FortiGate SSL-VPN Brute Force Prevention

Feed a real-time IP blocklist directly into your FortiGate firewall via the External Connector threat feed. Block brute force bots before they touch your SSL-VPN portal.

Start Blocking Attacks -- $9.99/mo
2M+
Malicious IPs Tracked
60s
Update Frequency
5 min
Setup Time

FortiGate SSL-VPN Under Constant Attack

FortiGate SSL-VPN portals are among the most targeted VPN endpoints on the internet. Automated bots test credentials around the clock, exploiting publicly exposed login pages.

Why FortiGate VPNs Are Targeted

Fortinet is the world's most deployed firewall. Attackers know that SSL-VPN portals respond on port 443 and can be fingerprinted easily. Large-scale credential-stuffing campaigns specifically target FortiGate login endpoints, and CVEs like the infamous pre-auth vulnerabilities make unpatched units especially attractive targets.

Proactive Defense with ThreatListPro

Instead of waiting for failed login events to trigger lockouts, ThreatListPro preemptively blocks IPs that have been observed attacking VPN portals globally. Your FortiGate downloads the blocklist as an External Connector feed and denies traffic at the firewall level -- no SSL handshake, no login page rendered, no resources consumed.

FortiGate Threat Feed Setup -- Step by Step

Configure ThreatListPro as an External Connector threat feed in FortiOS. Works with FortiOS 6.2 through 7.4.

01

Get Your ThreatListPro Feed URL

Sign up at threatlistpro.com and copy your unique feed URL from the dashboard:
https://feed.threatlistpro.com/v1/edl/YOUR_API_KEY

02

Create an External Connector

In FortiOS, navigate to Security Fabric > External Connectors. Click Create New and select Threat Feed > IP Address. Name it ThreatListPro, paste the feed URL, and set the refresh rate to 5 minutes.

03

Create a Firewall Policy

Go to Policy & Objects > Firewall Policy. Create a new policy with source set to the ThreatListPro threat feed object, destination set to your SSL-VPN interface (typically wan1), and action set to Deny. Place this policy above your SSL-VPN access policy.

04

Create a Local-In Policy (Optional, Recommended)

For traffic destined to the FortiGate itself (like the SSL-VPN portal), use a local-in policy via CLI:
config firewall local-in-policy
This ensures the blocklist applies to management-plane traffic, not just transit traffic.

05

Verify the Feed

Navigate to Security Fabric > External Connectors, click on ThreatListPro, and verify the entry count. You should see tens of thousands of IPs loaded. Check Log & Report > Forward Traffic to confirm deny actions.

ThreatListPro vs. Alternatives

Compare automated VPN-focused blocking against other defense strategies for your FortiGate firewall.

FeatureThreatListProManual BlockingEnterprise Threat Feeds
VPN brute-force focused
Real-time updates (60s)
FortiOS threat feed compatible
No scripting or automation needed
Setup in under 5 minutes
Price$9.99/moStaff time$500+/mo

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I import an IP blocklist in FortiGate?

In FortiOS, go to Security Fabric > External Connectors and create a new Threat Feed of type IP Address. Paste your ThreatListPro feed URL and set the refresh rate to 5 minutes. Then reference this threat feed object in a firewall policy to deny traffic from listed IPs to your SSL-VPN portal.

Does ThreatListPro work with FortiOS 7.x?

Yes. ThreatListPro is fully compatible with FortiOS 7.0, 7.2, and 7.4. The threat feed connector feature has been available since FortiOS 6.2, so even older firmware versions are supported. The feed is served as a standard plaintext IP list.

How do I protect my FortiGate SSL-VPN portal from brute force attacks?

Combine ThreatListPro's automated blocklist with FortiGate's built-in login attempt limits. Add the ThreatListPro threat feed as an external connector, then create a local-in policy that denies traffic from the feed to your SSL-VPN interface. This blocks known attackers at the network layer before they can attempt any logins.

Secure Your FortiGate SSL-VPN Today

Block credential-stuffing bots automatically. No scripts, no log parsing, no manual effort.

Get ThreatListPro -- $9.99/mo

Works With All Major Firewalls

ThreatListPro provides a standard IP blocklist feed compatible with any firewall that supports external lists.

Palo Alto FortiGate pfSense OPNsense SonicWall Cisco ASA Sophos XG UniFi

Related Resources

Learn more about IP blocklists, VPN security, and how ThreatListPro compares to alternatives.

What Is an External Dynamic List (EDL)? VPN Brute Force Attacks Explained IP Blocklist vs Enterprise Threat Feed Stop Account Lockouts from Brute Force ThreatListPro vs FireHOL ThreatListPro vs AbuseIPDB Best VPN Brute Force Protection 2026 All Firewall Setup Guides