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 ingestion authentication file

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 Bindplane will be installed.

Note: This JSON file contains credentials for authenticating the Bindplane agent to Google SecOps.

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.

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

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" /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)" 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: "0.0.0.0:514"

exporters:
    chronicle/ibm_qradar:
        compression: gzip
        creds_file_path: '/etc/bindplane-agent/ingestion-auth.json'
        customer_id: '<customer_id>'
        endpoint: malachiteingestion-pa.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 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
- 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

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.
  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

Sign in to the QRadar console as an administrator.
Go to Admin > System and License Management > System Settings.
Under Forwarding Destinations, click Add.
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).
Click Save.
Go to Admin > Forwarding Profiles to create or edit a forwarding profile.
Select the event and flow types to forward:
- Offense events
- Normalized events
- Flow data (optional)
Assign the forwarding destination created in step 4.
Click Save and deploy changes.
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`

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