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Replacement messages

The replacement message list in System > Replacement Messages.

The replacement messages list enables you to view and customize replacement messages. Highlight the e replacement messages you wish to edit and customize the message content to your requirements. Hit Save when done.

Should you make a major error to the code, you can select the Restore Default to return to the original message and code base.

For connections requiring authentication, the FortiGate unit uses HTTP to send an authentication disclaimer page for the user to accept before a security policy is in effect. Therefore, the user must initiate HTTP traffic first in order to trigger the authentication disclaimer page. Once the disclaimer is accepted, the user can send whatever traffic is allowed by the security policy.

Replacement message images

You can add images to replacement messages to:

Disclaimer pages
Login pages
Declined disclaimer pages
Login failed page
Login challenge pages
Keepalive pages

Image embedding is also available to the endpoint NAC download portal and recommendation portal replacement messages, as well as HTTP replacement messages.

Supported image formats are GIF, JPEG, TIFF and PNG. The maximum file size supported is 6000 bytes.

Adding images to replacement messages

To upload an image for use in a message

Go to System > Replacement Messages.
Select Manage Images at the top of the page.
Select Create New.
Enter a Name for the image.
Select the Content Type.
Select Browse to locate the file and select OK.

The image that you include in a replacement message, must have the following html:

For example:

Modifying replacement messages

Replacement messages can be modified to include a message or content that suits your organization.

Use the expand arrows to view the replacement message list for a given category. Messages are in HTML format. To change a replacement message, go to System > Replacement Messages select the replacement message that you want to modify. At the bottom pane of the window, you can see the message on one side and the HTML code on the other side. The message view changes in real-time as you change the content.

A list of common replacement messages appears in the main window. To see the entire list and all categories of replacement messages, in the upper-right corner of the window, select Extended View.

Replacement message categories

Alert Email replacement messages

The FortiGate unit adds the replacement messages listed in this category to alert email messages sent to administrators. If you enable the option Send alert email for logs based on severity in Log & Report, you control whether or not replacement messages are sent by alert email based on how you set the Minimum log level.

For more information on Alert emails, see the Monitoring chapter.

Authentication replacement messages

The FortiGate unit uses the text of the authentication replacement messages for various user authentication HTML pages that are displayed when a user is required to authenticate because a security policy includes at least one identity-based policy that requires firewall users to authenticate.

These replacement message pages are for authentication using HTTP and HTTPS. You cannot customize the firewall authentication messages for FTP and Telnet.

The authentication login page and the authentication disclaimer include replacement tags and controls not found on other replacement messages.

Users see the authentication login page when they use a VPN or a security policy that requires authentication. You can customize this page in the same way as you modify other replacement messages.

There are some unique requirements for these replacement messages:

The login page must be an HTML page containing a form with ACTION="/" and METHOD="POST"
The form must contain the following hidden controls:
<INPUT TYPE="hidden" NAME="%%MAGICID%%" VALUE="%%MAGICVAL%%">
<INPUT TYPE="hidden" NAME="%%STATEID%%" VALUE="%%STATEVAL%%">
<INPUT TYPE="hidden" NAME="%%REDIRID%%" VALUE="%%PROTURI%%">
The form must contain the following visible controls:
<INPUT TYPE="text" NAME="%%USERNAMEID%%" size=25>
<INPUT TYPE="password" NAME="%%PASSWORDID%%" size=25>

Example

The following is an example of a simple authentication page that meets the requirements listed above.

<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>Firewall Authentication</TITLE></HEAD>

<BODY><H4>You must authenticate to use this service.</H4>

<TABLE ALIGN="center" BGCOLOR="#00cccc" BORDER="0"

CELLPADDING="15" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="320"><TBODY>

<TR><TH>Username:</TH>

<TR><TH>Password:</TH>

</TBODY></TABLE></FORM></BODY></HTML>

Captive Portal Default replacement messages

The Captive Portal Default replacement messages are used for wireless authentication only. You must have a VAP interface with the security set as captive portal to trigger these replacement messages.

Device Detection Portal replacement message

The FortiGate unit displays the replacement message when the FortiGate unit cannot determine the type of BYOD or handheld device is used to connect the network.

Email replacement messages

The FortiGate unit sends the mail replacement messages to email clients using IMAP, POP3, or SMTP when an event occurs such as antivirus blocking a file attached to an email that contains a virus. Email replacement messages are text messages.

If the FortiGate unit supports SSL content scanning and inspection these replacement messages can also be added to IMAPS, POP3S, and SMTPS email messages.

Endpoint Control replacement message

The FortiGate unit displays the replacement message when the FortiClient Endpoint Security software is not installed or registered correctly with the FortiGate unit.

FortiGuard Web Filtering replacement messages

The FortiGate unit sends the FortiGuard Web Filtering replacement messages to web browsers using the HTTP protocol when FortiGuard web filtering blocks a URL, provides details about blocked HTTP 4xx and 5xx errors, and for FortiGuard overrides. FortiGuard Web Filtering replacement messages are HTTP pages.

If the FortiGate unit supports SSL content scanning and inspection and if Protocol Recognition > HTTPS Content Filtering Mode is set to Deep Scan in the antivirus profile, these replacement messages can also replace web pages downloaded using the HTTPS protocol.

FTP replacement messages

The FortiGate unit sends the FTP replacement messages listed in the table below to FTP clients when an event occurs such as antivirus blocking a file that contains a virus in an FTP session. FTP replacement messages are text messages.

HTTP replacement messages

The FortiGate unit sends the HTTP replacement messages listed in the following table to web browsers using the HTTP protocol when an event occurs such as antivirus blocking a file that contains a virus in an HTTP session. HTTP replacement messages are HTML pages.

If the FortiGate unit supports SSL content scanning and inspection, and if under HTTPS in the protocol option list has Enable Deep Scan enabled, these replacement messages can also replace web pages downloaded using the HTTPS protocol.

IM replacement messages

The FortiGate unit sends the IM replacement messages to IM clients using AIM, ICQ, MSN, or Yahoo! Messenger when an event occurs such as antivirus blocking a file attached to an email that contains a virus. IM replacement messages are text messages.

NNTP replacement messages

The FortiGate unit sends the NNTP replacement messages NNTP clients when an event occurs such as antivirus blocking a file attached to an NNTP message that contains a virus. NNTP replacement messages are text messages.

Spam replacement messages

The FortiGate unit adds the Spam replacement messages to SMTP server responses if the email message is identified as spam and the spam action is discard. If the FortiGate unit supports SSL content scanning and inspection these replacement messages can also be added to SMTPS server responses.

NAC quarantine replacement messages

The page that is displayed for the user depends on whether NAC quarantine blocked the user because a virus was found, a DoS sensor detected an attack, an IPS sensor detected an attack, or a DLP rule with action set to Quarantine IP address or Quarantine Interface matched a session from the user.

The default messages inform the user of why they are seeing this page and recommend they contact the system administrator. You can customize the pages as required, for example to include an email address or other contact information or if applicable a note about how long the user can expect to be blocked.

SSL VPN replacement messages

The SSL VPN login replacement message is an HTML replacement message that formats the FortiGate SSL VPN portal login page. You can customize this replacement message according to your organization’s needs. The page is linked to FortiGate functionality and you must construct it according to the following guidelines to ensure that it will work.

The login page must be an HTML page containing a form with ACTION="%%SSL_ACT%%" and METHOD="%%SSL_METHOD%%"
The form must contain the %%SSL_LOGIN%% tag to provide the login form.
The form must contain the %%SSL_HIDDEN%% tag.

Web Proxy replacement messages

The FortiGate unit sends Web Proxy replacement messages when a web proxy event occurs that is detected and matches the web proxy configuration. These replacement messages are web pages that appear within your web browser.

The following web proxy replacement messages require an identity-based security policy so that the web proxy is successful. You can also enable FTP-over-HTTP by selecting the FTP option in System > Network > Explicit Proxy.

Traffic quota control replacement messages

When user traffic is going through the FortiGate unit and it is blocked by traffic shaping quota controls, users see the Traffic shaper block message or the Per IP traffic shaper block message when they attempt to connect through the FortiGate unit using HTTP.

The traffic quota HTTP pages should contain the %%QUOTA_INFO%% tag to display information about the traffic shaping quota setting that is blocking the user.

MM1 replacement messages

MM1 replacement messages are sent when, during MMS content scanning, FortiOS Carrier detects, for example a virus, using the MMS profile.

You must have Remove Blocked selected within the MMS profile if you want to remove the content that is intercepted during MMS scanning on the FortiGate unit.

MM3 replacement messages

MM3 replacement messages are sent when, during MMS content scanning, FortiOS Carrier detects, for example a virus, using the MMS profile.

You must have Remove Blocked selected within the MMS profile if you want to remove the content that is intercepted during MMS scanning on the unit.

MM4 replacement messages

MM4 replacement messages are sent when, during MMS content scanning, FortiOS Carrier detects, for example a virus, using the MMS profile.

MM7 replacement messages

MM7 replacement messages are sent when, during MMS content scanning, FortiOS Carrier detects, for example a virus, using the MMS profile.

MMS replacement messages

The MMS replacement message is sent when a section of an MMS message has been replaced because it contains a blocked file. This replacement message is in HTML format.

The message text is:

<HTML><BODY>This section of the message has been replaced because it contained a blocked file</BODY></HTML>

Replacement message groups

Replacement message groups enable you to view common messages in groups for large carriers. Message groups can be configured by going to Config > Replacement Message Group.

Using the defined groups, you can manage specific replacement messages from a single location, rather than searching through the entire replacement message list.

If you enable virtual domains (VDOMs) on the FortiGate unit, replacement message groups are configured separately for each virtual domain. Each virtual domain has its own default replacement message group, configured from System > Replacement Messages Group.

When you modify a message in a replacement message group, a Reset icon appears beside the message in the group. You can select this Reset icon to reset the message in the replacement message group to the default version.

All MM1/4/7 notification messages for FortiOS Carrier (and MM1 retrieve-conf messages) can contain a SMIL layer and all MM4 notification messages can contain an HTML layer in the message. These layers can be used to brand messages by using logos uploaded to the FortiGate unit via the 'Manage Images' link found on the replacement message group configuration page.