Collect Windows Firewall logs

Supported in:

Google secops SIEM

Note: This feature is covered by Pre-GA Offerings Terms of the Google Security Operations Service Specific Terms. Pre-GA features might have limited support, and changes to pre-GA features might not be compatible with other pre-GA versions. For more information, see the Google SecOps Technical Support Service guidelines and the Google SecOps Service Specific Terms.

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 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.

   Note: This JSON file contains credentials for authenticating the Bindplane agent to Google SecOps.

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.

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:
          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
  
  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 ingestion authentication file:
    • Windows: C:\Program Files\observIQ OpenTelemetry Collector\ingestion-auth.json
  • <customer_id>: Customer ID from the previous step
  • 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
  • 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

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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