Collect STIX Threat Intelligence logs

Supported in:

Google SecOps SIEM

This document explains how to ingest STIX Threat Intelligence logs to Google Security Operations using the Bindplane agent.

STIX (Structured Threat Information Expression) is a standardized language and format for sharing indicators of compromise (IOCs) and threat intelligence data between organizations. STIX data is typically received as JSON or XML files from TAXII servers or threat intelligence platforms. The Bindplane agent collects STIX data files directly from the local file system.

Before you begin

Make sure you have the following prerequisites:

• A Google SecOps instance
• Windows Server 2016 or later, or Linux host with systemd
• If running behind a proxy, ensure firewall ports are open per the Bindplane agent requirements
• A TAXII client or threat intelligence platform that saves STIX-formatted files (JSON or XML) to a local directory

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 logs 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:
    filelog:
      include:
        - /var/log/stix/*.json
      start_at: beginning
  
  exporters:
    chronicle/stix:
      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: '/opt/observiq-otel-collector/ingestion-auth.json'
      customer_id: '<customer_id>'
      endpoint: chronicle.googleapis.com
      log_type: STIX
      raw_log_field: body
      ingestion_labels:
        env: production
  
  service:
    pipelines:
      logs/stix_to_chronicle:
        receivers:
          - filelog
        exporters:
          - chronicle/stix
  

Configuration parameters

Replace the following placeholders:

• Receiver configuration:

  • filelog: The receiver type for collecting log files from disk
  • include: List of file paths to monitor. Set this to the directory where STIX files are saved:
    • Linux: /var/log/stix/*.json
    • Windows: C:\Logs\stix\*.json
  • start_at: Set to beginning to read existing logs or end to only read new entries

• Exporter configuration:

  • stix: Descriptive name for the exporter
  • 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 previous 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.
  • STIX: Log type exactly as it appears in Chronicle
  • ingestion_labels: Optional labels in YAML format (for example, env: production)

• Pipeline configuration:

  • stix_to_chronicle: Descriptive name for the pipeline

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/stix:
      compression: gzip
      creds_file_path: '/opt/observiq-otel-collector/ingestion-auth.json'
      customer_id: '<customer_id>'
      endpoint: malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com
      log_type: STIX
      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 STIX data file collection

STIX is a data format, not a product. STIX threat intelligence data is typically received as JSON or XML files from TAXII clients, threat intelligence platforms, or manual downloads. You need to ensure these files are placed in a directory that the Bindplane agent monitors.

Linux

1. Create a directory to store STIX data files:

   sudo mkdir -p /var/log/stix
   

2. Configure your TAXII client or threat intelligence platform to save STIX files to /var/log/stix/.

3. Ensure the Bindplane agent service account has read access to the directory:

   sudo chmod 755 /var/log/stix
   

Windows

1. Create a directory to store STIX data files:

   mkdir C:\Logs\stix
   

2. Configure your TAXII client or threat intelligence platform to save STIX files to `C:\Logs\stix`.

3. Update the Bindplane agent include path in config.yaml to match:

   include:
     - C:\Logs\stix\*.json
   

   Note: STIX data can be in JSON (STIX 2.x) or XML (STIX 1.x) format. Adjust the include glob pattern to match your file format (for example, *.json, *.xml, or both using multiple include entries). The Bindplane agent service account must have read access to the data directory.

UDM mapping table

Log Field	UDM Mapping	Logic
	entity.administrative_domain	Set to "TEST"
assetid_value	entity.asset.asset_id	Value from assetid_value if not empty
condition_label, related_indicators_relationship_label, related_indicators_scope, indicator_types_label, valid_start_time_label, controlled_structure_label, marking_structure_label	entity.asset.attribute.labels	Merged from various labels
name	entity.file.full_path	Value copied directly
val, hash.simple_hash_value, MD5_val, hash_value	entity.file.md5	Value from val if matches md5 regex, else hash.simple_hash_value if type MD5, else MD5_val, else hash_value
value	entity.file.names	Value copied directly
val, hash.simple_hash_value, sha1_val, hash_value	entity.file.sha1	Value from val if matches sha1 regex, else hash.simple_hash_value if type SHA1, else sha1_val, else hash_value
val, hash.simple_hash_value, sha256val, sha_value, sha_value	entity.file.sha256	Value from val if matches sha256 regex, else hash.simple_hash_value if type SHA256, else sha256val, else sha_value
observable.object.properties.value, dom, value, host, name, external_references.0.source_name	entity.hostname	Value from observable.object.properties.value if type FQDN, else dom from grok, else value if type domain-name, else host, else name if main_observable_type domain/hostname, else external_references.0.source_name
ip_val, ipval, ip, source_ip, value, src_ip	entity.ip	Value from ip_val if grok matched, else ipval if category ipv4-addr, else ip from pattern grok, else source_ip, else value if type ipv4, else src_ip from grok
source_port, src_port	entity.port	Value from source_port or src_port
indicator_label, extension_value1, extension_value2, extension_value3, extension_value4, revoked_value, spec_version_value, object_marking_ref_value, label_value	entity.resource.attribute.labels	Merged from various labels
observable.object.properties.value, url_val, value, observable_properties_value	entity.url	Value from observable.object.properties.value if type URL, else url_val from grok, else value if type url, else observable_properties_value if not empty
email_val, mail, value	entity.user.email_addresses	Value from email_val if grok matched, else mail from grok, else value if type email-addr
timestamp	metadata.collected_timestamp	Converted using date match ISO8601/RFC 3339
title, description	metadata.description	Value from title or description
entity_type	metadata.entity_type	Value copied directly
timestamp, valid_until	metadata.interval.end_time	Converted from timestamp or valid_until using date match ISO8601/RFC 3339
timestamp, valid_from, created	metadata.interval.start_time	Converted from timestamp, valid_from, created, or timestamp using date match ISO8601/RFC 3339
id	metadata.product_entity_id	Value copied directly
version	metadata.product_version	Value copied directly
threat_detail	metadata.threat	Merged from threat_detail
threat_detail_category	threat.category	Value copied directly
confidence_value, confidence, x_stix_confidence, x_ctix_confidence_score	threat.confidence_details	Value from confidence_value, else confidence if no_value, else x_stix_confidence, else x_ctix_confidence_score
value, confidence, x_ctix_confidence_score	threat.confidence_score	Value from value if name Confidence Score, else confidence, else x_ctix_confidence_score, converted to float
property_label, sha512_value, observable_id, observable_object_id, keyword_label	threat.detection_fields	Merged from various labels
description	threat.description	Value copied directly
value, extensions.extension-definition--ea279b3e-5c71-4632-ac08-831c66a786ba.score	threat.risk_score	Value from value if name Risk, else extensions score, converted to float
	metadata.product_name	Set to "STIX"
	metadata.vendor_name	Set to "STIX"
dom	event.idm.entity.entity.hostname	Mapped from changelog
name	event.idm.entity.entity.url	Mapped from changelog
valid_from	event.idm.entity.entity.resource.attribute.labels	Mapped from changelog
valid_until	event.idm.entity.entity.resource.attribute.labels	Mapped from changelog
pattern_version	event.idm.entity.entity.resource.attribute.labels	Mapped from changelog
observable.object.properties.value.condition	event.idm.entity.entity.asset.attribute.labels	Mapped from changelog
handling.controlled_structure	event.idm.entity.entity.asset.attribute.labels	Mapped from changelog
handling.marking_structures.color	event.idm.entity.entity.asset.attribute.labels	Mapped from changelog
related_indicators.related_indicators	event.idm.entity.entity.asset.attribute.labels	Mapped from changelog
related_indicators.scope	event.idm.entity.entity.asset.attribute.labels	Mapped from changelog
indicator_types	event.idm.entity.entity.asset.attribute.labels	Mapped from changelog
valid_time_positions	event.idm.entity.entity.asset.attribute.labels	Mapped from changelog
observable.object.properties.custom_properties	event.idm.entity.metadata.threat.detection_fields	Mapped from changelog
observable.object.properties.value	event.ioc.domain_and_ports.domain	Mapped from changelog
mitre-extension-definition.extension_type	entity.resource.attribute.labels.value	Mapped from changelog
sco-extension-definition.extension_type	entity.resource.attribute.labels.value	Mapped from changelog
x_ctix_confidence_score	threat_detail.confidence_score	Mapped from changelog
modified	timestamp	Mapped from changelog
valid_from	entity_event.metadata.interval.start_time	Mapped from changelog
confidence	threat_detail.confidence_score	Mapped from changelog
name	entity.entity.file.full_path	Mapped from changelog
description	threat_detail.description	Mapped from changelog
external_references.0.source_name	entity_event.entity.hostname	Mapped from changelog
entity_type	IP_ADDRESS	Mapped from changelog
entity_type	USER	Mapped from changelog
entity_type	FILE	Mapped from changelog
entity_type	DOMAIN_NAME	Mapped from changelog

Change Log

View the Change Log for this parser

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