Collect Cisco switch logs

This document explains how to ingest Cisco switch logs to Google Security Operations using a Bindplane agent. The parser extracts fields from SYSLOG messages, mapping them to a unified data model (UDM) based on identified patterns and keywords. It handles a wide range of events, including DHCP, SSH, login attempts, network traffic, and system status updates, categorizing them and enriching the data with relevant security details.

Before you begin

• Ensure that you have a Google SecOps instance.
• Ensure that you are using Windows 2016 or later, or a Linux host with systemd.
• If running behind a proxy, ensure firewall ports are open.
• Ensure that you have privileged access to a Cisco switch.

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

Windows installation

1. Open the 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
   

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
   

Additional installation resources

• For additional installation options, consult this installation guide.

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

1. Access the configuration file:

   1. Locate the config.yaml file. Typically, it's in the /etc/bindplane-agent/ directory on Linux or in the installation directory on Windows.
   2. Open the file using a text editor (for example, nano, vi, or Notepad).

2. 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: '/path/to/ingestion-authentication-file.json'
           # Replace with your actual customer ID from Step 2
           customer_id: <customer_id>
           endpoint: malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com
           # Add optional ingestion labels for better organization
           ingestion_labels:
               log_type: CISCO_SWITCH
               raw_log_field: body
   
   service:
       pipelines:
           logs/source0__chronicle_w_labels-0:
               receivers:
                   - udplog
               exporters:
                   - chronicle/chronicle_w_labels
   

3. Replace the port and IP address as required in your infrastructure.

4. Replace <customer_id> with the actual customer ID.

5. Update /path/to/ingestion-authentication-file.json to the path where the authentication file was saved in the Get Google SecOps ingestion authentication file section.

Restart the Bindplane agent to apply the changes

• To restart the Bindplane agent in Linux, run the following command:

  sudo systemctl restart bindplane-agent
  

• To restart the Bindplane agent in Windows, you can either use the Services console or enter the following command:

  net stop BindPlaneAgent && net start BindPlaneAgent
  

Configure Syslog on a Cisco switch

1. Sign in to the Cisco Switch.

2. Escalate privileges by entering the enable command:

   Switch> enable
   Switch#
   

3. Switch to configuration mode by entering the conf t command:

   Switch# conf t
   Switch(config)#
   

4. Enter the following commands:

   logging host <bindplane-server-ip> transport <tcp/udp> port <port-number>
   logging source-interface <interface>
   

   • Replace <bindplane-server-ip> with the Bindplane Agent IP address, and <port-number> with the configured port.
   • Replace <tcp/udp> with the configured listening protocol on the Bindplane Agent. (For example, udp).
   • Replace <interface> with the Cisco interface ID.

5. Set the priority level by entering the following command:

   logging trap Informational 
   logging console Informational 
   logging severity Informational
   

6. Set the syslog facility:

   logging facility local6
   

7. Enable timestamps by entering the following command:

   service timestamps log datetime
   

8. Save and exit.

9. Configure the settings to survive restart by entering the following command:

   copy running-config startup-config
   

UDM Mapping Table

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