Collect Windows Network Policy Server 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 Network Policy Server (NPS) logs to Google Security Operations using Bindplane.

Windows Network Policy Server (NPS) is a Microsoft RADIUS server that generates authentication, authorization, and accounting logs for network access control. The Bindplane agent collects NPS accounting log files and exported event logs 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 Server with the Network Policy Server role installed

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\IN*.log
          start_at: beginning
  
  exporters:
      chronicle/windows_nps:
          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_NET_POLICY_SERVER
          raw_log_field: body
          ingestion_labels:
              env: production
  
  service:
      pipelines:
          logs/nps_to_chronicle:
              receivers:
                  - filelog
              exporters:
                  - chronicle/windows_nps
  

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. Set this to the location of NPS accounting log files (for example, C:\Windows\System32\LogFiles\IN*.log) or exported event logs (for example, C:\Logs\nps\*.evtx)
  • start_at: Set to beginning to read existing logs or end to only read new entries

• Exporter configuration:

  • windows_nps: 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_NET_POLICY_SERVER: Log type exactly as it appears in Chronicle
  • ingestion_labels: Optional labels in YAML format (for example, env: production)

• Pipeline configuration:

  • nps_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 NPS log export

Windows NPS generates two types of logs: NPS accounting log files (IAS format) stored on disk and NPS-related events in the Windows Event Log. You can collect either or both.

Option 1: Collect NPS accounting log files (default)

NPS accounting log files are stored by default at C:\Windows\System32\LogFiles\` with filenames starting withIN(for example,IN2301.log`).

1. Open Server Manager > Network Policy Server.
2. Go to Accounting > Configure Accounting.
3. Verify that Log to a text file (local) is enabled.
4. Note the log file directory (default: %systemroot%\system32\LogFiles).

5. Ensure the Bindplane agent include path in config.yaml matches the log file location.

   Note: NPS accounting logs use IAS or DTS format. The default include path C:\Windows\System32\LogFiles\IN*.log matches the standard NPS log naming convention.

Option 2: Export NPS event logs

NPS authentication events (Event IDs 6272-6280) are logged in the Windows Security event log.

1. Create a directory to store the exported log files:

   mkdir C:\Logs\nps
   

2. Export NPS-related Security events using wevtutil:

   wevtutil epl "Security" /q:"*[System[Provider[@Name='Microsoft-Windows-Security-Auditing'] and (EventID>=6272 and EventID<=6280)]]" C:\Logs\nps\nps-security.evtx
   

3. (Optional) Schedule regular exports using Windows Task Scheduler:

   $action = New-ScheduledTaskAction -Execute "wevtutil" -Argument 'epl "Security" /q:"*[System[Provider[@Name=''Microsoft-Windows-Security-Auditing''] and (EventID>=6272 and EventID<=6280)]]" C:\Logs\nps\nps-security.evtx /ow:true'
   $trigger = New-ScheduledTaskTrigger -RepetitionInterval (New-TimeSpan -Hours 1) -Once -At (Get-Date)
   Register-ScheduledTask -Action $action -Trigger $trigger -TaskName "ExportNPSLogs" -Description "Export Windows NPS logs for Bindplane agent"
   

4. Update the Bindplane agent include path in config.yaml to match:

   include:
       - C:\Logs\nps\*.evtx
   

   Note: The Bindplane agent service account must have read access to the log directory.

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