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Start with the right device, time window, and log destination
Identify the FortiGate, relevant virtual domain (VDOM), review period, and time zone before searching. Confirm that expected event records are reaching the configured local or centralized logging destination. Collection, retention, and clock synchronization vary by deployment; if records are missing or timestamps cannot be trusted, note that limitation because it affects attribution and timeline confidence.
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The event identifiers and field examples below are documented for specific releases: FortiOS 7.0.10 and 7.0.18, and FortiAnalyzer 7.6.4–7.6.6. Labels, identifiers, and field behavior can differ in other versions. Check the Log Message Reference for the FortiOS release actually deployed before relying on an event ID or building an alert.
Where administrator activity appears
FortiAnalyzer groups FortiGate event logs into System, Router, VPN, User, and WiFi areas. Administration and device-system activity, including administrator logins and configuration changes, belongs in System events. Begin there, then pivot to other categories when the event’s context calls for it. See Fortinet’s FortiAnalyzer 7.6.6 event-log guide and log types reference.
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In FortiAnalyzer, the event-log view supports time selection and filters such as level, user, subtype, and message. It can show records in raw or formatted form, and supports real-time or historical views and downloads in CSV or normal format. Formatted rows help scan activity; inspect the raw record when you need fields or context that are not apparent in the table. The documented table includes Date/Time, Device ID, Level, User, Sub Type, Description, Operation, Performed On, Changes, and Message.
Review authentication and configuration events
Administrator logins and password events
Look for successful and failed administrator logins, disabled-login messages, password events, and administrator disconnects. Fortinet’s FortiAnalyzer 7.6.4 documentation describes a predefined Default-NOC-Security-Events handler with rules for administrator-login and password-related events. Those predefined rules are disabled by default, so check whether the relevant handler and rules are enabled in your deployment before expecting alerts. The documented event descriptions include “Admin login failed,” “Admin login disabled,” “Admin password expired,” and “Admin disconnected.” See the FortiAnalyzer event-handler documentation.
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Configuration saves and changes
Review configuration-change records for the acting account, interface or access method where recorded, time, device and VDOM, and the message or change details. In the FortiOS 7.0.18 Log Message Reference, event ID 36882 is “Configuration manually saved.” Its documented fields include user, ui, vd, date, time, eventtime, logdesc, and msg. A save record indicates that a configuration was manually saved; do not assume it contains a complete record of every configuration difference. Compare available details with the approved change ticket and other change records. See the FortiOS 7.0.18 reference for event 36882.
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For FortiOS 7.0.10 event ID 32002, labeled “Admin login failed,” the reference lists these useful fields. Read them together rather than treating any one field as a verdict.
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| Field | What it can help establish |
|---|---|
user |
The account associated with the attempt. |
srcip, dstip |
The logged source and destination addresses; compare the source with known administrator networks and approved remote-access paths. |
ui |
The interface or access context recorded for the event. |
status, reason, method |
The recorded outcome, reason, and authentication method. |
date, time, tz, eventtime |
Time context for placing the event in a sequence. Check the time zone and clock context when correlating records. |
devid, vd, msg |
Device, VDOM, and message context. |
The FortiOS 7.0.10 reference classifies 32002 as a System-category event with Alert severity. Do not assume that another release uses the same identifier or identical field behavior. Consult the FortiOS 7.0.10 reference for “Admin login failed” and verify against the reference for your installed release.
Identify signals that need follow-up
These patterns warrant investigation, but none establishes malicious activity on its own:
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- A burst of failures, especially if a successful login follows for the same account or from the same source.
- Successful administrator access from an unfamiliar source, interface, geography, or time compared with the organization’s normal pattern.
- An unfamiliar account, unexpected administrator monitor activity, or activity inconsistent with the account holder’s assigned duties.
- A configuration save or change outside an approved maintenance window, particularly if the available details indicate changes to management access, accounts, policies, logging, VPN, or security controls.
- Missing expected records, unexpected device or VDOM context, or gaps that prevent reliable attribution.
Validate unusual activity against legitimate automation, emergency maintenance, NAT or VPN egress, time-zone settings, identity-provider records, change tickets, and other available network and security telemetry. A source address that looks unfamiliar in isolation may be an expected shared egress point; a timestamp may reflect a different time zone. The useful question is whether the whole sequence fits a trusted baseline and an authorized activity.
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Build a timeline and preserve the evidence
- Filter the relevant window. In FortiAnalyzer’s event-log view, select the period and apply useful filters such as user, level, subtype, or message. Keep the device and VDOM context in view.
- Inspect the records behind notable rows. Use formatted display for scanning and raw display when you need the underlying fields. Note successful and failed logins, disconnects, monitor activity, and configuration events across relevant devices.
- Correlate with independent context. Compare account, source, access method, and timestamps with approved administrator networks, change tickets, on-call schedules, identity-provider records, and related logs. Check the timeline across the events rather than evaluating each record alone.
- Export and preserve relevant records. Use the available download option, such as CSV or normal format, and store the records in the appropriate incident repository. Record the device identity, VDOM, time zone, collection time, and surrounding event context so the export remains interpretable.
- Escalate unexplained high-impact activity. Raise successful access from unfamiliar sources, changes outside an approved window, or actions inconsistent with an account’s role—especially where they affect management access, accounts, policies, logging, VPN, or security controls.
FortiAnalyzer documents filtering and export, but the retention, access controls, and collection completeness of a particular environment must be verified locally. Preserve enough surrounding events to show what happened before and after the item of concern.
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When to use FortiAnalyzer and when to configure triggers
FortiAnalyzer is useful for centralized event review when multiple FortiGate devices, historical searches, filtering, exports, or correlation needs make a single-device workflow insufficient. Whether it is appropriate depends on the number of devices, required retention and access controls, alerting needs, and operational overhead. The documented functions do not make FortiAnalyzer a prerequisite for basic log review.
FortiOS event-log triggers can be configured for specific log IDs with field filters. The FortiOS 7.2.8 guide gives the GUI path Security Fabric > Automation > Trigger and identifies administrator login success as event ID 32001. Use the Log Message Reference matching the deployed FortiOS release when creating rules; verify the relevant trigger configuration rather than assuming alerts are active. See the FortiOS 7.2.8 guide to creating automation triggers.
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