Collect CyberGatekeeper NAC logs

Supported in:

This document explains how to ingest CyberGatekeeper NAC logs to Google Security Operations using the Bindplane agent.

CyberGatekeeper NAC (by InfoExpress, now EasyNAC) is a network access control solution that manages device access to the network based on compliance policies. It generates logs for authentication events, device compliance checks, network access decisions, and endpoint posture assessments. The appliance supports syslog and SNMP for sending event data to external logging systems.

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 CyberGatekeeper NAC appliance
  • If running behind a proxy, ensure firewall ports are open per the Bindplane agent requirements
  • Privileged access to the CyberGatekeeper NAC management console with administrator permissions

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 Bindplane 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 /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/cybergatekeeper_nac:
            compression: gzip
            creds_file_path: '/etc/bindplane-agent/ingestion-auth.json'
            customer_id: '<customer_id>'
            endpoint: malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com
            log_type: CYBERGATEKEEPER_NAC
            raw_log_field: body
            ingestion_labels:
                env: production
    
    service:
        pipelines:
            logs/cybergatekeeper_to_chronicle:
                receivers:
                    - udplog
                exporters:
                    - chronicle/cybergatekeeper_nac
    

Configuration parameters

Replace the following placeholders:

  • Receiver configuration:

    • udplog: The receiver type based on protocol:
      • udplog for UDP syslog
      • tcplog for TCP syslog
    • 0.0.0.0: IP address to listen on:
      • 0.0.0.0 to listen on all interfaces (recommended)
      • Specific IP address to listen on one interface
    • 514: Port number to listen on (for example, 514, 1514, 6514)
  • Exporter configuration:

    • cybergatekeeper_nac: 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
    • CYBERGATEKEEPER_NAC: Log type exactly as it appears in Chronicle
    • ingestion_labels: Optional labels in YAML format (for example, env: production)
  • Pipeline configuration:

    • cybergatekeeper_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
    
    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 CyberGatekeeper NAC syslog forwarding

  1. Sign in to the CyberGatekeeper NAC management console with administrator credentials.
  2. Navigate to System Settings > Logging.
  3. Configure syslog forwarding with the following parameters:
    • Syslog Server IP/Hostname: Enter the IP address of the Bindplane agent host (for example, 192.168.1.100).
    • Port: Enter 514 (must match the Bindplane agent receiver port).
    • Protocol: Select UDP (must match the Bindplane agent receiver type).
  4. Select the event types to forward, including authentication events, device compliance checks, and access decisions.
  5. Save the configuration and verify that events appear in the Bindplane agent logs.

UDM mapping table

Log Field UDM Mapping Logic
event_id, Procs additional.fields Merged labels: event_id_label with key "event_id" and value event_id if event_id != ""; Procs_label with key "Procs" and value Procs if Procs != ""
Message metadata.description Value copied directly if Message != ""
Time metadata.event_timestamp Parsed using date format yyyyMMddHHmmss if Time != ""
has_principal, has_target metadata.event_type Set to STATUS_UPDATE if has_principal == "true" and has_target == "false", else GENERIC_EVENT
SerialNumber principal.asset.hardware Merged object with serial_number set to SerialNumber if SerialNumber not in ["", "NONE"]
IP principal.asset.ip Value copied directly if IP != ""
IP principal.ip Value copied directly if IP != ""
MAC principal.mac Cleaned (gsub - to :, lowercase, validated with grok) if MAC != ""
OS target.asset.platform_software.platform_version Value copied directly if OS not in ["", "unspecified"]
OS target.platform Set to WINDOWS if OS matches win; LINUX if OS matches linux; MAC if OS matches mac or osx
metadata.product_name Set to "CYBERGATEKEEPER_NAC"
metadata.vendor_name Set to "CYBERGATEKEEPER_NAC"

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