Collect Citrix Receiver logs

Supported in:

Google secops SIEM

This document explains how to ingest Citrix Receiver logs to Google Security Operations using the Bindplane agent.

Citrix Receiver (now Citrix Workspace app) is a client-side application that provides access to virtual desktops, applications, and data from Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops environments. The logs capture session events, authentication, and client-side activity.

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 Citrix Receiver host
If running behind a proxy, ensure firewall ports are open per the Bindplane agent requirements
Privileged access to the Citrix environment with administrator permissions
Access to Citrix Receiver log files on the server or client file system

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 Bindplane 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 the Bindplane agent installation guide.

Configure the Bindplane agent to ingest logs 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:
    filelog:
        include:
            - 'C:\Users\*\AppData\Local\Citrix\Receiver\*.log'
        start_at: beginning
        poll_interval: 5s

exporters:
    chronicle/citrix_rx:
        compression: gzip
        creds_file_path: 'C:\Program Files\observIQ OpenTelemetry Collector\ingestion-auth.json'
        customer_id: '<customer_id>'
        endpoint: malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com
        log_type: CSG_CITRIX_RX
        raw_log_field: body
        ingestion_labels:
            env: production

service:
    pipelines:
        logs/citrix_rx_to_chronicle:
            receivers:
                - filelog
            exporters:
                - chronicle/citrix_rx

Configuration parameters

Replace the following placeholders:

Receiver configuration:
- include: Paths to Citrix Receiver log files:
  - Windows: C:\Users\*\AppData\Local\Citrix\Receiver\*.log
  - Centralized collection: Adjust the path if logs are collected to a central share
- start_at: Set to beginning to read existing logs, or end to read only new entries
- poll_interval: How often to check for new log data (default: 5s)
Exporter configuration:
- citrix_rx: Descriptive name for the exporter
- 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 from the previous step
- 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
- CSG_CITRIX_RX: Log type exactly as it appears in Chronicle
- ingestion_labels: Optional labels in YAML format (for example, env: production)
Pipeline configuration:
- citrix_rx_to_chronicle: Descriptive name for the pipeline

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"
```

Enable Citrix Receiver logging and configure log collection

Logging is disabled by default in Citrix Receiver. You must enable it using registry entries before log files are generated.

Enable logging on Windows

Open Registry Editor (regedit) as an administrator on the Citrix Receiver client machine.
Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Citrix\Receiver.
Create a new String Value named EnableTracing and set it to true.
Create a new String Value named TracePath to specify the log output path. For example:
- C:\CitrixLogs\
- Alternatively, use the default path: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Citrix\Receiver\
Restart the Citrix Receiver application for the changes to take effect.

Verify log file generation

After enabling logging, open the Citrix Receiver and connect to a published resource.
Navigate to the log directory:
- Default path: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Citrix\Receiver\
- Custom path: The path specified in the TracePath registry value.
Verify that .log files are being created and contain session event data.
Ensure the Bindplane agent has read permissions on the log directory and files.

Note: If the Bindplane agent runs on a centralized server, copy the Citrix Receiver logs from each client machine to a central directory and update the include path in the Bindplane agent configuration accordingly.

UDM mapping table

Log Field	UDM Mapping	Logic
`creationTime`	`metadata.event_timestamp`	Parsed as `dd/M/yyyy HH:mm:ss`
`timestamp`	`metadata.event_timestamp`	Parsed as `MMM d HH:mm:ss`
`has_principal`	`metadata.event_type`	Mapped: `true` → `NETWORK_CONNECTION`
`has_user`	`metadata.event_type`	Mapped: `true` → `USER_UNCATEGORIZED`
`logId`	`metadata.product_log_id`	Directly mapped
`srcip`	`principal.asset.ip`	Merged
`srcip`	`principal.ip`	Merged
`userId`	`principal.user.userid`	Directly mapped
`application`	`target.application`	Directly mapped
`targetip`	`target.asset.ip`	Merged
`targetip`	`target.ip`	Merged
`resourcename`	`target.resource.name`	Directly mapped
N/A	`metadata.event_type`	Constant: `NETWORK_CONNECTION`
N/A	`metadata.product_name`	Constant: `CSG Citrix RX`
N/A	`metadata.vendor_name`	Constant: `CSG Citrix RX`

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