Collect Quest File Access Audit logs

Supported in:

Google secops SIEM

This document explains how to ingest Quest File Access Audit logs to Google Security Operations using the Bindplane agent.

Quest Change Auditor (formerly Quest File Access Audit) is a file server and Active Directory auditing platform that monitors and reports on file access activities, permission changes, and administrative actions across Windows environments. Change Auditor provides built-in SIEM integration capabilities, including syslog forwarding via event subscriptions.

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 Quest Change Auditor coordinator server
If running behind a proxy, ensure firewall ports are open per the Bindplane agent requirements
Privileged access to the Quest Change Auditor client or coordinator server

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:
    udplog:
        listen_address: "0.0.0.0:514"

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

service:
    pipelines:
        logs/quest_file_audit_to_chronicle:
            receivers:
                - udplog
            exporters:
                - chronicle/quest_file_audit

Configuration parameters

Replace the following placeholders:

Receiver configuration:
- listen_address: IP address and port to listen on:
  - 0.0.0.0 to listen on all interfaces (recommended)
  - Port 514 is the standard syslog port (requires root on Linux; use 1514 for non-root)
Exporter configuration:
- 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 copied from the Google SecOps console
- 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

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 Quest Change Auditor syslog forwarding

Option 1: Configure syslog forwarding using the Change Auditor client

Open the Change Auditor client application.
Navigate to Administration > Event Subscriptions.
Click New and select Syslog as the subscription type.
In the Syslog event subscription wizard, configure the following:
- Host: Enter the IP address of the Bindplane agent host.
- Port: Enter 514.
- Message Format: Select CEF (Common Event Format) or LEEF (Log Event Extended Format).
- Subsystems: Select the event subsystems to forward (for example, File System).
Click Finish to create the subscription.

Option 2: Configure syslog forwarding using PowerShell

Open PowerShell on the Change Auditor coordinator server and import the Change Auditor module.

Create a syslog event subscription:

$subsystems = Get-CAEventExportSubsystems | Where-Object { $_.Name -like "*File*" }
New-CASyslogEventSubscription -Host "<BINDPLANE_AGENT_IP>" -Port 514 -SyslogFormat "CEF" -Subsystems $subsystems

Verify the subscription was created:
```
Get-CASyslogEventSubscriptions
```

UDM mapping table

Log Field	UDM Mapping	Logic
Keywords, EventType, Task, ThreadID, Channel, Opcode	additional.fields	Additional information about the event
EventTime	metadata.event_timestamp	The timestamp when the event occurred
event_type	metadata.event_type	The type of event
EventReceivedTime	metadata.ingested_timestamp	The timestamp when the event was ingested
EventID	metadata.product_event_type	The event type as defined by the product
RecordNumber	metadata.product_log_id	The log ID assigned by the product
	metadata.product_name	The name of the product that generated the event
	metadata.vendor_name	The name of the vendor that generated the event
SourceModuleType	observer.application	The application used by the observer
SourceModuleName	observer.resource.attribute.labels	Labels associated with the observer resource
Domain	principal.administrative_domain	The administrative domain of the principal
SourceName	principal.application	The application used by the principal
Hostname	principal.asset.hostname	The hostname of the asset associated with the principal
ip_address	principal.asset.ip	The IP address of the asset associated with the principal
Hostname	principal.hostname	The hostname of the principal
ip_address	principal.ip	The IP address of the principal
ProcessID	principal.process.pid	The process ID
logonID	principal.user.attribute.labels	Labels associated with the user
AccountType	principal.user.attribute.roles	Roles associated with the user
AccountName	principal.user.userid	The user ID
UserID	principal.user.windows_sid	The Windows SID of the user
description	security_result.description	Description of the security result
SeverityValue	security_result.severity	Severity of the security result
Severity	security_result.severity_details	Details of the severity
Category	security_result.summary	Summary of the security result
file_path	target.file.full_path	The full path of the target file
file_path	target.process.file.full_path	The full path of the file associated with the target process

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