Collect Microsoft LAPS logs

Supported in:

Google SecOps SIEM

This document explains how to ingest Microsoft Windows LAPS (Local Administrator Password Solution) logs to Google Security Operations using the Bindplane agent.

Windows LAPS manages local administrator account passwords on domain-joined devices and generates event log entries for password rotation, policy processing, and management operations. The parser extracts fields from Windows Event Log XML format and maps them to the Unified Data Model (UDM).

Before you begin

Make sure you have the following prerequisites:

• A Google SecOps instance
• Windows Server 2016 or later with the Bindplane agent installed
• If running behind a proxy, ensure firewall ports are open per the Bindplane agent requirements
• Windows LAPS configured and deployed in your environment

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

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.

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 Windows Event Log and send to Google SecOps

Locate the configuration file

• Use the following syntax to locate the configuration file:

    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:
    windowseventlog/laps_operational:
      channel: Microsoft-Windows-LAPS/Operational
      max_reads: 100
      poll_interval: 5s
      raw: true
      start_at: end
  
  processors:
    batch:
  
  exporters:
    chronicle/laps:
      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: 'C:\Program Files\observIQ OpenTelemetry Collector\ingestion-auth.json'
      customer_id: '<customer_id>'
      endpoint: chronicle.googleapis.com
      log_type: WINDOWS_LAPS
      override_log_type: false
      raw_log_field: body
  
  service:
    pipelines:
      logs/laps:
        receivers:
          - windowseventlog/laps_operational
        processors: [batch]
        exporters: [chronicle/laps]
  

Configuration parameters

Replace the following placeholders:

• Receiver configuration:

  • channel: Windows Event Log channel to read from (Microsoft-Windows-LAPS/Operational)
  • max_reads: Maximum number of log entries to read per poll cycle
  • poll_interval: How frequently to poll for new events
  • start_at: Where to begin reading (end for new events only)

• Exporter configuration:

  • creds_file_path: Full path to the service account JSON key file (Option 1) (C:\Program Files\observIQ OpenTelemetry Collector\ingestion-auth.json)
  • customer_id: Customer ID copied from the Google SecOps console
  • 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.

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/laps:
      compression: gzip
      creds_file_path: 'C:\Program Files\observIQ OpenTelemetry Collector\ingestion-auth.json'
      customer_id: '<customer_id>'
      endpoint: malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com
      log_type: WINDOWS_LAPS
      override_log_type: false
      raw_log_field: body
  

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

Save the configuration file

Click File > Save.

Restart the Bindplane agent to apply the changes

• 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 Microsoft Windows LAPS

1. Type eventvwr.msc at an elevated command prompt and press ENTER to open Event Viewer.
2. Go to Applications and Services Logs > Microsoft > Windows > LAPS.
3. Expand LAPS.
4. Right-click LAPS, and then click Properties.
5. Select the Enable logging checkbox.
6. Click OK when asked if the log is enabled.
7. Click OK.

UDM mapping table

Log Field	UDM Mapping	Logic
Channel	read_only_udm.additional.fields.key	Value is taken from the Channel field in the raw log and assigned to the key field.
Channel	read_only_udm.additional.fields.value.string_value	Value is taken from the Channel field in the raw log and assigned to the string_value field.
Computer	read_only_udm.principal.hostname	Value is taken from the Computer field in the raw log.
Computer	read_only_udm.principal.asset.hostname	Value is taken from the Computer field in the raw log.
EventData.%1	read_only_udm.additional.fields.value.string_value	Value is taken from the EventData.%1 field in the raw log and assigned to the string_value field.
EventId	read_only_udm.metadata.product_event_type	Value is taken from the EventId field in the raw log.
EventId	read_only_udm.security_result.rule_name	Value is taken from the EventId field in the raw log and appended to EventID:.
EventRecordID	read_only_udm.metadata.product_log_id	Value is taken from the EventRecordID field in the raw log.
Keywords	read_only_udm.additional.fields.key	Value is taken from the Keywords field in the raw log and assigned to the key field.
Keywords	read_only_udm.additional.fields.value.string_value	Value is taken from the Keywords field in the raw log and assigned to the string_value field.
Level	read_only_udm.security_result.severity	Value is taken from the Level field in the raw log and mapped to: INFORMATIONAL for INFO, Informational, Information, Normal, NOTICE; ERROR for ERROR, Error; CRITICAL for Critical.
Opcode	read_only_udm.additional.fields.key	Value is taken from the Opcode field in the raw log and assigned to the key field.
Opcode	read_only_udm.additional.fields.value.string_value	Value is taken from the Opcode field in the raw log and assigned to the string_value field.
ProcessID	read_only_udm.principal.process.pid	Value is taken from the ProcessID field in the raw log.
ProviderName	read_only_udm.metadata.product_name	Value is taken from the ProviderName field in the raw log.
Task	read_only_udm.additional.fields.key	Value is taken from the Task field in the raw log and assigned to the key field.
Task	read_only_udm.additional.fields.value.string_value	Value is taken from the Task field in the raw log and assigned to the string_value field.
ThreadID	read_only_udm.additional.fields.key	Value is taken from the ThreadID field in the raw log and assigned to the key field.
ThreadID	read_only_udm.additional.fields.value.string_value	Value is taken from the ThreadID field in the raw log and assigned to the string_value field.
TimeCreated	read_only_udm.metadata.event_timestamp	Value is taken from the TimeCreated field in the raw log, parsed as UNIX_MS timestamp.
TimeCreated	events.timestamp	Value is taken from the TimeCreated field in the raw log, parsed as UNIX_MS timestamp.
Version	read_only_udm.additional.fields.key	Value is taken from the Version field in the raw log and assigned to the key field.
Version	read_only_udm.additional.fields.value.string_value	Value is taken from the Version field in the raw log and assigned to the string_value field.
	read_only_udm.additional.fields.key	Assigned the value EventData_P1.
	read_only_udm.metadata.event_type	Conditionally assigned STATUS_UNCATEGORIZED if EventId is 7 or 2, else GENERIC_EVENT.
	read_only_udm.metadata.vendor_name	Assigned the value Microsoft.

Change Log

View the Change Log for this parser

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