Collect Fortinet Switch logs

Parser Version: 1.0

Supported in:

Google SecOps SIEM

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 credentials for the Bindplane agent

To authenticate the Bindplane agent to Google SecOps, choose one of the following methods:

• New deployments: Use the Chronicle API (Option 1).
• Legacy deployments: Continue using the ingestion authentication file (Option 2) until the Ingestion API is discontinued on July 20, 2027.

Option 1: Create a service account for the Chronicle API (recommended)

1. Sign in to the Google Cloud console and select the Google Cloud project that is linked to your Google SecOps instance.
2. Go to IAM & Admin > Service Accounts.
3. Click Create service account.
4. Provide the following configuration details:
   • Service account name: Enter a name for the account (for example, bindplane-ingest).
   • Service account description: Enter a description (for example, Bindplane agent log ingestion).
5. Click Create and continue.
6. In the Grant this service account access to project section, click Select a role and select Chronicle Editor.
7. Click Continue, and then click Done.
8. Click the service account you created, and then go to the Keys tab.
9. Click Add key > Create new key.
10. Select JSON and click Create. The key file is downloaded to your computer.
11. Save the key file as ingestion-auth.json in the Bindplane collector directory (/opt/observiq-otel-collector/ingestion-auth.json on Linux or C:\Program Files\observIQ OpenTelemetry Collector\ingestion-auth.json on Windows), or update creds_file_path in config.yaml to match the path where you save it.
12. Go to IAM & Admin > Settings and copy the Project number. You'll need it for the exporter configuration.

Note: The JSON key is a credential. Restrict access to the file on the Bindplane host and rotate the key according to your organization's policy.

Option 2: Download the ingestion authentication file (legacy)

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

Note: This file authenticates the agent to the legacy Ingestion API (malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com), which Google has scheduled for end of life on July 20, 2027. Plan to move to Option 1 before that date.

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.

   Note: The customer ID is required for configuring the Bindplane agent exporter.

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.

Note: The Chronicle API exporter configuration requires Bindplane collector v1.106.0 or later. The previous commands install the latest release. If you're updating an existing installation, upgrade the collector before changing the configuration.

Configure Bindplane agent to ingest syslog and send to Google SecOps

Locate the configuration file

Linux:

sudo nano /opt/observiq-otel-collector/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:
    protocol: https
    # Region of your instance, for example us, europe, asia-southeast1
    location: <LOCATION>
    # Project number of the Google Cloud project linked to the instance
    project: '<PROJECT_NUMBER>'
    compression: gzip
    creds_file_path: '/opt/observiq-otel-collector/ingestion-auth.json'
    customer_id: 'YOUR_CUSTOMER_ID'
    endpoint: chronicle.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 the service account JSON key file (Option 1):
  • Linux: /opt/observiq-otel-collector/ingestion-auth.json
  • Windows: C:\Program Files\observIQ OpenTelemetry Collector\ingestion-auth.json
• customer_id: Customer ID from the previous step.
• location: Replace <LOCATION> with the region of your Google SecOps instance (for example, us, europe, or asia-southeast1). The exporter prefixes chronicle.googleapis.com with this value. See Regional Endpoints for the complete list.
• project: Replace <PROJECT_NUMBER> with the project number from IAM & Admin > Settings.
• endpoint: Keep set to chronicle.googleapis.com.
• log_type: Must be exactly FORTINET_SWITCH.
• ingestion_labels: Optional labels in YAML format (for example, env: production).

Legacy ingestion API exporter

• If you use the ingestion authentication file from Option 2, replace the exporters block with the following. Set creds_file_path to the path to the ingestion authentication file, and if your instance is outside the US, replace malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com with your regional endpoint (for example, europe-malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com).

  exporters:
    chronicle/fortiswitch:
      compression: gzip
      creds_file_path: '/opt/observiq-otel-collector/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
  

Note: This exporter will stop working when the Ingestion API is discontinued on July 20, 2027.

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.

   Note: By default, FortiSwitch logs are sent to port 514 of the remote syslog server.

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.

Change Log

View the Change Log for this parser

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