NSE7_SSE_AD-25 Exam Dumps - Fortinet Network Security Expert Questions and Answers

In a FortiSASE environment where always-on VPN is enforced, FortiClient typically establishes a full tunnel to a Security Point of Presence (PoP). By default, a full-tunnel configuration instructs the endpoint to send all traffic—including traffic destined for the local network—through the secure tunnel to FortiSASE for inspection.

The Local Access Challenge: When a remote user is at home or in a satellite office, they often need to access local resources such as printers, NAS devices, or other computers on the same Layer 2 (L2) broadcast domain. In a standard full-tunnel setup, these local resources become unreachable because the routing table on the endpoint prioritizes the VPN interface for all non-local-gateway traffic.

Allow Local LAN Access: To resolve this while maintaining the security of the "Always-On" requirement, FortiSASE administrators can enable the Allow Local LAN Access feature within the Endpoint Profile.

Configuration Logic: This setting modifies the FortiClient configuration (often via an XML update pushed from the FortiSASE EMS) to include an exemption for the endpoint's locally connected subnet. Specifically, it ensures that traffic destined for the local L2 network does not enter the IPsec or SSL-VPN tunnel, allowing the user to interact with local peripherals while all other internet and corporate-bound traffic remains secured by FortiSASE.

Incorrect Options: * Option B and C: Sandbox and Anti-Virus protections are security features for threat detection and do not influence the routing of local network traffic.

Option D: Network Lockdown actually does the opposite; it restricts network access until a VPN connection is established and typically blocks local LAN access unless specific exemptions are made, making it the incorrect choice for enabling access to local resources.

Based on the provided exhibits and the logic of FortiSASE On/off-net detection, the endpoint's behavior is determined by its network environment relative to the configured rules.

Subnet Matching and Detection: The On-net rule set (named "On-Premises") is configured to identify a trusted location when the endpoint "Connects from a known local subnet". The administrator has defined the known subnet as $192.168.13.0/24$. Since the endpoint's IP address is $192.168.13.101$, it falls within this range. Consequently, FortiClient detects the endpoint as being on-net (on-fabric).

Action Logic (Exemption): In a FortiSASE Endpoint Profile, when On/off-net detection is enabled and an endpoint matches an "On-net" rule, the standard behavior is to exempt the endpoint from auto-connecting to the FortiSASE VPN tunnel. This design assumes the endpoint is already in a secured office environment where the corporate firewall (FortiGate) provides the necessary protection, making the SASE tunnel redundant.

Comparison of Other Options: * Option B: Incorrect, because the IP matches the defined "known local subnet" rule for on-net detection.

Option D: Incorrect, as auto-connect only triggers when the endpoint is detected as off-net to ensure remote security.

Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) private access provides the most efficient and secure method for remote users to access a TCP-based application hosted on a private web server. ZTNA ensures that only authenticated and authorized users can access specific applications based on predefined policies, enhancing security and access control.

Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA):

ZTNA operates on the principle of "never trust, always verify," continuously verifying user identity and device security posture before granting access.

It provides secure and granular access to specific applications, ensuring that remote users can securely access the TCP-based application hosted on the private web server.

Secure and Efficient Access:

ZTNA private access allows remote users to connect directly to the application without needing a full VPN tunnel, reducing latency and improving performance.

It ensures that only authorized users can access the application, providing robust security controls.

In the context of Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), security posture tagging is the fundamental mechanism used to enforce compliance and security standards before granting access to protected resources.

Granular Access Control: The primary purpose of tagging is to provide granular access control.3 Instead of relying solely on static credentials, ZTNA uses these dynamic tags to determine if a device or user meets specific security requirements at the moment of the connection request.

Compliance-Based Enforcement: Tags are assigned based on the compliance status of the endpoint. For example, the FortiSASE Endpoint Management Service (EMS) can verify if a device has an active antivirus, is running a specific OS version, or is joined to the corporate domain.5 If the device fails any of these checks, the "Compliant" tag is removed, and access is automatically revoked.

Dynamic and Continuous Assessment: Unlike traditional VPNs that check posture only at login, ZTNA posture tagging allows for continuous assessment. If a device's security posture changes—for instance, if the user disables their firewall—the tag is updated in real-time across the Security Fabric, and the ZTNA policy will immediately deny further access.8

Integration with Policies: On the FortiGate (acting as a ZTNA proxy) or within FortiSASE, these tags are used as source criteria in ZTNA policies.9 Only traffic originating from endpoints with the required tags (e.g., "EMS-Tag: Corporate-Managed") is permitted to reach the protected application.

In the user connection monitor, the random characters shown for the username indicate that log anonymization is enabled. Log anonymization is a feature that hides the actual user information in the logs for privacy and security reasons. To display proper user information, you need to disable log anonymization.

Log Anonymization:

When log anonymization is turned on, the actual usernames are replaced with random characters to protect user privacy.

This feature can be beneficial in certain environments but can cause issues when detailed user monitoring is required.

Disabling Log Anonymization:

Navigate to the FortiSASE settings.

Locate the log settings section.

Disable the log anonymization feature to ensure that actual usernames are displayed in the logs and user connection monitors.

The VPN tunnel between the FortiSASE spoke and the FortiGate hub is not establishing due to the configuration of mode config, which is not supported by FortiSASE spoke devices. Mode config is used to assign IP addresses to VPN clients dynamically, but this feature is not applicable to FortiSASE spokes.

Mode Config in IPsec:

The configuration snippet shows that mode config is enabled in the IPsec phase 1 settings.

Mode config is typically used for VPN clients to dynamically receive an IP address from the VPN server, but it is not suitable for site-to-site VPN configurations involving FortiSASE spokes.

Configuration Adjustment:

To establish the VPN tunnel, you need to disable mode config in the IPsec phase 1 settings.

This adjustment will allow the FortiSASE spoke to properly establish the VPN tunnel with the FortiGate hub.

Steps to Disable Mode Config:

Access the VPN configuration on the FortiSASE spoke.

Edit the IPsec phase 1 settings to disable mode config.

Ensure other settings such as pre-shared key, remote gateway, and BGP configurations are correct and consistent with the FortiGate hub.

To block all video and audio application traffic while granting access to videos from CNN, you need to configure an application override action in the Application Control with Inline-CASB. Here is the step-by-step detailed explanation:

Application Control Configuration:

Application Control is used to identify and manage application traffic based on predefined or custom application signatures.

Inline-CASB (Cloud Access Security Broker) extends these capabilities by allowing more granular control over cloud applications.

Blocking Video and Audio Applications:

To block all video and audio application traffic, you can create a policy within Application Control to deny all categories related to video and audio streaming.

Granting Access to Specific Videos (CNN):

To allow access to videos from CNN specifically, you must create an override rule within the same Application Control profile.

The override action "Exempt" ensures that traffic to specified URLs (such as those from CNN) is not subjected to the blocking rules set for other video and audio traffic.

Configuration Steps:

Navigate to the Application Control profile in the FortiSASE interface.

Set the application categories related to video and audio streaming to "Block."

Add a new override entry for CNN video traffic and set the action to "Exempt."

In a FortiSASE environment, log management is governed by a cloud-native storage policy that prioritizes performance and resource availability.

Retention Policy Framework: All FortiSASE instances come with log retention enabled by default. The standard log retention period is 30 days, though administrators can customize this policy to any duration between 2 and 30 days. This policy applies across all log types, including traffic, security, and event logs.

Automatic Deletion (A): When logs exceed the configured retention threshold, FortiSASE automatically deletes the older logs from the platform.2 This automatic purging is necessary to free up storage space on the cloud infrastructure and maintain compliance with the organization's data lifecycle settings.

Persistence and Recovery: Once logs are deleted due to the expiration of the retention period, they are generally unrecoverable from the FortiSASE platform.

Long-Term Storage Solutions: Because FortiSASE is not designed as a long-term archival solution, customers who need to store logs for months or years for regulatory compliance should configure log forwarding to an external server, such as a FortiAnalyzer or a remote Syslog server.

Analysis of Incorrect Options: * Option B and D: While traditional FortiAnalyzer deployments use SQL indexing and separate "Archive" (raw/compressed) vs. "Analytics" (SQL) tiers, FortiSASE uses a simplified cloud storage model where data is purged rather than archived or tier-shifted upon expiry.

Option C: While FortiSASE is part of the FortiCloud ecosystem, it does not automatically "back up" expired logs to another FortiCloud service; the deletion is final unless external forwarding is active.

The exhibit (image_6361c9.jpg) displays a standard SASE onboarding email sent from the FortiSASE platform to an end user to facilitate the enrollment of their device.

Communication Source (D): This email is generated by the FortiSASE administrator through the Onboard Users menu in the FortiSASE portal. It provides the user with direct download links for the FortiClient application and a unique Invitation Code required for telemetry connection.

Installer Types and Automation (B): FortiSASE provides two primary methods for deploying the client agent:

Pre-configured Installer: This version is pre-packaged with the organization's unique invitation code built-in. When a user runs this installer, the invitation code step is skipped as the client automatically registers to the correct FortiSASE instance upon installation.

Manual Installer: This version requires the user to manually copy and paste the invitation code from the onboarding email into the FortiClient "Zero Trust Telemetry" menu to complete enrollment.

Analysis of Incorrect Options:

Option A: FortiSASE utilizes a unified agent (FortiClient). The components (VPN, ZTNA, Web Filter, etc.) are managed via Endpoint Profiles assigned in the SASE portal and pushed to the client automatically; they are not manually selected by the user during installation.

Option C: As noted above, if the administrator provides a pre-configured installer, the manual entry of the code is not required, making the statement that it must "always" be entered manually false.

The Secure Internet Access (SIA) use case that minimizes individual workstation or device setup is SIA for agentless remote users. This use case does not require installing FortiClient on endpoints or configuring explicit web proxy settings on web browser-based endpoints, making it the simplest and most efficient deployment.

SIA for Agentless Remote Users:

Agentless deployment allows remote users to connect to the SIA service without needing to install any client software or configure browser settings.

This approach reduces the setup and maintenance overhead for both users and administrators.

Minimized Setup:

Without the need for FortiClient installation or explicit proxy configuration, the deployment is straightforward and quick.

Users can securely access the internet with minimal disruption and administrative effort.