Collect Snort IDS logs

Supported in:

This document explains how to ingest Snort IDS logs to Google Security Operations using the Bindplane agent.

Snort is an open-source intrusion detection and prevention system that generates syslog messages for network intrusion alerts, protocol analysis events, and traffic anomalies. The parser extracts fields from syslog-formatted and JSON-formatted logs using grok patterns 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, or Linux host with systemd
  • Network connectivity between the Bindplane agent and the Snort device
  • If running behind a proxy, ensure firewall ports are open per the Bindplane agent requirements
  • Terminal access to the Snort device

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.

  4. 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 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/snort_ids:
        compression: gzip
        creds_file_path: '/etc/bindplane-agent/ingestion-auth.json'
        customer_id: '<customer_id>'
        endpoint: malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com
        log_type: SNORT_IDS
        raw_log_field: body

service:
    pipelines:
        logs/snort_ids_to_chronicle:
            receivers:
                - udplog
            exporters:
                - chronicle/snort_ids

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

    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 syslog export on Snort v2.x

  1. Sign in to the Snort device using terminal.
  2. Edit the following file: /etc/snort/snort.conf.
  3. Go to 6) Configure output plugins.

  4. Add the following entry:

    # syslog output
alert_syslog: host=<BINDPLANE_IP>:<PORT_NUMBER>, LOG_AUTH LOG_ALERT
    • Replace <BINDPLANE_IP> with the Bindplane agent IP address and <PORT_NUMBER> with the port number.

  5. Save the file.

  6. Start the snort service.

  7. Stop the rsyslog service.

  8. Edit the following file: /etc/rsyslogd.conf:

    # remote host is: name/ip:port
*.* @@<BINDPLANE_IP>:<PORT_NUMBER>
    • Replace <BINDPLANE_IP> with the Bindplane agent IP address and <PORT_NUMBER> with the port number.

  9. Start the rsyslog service.

Configure syslog export on Snort v3.1.53

  1. Sign in to the Snort device using terminal.
  2. Stop the rsyslog and snort services.
  3. Go to the Snort installation directory: /usr/local/etc/snort/.
  4. Edit the Snort configuration file: snort.lua.

  5. In the Configure outputs options, append the following code:

    alert_syslog = {
    facility = 'local3',
    level = 'info',
}

  6. Save the Snort configuration file.

  7. Go to the rsyslog service default configuration files directory: /etc/rsyslog.d.

  8. Create a new file: 3-snort.conf.

  9. To send logs over TCP or UDP, add the following configuration:

    local3.* @@<BINDPLANE_IP>:<PORT_NUMBER>
    • Replace <BINDPLANE_IP> with the Bindplane agent IP address and <PORT_NUMBER> with the port number.

  10. Save the file.

  11. Start rsyslog and then the snort service.

UDM mapping table

Log Field UDM Mapping Logic
agent.hostname observer.hostname Value taken from agent.hostname field in the raw log.
agent.id observer.asset_id Value taken from agent.id field in the raw log and concatenated with agent.type as follows: agent.type:agent.id.
agent.type observer.application Value taken from agent.type field in the raw log.
agent.version observer.platform_version Value taken from agent.version field in the raw log.
alert.category security_result.category_details Value taken from alert.category field in the raw log.
alert.rev security_result.rule_version Value taken from alert.rev field in the raw log.
alert.rule security_result.summary Value taken from alert.rule field in the raw log, with double quotes removed.
alert.severity security_result.severity If alert.severity is greater than or equal to 4, set to LOW. If alert.severity is 2 or 3, set to MEDIUM. If alert.severity is 1, set to HIGH. Otherwise, set to UNKNOWN_SEVERITY.
alert.signature security_result.rule_name Value taken from alert.signature field in the raw log.
alert.signature_id security_result.rule_id Value taken from alert.signature_id field in the raw log.
app_proto network.application_protocol If app_proto is dns, smb, or http, convert to uppercase and use that value. Otherwise, set to UNKNOWN_APPLICATION_PROTOCOL.
category security_result.category If category is trojan-activity, set to NETWORK_MALICIOUS. If category is policy-violation, set to POLICY_VIOLATION. Otherwise, set to UNKNOWN_CATEGORY.
classtype security_result.rule_type Value taken from classtype field in the raw log, if it's not empty or unknown.
community_id network.community_id Value taken from community_id field in the raw log.
date_log Used to set the event timestamp if time field is empty.
desc metadata.description Value taken from desc field in the raw log.
dest_ip target.ip Value taken from dest_ip field in the raw log.
dest_port target.port Value taken from dest_port field in the raw log and converted to integer.
dstport target.port Value taken from dstport field in the raw log and converted to integer.
file.filename security_result.about.file.full_path Value taken from file.filename field in the raw log, if it's not empty or /.
file.size security_result.about.file.size Value taken from file.size field in the raw log and converted to unsigned integer.
host.name principal.hostname Value taken from host.name field in the raw log.
hostname principal.hostname Value taken from hostname field in the raw log.
inter_host intermediary.hostname Value taken from inter_host field in the raw log.
log.file.path principal.process.file.full_path Value taken from log.file.path field in the raw log.
metadata.version metadata.product_version Value taken from metadata.version field in the raw log.
proto network.ip_protocol Value taken from proto field in the raw log. If it's a number, it's converted to the corresponding IP protocol name using a lookup table.
rule_name security_result.rule_name Value taken from rule_name field in the raw log.
signature_id security_result.rule_id Value taken from signature_id field in the raw log.
signature_rev security_result.rule_version Value taken from signature_rev field in the raw log.
src_ip principal.ip Value taken from src_ip field in the raw log.
src_port principal.port Value taken from src_port field in the raw log and converted to integer.
srcport principal.port Value taken from srcport field in the raw log and converted to integer.
time Used to set the event timestamp.
metadata.event_type Always set to SCAN_NETWORK.
metadata.log_type Hardcoded to SNORT_IDS.
metadata.product_name Hardcoded to SNORT_IDS.
metadata.vendor_name Hardcoded to SNORT.
security_result.action Set to ALLOW if alert.action is allowed, otherwise set to UNKNOWN_ACTION.

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