Overview

This  documents will help you how to configure Windows events.

To export events from Windows machines/servers, we use a third-party software called "Nxlog".

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Windows servers generate two type types of events:

Type 1: Windows Native Events

Type 2: Windows-based Application Events

Type 1: Windows Native Events -

For these, we can use both the Event collection methods - Method 1 or Method 2 below. Example - OS events, Audit events(Enable Audit Logs/wiki/spaces/PP/pages/445612089) and Driver Framework events like USB events, CD Drive events etc.(How to Enable Driver Framework events from windows/wiki/spaces/RB/pages/4227200).

Type 2: Windows-based Application events -

For Application events, we have to use Method 1 of event collection, which is to run nxlog agent on the server to read the logs events from a specific location and export them to CCEs. Example: MSSQL, DNS , DHCP, IIS, MsExchange, and SMTP.

B.Methods of Event Collection from Windows -

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• Nxlog Agent configured on the same server
• Nxlog Agent configured on a collector setup

Both the methods are described as below:

Method 1: Nxlog Agent configured on the same server:

In this case, the Nxlog configuration is done on the same server from which the events are forwarded. In the case of nxlog configuration from:

• Base OS: Please use the instructions as in the link below to configure nxlog:

Nxlog Configuration for Windows AD Logs 

• Application events from MSSQL: Please use the instructions as in the link below:

Configuring logs from Windows MSSQL serverNxlog configuration

• Application events from DNS: Please use the instructions as in the link below:

Configuring DHCP logs from DHCP server using NxlogsWindows DHCP Nxlog configuration

• Application events from DHCP: Please use the instructions as in the link below:

Configure Logs from Windows DNS serverNxlog configuration

• Application events from IIS: Please use the instructions as in the link below:

Configuring logs from Windows IIS serverNxlog configuration

• Application events from MS Exchange - Please use the instructions as in the link below:

Windows MS Exchange Nxlog configuration for MS Exchange server

• Application events from SMTP- Please use the instructions as in the link below:

Configuring Windows SMTP server using Nxlog configuration

Note: In certain scenario if partner/customer can mount application events location to collector or any other centralized location then we can use both Event collection option.

Method 2: Windows

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Event Subscriptions with Nxlog configured on Windows Collector

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This method requires three steps as below:

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Windows Collector will be one small Windows VM, with configurations as below:

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Once the Windows Collector is up and running, subscriptions can be added to it for all the windows remote Windows machines in the same domain that we have to get the logs forwarded from. For subscriptions, please refer to the instructions as in the link:

Event collection at windows collector computerCollection at Windows Collector Server

Step 3- Forward events from Source computers to the Windows Collector:

To enable the events to be forwarded from the remote computers to the collector computersWindows Collector, the steps that needs to be performed are as in the link:

Event forwarding from From Source Windows ComputersServer

Step 4- Forward events from Windows Collector to CCE using Nxlog Configuration:

Once the events are forwarded from the remote computers Windows machines to the collector computerWindows Collector. We need to configure Nxlog on the collector computer to in turn forward the collected events to our CCE. To configure the same, please refer to:

Nxlog Configuration for Windows AD Logs 

For threat indicators generated:

Threat Indicators Generated from Windows Events