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Managed Detection and Response

Windows NPS Logs

Updated Aug 31, 2023

Configure Windows NPS to send logs to Arctic Wolf

Note: Before starting this procedure, discuss this log forwarding option with your Concierge Security® Team.

You can configure Windows Network Policy Server® (NPS) to send the necessary logs to Arctic Wolf for monitoring security information.

Requirements

Steps

  1. Configure Windows NPS log file properties.
  2. Configure NXLog to forward NPS logs to your Arctic Wolf appliance.
  3. Contact your CST.

Step 1: Configure Windows NPS log file properties

  1. Open the NPS console or NPS Microsoft Management Console (MMC).

  2. In the navigation menu, click Policies > Accounting.

  3. In the Log File Properties section, click Change Log File Properties.

  4. In the Log File Properties dialog box, click the Settings tab.

  5. In the Log the following information section, select the following checkboxes:

    • Accounting requests
    • Authentication requests
    • Periodic accounting status
    • Periodic authentication status

  6. In the Logging failure action section, select the If logging fails, discard connection requests checkbox.

  7. Click the Log File tab.

  8. In the Directory field, enter the location where you want to store NPS log files.

    If you do not enter a path, the default location is the C:\Windows\System32\LogFiles folder.

  9. In the Format list, select ODBC (legacy).

  10. In the Create a new log file section, select Daily.

  11. Select the When disk is full delete older log files checkbox.

  12. Click OK.

Step 2: Configure NXLog to forward NPS logs to your Arctic Wolf appliance

  1. Using a text editor, open the nxlog.conf file.

  2. Add the following input to the nxlog.conf file, where <nps_log_file_location> defines the location of the NPS logs flat file:

    <Input in_NPS>
    Module im_file
    File "<nps_log_file_location>.log"
    SavePos TRUE
    ReadFromLast TRUE
    Exec $Message = $raw_event;
    Exec $Hostname = hostname() + "-NPS";
</Input>

    For example, if the location of the NPS logs is G:\NPSLogs\*.log, the input is:

    <Input in_NPS>
    Module im_file
    File "G:\\NPSLogs\\\*.log"
    SavePos TRUE
    ReadFromLast TRUE
    Exec $Message = $raw_event;
    Exec $Hostname = hostname() + "-NPS";
</Input>

    NXLog version 2.x only supports G:\\NPSLogs\\\*.log, with three backslashes, whereas NXLog 3.x supports G:\\NPSLogs\\*.log, with two backslashes. See the NXLog guidelines for Quoting and escaping strings for more information.

  3. In the route section, edit the Path to include the new input event that you want to output. For example, if the input event is in_NPS, the path is:

    <Route 1>
    Path    in_AD, in_EVENT, in_DNS, in_DHCP, in_NPS => out
</Route>

  4. Save the nxlog.conf file changes.

  5. Restart the NXLog service.

Step 3: Contact your CST

See also