Collect IBM QRadar logs

Supported in:

Google SecOps SIEM

This document explains how to ingest IBM Security QRadar SIEM logs to Google Security Operations using the Bindplane agent.

IBM Security QRadar is a security information and event management platform that correlates events across the enterprise to detect threats. It generates offense alerts, event logs, and flow data. QRadar supports syslog forwarding for offenses and events in LEEF and JSON formats.

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 IBM QRadar console
• If running behind a proxy, ensure firewall ports are open per the Bindplane agent requirements
• Privileged access to IBM QRadar with admin or log export permissions

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.

   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

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.

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

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: "0.0.0.0:514"
  
  exporters:
    chronicle/ibm_qradar:
      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: '<customer_id>'
      endpoint: chronicle.googleapis.com
      log_type: IBM_QRADAR
      raw_log_field: body
      ingestion_labels:
        env: production
  
  service:
    pipelines:
      logs/qradar_to_chronicle:
        receivers:
          - tcplog
        exporters:
          - chronicle/ibm_qradar
  

Configuration parameters

Replace the following placeholders:

• Receiver configuration:

  • tcplog: 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:

  • ibm_qradar: Descriptive name for the exporter
  • 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>: Customer ID from the previous step
  • 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.
  • IBM_QRADAR: Log type exactly as it appears in Chronicle
  • ingestion_labels: Optional labels in YAML format (for example, env: production)

• Pipeline configuration:

  • qradar_to_chronicle: Descriptive name for the pipeline

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/ibm_qradar:
      compression: gzip
      creds_file_path: '/opt/observiq-otel-collector/ingestion-auth.json'
      customer_id: '<customer_id>'
      endpoint: malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com
      log_type: IBM_QRADAR
      raw_log_field: body
      ingestion_labels:
        env: production
  

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

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 IBM QRadar syslog forwarding

1. Sign in to the QRadar console as an administrator.
2. Go to Admin > System and License Management > System Settings.
3. Under Forwarding Destinations, click Add.
4. Provide the following configuration details:
   • Name: Enter a descriptive name (for example, Chronicle-Bindplane).
   • IP Address: 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 TCP (recommended for reliable delivery).
   • Format: Select LEEF (Log Event Extended Format).
5. Click Save.
6. Go to Admin > Forwarding Profiles to create or edit a forwarding profile.
7. Select the event and flow types to forward:
   • Offense events
   • Normalized events
   • Flow data (optional)
8. Assign the forwarding destination created in step 4.
9. Click Save and deploy changes.

10. Verify that syslog messages are being received by checking the Bindplane agent logs.

    Note: QRadar supports forwarding events in LEEF and JSON formats via syslog. The Chronicle parser handles JSON-formatted QRadar logs. Ensure the selected format matches your Chronicle parser configuration.

UDM mapping table

Log Field	UDM Mapping	Logic
application	extensions.auth.type	Mapped: httpd → AUTHTYPE_UNSPECIFIED
_source.message	metadata.description	Directly mapped
message_body	metadata.description	Directly mapped
_source.eventTime	metadata.event_timestamp	Parsed as ISO8601
log_date	metadata.event_timestamp	Parsed as MMM dd HH:mm:ss
application	metadata.event_type	Mapped: httpd → USER_LOGIN, logger → NETWORK_HTTP, CROND → PROCESS_LAUNCH
has_principal	metadata.event_type	Mapped: true → NETWORK_HTTP, true → NETWORK_CONNECTION, true → STATUS_UPDATE
_source.eventType	metadata.product_event_type	Directly mapped
_source._id	metadata.product_log_id	Directly mapped
_source.typeURI	metadata.url_back_to_product	Directly mapped
_source.o_requestData.o_request_body.method	network.http.method	Directly mapped
response	network.http.response_code	Renamed/mapped
response_code	network.http.response_code	Renamed/mapped
_source.o_requestData.o_headers.User-Agent	network.http.user_agent	Directly mapped
crypto_algorithm	network.tls.cipher	Directly mapped
tls_version	network.tls.version	Directly mapped
_source.o_observer.name	observer.resource.name	Directly mapped
application	principal.application	Directly mapped
_source._host	principal.asset.hostname	Directly mapped
_source._ip	principal.asset.ip	Merged
_source.o_initiator.o_host.address	principal.asset.ip	Merged
_source._file	principal.file.full_path	Directly mapped
_source._host	principal.hostname	Directly mapped
_source._ip	principal.ip	Merged
_source.o_initiator.o_host.address	principal.ip	Merged
log_ip	principal.ip	Merged
event_id	principal.process.pid	Directly mapped
o_credential	principal.resource.attribute.labels	Merged
_source.o_requestData.initiatorGUID	principal.resource.product_object_id	Directly mapped
_source.o_initiator.typeURI	principal.url	Directly mapped
_source.o_requestData.o_request_body.user_name	principal.user.user_display_name	Directly mapped
_source.o_initiator.authnId	principal.user.userid	Directly mapped
action	security_result.action	Merged
application	security_result.action	Mapped: httpd → action
auth_status	security_result.action	Mapped: (?i)failed → action
_source.o_requestData.o_request_body.action	security_result.action_details	Directly mapped
_source.o_responseData.response_body	security_result.action_details	Directly mapped
auth_status	security_result.description	Directly mapped
correlationId	security_result.detection_fields	Merged
dataEvent	security_result.detection_fields	Merged
platform	security_result.detection_fields	Merged
saveServiceCopy	security_result.detection_fields	Merged
scenario_type	security_result.detection_fields	Merged
log_level	security_result.severity	Mapped: (?i)(error/warning) → HIGH, (?i)notice → MEDIUM, (?i)(information/info) → ...
_source.severity	security_result.severity_details	Directly mapped
_source.o_target.o_host.address	target.asset.hostname	Directly mapped
_source.o_target.o_host.address	target.hostname	Directly mapped
application	target.ip	Mapped: httpd → host_ip, logger → ip
host_ip	target.ip	Merged
ip	target.ip	Merged
command	target.process.command_line	Directly mapped
clientid	target.resource.attribute.labels	Merged
_source.o_target.typeURI	target.url	Directly mapped
request	target.url	Renamed/mapped
_source.o_target.name	target.user.user_display_name	Directly mapped
_source.o_target.id	target.user.userid	Directly mapped
auth	target.user.userid	Renamed/mapped
target_host	target.user.userid	Directly mapped
user_id	target.user.userid	Directly mapped
N/A	extensions.auth.type	Constant: AUTHTYPE_UNSPECIFIED
N/A	metadata.event_type	Constant: NETWORK_HTTP
N/A	metadata.product_name	Constant: IBM QRADAR
N/A	metadata.vendor_name	Constant: IBM QRADAR
N/A	security_result.severity	Constant: MEDIUM

Change Log

View the Change Log for this parser

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