Configuring Anti-overbilling in FortiOS Carrier
GPRS over billing attacks can be prevented with a properly configured Carrier-enabled FortiGate unit.
Over billing can occur when a subscriber returns his IP address to the IP pool. Before the billing server closes it, the subscriber’s session is still open and vulnerable. If an attacker takes control of the subscriber’s IP address, he can send or receive data and the subscriber will be billed for the traffic.
Over billing can also occur when an available IP address is reassigned to a new mobile station (MS). Subsequent traffic by the previous MS may be forwarded to the new MS. The new MS would then be billed for traffic it did not initiate.
Anti-overbilling with FortiOS Carrier
The Carrier-enabled FortiGate unit can be configured to assist with anti-overbilling measures. These measures ensure that the customer is only billed for connection time and data transfer that they actually use.
Anti-overbilling on the Carrier-enabled FortiGate unit involves:
- the administrator configuring the over billing settings in the GTP profile to notify the Gi firewall when a GTP tunnel is deleted
- the unit clearing the sessions when the Gi firewall receives a notification from the Gn/Gp firewall about a GTP tunnel being deleted This way, the Gi firewall prevents over billing by blocking traffic initiated by other users.
The three locations to configure anti-overbilling options include:
- Network > Interface — Edit a specific interface. Towards the bottom of the Edit Interface page, in the Status section, you can toggle Gi Gatekeeper.
- System > Settings — In the Gi Gatekeeper Settings section, set the Context ID and Port that anti-overbilling will take place on.
- Security Profiles > GTP Profile — Edit a specific GTP Profile. In the Anti-Overbilling section, edit the Gi Firewall IP address, Port, Interface and Security Context ID, to use for anti-overbilling measures.
For detailed options, see Anti-Overbilling options.
Logging events on the Carrier-enabled FortiGate unit
Logging on the Carrier-enabled FortiGate unit is just like logging on any other FortiOS unit. The only difference with FortiOS Carrier is that there are a few additional events that you can log beyond the regular ones. These additional events are covered here.
To change FortiOS Carrier specific logging event settings, go to Security Profiles > GTP Profile and edit a GTP profile. Expand the Log section to change the settings. For detailed options, see Log options.
The following information is contained in each log entry:
| Timestamp | The time and date when the log entry was recorded |
| Source IP address | The sender’s IP address. |
| Destination IP address | The reciever’s IP address. The sender-receiver pair includes a mobile phone on the GPRS local network, and a device on a network external to the GPRS network, such as the Internet. |
| Tunnel Identifier (TID)
Tunnel Endpoint Identifier (TEID) |
An identifier for the start and endpoints of a GTP tunnel. This information uniquely defines all tunnels. It is important for billing information based on the length of time the tunnel was active and how much data passed over the tunnel. |
| Message type | For available message types, see Common message types on carrier networks. |
| Packet status | What action was performed on the packet. This field matches the logging options while you are configuring GTP logging. See Logging events on the Carrier-enabled FortiGate unit on page 121.
The status can be one of forwarded, prohibited, state-invalid, rate-limited, or tunnel-limited |
| Virtual domain ID or name | A Carrier-enabled FortiGate unit can be divided into multiple virtual units, each being a complete and self-contained virtual FortiCarrier unit. This field indicates which virtual domain (VDOM) was responsible for the log entry. If VDOMs are not enabled on your unit, this field will be root. |
| Reason to be denied if applicable | If the packet that generated this log entry was denied or blocked, this field will include what part of FortiOS denied or blocked that packet. Such as firewall, antivirus, webfilter, or spamfilter. |
An example of the above log message format is for a Tunnel deleted log entry. When a tunnel is deleted, the log entry contains the following information: l Timestamp
l Interface name (if applicable) l SGSN IP address (source IP) l GGSN IP address (destination IP) l Tunnel ID l Tunnel duration time in seconds l Number of messages sent to the SGSN l Number of messages sent to the GGSN