Collect Symantec Messaging Gateway logs

Supported in:

This document explains how to ingest Symantec Messaging Gateway logs to Google Security Operations using Bindplane.

Symantec Messaging Gateway is an email security gateway that provides antispam, antimalware, and content filtering for enterprise email. It supports native syslog forwarding for email processing events, policy enforcement, and system health logs.

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 Symantec Messaging Gateway appliance
  • If running behind a proxy, ensure firewall ports are open per the Bindplane agent requirements
  • Privileged access to the Symantec Messaging Gateway management console

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. 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 Bindplane agent installation guide.

Configure Bindplane agent to ingest syslog and send to Google SecOps

Locate the configuration file

  • Linux:

    sudo nano /etc/bindplane-agent/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/symantec_mail:
        compression: gzip
        creds_file_path: '/etc/bindplane-agent/ingestion-auth.json'
        customer_id: '<customer_id>'
        endpoint: malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com
        log_type: SYMANTEC_MAIL
        raw_log_field: body

service:
    pipelines:
        logs/symantec_mail_to_chronicle:
            receivers:
                - udplog
            exporters:
                - chronicle/symantec_mail

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:

  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 Symantec Messaging Gateway syslog forwarding

  1. Sign in to the Symantec Messaging Gateway management console.
  2. Go to Administration > Settings > Logs.
  3. Click the Remote tab.
  4. Enable Syslogs.
  5. Configure the remote syslog server:
    • Host: Enter the IP address of the Bindplane agent host.
    • Port: Enter 514.
  6. Click Save.

UDM mapping table

Log Field UDM Mapping Logic
file.fileNameOrURL about.file.full_path Value copied directly for FILE_INCLUDED
file.md5 about.file.md5 Value copied directly for FILE_INCLUDED
file.fileType about.file.mime_type Value copied directly for FILE_INCLUDED
file.sha256 about.file.sha256 Value copied directly for FILE_INCLUDED
file.fileSize about.file.size Converted to uinteger for FILE_INCLUDED
file.urlCategories, file.urlRiskScore about.labels Merged labels for LINK_INCLUDED
file.fileNameOrURL about.url Value copied directly for LINK_INCLUDED
emailInfo.longMsgRef, emailInfo.messageId, emailInfo.isOutbound, emailInfo.HELOString, emailInfo.authResults.raw_header, emailInfo.authResults.dkim, emailInfo.authResults.dkim_signing_domain, emailInfo.authResults.spf, emailInfo.authResults.dmarc, emailInfo.authResults.dmarc_policy, emailInfo.authResults.dmarc_override_action, emailInfo.tlsInfo.tlsAdvertised, emailInfo.tlsInfo.tlsUsed, emailInfo.tlsInfo.tlsKeyLength, emailInfo.tlsInfo.tlsFallbackReason, emailInfo.tlsInfo.tlsForwardSecrecy, emailInfo.tlsInfo.tlsNegotiationFailed, emailInfo.messageSize, emailInfo.avQuarantinePenId, emailInfo.rawHeaderFrom, emailInfo.headerReplyTo, emailInfo.newDomainAge, emailInfo.timeInCynicSandboxMs, incidents additional.fields Merged as labels
emailInfo.mailProcessingStartTime, @timestamp metadata.event_timestamp Converted from mailProcessingStartTime if present, else from @timestamp
metadata.event_type Set to "EMAIL_TRANSACTION" if email_from_present and email_to_present, else "NETWORK_CONNECTION" if has_principal and has_target, else "USER_UNCATEGORIZED" if has_user, else "STATUS_UPDATE" if has_principal, else "GENERIC_EVENT"
emailInfo.xMsgRef metadata.product_log_id Value copied directly
emailInfo.headerFrom network.email.from Value copied directly if matches email pattern
emailInfo.subject network.email.subject Value copied directly
emailInfo.envTo, emailInfo.headerTo network.email.to Merged from envTo and headerTo if match email pattern
emailInfo.tlsInfo.tlsCipher network.tls.cipher Value copied directly
emailInfo.senderMailserver network.tls.client.server_name Value copied directly
emailInfo.tlsInfo.tlsPolicy network.tls.version Value copied directly
emailInfo.tlsInfo.tlsProtocol network.tls.version_protocol Value copied directly
emailInfo.senderMailserver principal.hostname Value copied directly
emailInfo.senderIp principal.ip Value copied directly
emailInfo.country principal.location.country_or_region Value copied directly
emailInfo.envFrom principal.user.email_addresses Value copied directly
metadata.product_name Set to "SYMANTEC_MAIL"
metadata.vendor_name Set to "SYMANTEC_MAIL"

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