Collect VMware vSphere logs

Supported in:

Google secops SIEM

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

VMware vSphere is a virtualization platform that generates syslog messages for ESXi host events, VM operations, authentication, and system health monitoring.

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 VMware vSphere ESXi host
If running behind a proxy, ensure firewall ports are open per the Bindplane agent requirements
Privileged access to the VMware vSphere Web Client or ESXi Shell

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

service:
    pipelines:
        logs/vmware_vsphere_to_chronicle:
            receivers:
                - udplog
            exporters:
                - chronicle/vmware_vsphere

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 in VMware vSphere

Option 1: vSphere Web Client

Sign in to the vSphere Web Client.
Select the ESXi host.
Go to Configure > System > Advanced System Settings.
Click Edit.
Set the Syslog.global.logHost parameter to udp://<bindplane-ip>:514 (replace <bindplane-ip> with your Bindplane agent IP address).
Click OK.

Option 2: ESXi Shell

SSH to the ESXi host.

Run the following commands:

esxcli system syslog config set --loghost=udp://<bindplane-ip>:514
esxcli system syslog reload

Replace <bindplane-ip> with your Bindplane agent IP address.

UDM mapping table

Log Field	UDM Mapping	Logic
`Originator_label`	`additional.fields`	Merged
`activityType_label`	`additional.fields`	Merged
`certVerificationStatus_label`	`additional.fields`	Merged
`cls_simple_activity_label`	`additional.fields`	Merged
`itemType_label`	`additional.fields`	Merged
`logtype_label`	`additional.fields`	Merged
`opID_label`	`additional.fields`	Merged
`progress_label`	`additional.fields`	Merged
`securityCompliance_label`	`additional.fields`	Merged
`sub_label`	`additional.fields`	Merged
`vpxd_label`	`additional.fields`	Merged
`column9`	`extensions.auth.type`	Mapped: `logged out` → `AUTHTYPE_UNSPECIFIED`
`column9`	`metadata.description`	Directly mapped
`msg`	`metadata.description`	Directly mapped
`response_Message`	`metadata.description`	Directly mapped
`column3`	`metadata.event_timestamp`	Parsed as `ISO8601`
`column9`	`metadata.event_type`	Mapped: `logged out` → `USER_LOGOUT`
`has_principal`	`metadata.event_type`	Mapped: `true` → `NETWOK_CONNECTION`, `true` → `STATUS_UPDATE`
`column4`	`metadata.product_event_type`	Directly mapped
`column1`	`metadata.product_log_id`	Directly mapped
`uuid`	`metadata.product_log_id`	Directly mapped
`user_agent`	`network.http.parsed_user_agent`	Renamed/mapped
`user_agent`	`network.http.user_agent`	Directly mapped
`sessionId`	`network.session_id`	Directly mapped
`Hostname`	`principal.asset.hostname`	Directly mapped
`hostname`	`principal.asset.hostname`	Directly mapped
`srcip`	`principal.asset.ip`	Merged
`Hostname`	`principal.hostname`	Directly mapped
`hostname`	`principal.hostname`	Directly mapped
`srcip`	`principal.ip`	Merged
`column5`	`security_result.severity`	Mapped: `INFO` → `INFORMATIONAL`
`severity`	`security_result.severity_details`	Directly mapped
`pid`	`target.process.pid`	Directly mapped
`column7`	`target.resource.name`	Directly mapped
`column6`	`target.user.userid`	Directly mapped
N/A	`extensions.auth.type`	Constant: `AUTHTYPE_UNSPECIFIED`
N/A	`metadata.event_type`	Constant: `NETWOK_CONNECTION`
N/A	`metadata.product_name`	Constant: `VMWARE_VSPHERE`
N/A	`metadata.vendor_name`	Constant: `VMWARE_VSPHERE`
N/A	`security_result.severity`	Constant: `INFORMATIONAL`

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