Collect HashiCorp Vault audit logs

Supported in:

Google SecOps SIEM

This document explains how you can ingest HashiCorp Vault audit logs to Google Security Operations using Bindplane.

HashiCorp Vault is a secrets management and data protection platform that provides secure storage, dynamic secrets generation, data encryption, and identity-based access control. Vault produces audit logs that record all requests and responses to Vault, including authentication, secret access, and policy changes. These audit logs can be forwarded using syslog to a SIEM for security monitoring and compliance.

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 HashiCorp Vault server.
If running behind a proxy, ensure firewall ports are open per the Bindplane agent requirements.
Privileged access to the HashiCorp Vault server (root token or sufficient policy permissions to enable audit devices).

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)

Sign in to the Google Cloud console and select the Google Cloud project that is linked to your Google SecOps instance.
Go to IAM & Admin > Service Accounts.
Click Create service account.
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).
Click Create and continue.
In the Grant this service account access to project section, click Select a role and select Chronicle Editor.
Click Continue, and then click Done.
Click the service account you created, and then go to the Keys tab.
Click Add key > Create new key.
Select JSON and click Create. The key file is downloaded to your computer.
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.
Go to IAM & Admin > Settings and copy the Project number. You'll need it for the exporter configuration.

Option 2: Download the ingestion authentication file (legacy)

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 the Bindplane agent will be installed.

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.

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](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](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 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:
  tcplog:
    listen_address: "0.0.0.0:1514"

exporters:
  chronicle/vault:
    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
    creds_file_path: '/opt/observiq-otel-collector/ingestion-auth.json'
    customer_id: 'your-customer-id-here'
    endpoint: chronicle.googleapis.com
    log_type: HASHICORP
    raw_log_field: body
    ingestion_labels:
      env: production

service:
  pipelines:
    logs/vault_to_chronicle:
      receivers:
        - tcplog
      exporters:
        - chronicle/vault

Configuration parameters

Replace the following placeholders:

Receiver configuration:
- listen_address: IP address and port to listen on. Use 0.0.0.0 to listen on all interfaces. Port 1514 is recommended to avoid requiring root privileges on Linux.
Exporter configuration:
- creds_file_path: Full path to the service account JSON key file (Option 1):
  - Linux: /opt/observiq-otel-collector/ingestion-auth.json
  - Windows: C:\Program Files\observIQ OpenTelemetry Collector\ingestion-auth.json
- customer_id: Your Google SecOps customer ID.
- location: 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. See Regional Endpoints for the complete list.
- project: Replace <PROJECT_NUMBER> with the project number from IAM & Admin > Settings.
- endpoint: Keep set to chronicle.googleapis.com.
- ingestion_labels: Optional labels in YAML format (for example, env: production).

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/vault:
    compression: gzip
    creds_file_path: '/opt/observiq-otel-collector/ingestion-auth.json'
    customer_id: 'your-customer-id-here'
    endpoint: malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com
    log_type: HASHICORP
    raw_log_field: body
    ingestion_labels:
      env: production

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.
Verify the service is running:
```
sc query observiq-otel-collector
```

Check logs for errors:

type "C:\Program Files\observIQ OpenTelemetry Collector\log\collector.log"

Configure HashiCorp Vault audit log forwarding via syslog

Vault audit devices log all requests and responses. You can enable a syslog audit device to forward audit logs to the Bindplane agent.

Enable syslog audit device

Open a terminal with access to the Vault CLI and a valid Vault token.
Run the following command to enable the syslog audit device:
```
vault audit enable syslog tag="vault" facility="AUTH"
```
Note: The tag parameter sets the syslog tag for all Vault audit log messages. The facility parameter specifies the syslog facility (for example, AUTH, LOCAL0 through LOCAL7).
Verify the audit device is enabled:
```
vault audit list
```

The output should show the syslog audit device as enabled.

Configure syslog forwarding to Bindplane agent

After enabling the Vault syslog audit device, configure the system syslog daemon (rsyslog or syslog-ng) to forward Vault audit logs to the Bindplane agent.

Option - rsyslog configuration

Create a new rsyslog configuration file:

sudo nano /etc/rsyslog.d/50-vault-forward.conf

Add the following configuration:
```
# Forward Vault audit logs to Bindplane agent
if $programname == 'vault' then @@BINDPLANE_IP:1514
```
Replace BINDPLANE_IP with the IP address of the Bindplane agent host.

Note: @@ specifies TCP transport. Use @ for UDP transport.
Restart rsyslog:
```
sudo systemctl restart rsyslog
```

Option - syslog-ng configuration

Edit the syslog-ng configuration file:

sudo nano /etc/syslog-ng/conf.d/vault-forward.conf

Add the following configuration:

destination d_bindplane {
    network("BINDPLANE_IP" port(1514) transport("tcp"));
};

filter f_vault {
    program("vault");
};

log {
    source(s_src);
    filter(f_vault);
    destination(d_bindplane);
};

Replace BINDPLANE_IP with the IP address of the Bindplane agent host.

Restart syslog-ng:
```
sudo systemctl restart syslog-ng
```

Alternative - file-based audit with log forwarder

If syslog audit is not preferred, you can enable a file audit device and forward the file contents:

Enable file audit device:

vault audit enable file file_path=/var/log/vault/audit.log

Configure rsyslog to monitor and forward the file:

sudo nano /etc/rsyslog.d/50-vault-file-forward.conf

module(load="imfile")
input(type="imfile"
    File="/var/log/vault/audit.log"
    Tag="vault-audit"
    Severity="info"
    Facility="auth")

if $syslogtag == 'vault-audit' then @@BINDPLANE_IP:1514

Replace BINDPLANE_IP with the IP address of the Bindplane agent host.

Restart rsyslog:
```
sudo systemctl restart rsyslog
```

Verify log forwarding

Perform a Vault operation (for example, login or read a secret):
```
vault login token=<YOUR_TOKEN>
```
Check the Bindplane agent logs to confirm logs are being received.

For more information, see the HashiCorp Vault audit devices documentation.

UDM mapping table

Log Field	UDM Mapping	Logic
`auth.client_token`	`network.session_id`	Value taken from `auth.client_token` (hashed).
`auth.display_name`	`principal.user.user_display_name`	Value taken from `auth.display_name`.
`auth.metadata.role_name`	`principal.user.attribute.roles.name`	Value taken from `auth.metadata.role_name`.
`auth.policies`	`principal.user.attribute.permissions.name`	Values taken from `auth.policies` array.
`auth.token_type`	`additional.fields`	Value taken from `auth.token_type` and added with key `token_type`.
`request.id`	`metadata.product_log_id`	Value taken from `request.id`.
`request.operation`	`metadata.product_event_type`	Value taken from `request.operation`.
`request.path`	`target.resource.name`	Value taken from `request.path`.
`request.remote_address`	`principal.ip`	Value taken from `request.remote_address`.
`request.namespace.id`	`target.namespace`	Value taken from `request.namespace.id`.
`response.auth.client_token`	`network.session_id`	Value taken from response `client_token` (hashed).
`type`	`metadata.product_event_type`	Appended to operation (for example, `request` or `response`).
`time`	`metadata.event_timestamp`	Parsed as RFC 3339 timestamp.
`error`	`security_result.description`	Value taken from `error` if present.
	`metadata.vendor_name`	Set to HashiCorp.
	`metadata.product_name`	Set to Vault.
	`metadata.event_type`	Set to USER_RESOURCE_ACCESS for secret operations, USER_LOGIN for auth operations, GENERIC_EVENT otherwise.
`response.auth.metadata.username`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.target.user.userid`	Mapped from changelog
`appname`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.target.application`	Mapped from changelog
`priority`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.security_result.priority_details`	Mapped from changelog
`proc_id`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.observer.process.pid`	Mapped from changelog
`auth.policies`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.additional.fields`	Mapped from changelog
`auth.token_policies`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.additional.fields`	Mapped from changelog
`request.policy_override`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.target.resource.attribute.labels`	Mapped from changelog
`response.data.admin_password`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.target.resource.attribute.labels`	Mapped from changelog
`response.data.admin_token`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.target.resource.attribute.labels`	Mapped from changelog
`response.data.admin_user`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.target.resource.attribute.labels`	Mapped from changelog
`response.data.certificate`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.target.resource.attribute.labels`	Mapped from changelog
`response.data.check_url`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.target.resource.attribute.labels`	Mapped from changelog
`response.data.keystore`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.target.resource.attribute.labels`	Mapped from changelog
`response.data.keystore_password`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.target.resource.attribute.labels`	Mapped from changelog
`response.data.private_key`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.target.resource.attribute.labels`	Mapped from changelog
`type`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.additional.fields`	Mapped from changelog
`auth.identity_policies`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.additional.fields`	Mapped from changelog
`request.data`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.additional.fields`	Mapped from changelog
`facility`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.additional.fields`	Mapped from changelog
`task`	`event.idm.read_only_udm.additional.fields`	Mapped from changelog
`jsonPayload.auth.policy_results.granting_policies.type", "jsonPayload.auth.policy_results.granting_policies.name", and "jsonPayload.auth.policy_results.granting_policies.namespace_id`	`additional.fields`	Mapped from changelog
`jsonPayload.request.namespace.id`	`target.namespace`	Mapped from changelog
`jsonPayload.cos.googleapis.com/container_id", "jsonPayload.cos.googleapis.com/container_name", "jsonPayload.cos.googleapis.com/stream`	`additional.fields`	Mapped from changelog
`resource.labels.instance_id`	`principal.resource.product_object_id`	Mapped from changelog
`principal.resource.attribute.cloud.availability_zone`	`resource.labels.zone`	Mapped from changelog
`logName`	`security_result.category_details`	Mapped from changelog
`resource.labels.namespace_name`	`target.namespace`	Mapped from changelog
`resource.labels.pod_name", "resource.labels.container_name`	`additional.fields`	Mapped from changelog
`resource.labels.project_id`	`target.cloud.project.name`	Mapped from changelog
`resource.labels.location`	`target.location.name`	Mapped from changelog
`insertId`	`metadata.product_log_id`	Mapped from changelog
`labels.k8s-pod/app_kubernetes_io/instance", "labels.k8s-pod/app_kubernetes_io/name", "labels.k8s-pod/component", "labels.k8s-pod/helm_sh/chart", "labels.k8s-pod/controller-revision-hash", "labels.k8s-pod/vault-initialized", "labels.k8s-pod/vault-version", "labels.k8s-pod/vault-sealed", "labels.k8s-pod/vault-perf-standby", and "labels.k8s-pod/vault-active`	`target.resource.attribute.labels`	Mapped from changelog
`labels.compute.googleapis.com/resource_name`	`target.resource.name`	Mapped from changelog
`status`	`network.http.response_code`	Mapped from changelog
`runner`	`principal.user.userid`	Mapped from changelog
`job_id", "job_status`	`additional.fields`	Mapped from changelog
`host`	`observer.hostname`	Mapped from changelog
`cluster`	`observer.resource.name`	Mapped from changelog
`cluster`	`observer.resource.resource_type`	Mapped from changelog

Change Log

View the Change Log for this parser

Need more help? Get answers from Community members and Google SecOps professionals.