Collect Neo4j Aura logs

Supported in:

Google secops SIEM

Note: This feature is covered by Pre-GA Offerings Terms of the Google Security Operations Service Specific Terms. Pre-GA features might have limited support, and changes to pre-GA features might not be compatible with other pre-GA versions. For more information, see the Google SecOps Technical Support Service guidelines and the Google SecOps Service Specific Terms.

This document explains how to ingest Neo4j Aura logs to Google Security Operations using Google Cloud Storage V2.

Neo4j Aura is a fully managed cloud graph database service. It provides security logs and query logs that can be forwarded to Google Cloud Logging for AuraDB Business Critical, AuraDB Virtual Dedicated Cloud, and AuraDS Enterprise tiers.

Before you begin

Ensure that you have the following prerequisites:

• A Google SecOps instance
• A GCP project with Cloud Storage API enabled
• Permissions to create and manage GCS buckets
• Permissions to manage IAM policies on GCS buckets
• Permissions to create Cloud Logging sinks
• Neo4j Aura instance running on Google Cloud Platform
• Neo4j Aura Project Admin role
• Neo4j Aura tier that supports log forwarding (AuraDB Business Critical, AuraDB Virtual Dedicated Cloud, or AuraDS Enterprise)

Create Google Cloud Storage bucket

1. Go to the Google Cloud Console.
2. Select your project or create a new one.
3. In the navigation menu, go to Cloud Storage > Buckets.
4. Click Create bucket.

5. Provide the following configuration details:

   Setting	Value
   Name your bucket	Enter a globally unique name (for example, neo4j-aura-logs)
   Location type	Choose based on your needs (Region, Dual-region, Multi-region)
   Location	Select the location (for example, us-central1)
   Storage class	Standard (recommended for frequently accessed logs)
   Access control	Uniform (recommended)
   Protection tools	Optional: Enable object versioning or retention policy

6. Click Create.

Configure Neo4j Aura log forwarding to Google Cloud Logging

Neo4j Aura forwards logs to Google Cloud Logging in your GCP project. This configuration is done in the Neo4j Aura Console.

1. Navigate to the Neo4j Aura Console.
2. Sign in with your Neo4j account.
3. In the sidebar, go to Settings > Log forwarding.
4. Click Configure log forwarding.
5. Select the scope for log forwarding:
   • AuraDB Business Critical: Select a specific instance to forward its logs.
   • AuraDB Virtual Dedicated Cloud: Select a region to forward logs from all instances in that region.
   • AuraDS Enterprise: Select a region to forward logs from all instances in that region.

6. Select the type of logs to forward:

   • Security logs: Authentication events, authorization events, and security-related activities.
   • Query logs: Cypher queries executed on the database.
   Note: You can create separate log forwarding configurations for security logs and query logs.

7. If you selected Query logs, expand the Filter section to configure optional filters:

   • Remove start entries: Enable to forward only query end entries (reduces volume by approximately 50%).
   • Include: Select All queries, Successful queries only, or Failed queries only.

8. Follow the instructions in the wizard specific to Google Cloud Platform.

   Note: The wizard provides detailed steps for configuring the GCP project ID and granting necessary permissions. The exact fields depend on your Neo4j Aura version, but typically include your GCP Project ID.

9. Complete the wizard and click Create or Save.

10. Wait for the status to change from setting up to forwarding.

    Note: It may take a few minutes for log forwarding to become active.

Create Cloud Logging sink to export logs to GCS

After Neo4j Aura forwards logs to Google Cloud Logging, create a log sink to export those logs to your GCS bucket.

1. In the GCP Console, go to Logging > Log Router.
2. Click Create sink.

3. Provide the following configuration details:

   Setting	Value
   Sink name	Enter a name (for example, neo4j-aura-to-gcs)
   Sink description	Enter a description (for example, Export Neo4j Aura logs to GCS for Chronicle)

4. Click Next.

5. In the Select sink service section, select Cloud Storage bucket.

6. In the Select Cloud Storage bucket dropdown, select the bucket you created (for example, neo4j-aura-logs).

7. Click Next.

8. In the Choose logs to include in sink section, build an inclusion filter to select Neo4j Aura logs.

   For Neo4j Aura logs forwarded from the log forwarding feature, use the following filter:

   resource.type="generic_node"
   resource.labels.namespace="neo4j-aura"
   

   Note: The exact filter may vary depending on how Neo4j Aura labels the logs. You can use the Logs Explorer to preview logs and refine the filter. Go to Logging > Logs Explorer and search for Neo4j-related logs to identify the correct resource type and labels.

9. Click Next.

10. Review the sink configuration.

11. Click Create sink.

Verify log export to GCS

1. Wait 2-3 hours for the first log entries to appear in the GCS bucket.
2. In the GCP Console, go to Cloud Storage > Buckets.
3. Click on your bucket name (for example, neo4j-aura-logs).

4. Verify that log files are being created in the bucket.

   Cloud Logging organizes logs in directory hierarchies by log type and date. The directory structure will be similar to:

   neo4j-aura-logs/
   ├── security.log/
   │   └── YYYY/
   │       └── MM/
   │           └── DD/
   │               └── HH:MM:SS_HH:MM:SS_S0.json
   └── query.log/
       └── YYYY/
           └── MM/
               └── DD/
                   └── HH:MM:SS_HH:MM:SS_S0.json
   

Retrieve the Google SecOps service account

Google SecOps uses a unique service account to read data from your GCS bucket. You must grant this service account access to your bucket.

Get the service account email

1. Go to SIEM Settings > Feeds.
2. Click Add New Feed.
3. Click Configure a single feed.
4. In the Feed name field, enter a name for the feed (for example, Neo4j Aura Logs).
5. Select Google Cloud Storage V2 as the Source type.
6. Select NEO4J as the Log type.
7. Click Get Service Account.

8. A unique service account email is displayed. For example:

   [e-mail]
   

9. Copy this email address for use in the next step.

   Note: Each Google SecOps instance has a unique service account. Don't use service accounts from other documentation or examples.

10. Click Next.

11. Specify values for the following input parameters:

    • Storage bucket URL: Enter the GCS bucket URI:

      gs://neo4j-aura-logs/
      

      Replace neo4j-aura-logs with your actual bucket name.

      Note: Always include the trailing slash (/) at the end of the URI.

    • Source deletion option: Select the deletion option according to your preference:

      • Never: Never deletes any files after transfers (recommended for testing).
      • Delete transferred files: Deletes files after successful transfer.

      • Delete transferred files and empty directories: Deletes files and empty directories after successful transfer.

        Note: If you select a deletion option, the service account must have Storage Object Admin role instead of Storage Object Viewer. Update IAM permissions accordingly.

    • Maximum File Age: Include files modified in the last number of days (default is 180 days)

    • Asset namespace: The asset namespace

    • Ingestion labels: The label to be applied to the events from this feed

12. Click Next.

13. Review your new feed configuration in the Finalize screen, and then click Submit.

Grant IAM permissions to the Google SecOps service account

The Google SecOps service account needs Storage Object Viewer role on your GCS bucket.

1. Go to Cloud Storage > Buckets.
2. Click on your bucket name (for example, neo4j-aura-logs).
3. Go to the Permissions tab.
4. Click Grant access.

5. Provide the following configuration details:

   • Add principals: Paste the Google SecOps service account email
   • Assign roles: Select Storage Object Viewer
   Note: If you plan to use the deletion option "Delete transferred files" or "Delete transferred files and empty directories," grant Storage Object Admin role instead of Storage Object Viewer.

6. Click Save.

UDM mapping table

Log Field	UDM Mapping	Logic
id2	about.resource.attribute.labels	Labels for the resource attributes
id3	about.resource.attribute.labels
timestamp_msg	metadata.event_timestamp	Event timestamp
event_type	metadata.event_type	Event type
recordDate	principal.asset.creation_time	Asset creation time
namespace	principal.domain.tech.product_object_id	Product object ID in the domain
properties.host_group	principal.hostname	Source hostname
msg	principal.process.command_line	Command line of the process
user_id	principal.user.userid	User ID of the principal
role	roles.name	Name of the role
security_result	security_result	Security result details
levelx	security_result.severity	Severity level
levelx	security_result.severity_details	Detailed severity information
properties.source	src.resource.name	Source resource name
properties.cluster_node	target.hostname	Destination hostname
database	target.resource.name	Target resource name
roles	target.user.attribute.roles	Roles associated with the target user
user_dest	target.user.userid	User ID of the target
metadata.product_name	metadata.product_name	Product name
metadata.vendor_name	metadata.vendor_name	Vendor name

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