The files in this repository were used to configure the network depicted below
These files have been tested and used to generate a live ELK deployment on Azure. They can be used recreate the entire deployment pictured above. Alternatively, select portions of the YAML or config file may be used to install only certain pieces of it, such as Filebeat.
This document contains the following details:
- Description of the Topology
- Access Policies
- ELK Configuration
- Beats in Use
- Machines Being Monitored
- How to Use the Ansible Build
The main purpose of this network is to expose a load-balanced and monitored instance of DVWA, the D*mn Vulnerable Web Application. Load balancing ensures that the application will ensure a high availablilty, in addition to vetting traffic to the network.
-
What aspect of security do load balancers protect?
- Load balancers add resiliency by rerouting live traffic from one server to another if a server becomes unavailable.
-
What is the advantage of a jump box?
- A Jump Box Provisioner is important as it prevents Azure VMs from being exposed via a public IP Address. This allows us to do monitoring and logging on a single box. We can also restrict the IP addresses able to access the Jump Box
Integrating an ELK server allows users to easily monitor the vulnerable VMs for changes to the network and system system logs.
-
What does Filebeat watch for?
- Filebeat is a lightweight shipper for forwarding and centralizing log data. Installed as an agent on your servers, Filebeat monitors the log files or locations that you specify, collects log events, and forwards them either to Elasticsearch or Logstash for indexing
-
What does Metricbeat record?
- Metricbeat is a lightweight shipper that you can install on your servers to periodically collect metrics from the operating system and from services running on the server. Metricbeat takes the metrics and statistics that it collects and ships them to the output that you specify, such as Elasticsearch or Logstash._
The configuration details of each machine may be found below.
| Name | Function | IP Address | Operating System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jump Box | Gateway | 10.0.0.4 / 20.213.237.211 | Linux/Ubuntu |
| Web-1 | UbuntuServer | 10.0.0.5 / | Linux/Ubuntu |
| Web-2 | UbuntuServer | 10.0.0.6 / | Linux/Ubuntu |
| ELKserver | UbuntuServer | 10.2.0.4 / 52.255.61.111 | Linux/Ubuntu |
Subnet - 10.1.X.X is for workstations and is not utilised at this time.
The machines on the internal network are not exposed to the public Internet.
Machines within the network can only be accessed by my workstations public IP address.
A summary of the access policies in place can be found in the table below.
| Name | Publicly Accessible | Allowed IP Addresses |
|---|---|---|
| Jump Box | Yes - Restricted IP | IAW NSG |
| Web-1 | No | |
| Web-2 | No | |
| ELKserver | Yes - Restricted IP | IAW NSG |
Two Network Security Groups are employed to ensure that all traffic is vetted for security. Inbound rules added to the Azure Network Security Group as per table below, no changes were made to outbound rules.
| Name | Priority | Name | Port | Protocol | Source | Destination | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELK-Server-NSG | 3500 | ELK-Allow | 5601 | TCP | Workstation IP | VirtualNetwork | Allow |
| RedTeam-NSG | 2500 | HTTP-Allow | 80 | TCP | Workstation IP | VirtualNetwork | Allow |
| 3001 | SSH-Allow | 22 | TCP | Workstation IP | VirtualNetwork | Allow |
Ansible was used to automate configuration of the ELK machine. No configuration was performed manually, which is advantageous.
- What is the main advantage of automating configuration with Ansible?
- Ansible lets you quickly and easily deploy multiple applications throught a YAML playbook that can be deployed on a 'purpose' for a particular host.
- No requirement to repeat coding actions across systems. They can be configured via a single YAML file.
- Scaleable - from 2-3 VMs to many more with limited additional work
- Ansible reports the configuration state of your machines to allow for easy fault finding
The playbook implements the following tasks:
-
The following ELK Configuration file does the following:
- Specify a different group of machines:
- name: Config elk VM with Docker hosts: elk become: true tasks:
- Install Docker.io
- name: Install docker.io apt: update_cache: yes force_apt_get: yes name: docker.io state: present
- Install Python-pip
- name: Install python3-pip apt: force_apt_get: yes name: python3-pip state: present # Use pip module (It will default to pip3) - name: Install Docker module pip: name: docker state: present `docker`, which is the Docker Python pip module.
- Increase Virtual Memory
- name: Use more memory sysctl: name: vm.max_map_count value: '262144' state: present reload: yes
- Download and Launch ELK Docker Container (image sebp/elk)
- name: Download and launch a docker elk container docker_container: name: elk image: sebp/elk:761 state: started restart_policy: always
- Published ports 5044, 5601 and 9200 were made available
published_ports: - 5601:5601 - 9200:9200 - 5044:5044
- Specify a different group of machines:
The following screenshot displays the result of running docker ps after successfully configuring the ELK instance.
This ELK server is configured to monitor the following machines:
- The following IP machince sare being monitored. All machines are DVWA machines
- Web-1: 10.0.0.5
- Web-2: 10.0.0.6
We have installed the following Beats on these machines:
Filebeat
Metricbeat
These Beats allow us to collect the following information from each machine:
-
Filebeat will be used to collect log files from the above meantioned machines.
- This includes all logs on the system which are specified such as access logs, event logs, docker logs, among others.
-
Metericbeat will be used to monitor VM stats, per CPU core stats, per filesystem stats, memory stats and network stats, among others.
In order to use the playbook, you will need to have an Ansible control node already configured. Assuming you have such a control node provisioned:
- Verify the Public IP address to see if it has changed. What Is My IP?
- If changed then update the Security Rules that uses the My Public IPv4
SSH into the control node and follow the steps below:
- Copy the install-elk YAML file to the /etc/ansible directory
- ELK Installation and VM Configuration
- Update the host file in the /etc/ansible directory to include the new elk server
- Run the playbook
- type the following command: 'ansible-playbook /etc/ansible/install-elk.yml'
- watch the output - the following should be seen - play recap - ok=7 although on initial run you will see changed=7
- connect to your elk server via http://[your ip address]:5601/app/kibana
- we are now ready to install the filebeat and metricbeat agents
- Whilst still connected to the anisble container
- Download the following file 'filebeat-config.yml and install it to /etc/ansible/files directory
- Filebeat Configuration File
- modify line 1105 to reflect your ELK server - hosts:
- modify line 1804 to reflect your ELK server - setup.kibana
- Download the following file 'filebeat-playbook.yml and install it to the /etc/ansible/roles directory
- Filebeat Playbook File
- The Filebeat should be checked to confirm that it applies to all webservers
- Run the playbook
- type the following command: 'ansible-playbook /etc/ansible/filebeat-playbook.yml'
- once installation is successful on both Web hosts you should then click on the following link
- http://[your ELK IP Address]:5601/app/kibana#/home/tutorial/systemLogs
- go to 'Module status' and check data - you should get successfully receiving data
- Whilst still connected to the anisble container
- Download the following file 'metricbeat-config.yml and install it to /etc/ansible/roles directory
- Metricbeat Configuration File
- modify line 61 to reflect your ELK server - setup.kibana
- modify line 95 to reflect your ELK server - hosts
- Download the following file 'metricbeat-playbook.yml and install it to the /etc/ansible/roles directory
- Metricbeat Playbook File
- The Metricbeat should be checked to confirm that it applies to all webservers
- Run the playbook
- type the following command: 'ansible-playbook /etc/ansible/metricbeat-playbook.yml'
- once installation is successful on both Web hosts you should then click on the following link
- http://[your ELK IP Address]:5601/app/kibana#/home/tutorial/systemMetrics
- go to 'Module status' and check data - you should get successfully receiving data
- The following system commands were used within the project
| COMMAND | PURPOSE |
|---|---|
ssh-keygen |
create a ssh key for setup VM's |
sudo cat .ssh/id_rsa.pub |
to view the ssh public key |
ssh [username]@Jump-Box-Provisioner IP address |
to log into the Jump-Box-Provisioner |
sudo docker container list -a |
list all docker containers |
sudo docker start [Ansible Container Name] |
start docker container dremy_elbakyan |
sudo docker ps -a |
list all active/inactive containers |
sudo docker attach [Ansible Container Name] |
effectively sshing into the dremy_elbakyan container |
cd /etc/ansible |
Change directory to the Ansible directory |
ls -laA |
List all file in directory (including hidden) |
nano /etc/ansible/hosts |
to edit the hosts file |
nano /etc/ansible/ansible.cfg |
to edit the ansible.cfg file |
ssh [username]@[Web-1 IP Address] |
to log into the Web-1 VM |
ssh [username]@[Web-2 IP Address] |
to log into the Web-2 VM |
ssh [username]@ELKserver IP address |
to log into the ELKserver VM |
exit |
to exit out of shells |
nano /etc/ansible/ansible.cfg |
to edit the ansible.cfg file |
nano /etc/ansible/hosts |
to edit the hosts file |
ansible-playbook [location][filename] |
to run the playbook |
sudo apt update |
this will update all packages |
sudo apt full-upgrade |
fully upgrade the host system |
sudo apt install docker.io |
install docker application |
sudo systemctl start docker |
start the docker application |
sudo systemctl status docker |
status of the docker application |
sudo systemctl enable docker |
start the docker service by default on boot |
sudo docker pull cyberxsecurity/ansible |
pull the docker container file |
ansible -m ping all |
check the connection of ansible containers |
curl -L -O [location of the file on the web] |
to download a file from the web |
dpkg -i [filename] |
to install the file i.e. (filebeat & metricbeat) |
http://[Your Public ELK IP]:5601//app/kibana |
Open web browser and navigate to Kibana Logs |
http://[Your Public DVWA IP Address]/ |
Open web browser and navigate to DVWA |
nano filebeat-config.yml |
create and edit filebeat config file |
nano filebeat-playbook.yml |
create and edit filebeat installation playbook |
nano metricbeat-config.yml |
create and edit metricbeat config file |
nano metricbeat-playbook.yml |
create and edit filebeat installation playbook |
- Diagram IO Site
- What is Filebeat ELK
- What is Metricbeat ELK
- Markdown cheatsheet
- Linuxize Website
- Tower - Git FAQ
@Leon Scott - University of Western Austrlia - Cybersecurity Bootcamp