Collect Varonis logs

Supported in:

Google secops SIEM

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

Varonis is a data security and analytics platform that generates CEF and LEEF-formatted syslog messages for file access events, permission changes, authentication activity, and DatAlert security alerts. The parser extracts fields from CEF, LEEF, and key-value formatted logs 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 Varonis server
If running behind a proxy, ensure firewall ports are open per the Bindplane agent requirements
Privileged access to Varonis

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

service:
    pipelines:
        logs/varonis_to_chronicle:
            receivers:
                - udplog
            exporters:
                - chronicle/varonis

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 syslog export in Varonis

Sign in to the Varonis web UI.
Go to Tools > DatAlert > Select DatAlert.
Select Configuration.
Provide the following configuration details:
- Syslog Message IP Address: Enter the Bindplane agent IP address.
- Port: Enter the Bindplane agent port number (for example, 514 for UDP).
- Facility name: Select a facility.
Click Apply.

Configure syslog format in Varonis

Go to Tools > DatAlert > Alert Templates.
Click Edit Alert Template and select External system default template.
In Apply to alert methods, select Syslog message from the list.
Select Rules > Alert Method from the menu.
Select Syslog message.
Click OK.

UDM mapping table

Log Field	UDM Mapping	Logic
`act`	`security_result.summary`	Value from the `act` field in the CEF message.
`cn1`	`security_result.rule_id`	Value from the `cn1` field in the CEF message.
`cs1`	`network.email.to`	Value from the `cs1` field in the CEF message, specifically the email recipient.
`cs2`	`security_result.rule_name`	Value from the `cs2` field in the CEF message.
`device_version`	`metadata.product_version`	Value from the `device_version` field in the CEF message.
`dhost`	`principal.hostname`	Value from the `dhost` field in the CEF message, representing the principal hostname. If `file_server` is present and not "DirectoryServices", it overwrites this value.
`duser`	`target.user.userid`	Value from the `duser` field in the CEF message. Undergoes gsub transformation to remove backslashes and split into `target.user.userid` and `target.administrative_domain`.
`dvchost`	`target.hostname`	Value from the `dvchost` field in the CEF message.
`filePath`	`target.file.full_path`	Value from the `filePath` field in the CEF message.
`rt`	`metadata.event_timestamp`	Value from the `rt` field in the CEF message, parsed as a timestamp.
`severity`	`security_result.severity`	Value from the `severity` field in the CEF message or LEEF message. Converted to uppercase. Mapped to UDM severity values (LOW, INFORMATIONAL, MEDIUM, HIGH, CRITICAL) based on numeric value or keyword.
`Acting Object`	`target.user.user_display_name`	Value from the `Acting Object` field in the key-value data. Split by "\" to extract the display name.
`Acting Object SAM Account Name`	`target.user.userid`	Value from the `Acting Object SAM Account Name` field in the key-value data.
`Device hostname`	`target.hostname`	Value from the `Device hostname` field in the key-value data.
`Device IP address`	`target.ip`	Value from the `Device IP address` field in the key-value data.
`Event Time`	`metadata.event_timestamp`	Value from the `Event Time` field in the key-value data, parsed as a timestamp.
`Event Type`	`target.application`, `metadata.event_type`	Value from the `Event Type` field in the key-value data. Used to derive `metadata.event_type` (FILE_OPEN, USER_CHANGE_PERMISSIONS, USER_CHANGE_PASSWORD, USER_UNCATEGORIZED).
`File Server/Domain`	`principal.hostname`	Value from the `File Server/Domain` field in the key-value data. If not "DirectoryServices", it overwrites the `principal.hostname` derived from `dhost`.
`Path`	`target.file.full_path`	Value from the `Path` field in the key-value data.
`Rule Description`	`metadata.description`	Value from the `Rule Description` field in the key-value data.
`Rule ID`	`security_result.rule_id`	Value from the `Rule ID` field in the key-value data.
`Rule Name`	`security_result.rule_name`	Value from the `Rule Name` field in the key-value data.
`intermediary_host`	`intermediary.hostname`	Value extracted by grok, representing the intermediary hostname.
`log_type`	`metadata.log_type`	Hardcoded to `VARONIS`.
`metadata.event_type`	`metadata.event_type`	Derived based on the values of `evt_typ`, `act`, and `filepath`. Defaults to STATUS_UPDATE if `event_type` is GENERIC_EVENT and `principal_hostname` is present.
`metadata.product_name`	`metadata.product_name`	Hardcoded to `VARONIS`, but can be overwritten by the `product_name` field from the LEEF message.
`metadata.vendor_name`	`metadata.vendor_name`	Hardcoded to `VARONIS`, but can be overwritten by the `vendor` field from the LEEF message.
`prin_host`	`principal.hostname`	Value extracted by grok, representing the principal hostname.
`product_name`	`metadata.product_name`	Value from the LEEF message.
`security_result.action`	`security_result.action`	Derived from the `result` or `Event Status` field. Set to "ALLOW" if the result is `Success`, otherwise set to `BLOCK`.
`timestamp`	`timestamp`, `metadata.event_timestamp`	The event timestamp is derived from various fields (`datetime1`, `event_time`, `start_datetime`, `datetime2`) based on availability. The `create_time` from the raw log is used as a fallback and mapped to both `timestamp` and `metadata.event_timestamp` if no other timestamp fields are available.
`vendor`	`metadata.vendor_name`	Value from the LEEF message.

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