Collect Entrust nShield HSM audit logs

Supported in:

This document explains how to ingest Entrust nShield HSM audit logs to Google Security Operations using the Bindplane agent.

The parser extracts fields from Entrust nShield HSM syslog formatted logs. It uses grok and/or kv to parse the log message and then maps these values to the Unified Data Model (UDM). It also sets default metadata values for the event source and type.

Before you begin

Make sure you have the following prerequisites:

  • A Google SecOps instance
  • A Windows 2016 or later or Linux host with systemd
  • If running behind a proxy, ensure firewall ports are open per the Bindplane agent requirements
  • Privileged access to the Entrust nShield HSM management console or Security World Software
  • An initialized Security World with audit logging capability

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 the 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

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

Additional installation resources

For additional installation options, see the Bindplane agent installation guide.

Configure the Bindplane agent to ingest Syslog and send to Google SecOps

  1. Access the configuration file:
    • Locate the config.yaml file. Typically, it's in the /opt/observiq-otel-collector/ directory on Linux or in the installation directory on Windows.
    • Open the file using a text editor (for example, nano, vi, or Notepad).

  2. Edit the config.yaml file as follows:

    receivers:
  udplog:
    # nShield HSM only supports UDP for audit logs
    listen_address: "0.0.0.0:514"

exporters:
  chronicle/chronicle_w_labels:
    compression: gzip
    # Adjust the path to the credentials file you downloaded in Step 1
    creds_file_path: '/path/to/ingestion-authentication-file.json'
    # Replace with your actual customer ID from Step 2
    customer_id: YOUR_CUSTOMER_ID
    endpoint: malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com
    # Use ENTRUST_HSM as the log type
    log_type: 'ENTRUST_HSM'
    raw_log_field: body
    ingestion_labels:

service:
  pipelines:
    logs/source0__chronicle_w_labels-0:
      receivers:
        - udplog
      exporters:
        - chronicle/chronicle_w_labels
    • Replace the port and IP address as required in your infrastructure.
    • Replace YOUR_CUSTOMER_ID with the actual Customer ID.
    • Update /path/to/ingestion-authentication-file.json to the file path where the authentication file was saved in Step 1.

Restart the Bindplane agent to apply the changes

  1. To restart the Bindplane agent in Linux, run the following command:

    sudo systemctl restart observiq-otel-collector

  2. To restart the Bindplane agent in Windows, you can either use the Services console or enter the following command:

    net stop observiq-otel-collector && net start observiq-otel-collector

Configure Syslog forwarding on Entrust nShield HSM

The configuration method depends on your nShield HSM deployment model. Audit logging must be enabled at Security World creation or when indoctrinating an HSM into an existing Security World.

  1. On the client computer with the Security World Software installed, run the following command:

    config-auditlogging --server <BINDPLANE_IP> --port 514 --enable-syslog

  2. Replace <BINDPLANE_IP> with the IP address of your Bindplane agent host.

    • The configuration changes are written to the hardserver configuration file.

  3. Restart the hardserver to apply the changes:

    • Linux: /opt/nfast/sbin/init.d-ncipher restart
    • Windows: net stop "nfast server" && net start "nfast server"

Option 2: Configure using hardserver configuration file

  1. Edit the hardserver configuration file:
    • Linux: /opt/nfast/kmdata/config/config
    • Windows: %NFAST_KMDATA%\config\config

  2. Add or modify the following entries in the configuration file:

    auditlog_addr=<BINDPLANE_IP>
auditlog_port=514

    *Replace <BINDPLANE_IP> with the IP address of your Bindplane agent host.

  3. Save the configuration file.

  4. Restart the hardserver to apply the changes:

    • Linux: /opt/nfast/sbin/init.d-ncipher restart
    • Windows: net stop "nfast server" && net start "nfast server"

Option 3: Configure for network-attached HSMs (nShield Connect)

For network-attached HSMs, you can push the configuration remotely:

  1. Ensure config push is enabled on the RFS (Remote File System).

  2. Copy the HSM configuration file:

    cp /opt/nfast/kmdata/hsm-ESN/config/config /opt/nfast/kmdata/hsm-ESN/config/config.new

  3. Edit config.new to add the audit logging configuration:

    [audit_logging]
auditlog_addr=<BINDPLANE_IP>
auditlog_port=514

  4. Push the configuration to the HSM:

    cfg-pushnethsm --address=<HSM_IP> /opt/nfast/kmdata/hsm-ESN/config/config.new
    • Replace <HSM_IP> with the IP address of your nShield Connect HSM.

UDM mapping table

Log Field UDM Mapping Logic
desc metadata.description Directly mapped
ts metadata.event_timestamp Parsed as MMM d HH:mm:ss
has_principal metadata.event_type Mapped: true → STATUS_UPDATE
has_user metadata.event_type Mapped: true → USER_UNCATEGORIZED
product_event metadata.product_event_type Directly mapped
session_id network.session_id Directly mapped
application principal.application Directly mapped
ip principal.asset.ip Merged
rhost principal.asset.ip Merged
ip principal.ip Merged
rhost principal.ip Merged
port principal.port Directly mapped
user principal.user.userid Directly mapped
N/A metadata.event_type Constant: USER_UNCATEGORIZED
N/A metadata.product_name Constant: Entrust nShield HSM
N/A metadata.vendor_name Constant: ENTRUST HSM

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