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    Collect Cisco APIC logs

    Parser Version:1.0

    Supported in:

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

    The parser extracts fields from Cisco APIC syslog formatted logs. It uses grok and/or kv to parse the log message and then maps these values to the Unified Data Model (UDM). It also sets default metadata values for the event source and type.

    Before you begin

    Make sure you have the following prerequisites:

    • A Google SecOps instance
    • A Windows 2016 or later or Linux host with systemd
    • If running behind a proxy, ensure firewall ports are open per the Bindplane agent requirements
    • Privileged access to the Cisco APIC management console

    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.
    4. Save the file securely on the system where the Bindplane agent will be installed.

    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 IDfrom the Organization Detailssection.

    Install Bindplane agent

    Install the Bindplane agent on your Windows or Linux operating system according to the following instructions.

    Windows installation

    1. Open the Command Promptor PowerShellas an administrator.

    2. Run the following command:

        msiexec 
  
 / 
 i 
  
 "https://github.com/observIQ/bindplane-agent/releases/latest/download/observiq-otel-collector.msi" 
  
 / 
 quiet

    Linux installation

    1. Open a terminal with root or sudo privileges.

    2. Run the following command:

       sudo  
sh  
-c  
 " 
 $( 
curl  
-fsSlL  
https://github.com/observiq/bindplane-agent/releases/latest/download/install_unix.sh ) 
 " 
  
install_unix.sh

    Additional installation resources

    For additional installation options, consult this installation guide .

    Configure the Bindplane agent to ingest Syslog and send to Google SecOps

    1. Access the configuration file:
      • Locate the config.yaml file. Typically, it's in the /etc/bindplane-agent/ directory on Linux or in the installation directory on Windows.
      • Open the file using a text editor (for example, nano , vi , or Notepad).

    2. Edit the config.yaml file as follows:

        receivers 
 : 
  
 udplog 
 : 
  
 # Replace the port and IP address as required 
  
 listen_address 
 : 
  
 "0.0.0.0:514" 
 exporters 
 : 
  
 chronicle/chronicle_w_labels 
 : 
  
 compression 
 : 
  
 gzip 
  
 # Adjust the path to the credentials file you downloaded in Step 1 
  
 creds_file_path 
 : 
  
 '/path/to/ingestion-authentication-file.json' 
  
 # Replace with your actual customer ID from Step 2 
  
 customer_id 
 : 
  
 YOUR_CUSTOMER_ID 
  
 endpoint 
 : 
  
 malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com 
  
 # Specify the log type that matches your Chronicle feed configuration 
  
 # Commonly used: CISCO_ACI or CISCO_APIC depending on your setup 
  
 log_type 
 : 
  
 'CISCO_APIC' 
  
 raw_log_field 
 : 
  
 body 
  
 ingestion_labels 
 : 
 service 
 : 
  
 pipelines 
 : 
  
 logs/source0__chronicle_w_labels-0 
 : 
  
 receivers 
 : 
  
 - 
  
 udplog 
  
 exporters 
 : 
  
 - 
  
 chronicle/chronicle_w_labels
    • Replace the port and IP address as required in your infrastructure:
      • Replace YOUR_CUSTOMER_ID with the actual Customer ID.
      • Update /path/to/ingestion-authentication-file.json to the file path where the authentication file was saved in Step 1.
      • Ensure the log_type value matches the Log type selected in your Google SecOps feed configuration.

    Restart the Bindplane agent to apply the changes

    1. To restart the Bindplane agent in Linux, run the following command:

       sudo  
systemctl  
restart  
observiq-otel-collector

    2. To restart the Bindplane agent in Windows, you can either use the Servicesconsole or enter the following command:

       net stop observiq-otel-collector && net start observiq-otel-collector

    Configure Syslog forwarding on Cisco APIC

    Configure Management Contracts (Troubleshooting)

    If syslog messages are not reaching Google SecOps, verify the management access configuration:

    1. Sign in to the Cisco APIC console.
    2. Go to Tenants > mgmt > Security Policies.
    3. Check that the management contracts allow UDP port 514:
      • For Out-of-Band management > ensure the OOB contract permits UDP port 514.
      • For In-Band management > ensure the INB contract permits UDP port 514.
    4. If required, create or modify filters to allow UDP port 514 for the selected management EPG.

    Create Syslog Monitoring Destination Group

    1. Go to Admin > External Data Collectors > Monitoring Destinations > Syslog.
    2. Click the +sign to Create Syslog Monitoring Destination Group.
    3. Provide the following configuration details:
      • Name: Enter a descriptive name (for example, Google SecOps-Syslog ).
      • Description: Enter a description (for example, Syslog destination for Google Security Operations ).
      • Admin State: Select enabled.
      • Format: Select aci(recommended) or nxos.
    4. Click Next.
    5. In the Create Syslog Remote Destinationsection, provide the following configuration details:
      • Host Name/IP: Enter the Bindplane agent IP address.
      • Name: Enter a descriptive name for the destination.
      • Admin State: Select enabled.
      • Severity: Select information(or your preferred severity level).
      • Port: Enter 514(or the port configured on the Bindplane agent).
      • Management EPG: Select appropriate management EPG:
        • default (Out-of-Band)for OOB management
        • inb-defaultfor In-Band management
      • Forwarding Facility: Select local7(or your preferred facility).
    6. Click OK.
    7. Review the configuration and click Finish.

    Configure syslog sources

    Configure syslog sources to send different types of events to the destination group:

    Configure Fabric Policy Syslog Source

    1. Go to Fabric > Fabric Policies > Monitoring Policies.
    2. Expand defaultand select Callhome/SNMP/Syslog.
    3. Click the +sign to create a syslog source.
    4. Provide the following configuration details:
      • Source Name: Enter a name (for example, fabric-syslog-source ).
      • Min Severity: Select information.
      • Include: Select Check Allto include Audit logs, Events, Faults, and Session logs.
      • Destination Group: Select the syslog monitoring destination group created earlier.
    5. Click Submit.

    Configure Common Policy Syslog Source

    1. Go to Fabric > Fabric Policies > Monitoring Policies.
    2. Expand commonand select Callhome/SNMP/Syslog.
    3. Click +to create a syslog source.
    4. Provide the following configuration details:
      • Source Name: Enter a name (for example, common-syslog-source ).
      • Min Severity: Select information.
      • Include: Select Check Allto include Audit logs, Events, Faults, and Session logs.
      • Destination Group: Select the syslog monitoring destination group created earlier.
    5. Click Submit.

    Configure Access Policy Syslog Source

    1. Go to Fabric > Access Policies > Monitoring Policies.
    2. Expand defaultand select Callhome/SNMP/Syslog.
    3. Click the +sign to create a syslog source.
    4. Provide the following configuration details:
      • Source Name: Enter a name (for example, access-syslog-source ).
      • Min Severity: Select information.
      • Include: Select Check Allto include Audit logs, Events, Faults, and Session logs.
      • Destination Group: Select the syslog monitoring destination group created earlier.
    5. Click Submit.

    Configure System Message Policy (optional)

    1. Go to Fabric > Fabric Policies > Monitoring Policies.
    2. Expand common > System Message Policies.
    3. Select Policy for System Syslog Messages.
    4. Select the defaultfacility.
    5. Change Severityto information.
    6. Click Update.

    UDM mapping table

    Log Field UDM Mapping Logic
    fault_cause_label
    		additional.fields Merged
    ts
    		metadata.event_timestamp Parsed as ISO8601
    event_type
    		metadata.event_type Directly mapped
    lifecycle_state
    		metadata.product_event_type Directly mapped
    host
    		principal.asset.hostname Directly mapped
    prin_ip
    		principal.asset.ip Merged
    host
    		principal.hostname Directly mapped
    prin_ip
    		principal.ip Merged
    mac
    		principal.mac Merged
    desc
    		security_result.description Directly mapped
    severity_detail
    		security_result.severity_details Directly mapped
    N/A
    		 metadata.product_name Constant: CISCO APIC
    N/A
    		 metadata.vendor_name Constant: CISCO

    Change Log

    View the Change Log for this parser

    Need more help? Get answers from Community members and Google SecOps professionals.

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