from the description when available. Sometimes combines information from multiple fields. Determined based on the cisco_severity field and event type. Derived from the read_only_udm.security_result.severity field. A concise summary of the security result, derived from the description and event type. Extracted from the description when available. Extracted from the description when available. Extracted from the description when available. Extracted from the description when available. Extracted from the description when available. Extracted from the description when available. Extracted from the description when available. Set to "SETTING" for setting modification events. Extracted from the description when available.
event_data read_only_udm.metadata.product_event_type Directly mapped from the event_data field.
event_id read_only_udm.metadata.product_log_id Directly mapped from the event_id field.
event_ts read_only_udm.metadata.event_timestamp Directly mapped from the event_ts field.
facility read_only_udm.metadata.product_event_type Directly mapped from the facility field.
hostname read_only_udm.principal.hostname Directly mapped from the hostname field.
hostname read_only_udm.target.hostname Directly mapped from the hostname field.
inter_mac read_only_udm.intermediary.mac Directly mapped from the inter_mac field.
intermediary_hostname read_only_udm.intermediary.hostname Directly mapped from the intermediary_hostname field.
kv_data read_only_udm.principal.resource.attribute.labels Parsed as key-value pairs and used to populate labels.
log_message read_only_udm.security_result.description Directly mapped from the log_message field.
MessageSourceAddress read_only_udm.principal.asset.ip Directly mapped from the MessageSourceAddress field.
MessageSourceAddress read_only_udm.principal.ip Directly mapped from the MessageSourceAddress field.
messageToProcess read_only_udm.metadata.description Directly mapped from the messageToProcess field after some processing.
mnemonic read_only_udm.metadata.event_type Used in conjunction with other fields to determine the event type.
mnemonic read_only_udm.metadata.product_event_type Directly mapped from the mnemonic field.
severity_data read_only_udm.security_result.severity Mapped from the severity_data field after converting it to an enum value.
SourceModuleName read_only_udm.principal.resource.attribute.labels Directly mapped from the SourceModuleName field.
SourceModuleType read_only_udm.principal.resource.attribute.labels Directly mapped from the SourceModuleType field.
timestamp read_only_udm.metadata.event_timestamp Directly mapped from the timestamp field.
version read_only_udm.metadata.product_version Directly mapped from the version field.
wlc_controller read_only_udm.principal.hostname Directly mapped from the wlc_controller field.
wlc_controller read_only_udm.target.hostname Directly mapped from the wlc_controller field.

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