Manual Chapter : Managing Web Application Security logging

Applies To:

  • BIG-IQ Centralized Management

    7.1.0

Updated Date: 07/07/2026

Managing Web Application Security logging

Your system must have the following configuration to view event logs:

  • Discover and activate a BIG-IQ Data Collection Device.
  • Configure a BIG-IP device to collect event logs and send them to the BIG-IQ Centralized Management Data Collection Device. Part of this configuration includes a virtual server configured with a logging profile.
  • Configure a logging profile for Web Application Security, assign it to a virtual server, and deploy it to the BIG-IP device that has been configured to collect log events. A logging profile is used to determine which events the system logs, and where, and the format of these events. It then directs security events to a BIG-IQ Data Collection Device, and the BIG-IQ Centralized Management system retrieves them from that node.

You create logging profiles to specify the kind of information to log for objects that support logging.

  1. Go to Monitoring > EVENTS > Web Application Security > Events.

    To view a logging profile of a specific protected object, go to Monitoring > DASHBOARDS > L7 Dashboard and select the logging profile link associate with the object in the dashboard’s list.

  2. Click Create and select Log Profile.

    The New Logging Profile screen opens with the Properties displayed.

  3. Type a Name for the logging profile.

  4. Type an optional Description for the logging profile.

  5. If needed, change the default Common partition in the Partition field.

    The partition with that name must already exist on the BIG-IP device. No whitespace is allowed in the partition name. Only users with access to a partition can view the objects (such as the logging profile) that it contains. If the logging profile resides in the Common partition, all users can access it.

  6. For Application Templates, specify whether the profile is available to application templates.

    • To make the profile available to application templates, select the Make available check box.
    • To keep the profile from being available to application templates, clear the check box.

  7. On the left, click the logging type that you want to use, and then select the Enabled check box to display the related settings.

    • Enable APPLICATION SECURITY to specify that the system logs traffic to the web application. You cannot enable both APPLICATION SECURITY and PROTOCOL SECURITY. Refer to the Configure for Application Security logging section of BIG-IQ Centralized Management: Security on support.f5.com for configuration information.
    • Enable PROTOCOL SECURITY to specify that the system logs any dropped, malformed, and/or rejected requests sent through the given protocol. Refer to the Configure for Protocol Security logging section of BIG-IQ Centralized Management: Security on support.f5.com for configuration information.
    • Enable NETWORK FIREWALL to specify that the system logs ACL rule matches, TCP events, and/or TCP/IP errors sent to the network firewall. Refer to the Configure for Network Firewall logging section of BIG-IQ Centralized Management: Security on support.f5.com for configuration information.
    • Enable NETWORK ADDRESS TRANSLATION to specify which Network Address Translation (NAT) events the system logs, and where those events are logged. Refer to the Configure for Network Address Translation logging section of BIG-IQ Centralized Management: Security on support.f5.com for configuration information.
    • Enable DOS PROTECTION to specify that the system logs detected DoS attacks, and where DoS events are logged.
    • Enable BOT DEFENSE to specify that the system logs bot defense events. Refer to the Configure for Bot Defense logging section of BIG-IQ Centralized Management: Security on support.f5.com for configuration information. You must configure each enabled logging type before you can use it. You can do that now, or save the profile and configure the logging types later.

  8. Specify the settings needed for each logging type you use.

    You can configure multiple logging types while editing the logging profile.

  9. When finished, save your changes.

The newly created log profile is added to your list of log profiles. At this point, you can add it to any object that requires a security logging profile.

BIG-IQ receives ASM (or Adv. WAF) messages from BIG-IP via it’s Data Collection Devices (DCD). To optimize the process, while ensuring high availability, it is best to load balance log events to a remote logging pool of DCDs. This will prevent data loss, in the instance that a DCD becomes unavailable, without unnecessary duplication of information.

To complete this process for Web Application Security, you must have previously configured the following:

  • An imported and discovered BIG-IP device that hosts your ASM policy and log profile.
  • A separate BIG-IP device that can host a virtual server that load balances events to the DCD pool.
  • A remote logging pool of DCDs configured to the service port number 8514.

For more information about configuring a remote pool of DCDs, see Connect Devices to a Data Collection Device Cluster in the Planning and Implementing a BIG-IQ Deploymentguide at support.f5.com.

Note: If you have already created or imported your logging profile, use this process to adjust the existing settings to include the remote logging pool of DCDs.

The following process is intended for data logging over multiple DCDs. Before you begin, you must create a DCD pool for remote logging that is added to a virtual server on a load balancing BIG-IP device.

  • Primary BIG-IP device: This device hosts virtual server with the ASM policy and an enabled HTTP logging profile.

  • A load balancing BIG-IP device: This is a separate BIG-IP device that hosts a virtual server that load balances logging messages to the pool of DCDs created in this task.

    Tip: When creating a load balancing virtual server you can use one of the following options:

    • Create a new virtual server using BIG-IQ by going to Configuration > LOCAL TRAFFIC > Virtual Server > Web Application Security > Virtual Server and click Create.

    • Create a virtual server using the AS3 template AS3-F5-DCD-lb-ASM-request-logging-events-template-big-iq-default. To access this template go to https://github.com/f5devcentral/f5-big-iq.

To optimize application security logging of messages from your BIG-IP devices to multiple DCDs, you can configure a BIG-IP system to load balance these messages among the DCDs in your BIG-IQ configuration. This process prevents duplication of information in the consolidated data repository, while also providing high availability for your log messages in the case that one or more DCDs become unavailable. For more details about specific settings within the logging profile, see Create a logging profile for Application Security.

Important: The following configuration process is conducted within your BIQ-IQ environment. Before you begin, ensure that you have two separate BIG-IP devices, as described in the pre-requisites.

  1. Create a new logging profile, by going to Configuration > SECURITY > Shared Security > Logging Profiles:

  2. Click Create.

  3. In the Name field, add a unique name for the profile.

  4. Click APPLICATION SECURITY from the left menu, select Enabled.

  5. From the Remote Storage field, select Enabled.

  6. From the Server Addresses field, enter the IP Address and Port values of the virtual server that hosts the DCD pool configured to port 8514.

  7. Click the Add button next to the port value.

  8. In the Storage Filter area, from the Request Type field, select All Requests.

  9. Click Save & Close.

  10. Add the logging profile to the virtual server with the ASM security policy by going to Configuration > SECURITY > Shared Security > Virtual Servers.

    1. Click the name of the virtual server with ASM security policy.

    2. From the Logging Profiles field, select the name of the logging profile created.

    3. Click Save & Close.

Your BIG-IQ Centralized Management now has high availability of logging data collection capabilities for its Web Application Security event logs. This prevents loss of messages in the case that one or more DCDs become unavailable.

Once you have completed this process, ensure that all your changes to your Local Traffic and Shared Security virtual servers are deployed over the host BIG-IP devices. You can deploy your changes by going to, Deployment > EVALUATE & DEPLOY > Local Traffic & Network (Local Traffic) and Deployment > EVALUATE & DEPLOY > Shared Security (Shared Security).