Collect WinSCP logs

Supported in:

Google secops SIEM

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

WinSCP is an open-source SFTP, SCP, and FTP client for Windows that generates file transfer, authentication, and session activity logs. The Bindplane agent collects WinSCP session 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
A Windows machine running WinSCP with logging enabled

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 ID from the Organization Details section.

Note: The customer ID is required for configuring the Bindplane agent exporter.

Install the Bindplane agent

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

Windows installation

Open 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

Wait for the installation to complete.
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\WinSCP\*.log
        start_at: beginning

exporters:
    chronicle/winscp:
        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: WINSCP
        raw_log_field: body
        ingestion_labels:
            env: production

service:
    pipelines:
        logs/winscp_to_chronicle:
            receivers:
                - filelog
            exporters:
                - chronicle/winscp

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 WinSCP writes session logs (for example, C:\Logs\WinSCP\*.log)
- start_at: Set to beginning to read existing logs or end to only read new entries
Exporter configuration:
- winscp: 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
- WINSCP: Log type exactly as it appears in Chronicle
- ingestion_labels: Optional labels in YAML format (for example, env: production)
Pipeline configuration:
- winscp_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 WinSCP log export

WinSCP writes session logs to a user-configured location. You need to enable logging in WinSCP and point the Bindplane agent to the log directory.

Open WinSCP on the Windows machine.
Go to Options > Preferences > Logging.
Enable session logging:
- Check Enable session logging on level.
- Select Normal or Debug 1 logging level.
- Set the Log file name to a centralized path (for example, C:\Logs\WinSCP\winscp.log).
Click OK to save the settings.
Create the log directory if it does not exist:
```
mkdir C:\Logs\WinSCP
```
Verify that WinSCP writes log files to the configured directory after performing a file transfer session.
Ensure the Bindplane agent include path in config.yaml matches the log directory.

Note: WinSCP generates XML session log files (.log extension) by default. If collecting logs from multiple users, you can use a wildcard path such as C:\Users\*\AppData\Roaming\WinSCP\*.log in the Bindplane agent configuration. The Bindplane agent service account must have read access to the log directory.

UDM mapping table

Log Field	UDM Mapping	Logic
directory,console,consoleinstance,public_key,script,hostkey,total_size	additional.fields	Additional custom fields for the event
description	metadata.description	Description of the event
timestamp	metadata.event_timestamp	Timestamp when the event occurred
	metadata.event_type	The type of the event
src_ip	principal.asset.ip	IP address of the asset associated with the principal
local_file	principal.file.full_path	Full path to the file associated with the principal
src_ip	principal.ip	IP address of the principal
command_line	principal.process.command_line	Command line used to launch the process
username	principal.user.userid	User ID of the principal
transfer_speed,result	security_result.detection_fields	Fields related to detection in the security result
file,target_file	target.file.full_path	Full path to the target file
file_type	target.file.mime_type	MIME type of the target file
file_size	target.file.size	Size of the target file in bytes
	metadata.product_name	Name of the product that generated the event
	metadata.vendor_name	Name of the vendor of the product

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