Collect Windows Firewall logs

Supported in:

Google SecOps SIEM

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This document explains how to ingest Windows Firewall logs to Google Security Operations using Bindplane.

Windows Firewall is a built-in Windows host firewall that generates connection allow/block, rule change, and service event logs. The Bindplane agent collects the firewall 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 with observiq-otel-collector service support
• If running behind a proxy, ensure firewall ports are open per the Bindplane agent requirements
• Administrative access to the Windows host(s) generating firewall logs

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 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.

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

• 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:
        - C:\Windows\system32\LogFiles\Firewall\pfirewall.log
      start_at: beginning
  
  exporters:
    chronicle/windows_firewall:
      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: 'C:\Program Files\observIQ OpenTelemetry Collector\ingestion-auth.json'
      customer_id: '<customer_id>'
      endpoint: chronicle.googleapis.com
      log_type: WINDOWS_FIREWALL
      raw_log_field: body
      ingestion_labels:
        env: production
  
  service:
    pipelines:
      logs/firewall_to_chronicle:
        receivers:
          - filelog
        exporters:
          - chronicle/windows_firewall
  

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 Windows Firewall log location:
    • C:\Windows\system32\LogFiles\Firewall\pfirewall.log
  • start_at: Set to beginning to read existing logs or end to only read new entries

• Exporter configuration:

  • windows_firewall: Descriptive name for the exporter
  • creds_file_path: Full path to the service account JSON key file (Option 1):
    • 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.
  • WINDOWS_FIREWALL: Log type exactly as it appears in Chronicle
  • ingestion_labels: Optional labels in YAML format (for example, env: production)

• Pipeline configuration:

  • firewall_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/windows_firewall:
      compression: gzip
      creds_file_path: 'C:\Program Files\observIQ OpenTelemetry Collector\ingestion-auth.json'
      customer_id: '<customer_id>'
      endpoint: malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com
      log_type: WINDOWS_FIREWALL
      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:
  • Windows: Click File > Save

Restart the Bindplane agent to apply the changes

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 Windows Firewall logging

1. Open Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security by pressing Win+R, typing wf.msc, and pressing Enter.
2. In the left pane, right-click Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security on Local Computer and select Properties.
3. Select the appropriate profile tab (Domain Profile, Private Profile, or Public Profile).
4. Under Logging, click Customize.
5. Provide the following configuration details:
   • Log dropped packets: Select Yes.
   • Log successful connections: Select Yes.
   • Name: Verify the log file path is %systemroot%\system32\LogFiles\Firewall\pfirewall.log (default).
   • Size limit (KB): Set to at least 4096 to capture sufficient log data.
6. Click OK to save the logging settings.
7. Repeat steps 3-6 for each profile tab (Domain, Private, Public) as needed.
8. Verify that the log file is being written at C:\Windows\system32\LogFiles\Firewall\pfirewall.log.

9. Ensure the Bindplane agent include path in config.yaml matches the firewall log file path.

   Note: By default, Windows Firewall only logs dropped packets. To capture all connection events for security monitoring, enable both Log dropped packets and Log successful connections. The Bindplane agent service account must have read access to the log file.

UDM mapping table

Log Field	UDM Mapping	Logic
tcpflags, tcpsyn, tcpack, tcpwin, icmptype, icmpcode	about.labels	Merged as key-value pairs if field != "-"
timestamp	metadata.event_timestamp	Parsed using format yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss
	metadata.event_type	Set to "NETWORK_CONNECTION"
direction	network.direction	Set to "OUTBOUND" if direction in ["SEND", "FORWARD"]; "INBOUND" if direction == "RECEIVE"
protocol	network.ip_protocol	Value copied directly if protocol in ["TCP", "UDP", "ICMP"]
size	network.received_bytes	Converted to uinteger if direction == "RECEIVE" and size != "-"
size	network.sent_bytes	Converted to uinteger if direction in ["SEND", "FORWARD"] and size != "-"
src_ip	principal.ip	Value copied directly
src_port	principal.port	Converted to integer if src_port != "-"
action	security_result.action	Set to "BLOCK" if action == "DROP"; "ALLOW" if action == "ALLOW"
info	security_result.summary	Value copied directly if info != "-"
dst_ip	target.ip	Value copied directly
dst_port	target.port	Converted to integer if dst_port != "-"
	metadata.product_name	Set to "Windows Firewall"
	metadata.vendor_name	Set to "Microsoft"

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