Collect Swift Alliance Messaging Hub logs

Supported in:

Google SecOps SIEM

This document explains how to ingest Swift Alliance Messaging Hub (AMH) logs to Google Security Operations using Bindplane.

Swift Alliance Messaging Hub (AMH) is a financial messaging platform used for SWIFT network message routing, monitoring, and audit logging. The Bindplane agent collects AMH log 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
• Network connectivity between the Bindplane agent and the Swift AMH server
• If running behind a proxy, ensure firewall ports are open per the Bindplane agent requirements
• Privileged access to the Swift AMH server 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 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 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:
        - /opt/swift/amh/log/*.log
      start_at: beginning
  
  exporters:
    chronicle/swift_amh:
      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: SWIFT_AMH
      raw_log_field: body
      ingestion_labels:
        env: production
  
  service:
    pipelines:
      logs/swift_amh_to_chronicle:
        receivers:
          - filelog
        exporters:
          - chronicle/swift_amh
  

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. Default Swift AMH log locations:
    • Linux: /opt/swift/amh/log/*.log or /var/log/swift/amh/*.log
    • Windows: C:\Swift\AMH\log\*.log
  • start_at: Set to beginning to read existing logs or end to only read new entries

• Exporter configuration:

  • swift_amh: 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.
  • SWIFT_AMH: Log type exactly as it appears in Chronicle
  • ingestion_labels: Optional labels in YAML format (for example, env: production)

• Pipeline configuration:

  • swift_amh_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/swift_amh:
      compression: gzip
      creds_file_path: '/opt/observiq-otel-collector/ingestion-auth.json'
      customer_id: '<customer_id>'
      endpoint: malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com
      log_type: SWIFT_AMH
      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:

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 Swift Alliance Messaging Hub logging

1. Sign in to the Swift AMH server with administrator privileges.

2. Navigate to the AMH log directory. Default paths include:

   • Linux: /opt/swift/amh/log/ or /var/log/swift/amh/
   • Windows: C:\Swift\AMH\log\
   Note: The exact log directory depends on your AMH installation configuration. Consult the SWIFT Alliance Messaging Hub Administration Guide for your version.

3. Key log files include:

   • Audit logs (audit*.log): User login/logout events, message routing decisions, and configuration changes.
   • Message logs (msg*.log): SWIFT message processing, routing, and delivery events.
   • System logs (system*.log): Application start/stop, errors, and performance events.

4. (Optional) To export additional log data from the AMH Web Console:

   1. Sign in to the Swift AMH web console.
   2. Go to Monitoring > Event Journal.
   3. Configure the date range and event filters.
   4. Click Export to download the event data.
   5. Save the exported file to the log directory monitored by the Bindplane agent.

5. Ensure the Bindplane agent include paths in config.yaml match the actual log file locations on your Swift AMH server.

   Note: The Bindplane agent service account must have read access to the Swift AMH log directory. If your installation uses non-default paths, update the include configuration accordingly.

UDM mapping table

Log Field	UDM Mapping	Logic
	about	Additional context or metadata about the event
spanId, traceId, aal, mr	about.labels	Key-value pairs providing additional labels for the event
	extensions.auth.type	Type of authentication used
Intermediary	intermediary	Information about intermediary entities involved in the event
target.data.message.Header.DateCreated	metadata.event_timestamp	Timestamp when the event occurred
	metadata.event_type	Type of event (e.g., USER_LOGIN, NETWORK_CONNECTION)
traceId	metadata.product_deployment_id	Identifier for the product deployment
snmp_1_3_6_1_4_1_18494_2_1_5, event_number, product_event_type	metadata.product_event_type	Product-specific event type
target.data.message.Header.MessageType.Code, snmp_1_3_6_1_4_1_18494_2_1_10, sag, product_object_id	metadata.product_log_id	Product-specific log identifier
	metadata.product_version	Version of the product
sessionid, session	network.session_id	Identifier for the network session
data.creationDate	principal.asset.creation_time	Time when the asset was created
target.data.message.Header.DateDelivered	principal.asset.last_discover_time	Last time the asset was discovered
target.data.message.Status.CurrentStatus.StatusDate	principal.asset.system_last_update_time	Last system update time for the asset
ldap_group	principal.group.group_display_name	Display name of the group
hostname	principal.hostname	Hostname of the principal
client	principal.ip	Source IP address of the connection
target.data.message.Header.TransactionReference	principal.process.parent_pid	Parent process ID
target.data.message.Header.MessageReference	principal.process.pid	Process ID
amount, currency, offset, bussiness_element, pl	principal.resource.attribute.labels	Labels for resource attributes
message_partner	principal.resource.name	Name of the resource
pal	principal.user.attribute.labels	Labels for user attributes
uumid	principal.user.product_object_id	Product-specific object ID for the user
first_name last_name, user_HSM1	principal.user.user_display_name	Display name of the user
userid, record.User, user, record.Description	principal.user.userid	User identifier
ac, sr	security_result	Result of security analysis or action
operator	src.user.userid	Source user identifier
act	sr.action	Action taken in the security result
snmp_1_3_6_1_4_1_18494_2_1_9, description	sr.description	Description of the security result
event_class	sr.rule_name	Name of the rule that triggered the security result
	sr.severity	Severity level of the security result
snmp_1_3_6_1_4_1_18494_2_1_6, event_severity, severity	sr.severity_details	Detailed severity information
snmp_1_3_6_1_4_1_18494_2_1_8, summary	sr.summary	Summary of the security result
	target.hostname	Destination hostname
tip	target.ip	Destination IP address
target.data.message.Header.TransferReference	target.process.pid	Target process ID
target_display_name, user_HSM1	target.user.user_display_name	Display name of the target user
record.Description, user_cn, user_HSM1, userid	target.user.userid	Target user identifier
	metadata.product_name	Name of the product
	metadata.vendor_name	Vendor/company name

Change Log

View the Change Log for this parser

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