Collect Fortinet Switch logs

Supported in:

This guide explains how you can ingest Fortinet Switch logs to Google Security Operations using Bindplane agent.

Fortinet Switch is a line of secure, high-performance Ethernet switches designed for enterprise networks. FortiSwitch provides Layer 2 and Layer 3 switching capabilities, VLAN support, link aggregation, Power over Ethernet (PoE), and integrated security features. FortiSwitch units can operate in standalone mode or be managed by FortiGate firewalls via FortiLink.

Before you begin

Make sure you have the following prerequisites:

  • Google SecOps instance.
  • Windows Server 2016 or later, or Linux host with systemd.
  • Network connectivity between Bindplane agent and Fortinet Switch.
  • If running behind a proxy, ensure firewall ports are open per the Bindplane agent requirements.
  • Privileged access to the Fortinet Switch management console or FortiGate console (for managed switches).
  • Fortinet Switch running FortiSwitchOS 7.0 or later.

Get Google SecOps ingestion authentication file

  1. Sign in to the Google SecOps console.
  2. Go to SIEM Settings > Collection Agent.
  3. Click Download to download the ingestion authentication file.
  4. Save the file securely on the system where Bindplane agent will be installed.

Get Google SecOps customer ID

  1. Sign in to the Google SecOps console.
  2. Go to SIEM Settings > Profile.
  3. Copy and save the Customer ID from the Organization Details section.

Install Bindplane agent

Install the Bindplane agent on your Windows or Linux operating system according to the following instructions.

Windows installation

  1. Open Command Prompt or PowerShell as an administrator.
  2. Run the following command:

    msiexec /i "https://github.com/observIQ/bindplane-agent/releases/latest/download/observiq-otel-collector.msi" /quiet
    
  3. Wait for the installation to complete.

  4. Verify the installation by running:

    sc query observiq-otel-collector
    

    The service should show as RUNNING.

Linux installation

  1. Open a terminal with root or sudo privileges.
  2. Run the following command:

    sudo sh -c "$(curl -fsSlL https://github.com/observiq/bindplane-agent/releases/latest/download/install_unix.sh)" install_unix.sh
    
  3. Wait for the installation to complete.

  4. Verify the installation by running:

    sudo systemctl status observiq-otel-collector
    

    The service should show as active (running).

Additional installation resources

For additional installation options and troubleshooting, see Bindplane agent installation guide.

Configure Bindplane agent to ingest syslog and send to Google SecOps

Locate the configuration file

Linux:

sudo nano /etc/bindplane-agent/config.yaml

Windows:

notepad "C:\Program Files\observIQ OpenTelemetry Collector\config.yaml"

Edit the configuration file

Replace the entire contents of config.yaml with the following configuration:

receivers:
    udplog:
    listen_address: "0.0.0.0:514"

exporters:
    chronicle/fortiswitch:
    compression: gzip
    creds_file_path: '/etc/bindplane-agent/ingestion-auth.json'
    customer_id: 'YOUR_CUSTOMER_ID'
    endpoint: malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com
    log_type: FORTINET_SWITCH
    raw_log_field: body
    ingestion_labels:
        env: production

service:
    pipelines:
    logs/fortiswitch_to_chronicle:
        receivers:
        - udplog
        exporters:
        - chronicle/fortiswitch

Configuration parameters

Replace the following placeholders:

Receiver configuration:

  • The receiver is configured to listen on UDP port 514 for syslog messages from Fortinet Switch.
  • To listen on all interfaces, use 0.0.0.0:514.
  • To use a non-privileged port on Linux, change to 0.0.0.0:1514 and configure Fortinet Switch to send to port 1514.

Exporter configuration:

  • creds_file_path: Full path to ingestion authentication file:
    • Linux: /etc/bindplane-agent/ingestion-auth.json
    • Windows: C:\Program Files\observIQ OpenTelemetry Collector\ingestion-auth.json
  • customer_id: Customer ID from the previous step.
  • endpoint: Regional endpoint URL:
    • US: malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com
    • Europe: europe-malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com
    • Asia: asia-southeast1-malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com
    • See Regional Endpoints for complete list.
  • log_type: Must be exactly FORTINET_SWITCH.
  • ingestion_labels: Optional labels in YAML format (for example, env: production).

Save the configuration file

After editing, save the file:

  • Linux: Press Ctrl+O, then Enter, then Ctrl+X.
  • Windows: Click File > Save.

Restart Bindplane agent to apply the changes

  • Linux

    sudo systemctl restart observiq-otel-collector
    
    1. Verify the service is running:

      sudo systemctl status observiq-otel-collector
      
    2. Check logs for errors:

      sudo journalctl -u observiq-otel-collector -f
      
  • Windows

    Choose one of the following options:

    • Using Command Prompt or PowerShell as administrator:

      net stop observiq-otel-collector && net start observiq-otel-collector
      
    • Using Services console:

      1. Press Win+R, type services.msc, and press Enter.
      2. Locate observIQ OpenTelemetry Collector.
      3. Right-click and select Restart.

      4. Verify the service is running:

        sc query observiq-otel-collector
        
      5. Check logs for errors:

        type "C:\Program Files\observIQ OpenTelemetry Collector\log\collector.log"
        

Configure Fortinet Switch syslog forwarding

Configure Fortinet Switch to send logs to the Bindplane agent. The configuration steps differ depending on whether the switch is standalone or managed by FortiGate.

For standalone FortiSwitch (GUI configuration)

  1. Sign in to the FortiSwitch web interface.
  2. Go to Log > Config.
  3. Under Syslog, select Enable.
  4. Select the severity of events to log (for example, Information or higher).
  5. In the Server field, enter the IP address or fully qualified domain name of the Bindplane agent host.
  6. In the Port field, enter 514 (or the port configured in the Bindplane agent).
  7. In the Facility dropdown, select local7.
  8. Click Apply.

For standalone FortiSwitch (CLI configuration)

  1. Sign in to the FortiSwitch CLI via SSH or console.
  2. Enter the following commands:

    config log syslogd setting
        set status enable
        set server <BINDPLANE_AGENT_IP>
        set port 514
        set facility local7
    end
    
    config log syslogd filter
        set severity information
    end
    

    Replace <BINDPLANE_AGENT_IP> with the IP address of the Bindplane agent host.

  3. Verify the configuration:

    show log syslogd setting
    

For FortiSwitch managed by FortiGate

When FortiSwitch is managed by FortiGate, configure syslog forwarding from the FortiGate CLI.

  1. Sign in to the FortiGate CLI via SSH or console.
  2. Enter the following commands to configure remote syslog for managed FortiSwitch:

    config switch-controller remote-log
        edit "chronicle-syslog"
            set status enable
            set server <BINDPLANE_AGENT_IP>
            set port 514
            set severity information
            set facility local7
        next
    end
    

    Replace <BINDPLANE_AGENT_IP> with the IP address of the Bindplane agent host.

  3. Verify the configuration:

    show switch-controller remote-log
    
  4. Ensure that the FortiGate firewall policy allows syslog traffic from the FortiLink interface to the interface where the Bindplane agent is located. If needed, create a policy:

    config firewall policy
        edit 0
            set srcintf <fortilink_interface>
            set dstintf <bindplane_interface>
            set srcaddr "all"
            set dstaddr "all"
            set action accept
            set schedule "always"
            set service "SYSLOG"
        next
    end
    

    Replace <fortilink_interface> with the FortiLink interface name and <bindplane_interface> with the interface where the Bindplane agent is reachable.

UDM mapping table

Log field UDM mapping Logic
metadata.event_type The type of event represented by this record.
event metadata.product_event_type The event type as reported by the product.
log_id metadata.product_log_id Unique identifier for the log entry as assigned by the product.
device_id principal.asset.asset_id Unique identifier for the asset.
devname principal.asset.hostname Hostname of the asset associated with the principal.
devname principal.hostname Hostname associated with the principal.
vd principal.user.attribute.labels List of labels associated with the user.
oldrole principal.user.attribute.roles List of roles associated with the user.
unit principal.user.role_description Description of the user's role.
user principal.user.userid Unique identifier for the user.
action security_result.action_details Details about the action taken.
msg security_result.description Description of the security result.
type, subtype, switch.physical-port, instanceid security_result.detection_fields List of fields that were used for detection.
pri security_result.priority_details Details about the priority of the event.
status security_result.summary Summary of the security result.
newrole target.user.attribute.roles List of roles associated with the target user.
metadata.product_name Name of the product that generated the event.
metadata.vendor_name Name of the vendor that produced the product.

Need more help? Get answers from Community members and Google SecOps professionals.