Collect IBM CICS logs

Supported in:

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 credentials for the Bindplane agent

To authenticate the Bindplane agent to Google SecOps, choose one of the following methods:

  • New deployments: Use the Chronicle API (Option 1).
  • Legacy deployments: Continue using the ingestion authentication file (Option 2) until the Ingestion API is discontinued on July 20, 2027.
  1. Sign in to the Google Cloud console and select the Google Cloud project that is linked to your Google SecOps instance.
  2. Go to IAM & Admin > Service Accounts.
  3. Click Create service account.
  4. Provide the following configuration details:
    • Service account name: Enter a name for the account (for example, bindplane-ingest).
    • Service account description: Enter a description (for example, Bindplane agent log ingestion).
  5. Click Create and continue.
  6. In the Grant this service account access to project section, click Select a role and select Chronicle Editor.
  7. Click Continue, and then click Done.
  8. Click the service account you created, and then go to the Keys tab.
  9. Click Add key > Create new key.
  10. Select JSON and click Create. The key file is downloaded to your computer.
  11. Save the key file as ingestion-auth.json in the Bindplane collector directory (/opt/observiq-otel-collector/ingestion-auth.json on Linux or C:\Program Files\observIQ OpenTelemetry Collector\ingestion-auth.json on Windows), or update creds_file_path in config.yaml to match the path where you save it.
  12. Go to IAM & Admin > Settings and copy the Project number. You'll need it for the exporter configuration.

Option 2: Download the ingestion authentication file (legacy)

  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 ID from the Organization Details section.

Install the Bindplane agent

Install the Bindplane agent on your Windows or Linux 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.

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

  3. Wait for the installation to complete.

  4. 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:
    protocol: https
    # Region of your instance, for example us, europe, asia-southeast1
    location: <LOCATION>
    # Project number of the Google Cloud project linked to the instance
    project: '<PROJECT_NUMBER>'
    compression: gzip
    creds_file_path: '/opt/observiq-otel-collector/ingestion-auth.json'
    customer_id: '<customer_id>'
    endpoint: chronicle.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 the service account JSON key file (Option 1):
      • Linux: /opt/observiq-otel-collector/ingestion-auth.json
      • Windows: C:\Program Files\observIQ OpenTelemetry Collector\ingestion-auth.json
    • <customer_id>: Customer ID from the previous step
    • location: Replace <LOCATION> with the region of your Google SecOps instance (for example, us, europe, or asia-southeast1). The exporter prefixes chronicle.googleapis.com with this value. See Regional Endpoints for the complete list.
    • project: Replace <PROJECT_NUMBER> with the project number from IAM & Admin > Settings.
    • endpoint: Keep set to chronicle.googleapis.com.
    • 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

Legacy ingestion API exporter

  • If you use the ingestion authentication file from Option 2, replace the exporters block with the following. Set creds_file_path to the path to the ingestion authentication file, and if your instance is outside the US, replace malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com with your regional endpoint (for example, europe-malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com).

    exporters:
  chronicle/ibm_cics:
    compression: gzip
    creds_file_path: '/opt/observiq-otel-collector/ingestion-auth.json'
    customer_id: '<customer_id>'
    endpoint: malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com
    log_type: IBM_CICS
    raw_log_field: body
    ingestion_labels:
      env: production

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

    1. Verify the service is running:

      sudo systemctl status observiq-otel-collector

    2. 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.

  1. Identify the SMF record types that contain CICS data (typically SMF type 110).
  2. Use a mainframe utility such as DFHSTUP (CICS Statistics Utility Program) or SMF dump programs to extract the relevant records.
  3. Convert the extracted SMF records to LEEF format using IBM CICS Performance Analyzer, a custom REXX script, or a third-party ETL solution.
  4. 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.

  5. Verify that syslog messages are being received by checking the Bindplane agent logs.

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

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