Collect OpenLDAP logs

Supported in:

This document explains how to ingest OpenLDAP logs to Google Security Operations using Bindplane.

OpenLDAP is an open-source LDAP directory server that generates access, audit, and replication logs. The parser extracts fields from OpenLDAP log entries and maps them to the Unified Data Model (UDM), capturing user identity, authentication events, LDAP operations, and security results.

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 OpenLDAP server
  • If running behind a proxy, ensure firewall ports are open per the Bindplane agent requirements
  • Privileged access to the OpenLDAP server with root or administrative permissions

Get Google SecOps ingestion authentication file

  1. Sign in to the Google SecOps console.
  2. Go to SIEM Settings > Collection Agents.

  3. Download the Ingestion Authentication File. Save the file securely on the system where Bindplane will be installed.

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.

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 Bindplane agent installation guide.

Configure the Bindplane agent to ingest syslog and send to Google SecOps

Locate the configuration file

  • Linux:

    sudo systemctl status observiq-otel-collector

  • 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:
    udplog:
        listen_address: "0.0.0.0:514"

exporters:
    chronicle/openldap:
        compression: gzip
        creds_file_path: '/etc/bindplane-agent/ingestion-auth.json'
        customer_id: '<customer_id>'
        endpoint: malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com
        log_type: OPENLDAP
        raw_log_field: body

service:
    pipelines:
        logs/openldap:
            receivers:
                - udplog
            exporters:
                - chronicle/openldap

Configuration parameters

Replace the following placeholders:

  • Receiver configuration:

    • udplog: The receiver type based on protocol:
      • udplog for UDP syslog
      • tcplog for TCP syslog
      • syslog for RFC 3164/5424 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:

    • <customer_id>: Customer ID from the earlier step
    • malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com: 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
    • Adjust the creds_file_path depending on the platform:
      • Linux: /etc/bindplane-agent/ingestion-auth.json
      • Windows: C:\Program Files\observIQ OpenTelemetry Collector\ingestion-auth.json

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:

  1. Run the following command:

    sudo systemctl restart observiq-otel-collector

  2. Verify the service is running:

    sudo systemctl status observiq-otel-collector

  3. Check logs for errors:

    sudo journalctl -u observiq-otel-collector -f

To restart the Bindplane agent in Windows:

  1. 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.

  2. Verify the service is running:

    sc query observiq-otel-collector

  3. Check logs for errors:

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

Configure OpenLDAP syslog forwarding

OpenLDAP (slapd) can be configured to log via syslog. Configure the syslog daemon to forward OpenLDAP logs to the Bindplane agent.

  1. Verify that OpenLDAP is configured to log to syslog. Check the slapd.conf or cn=config for the loglevel directive:

    loglevel stats conns

  2. OpenLDAP logs to the local4 syslog facility by default. Configure rsyslog to forward these logs to the Bindplane agent. Create a configuration file:

    sudo nano /etc/rsyslog.d/openldap-forward.conf

  3. Add the following content:

    local4.* @BINDPLANE_AGENT_IP:514

  4. Restart the rsyslog service:

    sudo systemctl restart rsyslog

UDM mapping table

Log Field UDM Mapping Logic
op, fd, ou, cn, dc, dc1, base1, base2, base3, scope_data, valueData, method, filter, tag_data, err, attrData, ou_2, ou_1, syslog_message, immutable_user_id, resource additional.fields Merged with labels created from these fields
extensions.auth.type Set to "AUTHTYPE_UNSPECIFIED"
caller_ip, proxy1_ip, proxy2_ip intermediary Merged from intermediary, proxy_1, proxy_2
msg1, inner_message metadata.description Value from msg1 or inner_message
metadata.event_type Set to "GENERIC_EVENT" initially, then "STATUS_UPDATE" if principal IP present, "USER_UNCATEGORIZED" if user present, "USER_LOGIN" if timestamp or inner_ts present
ldap_action metadata.product_event_type Value from ldap_action lowercased
ldap_conn metadata.product_log_id Value from ldap_conn after removing "conn="
user_agent network.http.user_agent Value copied directly
session_id network.session_id Value copied directly
principal_ip, prin_ip, caller_ip, r_ip_or_host, proxy_client_ip, src_ip, client_ip principal.asset.ip Merged from principal_ip (after replacing - with .), prin_ip, caller_ip, r_ip_or_host (if IP), proxy_client_ip, src_ip, client_ip
r_ip_or_host, src_host principal.hostname Value from r_ip_or_host if hostname, else src_host
principal_ip, prin_ip, caller_ip, r_ip_or_host, proxy_client_ip, src_ip, client_ip principal.ip Merged from principal_ip (after replacing - with .), prin_ip, caller_ip, r_ip_or_host (if IP), proxy_client_ip, src_ip, client_ip
country principal.location.country_or_region Value copied directly
prin_port, port, src_port principal.port Value from prin_port, port, or src_port, converted to integer
syslog_process principal.process.file.full_path Value copied directly
syslog_pid principal.process.pid Value copied directly
org_name principal.user.company_name Value copied directly
user, cn, uid principal.user.userid Value from user, cn, or uid
security_result security_result Merged directly
action, sec_action security_result.action Value from action (based on err codes) or sec_action (based on login_status)
resource, immutable_user_id security_result.detection_fields Merged with labels from resource and immutable_user_id
inner_descrption, security_description security_result.description Value from inner_descrption or security_description
tuser, username, userid target.user.userid Value from tuser, username, or userid
metadata.product_name Set to "OpenLDAP"
metadata.vendor_name Set to "OpenLDAP"

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