NSE4_FGT_AD-7.6 Fortinet NSE 4 - FortiOS 7.6 Administrator Free Practice Exam Questions (2026 Updated)

According to the FortiOS 7.6 Administrator Study Guide, the Application Control engine processes traffic by evaluating the Application and Filter Overrides section first, using a top-down matching logic similar to firewall policies. In the provided exhibit, there are two override entries:

Priority 1: A behavior-based filter for Excessive-Bandwidth with the action set to Block.

Priority 2: A vendor-based filter for Apple with the action set to Monitor.

The exhibit titled "Application override configuration" explicitly shows that Apple FaceTime is one of the signatures included within the Excessive-Bandwidth behavior filter. When the FortiGate inspects FaceTime traffic, it matches the first entry (Priority 1) because the signature belongs to the "Excessive-Bandwidth" group. Since the action for this priority is Block, the traffic is dropped immediately.

The phrase "only a few calls" is a common exam distractor; in this context, the "Excessive-Bandwidth" filter refers to the classification of the application (as one that typically consumes high bandwidth) rather than a real-time measurement of the specific session's throughput. Because the engine stops searching once a match is found in the overrides, it never reaches the Priority 2 "Monitor" rule or the general Category settings.

In FortiOS 7.6, firewall policies can be displayed in multiple views to help administrators understand and manage rules more effectively. The difference in ordering between Interface Pair View and By Sequence View is intentional and documented.

Why the policy order is different

Interface Pair View

Groups firewall policies based on the incoming (From) and outgoing (To) interfaces.

Policies are organized under interface pairs such as:

LAN → WAN

WAN → LAN

Within each interface pair, policies may appear reordered compared to the global list.

This view is designed for readability and troubleshooting, not to show execution order.

By Sequence View

Displays firewall policies in their actual evaluation (processing) order.

This is the top-down order FortiGate uses when matching traffic.

It reflects the real rule sequence that determines which policy is hit first.

Why option C is correct

C. Interface Pair View sorts policies based on matching interfaces, while By Sequence View shows the actual processing order of rules.

This statement exactly matches FortiOS behavior as documented in the FortiOS 7.6 Firewall Policy Views section of the Administrator Guide.

Why the other options are incorrect

A: Interface Pair View does not follow traffic logs, and By Sequence View is not based on “rule priority” grouping.

B: FortiGate does not dynamically reorder policies based on traffic patterns.

D: Security levels do not affect policy ordering in Interface Pair View.

In FortiOS 7.6, when FortiGate is integrated with FortiAnalyzer and FortiManager, firewall policies rely on a Universally Unique Identifier (UUID) to ensure proper policy tracking, synchronization, and log correlation across devices.

Why the UUID is required

Every firewall policy in FortiOS has a UUID.

FortiManager uses the UUID to:

Track policies across managed FortiGate devices

Maintain policy consistency during installs and revisions

FortiAnalyzer uses the UUID to:

Correlate logs accurately to the correct firewall policy

Preserve log association even if policy order or policy ID changes

Without a UUID:

Policy-to-log mapping can break

FortiManager cannot reliably manage or synchronize policies

FortiAnalyzer log analysis becomes inconsistent

This is explicitly documented in Fortinet administration and logging architecture references.

Why the other options are incorrect

B. Policy IDPolicy ID can change when policies are moved and is not reliable for long-term correlation across FortiManager and FortiAnalyzer.

C. Sequence IDSequence ID reflects GUI ordering only and has no role in log correlation.

D. Log IDLog ID is generated per log event, not per firewall policy.

Based on the FortiOS 7.6 Authentication and User Group documentation, the correct answer is A.

Meaning of “Include in every user group” (FortiOS 7.6)

When configuring a RADIUS server on FortiGate, enabling Include in every user group has a very specific and documented effect:

The configured RADIUS server object is automatically added to all FortiGate user groups.

As a result, any user who successfully authenticates against that RADIUS server becomes a valid member of every FortiGate user group, unless additional group filtering (such as RADIUS attributes) is applied.

This simplifies configuration when the same external authentication source must be accepted across multiple firewall policies that reference different user groups.

This behavior is explicitly described in the FortiOS 7.6 Administrator Guide under RADIUS authentication servers and user groups.

Why Option A is Correct

FortiGate user groups can include:

Local users

LDAP servers

RADIUS servers

Enabling Include in every user group causes FortiGate to:

Insert the RADIUS server into all existing and future FortiGate user groups

Therefore, all users authenticating via this RADIUS server are implicitly allowed in every FortiGate user group.

This is exactly what option A describes.

Why the Other Options Are Incorrect

B: FortiGate does not push users or groups into the RADIUS server. Authentication is always initiated by FortiGate toward RADIUS.

C: FortiGate does not manage or modify RADIUS-side group definitions.

D: LDAP and RADIUS user groups are separate authentication mechanisms; this setting does not merge or affect LDAP groups.

Based on the FortiOS 7.6 Administrator Guide regarding Fortinet Single Sign-On (FSSO) polling modes, the agentless polling mode has specific technical characteristics:

SMB Protocol Usage (Statement B is True):

In agentless polling mode, the FortiGate unit itself acts as the collector.

It establishes direct connections to the Windows Domain Controllers (DCs) using the SMB (Server Message Block) protocol, typically over TCP port 445, to read the Windows Security Event logs.

This allows FortiGate to parse login event IDs (such as 4768 and 4769) to identify users and their corresponding IP addresses without needing an external collector agent installed on a server.

Workstation Check Support (Statement C is True):

One of the primary limitations of the agentless polling mode compared to the agent-based mode is the lack of workstation verification.

In agentless mode, FortiGate does not perform "workstation checks" or "dead entry checks". This means it cannot proactively verify if a user is still logged into a specific workstation after the initial logon event is recorded, which can lead to stale entries if a user logs off without a corresponding event being captured.

Why other options are incorrect:

Option A: In agentless mode, FortiGate (the FSSO daemon) performs the collection itself; it does not use the AD server as a "collector agent" in the functional sense of FSSO architecture.

Option D: While FortiGate uses LDAP to retrieve group membership information once a user is identified, it does not "direct" a collector agent to a remote LDAP server, as there is no external collector agent involved in this specific mode.

According to the FortiOS 7.6 Study Guide and Parallel Path Processing documentation, flow-based antivirus inspection is designed to provide security with minimal impact on performance.

First, a defining characteristic of modern flow-based AV (specifically in its "hybrid" mode) is that FortiGate buffers the whole file but transmits to the client at the same time (Statement A). This behavior allows the client to start receiving data immediately to prevent session timeouts, while the FortiGate reassembles the file in memory to perform a signature check before the final packet is released.

Second, starting with recent FortiOS versions including 7.6, flow-based inspection uses a hybrid of the scanning modes (Statement B). Previously, flow mode offered "Quick" or "Full" scans; now, it combines these techniques to offer a balance between the speed of stream-based scanning and the thoroughness of archive inspection.

Third, the primary motivation for selecting this mode is that flow-based inspection optimizes performance compared to proxy-based inspection (Statement D). It processes traffic in a single pass using the IPS engine, avoiding the overhead associated with the WAD (proxy) process. Statement C is incorrect because if a virus is detected, the last packet is withheld and the connection is reset to prevent the file from being completed. Statement E is less accurate as the IPS engine loads the AV engine to perform the task rather than acting as a "standalone" entity in the context of file scanning.

From the exhibits:

The Application Control sensor has these key settings:

Application and Filter Overrides

Priority 1: Excessive-Bandwidth (Type: Filter) with Action Block

Priority 2: Google (Type: Filter) with Action Monitor

Category actions shown include Social Media set to Block (this category includes Facebook).

The firewall policy is using:

Flow-based inspection

Application control enabled (profile: default)

Deep inspection enabled (helps identify applications inside HTTPS)

Logging enabled

FortiOS applies Application Control as follows (top-down within the Application Control profile):

Overrides are evaluated by priority (highest priority first).

The first matching override determines the action (block/monitor/allow) for that traffic.

Category-based actions apply to applications that fall into those categories unless an override matches first.

Why A is correct

A. YouTube access is blocked based on Excessive-Bandwidth Application and Filter override settings.

The profile explicitly blocks the Excessive-Bandwidth behavior filter at the highest override priority.

When YouTube traffic is detected as matching the Excessive-Bandwidth behavior, FortiGate will apply the Block action due to the override.

Because this is a priority override, it is enforced before lower-priority entries.

Why B is correct

B. Facebook access is blocked based on the category filter settings.

The Application Sensor shows Social Media configured with a Block action.

Facebook is categorized under Social Media, so it will be blocked when matched by Application Control.

Why C is not correct

C. Facebook access is allowed but you cannot play Facebook videos...

Since the Social Media category is set to Block, Facebook would be blocked at the category level (not merely video playback).

Why D is not correct

D. YouTube search is allowed based on the Google override...

The Google override action is Monitor, not Allow.

“Monitor” logs/detects but does not override a block condition to “allow” traffic.

Also, YouTube traffic is not guaranteed to be treated as “Google” in a way that would permit it, and any matching block condition (such as Excessive-Bandwidth) would still take precedence.

From the exhibits:

The Web Filter profile is configured with Feature set = Flow-based.

The Firewall policy is configured with Inspection mode = Proxy-based and has Web Filter enabled.

In FortiOS 7.6, security profiles that have a feature set selection (Flow-based vs Proxy-based) must match the inspection mode used by the firewall policy. If the profile’s feature set does not match the policy’s inspection mode, the profile behavior will not align with what the administrator expects (and in many cases FortiOS will prevent correct use/selection, or the feature behavior will not apply as intended).

That mismatch explains why the configured URL filter entry for www.facebook.com (set to Monitor) is not producing the expected result, and instead the session is being evaluated by category rating and blocked (shown as Malicious Websites on the FortiGuard block page).

Why the other options are not the best fit:

A: A web rating override is not shown in the exhibits, and nothing indicates an override misconfiguration.

C: While the policy inspection mode could be changed, the root cause shown is the profile feature set mismatch (profile is Flow-based).

D: The URL filter action shown is Monitor, which would not produce a block page by itself.

From the routing table in the exhibit, there is already a static route for 172.20.1.0/24 pointing out port3 with:

Distance = 9

Priority = 2

Type = Static

In FortiOS, route selection prefers (in order) the route with the lowest administrative distance to a destination. Therefore, to make traffic to 172.20.1.0/24 go through port2 only, the administrator must ensure the port2 static route is more preferred than the existing port3 route.

Why C is correct

C. The existing static route through port3 must have the distance set to 11.

If the existing port3 route distance is increased to 11, then a new port2 route with distance 9 will be preferred (9 < 11). This makes the port3 route a backup route instead of the active one.

Why D is correct

D. The new static route must have the distance set to 9

Setting the new port2 route distance to 9 (and increasing the port3 route to 11 as in option C) ensures FortiGate selects the port2 route as the best route for 172.20.1.0/24.

Why A and B are not correct

A (priority 3): By itself it does not guarantee selection over the existing route, and FortiOS route choice is driven primarily by distance.

B (metric 1): Metric is not the primary selector for static route preference compared to administrative distance in this scenario.

So the two criteria that achieve the objective are:

Make the existing port3 route less preferred by increasing its distance (C)

Ensure the new port2 route uses the preferred distance (D)

From the exhibits:

A VIP named VIP-WEB-SERVER is configured on WAN (port2) with:

External IP: 100.65.0.200

Mapped (internal) IP: 10.0.11.50

Port forwarding enabled (TCP)

External service port: 443

Map to IPv4 port: 4443

The inbound firewall policy Web_Server_Access is:

From WAN (port2) to LAN (port4)

Destination: VIP-WEB-SERVER

Service: HTTPS

NAT: Disabled (meaning no source NAT is applied)

What happens to the packet

A host 100.65.1.111 sends TCP SYN dst-port 443 to 100.65.0.200.

When FortiGate matches the VIP and forwards traffic to the internal server, FortiGate performs destination NAT (DNAT) based on the VIP:

Source IP is unchanged because policy NAT is disabled:

Source remains 100.65.1.111

Destination IP is translated by the VIP:

Destination becomes 10.0.11.50

Destination port is translated by the VIP port-forward:

Destination port becomes 4443

Therefore, at the time FortiGate forwards the packet to the destination (internal server), it will be:

Source address: 100.65.1.111

Destination address: 10.0.11.50

Destination port: 4443

In FortiOS 7.6, when multiple dialup IPsec VPNs are configured on the same FortiGate—especially in Aggressive Mode—FortiGate must identify which Phase 1 configuration a connecting client should match.

How FortiGate selects a dialup IPsec tunnel

For dialup VPNs:

The remote peer (user or device) does not have a fixed IP address

Multiple Phase 1 interfaces may exist on the HQ FortiGate

FortiGate uses identifying information sent during IKE Phase 1 to select the correct tunnel

Aggressive Mode behavior

Aggressive mode sends ID information in clear text during Phase 1

This allows FortiGate to match incoming peers to the correct Phase 1 configuration

Why Peer ID is the correct answer

C. Peer ID

Peer ID (also called IKE ID) is used to:

Identify the remote peer

Differentiate between multiple dialup tunnels

Common Peer ID formats:

FQDN

User FQDN

Key ID

FortiGate matches the received Peer ID against the Phase 1 configuration to select the correct tunnel

This is the documented and recommended method for:

Mapping users to different department tunnels

Supporting multiple dialup IPsec VPNs in aggressive mode

Why the other options are incorrect

A. Local GatewayIdentifies the local FortiGate interface/IP, not the remote user.

B. Dead Peer DetectionUsed only for tunnel health monitoring, not tunnel selection.

D. IKE Mode ConfigUsed for assigning IP addresses and pushing settings, not for selecting the Phase 1 tunnel.

In FortiOS 7.6, web filter profiles are inspection-mode dependent. Certain advanced web filtering features—such as daily category usage quota—are only supported when the firewall policy is operating in proxy-based inspection mode.

Why the profile is not visible

The profile restrictmedia-profile includes a daily category usage quota.

Daily quotas are a proxy-based web filtering feature.

If the firewall policy is configured with:

Inspection mode: Flow-based

Then FortiGate will not display proxy-only web filter profiles in the Web Filter drop-down list.

FortiGate automatically filters the available profiles based on feature compatibility with the policy’s inspection mode.

This behavior is explicitly documented in the FortiOS 7.6 Web Filtering and Inspection Mode Compatibility sections.

Why the other options are incorrect

A. Already referenced in another firewall policyWeb filter profiles can be reused across multiple policies. This does not hide them.

B. Firewall policy is in no-inspection mode instead of deep-inspectionSSL inspection depth affects HTTPS visibility, not whether a web filter profile appears in the drop-down list.

C. Naming convention restrictionFortiOS does not restrict profile selection based on naming conventions.

NetAPI: Polls temporary sessions created on the DC when a user logs on or logs off and calls the NetSessionEnum function on Windows. It’s faster than the WinSec and WMI methods; however, it can miss some logon events if a DC is under heavy system load. This is because sessions can be quickly created and purged form RAM, before the agent has a chance to poll and notify FG.

According to the FortiOS 7.6 Administration Guide and Security Fabric documentation, automation stitches are designed to automate responses to security and system events across the network. A core characteristic of these stitches is their flexibility in action execution; specifically, multiple actions can run in parallel (Statement C). While the system allows for sequential execution with configurable delays between actions, the default behavior or configuration option allows for simultaneous responses, such as sending an email notification while simultaneously triggering a webhook or quarantining a host.

Furthermore, triggers can involve external connectors (Statement D). While many triggers are local to the FortiGate (such as reboots or log events), the Security Fabric allows the FortiGate to monitor and react to events from external components like FortiAnalyzer, FortiSIEM, or FortiClient EMS. For example, a FortiAnalyzer event handler can act as the trigger for a stitch on the root FortiGate. Statement A is incorrect because actions can target external systems like AWS Lambda or Slack which are not internal Fabric devices. Statement B is incorrect because each automation stitch is typically defined by a single trigger, though that trigger itself can be broad (e.g., "Any Security Rating Notification").

The exhibit shows the output of the following command:

diagnose test application ipsmonitor 1

pid = 2044, engine count = 0 (+1)

0 - pid:2074:2074 cfg:1 master:0 run:1

How to interpret this output (FortiOS 7.6 – IPS internals)

ipsmonitor displays the status of IPS engines running on the FortiGate.

engine count = 0 means:

No IPS scanning engines are currently active

IPS is not processing any traffic

In FortiOS, IPS engines are started on demand.

Critical documented behavior

IPS processes are only spawned when at least one firewall policy is configured with an IPS profile and traffic matches that policy.

If no firewall policy references an IPS profile, the IPS engine:

Does not start

Shows engine count = 0

Appears “not working,” even though the IPS profile exists

This is exactly what the diagnose output indicates.

Why option A is correct

A. There is no firewall policy configured with an IPS security profile.

Creating an IPS profile alone is not sufficient

IPS must be applied to an active firewall policy

Traffic must match that policy for the IPS engine to run

Otherwise, ipsmonitor will show engine count = 0

This matches FortiOS 7.6 IPS operational behavior.

Why the other options are incorrect

B. Administrator entered the command diagnose test application ipsmonitor 5.

Incorrect.

The exhibit clearly shows ipsmonitor 1

Using a different argument would not explain engine count = 0

C. FortiGate entered into IPS fail open state.

Incorrect.

In fail-open, IPS engines may be bypassed, but they still initialize

engine count = 0 specifically indicates IPS is not in use at all

D. Administrator entered the command diagnose test application ipsmonitor 99.

Incorrect.

The command argument affects debug level, not engine creation

Again, the exhibit shows ipsmonitor 1

According to the FortiOS 7.6 Administrator Study Guide, while there is a global administrative idle timeout setting that applies to all users by default (typically 5 minutes), FortiOS allows for granular control through Administrator Profiles. The Override Idle Timeout feature is specifically designed to allow different timeout values for different access profiles, which is ide1al for environments like a Network Operations Center (NOC) where persistent monitoring is required.23

To implement this, the administrator must modify the s4pecific access profile settings. By using the command config system accprofile 5and editing the NOC_Access profile, the administrator can enable the admintimeout-override and then increase the admintimeout value (Statement D). This configuration ensures that only the users assigned to that specific profile benefit from the extended session duration, maintaining a higher security posture for other administrative accounts that still follow the global timeout. Other options, such as changing the profile order (A) or assigning the super_admin role (C), do not address the specific requirement for inactivity timeout management. Option B is incorrect as "offline value" is not a standard parameter for this feature.