Collect IBM CICS logs

Supported in:

Google secops SIEM

This document explains how to ingest IBM CICS logs to Google Security Operations using the Bindplane agent.

IBM CICS (Customer Information Control System) is a transaction processing platform for mainframe applications. It generates audit logs for transaction execution, resource access, security violations, and system events. The logs use LEEF format and capture user identity, transaction details, and source network attributes.

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 CICS log forwarder host
If running behind a proxy, ensure firewall ports are open per the Bindplane agent requirements
Privileged access to the IBM CICS region or mainframe system with authority to configure SMF recording and log export

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 IDfrom the Organization Detailssection.

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 Promptor PowerShellas 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 
 : 
  
 tcplog 
 : 
  
 listen_address 
 : 
  
 "0.0.0.0:514" 
 exporters 
 : 
  
 chronicle/ibm_cics 
 : 
  
 compression 
 : 
  
 gzip 
  
 creds_file_path 
 : 
  
 '/etc/bindplane-agent/ingestion-auth.json' 
  
 customer_id 
 : 
  
 '<customer_id>' 
  
 endpoint 
 : 
  
 malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com 
  
 log_type 
 : 
  
 IBM_CICS 
  
 raw_log_field 
 : 
  
 body 
  
 ingestion_labels 
 : 
  
 env 
 : 
  
 production 
 service 
 : 
  
 pipelines 
 : 
  
 logs/cics_to_chronicle 
 : 
  
 receivers 
 : 
  
 - 
  
 tcplog 
  
 exporters 
 : 
  
 - 
  
 chronicle/ibm_cics

Configuration parameters

Replace the following placeholders:

Receiver configuration:
- tcplog : The receiver type based on protocol:
  - udplog for UDP syslog
  - tcplog for TCP syslog
- 0.0.0.0 : IP address to listen on:
  - 0.0.0.0 to listen on all interfaces (recommended)
  - Specific IP address to listen on one interface
- 514 : Port number to listen on (for example, 514 , 1514 , 6514 )
Exporter configuration:
- ibm_cics : Descriptive name for the exporter
- 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 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
- IBM_CICS : Log type exactly as it appears in Chronicle
- ingestion_labels : Optional labels in YAML format (for example, env: production )
Pipeline configuration:
- cics_to_chronicle : Descriptive name for the pipeline

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 IBM CICS syslog forwarding

IBM CICS writes audit and transaction data to SMF (System Management Facilities) records on the mainframe. To forward these logs to the Bindplane agent using syslog, use a syslog forwarder on a middleware host.

Identify the SMF record types that contain CICS data (typically SMF type 110).
Use a mainframe utility such as DFHSTUP(CICS Statistics Utility Program) or SMF dump programsto extract the relevant records.
Convert the extracted SMF records to LEEF format using IBM CICS Performance Analyzer, a custom REXX script, or a third-party ETL solution.
Configure the syslog forwarder on the middleware host to send the converted logs to the Bindplane agent:
- Syslog Server: Enter the IP address of the Bindplane agent host (for example, 192.168.1.100 ).
- Port: Enter 514 (must match the Bindplane agent receiver port).
- Protocol: Select TCP(recommended for reliable delivery of mainframe logs).
- Format: Ensure LEEF format is used.
Verify that syslog messages are being received by checking the Bindplane agent logs.

Note: Because CICS runs on z/OS mainframes, direct syslog output is not natively available. You must use a middleware forwarder (for example, IBM z/OS Communications Server syslog daemon, or a third-party log shipper) to relay CICS audit data in LEEF format to the Bindplane agent.

UDM mapping table

Log Field	UDM Mapping	Logic
`kv.sum`	`metadata.description`	Renamed/mapped
`kv.devTime`	`metadata.event_timestamp`	Parsed as `yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ss.SSSZ`
`event_type`	`metadata.product_event_type`	Renamed/mapped
`version`	`metadata.product_version`	Renamed/mapped
`kv.terminal`	`principal.hostname`	Directly mapped
`kv.src`	`principal.ip`	Merged
`firstname`	`principal.user.first_name`	Renamed/mapped
`lastname`	`principal.user.last_name`	Renamed/mapped
`kv.name`	`principal.user.user_display_name`	Renamed/mapped
`kv.usrName`	`principal.user.userid`	Renamed/mapped
`kv.appl`	`target.application`	Renamed/mapped
`kv.tran`	`target.process.product_specific_process_id`	Directly mapped
N/A	`metadata.event_type`	Constant: `PROCESS_UNCATEGORIZED`
N/A	`metadata.product_name`	Constant: `CICS`
N/A	`metadata.vendor_name`	Constant: `IBM`

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