Collect Preempt Auth logs

Supported in:

Google SecOps SIEM

This document explains how to ingest Preempt Auth logs to Google Security Operations using the Bindplane agent.

Preempt Auth is an authentication event monitoring solution that generates detailed authentication logs for Active Directory environments. It captures successful and failed login events, LDAP searches, service access, and authentication types across endpoints.

Note: Preempt Security was acquired by CrowdStrike in September 2020 and has been fully integrated into CrowdStrike Falcon Identity Protection. The standalone Preempt product is no longer available. If you have migrated to CrowdStrike Falcon Identity Protection, refer to the Collect CrowdStrike Falcon logs guide instead.

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 Preempt server
• If running behind a proxy, ensure firewall ports are open per the Bindplane agent requirements
• Privileged access to Preempt Auth (CrowdStrike Identity Protection) with administrator 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/preempt_auth:
      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: '<CREDS_FILE_PATH>'
      customer_id: '<CUSTOMER_ID>'
      endpoint: chronicle.googleapis.com
      log_type: PREEMPT_AUTH
      raw_log_field: body
      ingestion_labels:
        env: production
  
  service:
    pipelines:
      logs/preempt_auth_to_chronicle:
        receivers:
          - tcplog
        exporters:
          - chronicle/preempt_auth
  

Configuration parameters

Replace the following placeholders:

• Receiver configuration:

  • tcplog: Receives syslog over TCP. Use udplog if your Preempt deployment forwards over UDP.
  • 0.0.0.0:514: Listens on all interfaces on port 514. Change the port if needed (for example, 1514 for non-root Linux).

• Exporter configuration:

  • <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 Get Google SecOps customer ID 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.

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/preempt_auth:
      compression: gzip
      creds_file_path: '<CREDS_FILE_PATH>'
      customer_id: '<CUSTOMER_ID>'
      endpoint: malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com
      log_type: PREEMPT_AUTH
      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 Preempt Auth syslog forwarding

Note: Preempt Auth is a deprecated product. These instructions apply to legacy Preempt deployments only. If you have migrated to CrowdStrike Falcon Identity Protection, use the CrowdStrike integration guide instead.

1. Sign in to the Preempt management console.
2. Navigate to Settings > SIEM Integration.
3. Enable syslog forwarding for authentication events.
4. Provide the following configuration details:
   • Protocol: Select TCP (must match the Bindplane agent receiver configuration).
   • Syslog server 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).
5. Select the authentication event types to forward:
   • Successful authentication events
   • Failed authentication events
   • LDAP searches
   • Service access events
6. Click Save or Apply.
7. Verify that logs are being sent by checking the Bindplane agent logs.

UDM mapping table

Log Field	UDM Mapping	Logic
authenticationType	extensions.auth.type	Set to "SSO" if authenticationType matches SSO_LOGIN or LDAP_AUTHENTICATION; "MACHINE" if DOMAIN_LOGIN; "AUTHTYPE_UNSPECIFIED" if NTLM_AUTHENTICATION
	extensions.auth.mechanism	Set to "MECHANISM_UNSPECIFIED"
inter_ip	intermediary.hostname	Set if inter_ip is not a valid IP address
inter_ip	intermediary.ip	Set if inter_ip is a valid IP address
eventLabel	metadata.description	Value copied directly
eventType	metadata.event_type	Set to "USER_LOGIN" if eventType is SUCCESSFUL_AUTHENTICATION or FAILED_AUTHENTICATION; "SERVICE_UNSPECIFIED" if SERVICE_ACCESS or LDAP_SEARCH and principal_host_set is true
eventType	metadata.product_event_type	Value copied directly
endpointDisplayName, ipAddress	principal.hostname	Set if endpointDisplayName != ipAddress and endpointDisplayName != ""
ipAddress, inter_ip	principal.ip	Value from ipAddress if ipAddress != inter_ip, else from inter_ip
networkType	principal.resource.name	Value copied directly
	principal.resource.type	Set to "Network type"
userDisplayName	principal.user.email_addresses	Set if userDisplayName matches email regex
userDisplayName	principal.user.user_display_name	Value copied directly
userEntity.secondaryDisplayName, userDisplayName	principal.user.userid	Value from userEntity.secondaryDisplayName if not empty, else from userDisplayName if userEntity.secondaryDisplayName is empty
eventType	security_result.action	Set to "ALLOW" if SUCCESSFUL_AUTHENTICATION, "BLOCK" if FAILED_AUTHENTICATION
eventSeverity	security_result.severity_details	Value copied directly
authenticationType	security_result.summary	Value copied directly
targetEntity.primaryDisplayName, targetServiceIdentifier, eventType, targetEntity.type	target.application	Value from targetEntity.primaryDisplayName if targetEntity.type == "CLOUD_SERVICE"; else from targetServiceIdentifier if targetServiceIdentifier != "" and not previously set; else "LDAP" if eventType == "LDAP_SEARCH" and not previously set
targetEntity.primaryDisplayName, targetEntity.type	target.hostname	Set if targetEntity.type == "ENDPOINT"
targetServiceType	target.resource.name	Set if targetServiceType != "" and != "UNKNOWN"
targetServiceType	target.resource.type	Set to "Service Type" if targetServiceType != "" and != "UNKNOWN"
targetEntity.primaryDisplayName, targetEntity.type	target.user.user_display_name	Set if targetEntity.type == "USER"
targetEntity.secondaryDisplayName, targetEntity.type	target.user.userid	Set if targetEntity.type == "USER"
	metadata.product_name	Set to "PREEMPT_AUTH"
	metadata.vendor_name	Set to "Preempt"

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