Collect Windows Event logs (XML format)

This document explains how to ingest Windows Event logs in XML format to Google Security Operations using the Bindplane agent.

Windows Event Log (XML format) contains security, system, and application events generated by the Windows operating system. The Bindplane agent collects exported Windows Event log files 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
• Administrator access to the Windows hosts generating event logs

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.

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 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:\Logs\winevtlog\*.evtx
          start_at: beginning
  
  exporters:
      chronicle/winevtlog_xml:
          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: WINEVTLOG_XML
          raw_log_field: body
          ingestion_labels:
              env: production
  
  service:
      pipelines:
          logs/winevtlog_xml_to_chronicle:
              receivers:
                  - filelog
              exporters:
                  - chronicle/winevtlog_xml
  

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 where you export Windows Event logs (for example, C:\Logs\winevtlog\*.evtx)
  • start_at: Set to beginning to read existing logs or end to only read new entries

• Exporter configuration:

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

• Pipeline configuration:

  • winevtlog_xml_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, 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 Windows Event log export

Windows Event logs are stored in channels such as Security, System, and Application. You need to export these logs to files on disk so the Bindplane agent can collect them.

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

   mkdir C:\Logs\winevtlog
   

2. Export Windows Event logs using wevtutil. You can export any combination of event log channels:

   wevtutil epl "Security" C:\Logs\winevtlog\security.evtx
   

   wevtutil epl "System" C:\Logs\winevtlog\system.evtx
   

   wevtutil epl "Application" C:\Logs\winevtlog\application.evtx
   

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

   $action = New-ScheduledTaskAction -Execute "wevtutil" -Argument 'epl "Security" C:\Logs\winevtlog\security.evtx /ow:true'
   $trigger = New-ScheduledTaskTrigger -RepetitionInterval (New-TimeSpan -Hours 1) -Once -At (Get-Date)
   Register-ScheduledTask -Action $action -Trigger $trigger -TaskName "ExportWinEvtLogs" -Description "Export Windows Event logs for Bindplane agent"
   

4. Verify that the exported log files are being created at `C:\Logs\winevtlog`.

5. Ensure the Bindplane agent include path in config.yaml matches the export directory.

UDM mapping table

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