Collect Entrust nShield HSM audit logs

Parser Version: 1.0

Supported in:

Google SecOps SIEM

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 credentials for the Bindplane agent

To authenticate the Bindplane agent to Google SecOps, choose one of the following methods:

• New deployments: Use the Chronicle API (Option 1).
• Legacy deployments: Continue using the ingestion authentication file (Option 2) until the Ingestion API is discontinued on July 20, 2027.

Option 1: Create a service account for the Chronicle API (recommended)

1. Sign in to the Google Cloud console and select the Google Cloud project that is linked to your Google SecOps instance.
2. Go to IAM & Admin > Service Accounts.
3. Click Create service account.
4. Provide the following configuration details:
   • Service account name: Enter a name for the account (for example, bindplane-ingest).
   • Service account description: Enter a description (for example, Bindplane agent log ingestion).
5. Click Create and continue.
6. In the Grant this service account access to project section, click Select a role and select Chronicle Editor.
7. Click Continue, and then click Done.
8. Click the service account you created, and then go to the Keys tab.
9. Click Add key > Create new key.
10. Select JSON and click Create. The key file is downloaded to your computer.
11. Save the key file as ingestion-auth.json in the Bindplane collector directory (/opt/observiq-otel-collector/ingestion-auth.json on Linux or C:\Program Files\observIQ OpenTelemetry Collector\ingestion-auth.json on Windows), or update creds_file_path in config.yaml to match the path where you save it.
12. Go to IAM & Admin > Settings and copy the Project number. You'll need it for the exporter configuration.

Note: The JSON key is a credential. Restrict access to the file on the Bindplane host and rotate the key according to your organization's policy.

Option 2: Download the ingestion authentication file (legacy)

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.

Note: This file authenticates the agent to the legacy Ingestion API (malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com), which Google has scheduled for end of life on July 20, 2027. Plan to move to Option 1 before that date.

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.

Note: The Chronicle API exporter configuration requires Bindplane collector v1.106.0 or later. The previous commands install the latest release. If you're updating an existing installation, upgrade the collector before changing the configuration.

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:
       protocol: https
       # Region of your instance, for example us, europe, asia-southeast1
       location: <LOCATION>
       # Project number of the Google Cloud project linked to the instance
       project: '<PROJECT_NUMBER>'
       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: chronicle.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 <LOCATION> with the region of your Google SecOps instance (for example, us, europe, or asia-southeast1). The exporter prefixes chronicle.googleapis.com with this value.
   • Replace <PROJECT_NUMBER> with the project number from IAM & Admin > Settings.
   • Replace YOUR_CUSTOMER_ID with the actual Customer ID.
   • Update /path/to/ingestion-authentication-file.json to the file path where the service account key file (Option 1) was saved in Step 1.

Legacy ingestion API exporter

• If you use the ingestion authentication file from Option 2, replace the exporters block with the following. Set creds_file_path to the path to the ingestion authentication file, and if your instance is outside the US, replace malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com with your regional endpoint (for example, europe-malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com).

  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:
  

Note: This exporter will stop working when the Ingestion API is discontinued on July 20, 2027.

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.

Option 1: Configure using config-auditlogging utility (recommended)

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

Change Log

View the Change Log for this parser

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