Collect Cisco APIC logs

Supported in:

Google secops SIEM

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

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 the Bindplane agent will be installed.

Get Google SecOps customer ID

Sign in to the Google SecOps console.
Go to SIEM Settings > Profile.
Copy and save the Customer ID from the Organization Details section.

Install Bindplane agent

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

Windows installation

Open the Command Prompt or PowerShell as an administrator.

Run the following command:

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

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

Additional installation resources

For additional installation options, consult this installation guide.

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

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).

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

To restart the Bindplane agent in Linux, run the following command:
```
sudo systemctl restart observiq-otel-collector
```
To restart the Bindplane agent in Windows, you can either use the Services console 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:

Sign in to the Cisco APIC console.
Go to Tenants > mgmt > Security Policies.
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.
If required, create or modify filters to allow UDP port 514 for the selected management EPG.

Create Syslog Monitoring Destination Group

Go to Admin > External Data Collectors > Monitoring Destinations > Syslog.
Click the + sign to Create Syslog Monitoring Destination Group.
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.
Click Next.
In the Create Syslog Remote Destination section, 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-default for In-Band management
- Forwarding Facility: Select local7 (or your preferred facility).
Click OK.
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

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

Configure Common Policy Syslog Source

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

Configure Access Policy Syslog Source

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

Configure System Message Policy (optional)

Go to Fabric > Fabric Policies > Monitoring Policies.
Expand common > System Message Policies.
Select Policy for System Syslog Messages.
Select the default facility.
Change Severity to information.
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`

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