Native Integrations

pfSense firewall activity monitoring with Log360

ManageEngine Log360 collects, parses, analyzes, and archives logs from pfSense firewalls to provide complete visibility into network activity, authentication behavior, system events, and possible attacks. With centralized log monitoring and prebuilt reports, Log360 helps you detect threats, investigate incidents, and support compliance efforts efficiently.

How Log360 collects and analyzes pfSense logs

Log360 simplifies pfSense log monitoring by supporting syslog-based log forwarding. Once logs are received, they are processed and presented through detailed reports.

The collection method

pfSense devices forward logs to Log360 using standard syslog protocols (UDP and TCP). Log360 then parses and categorizes these logs into actionable reports.

Critical pfSense events monitored

Log360 tracks essential events to strengthen your perimeter defense:

Allowed and denied traffic with top source and destination analysis
Firewall logons and failed logon attempts
Detected IDS and IPS attacks and suspicious activity
Interfaces' up or down statuses
System startup, shutdown, and reboot events
Log severity events: emergency, alert, critical, error, warning, notice, info, and debug

Monitoring capabilities

Log360 collects and analyzes a wide range of pfSense log types, including:

Allowed traffic: Details about permitted connections based on the source, destination, port, and protocol
Denied traffic: Insights into blocked connections and firewall rejections
Logon and failed logon events: Authentication attempts, user logons and logoffs, and anomalies
IDS and IPS alerts: Possible attacks based on rules, packet analysis, and intrusion patterns
System events: Device reboots, shutdowns, and interface changes
Device severity logs: Categorized logs from the emergency level to the debug level for detailed troubleshooting

Key benefits

Real-time traffic visibility: Monitor inbound and outbound connections across your network edge.
Attack detection and forensics: Identify intrusion attempts, policy violations, and threat patterns.
Compliance-ready reports: Generate audit trails for firewall activity in line with regulatory mandates.
Event correlation: Detect complex attack chains by correlating pfSense data with logs from other sources.
Performance optimization: Identify traffic bottlenecks, rule misconfigurations, and system errors.

Address key pfSense security challenges

Challenge	Solution offered by Log360
Monitoring allowed and denied traffic	Gain detailed insights into accepted and blocked connections along with the top talkers by the IP, port, and protocol
Detecting unauthorized access attempts	Identify failed logon patterns and privilege escalation attempts using logon failure reports
Gaining firewall attack surface visibility	Monitor IDS and IPS alerts and surface-level attacks with detailed context
Tracking system health	Stay informed of critical device events like reboots, interface failures, or shutdowns
Compliance and audit reporting	Use built-in reports aligned with compliance frameworks to track firewall activity and demonstrate a strong security posture