Fortinet FortiGate

The ThreatDefence platform integrates with Fortinet® FortiGate® by forwarding syslog to the ThreatDefence Syslog Forwarder VM. This enables SOC monitoring of traffic, policy events, and threat activity.

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Requirements

• Deployed and reachable ThreatDefence Syslog Forwarder VM

• Admin access to FortiGate (CLI or Web UI)

• SSH/console access for CLI configuration (preferred)

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Step 1 — Configure Syslog Forwarding (CLI — Preferred)

1. Connect to the FortiGate via SSH or console and sign in as an administrator.

2. Run the following commands (replace <syslog_forwarder_ip> with your TD Syslog Forwarder IP):

    config log syslogd setting  
      set status enable  
      set server <syslog_forwarder_ip>  
      set mode udp  
      set port 514  
      set format default  
    end

Important: Keep the format as default (do not use CEF), otherwise parsing issues will occur.

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Step 1 (Alternative) — Configure via Web UI

1. Sign in to the FortiGate Web UI.

2. Go to Log & Report → Log Settings (Global Settings).

3. Set:

   • Event Logging: All

   • Local Traffic Logging: All

   • Syslog Logging: Enable

   • IP address/FQDN: ThreatDefence Syslog Forwarder VM IP

4. Click Apply.

Note: Do not switch the logging format to CEF.

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Step 2 — Register the Log Source with ThreatDefence

After forwarding is enabled, raise a request with ThreatDefence Support so we can activate and normalize the Fortinet source:

• Service Desk Ticket

  • Category: Onboarding

  • Sub-category: Syslog Log Sources

  • Include:

    • FortiGate source IP sending syslog

    • Model & firmware version (e.g., FG-100F, v7.2.x)

    • Confirmation that syslog to the forwarder IP:514/UDP is enabled

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Verification

ThreatDefence SOC will confirm that Fortinet logs are:

• Ingested by the Syslog Forwarder

• Parsed and normalized correctly

• Visible in dashboards for monitoring and detections

If needed, we’ll advise on tuning (e.g., additional event types, traffic logging scope, or multiple tenants/sources).